’An epic novel about one man’s journey into the fires of revolution, this is a book that also,reeks of soul music and ethnic diversity as Pelecanos lovingly creates the lost world in which he grew up.,Beneath the paving stones and the mayhem and crime lies a strange poetry that is unique to Pelecanos. Impressive.’--GUARDIAN

’Has George Pelecanos’s hour finally arrived? For years, aficionados of tough, richly characterised thrillers have put Pelecanos securely in the No 1 slot. It’s not difficult to see why: many writers excel at the well-turned acerbic thriller but few are able to combine tough dialogue and bloodletting with an ambitious picture of a society - and that’s what Pelecanos achieves, time and time again.’--SUNDAY EXPRESS

George Pelecanos returns to contemporary Washington for his most powerful crime novel yet...

Lorenzo Brown is fresh out of the clink. The former drug enforcer has vowed to go straight and found himself a job as an officer for the Humane Society. He patrols downtown DC looking for ill-treated animals - but in the course of his day repeatedly comes face-to-face with his old life. A life he can’t quite seem to drag himself away from.

Rachel Lopez is an attractive young probation officer. Ostensibly a woman in control of her life - but under the surface an alcoholic and a cruiser of hotel bars. Brown is one of her clients but she needs as much saving as he does...

Nigel Johnson is a smart young drug-dealer on the make. He has plans to earn a lot of money and stay alive to spend it. He already runs his neighbourhood but doesn’t realise that he stands on the brink of a vicious turf war which could destroy him entirely.

From these snatched lives, Pelecanos weaves an amazing new novel, one that defines a generation of black, Hispanic and white Americans fighting - literally -for their lives.