Right as Rain

'Right as Rain' started the Derek Strange and Terry Quinn series of crime novels set in Washington DC by George Pelecanos. Strange and Quinn are each former-DC cops. Strange is black and Quinn isn't. Strange is a private detective and Quinn isn't. Strange is under control and Quinn - nope.

Strange is hired to look into the shooting of an off-duty black cop by a white cop - who turns out to be Quinn, which begins their unlikely collaboration. Pelecanos creates some vivid characters - an inner city drug lord, a junkie or two, a couple of redneck drug suppliers, as well as members of the urban black middle class.

Pelecanos was one the writers (along with creator David Simon and Dennis Lehane, Ed Burns, and others) who made 'The Wire' (The show more Wire - The Complete First Season) one of the best TV dramas of all-time. In the written word, Pelecanos creates the same gritty feel for the underbelly of the city's drug trade and of its collateral damage. Helluva read. Highly recommended. show less

This book has been around for awhile, and I wish I'd come across it earlier. Usually, when I 'discover' an author with a deep catalog, I'll read the latest book, then go back and start at the beginning and work forward. For some reason, I'd bounced around with George Pelecanos and had already read the other Strange novels, and it was a pleasure getting into this one and learning about the genesis of the relationship between Derek and Terry Quinn.

As with all of his novels, Mr. Pelecanos paints a vivid, gritty, realistic picture of the setting, usually DC and environs. He has a knack for dialogue, which I believe helps him build his characters very efficiently. In this story, you can really get a feel for who both Derek Strange and Terry show more Quinn are by what's coming out of their mouths. I love good dialogue, and Mr. Pelecanos is right up there with guys like Elmore Leonard, John Sandford, and George Higgins circa Eddie Coyle.

The story is very believable and moves at a brisk pace. The writing technique of developing the story by following different groups of characters that intersect at some point can often be a problem, but it worked well in this case. The only real issue I've had with Mr. Pelecanos' books is that he can sometimes be 'preachy', which he usually tries to do in an indirect way. Although race was an essential part of the story line, it may or may not have been the key element to the shooting that was investigated.

This was a great introduction to the Strange/Quinn partnership that leads into subsequent novels I've already read... hope he comes up with a few more. The characters, dialogue, plots, and settings are wonderful. show less

Another disappointing novel from an author who I initially thought was a real contender, up there with James Lee Burke and Elmore Leonard. But he’s at least a division below, relegated there with this story of a “good black ex cop” and “good-ish white ex cop” getting their relationship together through mutual respect. Pass the sick bag George, as the white boy brings his black father figure obscure Motown vinyl (of course) recordings from his record boutique.
I also didn’t appreciate the occasional “observation” on race relations that pepper the novel, all along the lines of “It’s so tough being black and you white boys will never understand a black man’s point of view”. Errm, sorry George, but aren’t you a show more white boy
too? Nah, I gave this up and I’ll be hard pushed to return to another I’m afraid. show less

This is my first read from this author, and the first in a series - and a very strong start, in my opinion. I definitely plan to read more of these.

It's a gritty, down-to-earth story that takes place in Washington, DC in places where most of us would never see, and about people we probably would never meet. And for many of them, we wouldn't want to meet, although there are some that I wouldn't mind meeting, such as Derek Strange, a Black detective/former cop and his office manager/girlfriend. He teams up with a troubled White former cop who is part of his investigation, and they become friends. Together, they go after some real low-life drug dealers.

I think the author did a great job of exposing the under-belly of Washington and making show more it seem real. I don't know if it's really authentic, of course, but the characters all seemed to come alive, and I felt I knew them all. I look forward to more from this author. show less

I’m pretty impressed with the book. Pelecanos paced it well, without using much in the way of gimmicks. A couple of times he has Strange do something, where he deliberately doesn’t tell the reader what Strange is doing. Most of the time the point of view is third person omniscient, so it was noticeable when the omniscience faded for very brief spots. But other gimmicks like telling things out of order, or unnecessary cliffhangers while we switch to another character’s point of view, these gimmicks were not used. I also liked that Pelecanos told a gripping story without constantly putting Strange and Quinn in constant danger. I was drawn in by the unraveling of the mystery, not by danger. And yet, there’s plenty of danger, and show more plenty of action. It’s just not used as a plot device.

(Full review at my blog) show less

Derek Strange is a PI in Washington, DC and is hired by a dead cop's mother to find out the real circumstances of her son's death and clear his good name. I "read" this book with my ears and while the story was ok and the plot was ok, the reading was magical. Richard Allen is the narrator and he is amazing. It was like listening to a radio play. A truly wonderful experience.

I've always been a fan of private eye novels and TV dramas, the modern cowboy who is always on the outside battling The Man.

They become scarce in recent years, particularly on TV as writers and directors became enamored of police procedurals and cop dramas that feature SWAT teams and other paramilitary that trample all over civil rights. Might makes right in modern America.

As private detective novels go, Right As Rain features a couple of interesting characters and was a decent read.