Joy wrote"
>Well, with the encouragement of this list, I read
_Shame the Devil_ >while
>I had no e-mail for 2 weeks. The beginning is one of
those >terrible setups
>where he introduces a bunch of likable people who are
>doomed. It was so
>well written that I kept on reading
anyway.
I actually liked the beginning and the setup - particularly
the support group idea - better than the payoff. I also
missed Marcus and Clarence as major characters (Clarence is
my favorite part of "Suckerman" and "Forever," and Marcus is
just cool) but I can see how they didn't really fit in this
story.
>So question #1:
>Given that I noticed mention of names in this book
that, according to >the
>reviews, seem to be protagonists in his new book,
should I start >at the
>beginning of his writings and read forward, or is any
old order >just fine?
are Strange and Quinn mentioned in "Devil"? I didn't notice
but then the names wouldn't have meant anything at the time.
Actually, it's the other way around. "Shame" the Devil is
actually the culmination (for now anyway) of 2 different
series: the Nick Stefanos books (A Firing Offense, Nick's
Trip, and Down by the River where the dead men go are the
previous ones) and the DC Quartet, with the Karras family as
central characters (The Big Blowdown, King Suckerman, the
Sweet forever, and Shame the Devil). Shoedog is a standalone;
the hero supposedly shows up in a later book but if he did I
didn't recognize him at the time. Right as Rain is supposed
to mark more or less a new start and Hell to Pay (the current
book) is a sequel to that one.
Pelecanos is apparently telling people on the current tour
not to start with the first book (A Firing Offense) because
it sucks. (I'm not kidding). I'd respectfully disagree, it's
not much of a mystery but it's a helluva read, with terrific
characterizations. I found "Nick's Trip" relatively bland by
comparison, though "Down by the River" is, IMO, the first one
where all the element really came together.
the DC Quartet books probably should be read in order, though
I wouldn't say it's vital to go back to the Nick books unless
you just want to (personally I think they're wel worth it),
but if you do these should also be read in order for maximum
effect; Pelecanos weaves a lot of plot and character elements
through his books, sometimes so subtly that you don't even
realize they're there if you haven't read the previous books.
I understand that Right as Rain and Hell to Pay are meant to
stand on their own from previous books, though.
> #2: There's one paragraph in this book that's utter
nonsense, total
>baloney, and I have anecdotes to prove it. Anybody
else know which one >I
>mean?
Well, I've always said that the Metro "Doors Closing"
announcement sounds more like "George Clooney" than "George
Clinton" (and I swear that it sounds much more distinct when
I've ridden it for the past year or so, maybe Pelecanos
embarassed them into reform :)
seriously, what's the paragraph?
Carrie
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