Soul Circus

Customer Reviews

• A Gritty Urban Thriller Complete with Tragedy, Humor & More  Mar 4, 2003 (13 of 13 found this helpful)

  The popularity of George Pelecanos is on the rise, and with good reason. Soul Circus is the third installment of his Derek Strange series, and it more than meets the high expectations set by the previous two. Pelecanos is to Washington, DC as Robert Crais and Michael Connelly are to Los Angeles. He knows the streets, the people, and the culture and his writing reflects the knowledge of an insider. His depictions of urban youth, gang violence, and drug culture are on the mark and he pulls no punches.

  Character development seems to be a strong suit of Pelecanos, as Derek Strange is one of the best around. There is not a reader around who will dislike him. He is not perfect - in fact, he is quite flawed. He's married, but he's reluctant to fully immerse himself in family life. He opposes the death penalty and hates the drugs that plague his neighborhood, but at times resorts to violence and illegal activities himself. He is constantly trying to help the younger men with whom he comes in contact, but realizes that he can only go so far.

  Terry Quinn is his partner, and he is just as flawed as Strange. He does not believe in stronger gun control laws, and hates when he is 'punked' due to the fact that he is white. He is prone to violence and has a temper. He often steps over the line, but he is just as loveable as Strange and brings a great deal to the story.

  Soul Circus is a novel filled with violence and the death of the young. It is at times brutal, and Pelecanos does not flinch when he relates the reality of murder to his readers. He does not, however, portrey all those involved in the drug trade as evil thugs. No character in this book is drawn so black and white as to be wholly good or bad. From Mario Durham, who is constantly laughed at for wearing a pair of used 'ordans,' to the feared Granville Oliver on trial for his life, everyone has their flaws, and all have redeeming features.

  This book can be read as a stand-alone, but readers would probably maximize their enjoyment of this novel by reading Right as Rain and Hell to Pay beforehand. They are both excellent as well.

• EXCELLENT!!  Apr 29, 2003 (9 of 9 found this helpful)

  George Pelecanos is one of todayýs best crime writers. Iýve read all of his novels and I can honestly say that Iýve never been disappointed. In his latest novel, Soul Circus, Mr. Pelecanos returns us to the Washington D.C. of Derek Strange and Terry Quinn. Itýs a Washington that most of us donýt know about. Drug dealers, gangs, guns and violence abound, but thatýs not all these neighborhoods are about. Mr. Peleconos takes us deep into our capitols neighborhoods and culture.
  If youýve been keeping up with Mr. Pelecanosýs writing youýll know that, Harriet Klausner pay attention here, this is Derek Strange and Terry Quinnýs third appearance and Mr. Pelecanosýs 11th novel.
  As I said before Iýve enjoyed every one of his novels but the ending to Soul Circus is a surprise that I wasnýt prepared for. It may just signal the end to Derek Strangeýs stories. I guess weýll just have to wait and see.
  If youýve read Right as Rain and Hell to Pay then pick up this novel as soon as possible. If you havenýtý..What are you waiting for?

• A THINKING MAN'S THRILLER VERY WELL READ  Apr 9, 2003 (8 of 8 found this helpful)

  With his 11th novel bestselling author George Pelecanos offers another powerful, disturbing and highly readable story set on the mean streets of Washington, D.C. Private investigator Derek Strange with the aid of Terry Quinn again takes center stage as turf battles erupt in violent grabs for territory and money.

  Accomplished voice performer Richard Allen adds just the right amounts of menace and bravado to his reading, ably inhabiting the skins of both good and bad guys.

  When a D. C. crime boss is captured and imprisoned he seems a shoo-in for the ultimate punishment. Lawyers representing the gang leader hire Strange to help in getting a lighter sentence. A witness is needed to cast doubt on testimony against the drug lord, and that witness might just be an angry former girlfriend. After all, hell hath no fury like a you-know-who.

  Meanwhile with the crime boss in jail two young drug dealers are jousting for the apparently up for grabs neighborhood and profits to come. It is, as Pelecanos makes clear, a vicious circle that goes round and round in an amoral neighborhood where fear rules and friendships are forsaken.

  Pelecanos writes thinking man's thrillers, as his legions of fans will attest.

  - Gail Cooke

• Disappointed But Not Dissuaded  Jun 29, 2004 (5 of 5 found this helpful)

  Soul Circus was a disappointment after the first two Derek Strange novels (Hell To Pay and Right as Rain). There is much to enjoy in the book, but not half as much as either of the previous two novels.

  There were two problems that bogged down the book for me. First, Pelecanos seems to have lost interest in the character of Terry Quinn from the very beginning -- the only time that Pelecanos seems to be invested enough to animate Quinn into a full, believeable character is in Quinn's bedroom scenes; apart from those Quinn's a prop here.

  The second issue that weighs this installment (unfortunately "installment" is an accurate pun here) is that the callbacks (the echoes in pattern, relationships) to the previous two books feel like Pelecanos engaging in the same-ol', same-ol' rather than feeling like Pelecanos is further elucidating, or even effectively reinforcing, either who the characters are or that the characters' setting pushes them toward similar situations again and again. It feels like the actions that recur from the previous novels in this series, are repeated because Pelecanos feels the need to have the characters play these notes again, not because the characters have the need to fall into these patterns or have these personality tics. The recurrances play like ill-conceived "hooks" for pop songs.

  Both of these issues seem related to what many have noted, that Pelecanos seems less interested in the characters in this book than in driving home a point about gun control and the death penalty. The joy of the previous two works in this series came from exactly the character exploration that's missing here. I look forward to reading the next Derek Strange book that finds something new to explore about Strange and DC -- Pelecanos does that so well.

• Rather be "At the Circus"  May 22, 2003 (4 of 4 found this helpful)

  I loved the first two Strange/Quinn tales and had high hopes. Sorry to say this story never engaged me and I can't really recommend it. Time for GP to move on to a new venue and some new characters.