King Suckerman by George P. Pelecanos Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of King Suckerman
Book Review: The Tarantino Effect
Summary: 3 Stars
Why do Americans think violence is so cool? I don't get it...I love crime novels. Always have. I was weaned on Chandler and Hammett and James M. Cain and Jim Thompson. I've read all the contemprary guys: Pelecanos, Ellroy, Leonard, etc. As a writer, Pelecanos is as good as any of them, but like many today he relies way too often on the cheapest trick in the book: cartoonish, graphic violence to sustain narrative tension. King Suckerman is a classic example, only here, after many incidents of lurid, sadistic killing we get a moral at the end about personal responsibility. Give me a break. Anyway, like I said, the guy can write (though I could do without the pop culture references on every page). But it is was it is: cartoon crime fiction aimed at an adolescent male mentality, a long way from the adult crime fiction of Chandler and Cain and Thompson.
Book Review: This book sings!
Summary: 5 Stars
One of the best hardboiled novels I've read in many a moon. Not only does it have flash (the slang, and the references to music, cars, fashion, and other pop culture), it's got soul: you really care about Karras, the main character, and his friend Marcus. It's the character development that sets this one apart from all of the Tarantino imitations out there. It's not only a terrific crime novel, it's a moving story about the changes the characters go through. King Suckerman is one of the most original pop novels to come along in years.Book Review: Weak
Summary: 2 Stars
This book did little for me. At times, it read like nothing more than a recount of 1970's brand names and music trivia. Since this was the first Pelecanos book I read, I missed out on any references to his other works. Accordingly, I found the characters very flat and cliched. I would not recommend this work to the casual reader.Book Review: fast paced, funny, and brutal
Summary: 4 Stars
Pelecanos' books are generally set in Washington D.C., and King Suckerman is no exception. The title refers to a movie which is debuting soon in the area theatres, to a lot of street-level buzz.The characters aren't glamorous, but they're really memorable. Description is one of the author's strong suits, but that doesn't get in the way of an exciting, riveting plot.
Pelecanos' books are my favorites among crime and mystery authors working today; he really captures the sense of Washington D.C. (this book is set during the 1970's), and the characters are true to form.
If you like your fiction hard-boiled, give Pelecanos a try. I wouldn't start with this one. Start with A FIRING OFFENSE.
If you've read some of the earlier ones, like Nick's Trip or A Firing Offense, try the Suckerman.
ken32
Book Review: getting tiresome
Summary: 1 Stars
So I decide to give Pelecanos a second chance after the narcoleptic Down By The River... and what do I get? A sawbuck poorer and a couple hours off my life that I'll never see again. And the music cues just keep on coming long after we're dead tired of hearing them (hot tip: just mix a greatest hits cd and release that instead). Slightly more hardboiled than a Phyllis Richman culinary mystery, only with people getting shot in the head. But hey, it must be good because he uses actual street names, right? Gimme a break! Never again.