From Publishers Weekly
One of the finest writers in crime fiction today, Pelecanos once again delivers a moving story of life, death and survival on the streets of Washington, D.C. This time, he focuses on Lorenzo Brown, an ex-con who returns to his old neighborhood after serving eight years in prison. Doing his best to keep straight, Lorenzo prowls the streets rescuing abused animals as a Humane Society officer, but the violent actions of two rival drug gangs threaten to drag him back into his former thug life. Pelecanos knows the world he writes about—his streets, and the characters inhabiting them, throb with vivid authenticity. Unfortunately, Coleman, an articulate actor with a well-modulated voice, delivers Pelecanos's emotionally rich and descriptive prose in a dry, matter-of-fact tone. His is a competent line-by-line reading, but in the end, his detached delivery fails to capture the vitality and intimacy of the author's work. This is a shame, since the audio's abridgment, editing and incidental music are all top-notch.
Simultaneous release with the Little, Brown hardcover (Forecasts, Feb. 21). (Mar.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Be prepared for an involving listen with DRAMA CITY. Narrator Chad Coleman melts invisibly into the characters populating the title precinct--a drug- and crime-ridden section of Washington, D.C. As author Pelecanos perceptively traces the cursed lives of gang members, drug addicts, and poverty-stricken ghetto-dwellers, portraying the inevitable violence and cruelty they encounter throughout their days, Coleman brings compassion to the characters. Thanks to both incisive writing and a skilled performance, DRAMA CITY will bring listeners to a gritty and disturbing part of the U.S. capital. D.J.B. © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine--
Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine
