'As always the prose is just dandy; the story unfolds to the beat of the city and a jukebox of hits...Pelecanos appears to he producing one of the great contemporary bodies of work'THE GUARDIAN

'An ability to engage his readers and create convincing characters that many supposedly more highbrow writers would kill for. And you can read him on the heach' GQ

'You can almost taste the sweat, feel the violence and love the women yourself...modern classic' JOCKEY SLUT

Washington DC. 1946. For two local young men. Pete Karras and loev Recevo the easiest way to find work after the war is by turning to crime - providing a little muscle for a local boss, Mr Burke, who runs a protection racket with the Mafia. The trouble with Pete Karras is that he is lust too soft on his fellow immigrants, and the last thing the boss wants is for his mob to get soft...

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

……

Chapter 41