The Cut by George Pelecanos - review

The Cut

Spero Lucas, a 29-year-old veteran of the war in Iraq, is now a private investigator for a defence attorney in Washington DC. When a jailed marijuana dealer asks him to retrieve two stolen consignments, Lucas agrees - for a 40 per cent cut of the proceeds. However, when two of the dealer's young lieutenants are shot in the face, Lucas finds himself in a situation which calls on all the lethal skills he learned in the alleyways of Fallujah.

No one does violence better than Pelecanos - the sudden bursts of gunfire take your breath away - but he is unusual in the way he embeds it in a narrative that explores the age-old themes of family and belonging. Lucas is another of his self-contained, self-assured characters whom you just can't help rooting for: he is tough and kind but haunted by the early death of his adoptive father as well. No wonder girls fall into his bed with ease. Pelecanos is also unusual in the care he takes in portraying his hero's stamping-ground: the US capital, in its history and multi-ethnic glory, is a fascinating character in its own right. The result is a bloody, brooding thriller of rare authenticity.