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The Martini Shot: A Novella and Stories Audiobook
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Publisher Description
Short stories and a novella from one of crime fiction's most revered writers.
Whether they're cops or conmen, savage killers or creative types, gangsters or God-fearing citizens, George Pelecanos' characters are always engaged in a fight for their lives. They fight to advance or simply to survive; they fight against odds, against enemies, even against themselves. In this, his first collection of stories, the acclaimed novelist introduces readers to a vivid and eclectic cast of combatants.
A seasoned claims investigator tracks a supposedly dead man from Miami to Brazil, only to be thrown off his game by a kid from the local slum. An aging loser takes a last stab at respectability by becoming a police informant. A Greek-American couple adopts an interracial trio of sons and then struggles to keep their family together, giving us a stirring bit of background on one of Pelecanos' most beloved protagonists, Spero Lucas. In the title novella - which takes its name from Hollywood slang for the last shot of the day, the one that comes before the liquor shots begin - we go behind the scenes of a television cop show, where a writer gets caught up in a drama more real than anything he could have conjured for a script.
By turns heartbreaking and humane, brutal and funny, these finely constructed tales expose the violence and striving beneath the surface of any city and within any human heart. Tough, sexy, fast-paced, and crackling with energy, The Martini Shot is Pelecanos at his very best.
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“Edgar-finalist Pelecanos showcases his formidable skills in his first storycollection. Among the standouts is the unforgettable ‘The Confidential Informant,’in which a Washington, DC, man who lives in the shadow of his aging Vietnam vetfather attempts to prove himself to the old man by helping the police ‘solve ahomicide.’ Fans of Pelecanos’ Spero Lucas series will welcome the emotionallycharged ‘Chosen,’ which fills in the back story of Lucas’ mixed-race family. In‘The Dead Their Eyes Implore Us,’ a raucous Depression-era story, a Greekimmigrant gets mixed up with a corrupt Pinkerton agent. In the title novella,the life of Victor Ohanion—who, like Pelecanos, is a writer and producer for acable TV crime show—begins to resemble his scripts after a set worker ismurdered; Ohanion decides to settle the score. While these eight tales are notas deep as the author’s novels, the collection is still a winner.”
— Publishers Weekly
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“One of the best crime novelists alive, George Pelecanos is an American original.”
— Dennis Lehane, praise for the author -
“For some time George P. Pelecanos has been the best-kept secret in crime fiction—maybe all fiction…The word among writers and those in the know has long been ‘read Pelecanos.’”
— Michael Connelly, praise for the author -
“The first story collection from the prolific Pelecanos…Most of the stories here appeared in various noir anthologies over the last two decades, when Pelecanos emerged as one of the country’s most distinctive and reliable crime writers, and they showcase an author whose gritty prose style and sympathetic characterization have remained remarkably consistent in that time.”
— Library Journal -
“Seven stories and a novella from the undisputed king of DC noir…This collection showcases his versatility.”
— Kirkus Reviews -
“Dion Graham’s character range is on display in Pelecanos’ first collection of stories. The diversity of characters runs the gamut. And while Graham doesn’t nail every accent in the collection, he thoroughly grasps the element that connects all of the characters: struggle. Whether it’s conflict on the street over drugs or identity conflict, family strife at home, or an internal battle with right and wrong, Graham pulls listeners in, helping them empathize with the characters. Graham also exhibits flexibility, adjusting to Pelecanos’ storytelling styles, like the screenplay dialogue in the title novella. Graham delivers atmosphere, dark humor, and genuine humanity in a great listening experience.”
— AudioFile -
It's astonishing all the good stuff Pelecanos can pack into one unpretentious book that make the story so rich.
— Marilyn Stasio, New York Times Book Review -
Pungent, funny dialogue...believable black-and-white friendships...outstanding scene-setting...The Double is fast-paced, its villains feel fresh...Call me a hard-core Pelecanos junkie.
— Jocelyn McClurg, USA TODAY -
The author laces his story with vivid descriptions of Washington's changing urban landscape. The writing is taut, the violence is graphic and the characters are so well-drawn that they step off the page and into your life. The Double is as good as it gets.
— Bruce DeSilva, Associated Press -
The writing is spare; the dialogue rings with authenticity; and walking D.C.'s mean streets with Lucas is the next best thing to being there. Easily the best crime novel I've read this year.
— Hallie Ephron, Boston Globe -
Pelecanos at his best...The Cut crackles with energy.
— Dan DeLuca, Philadelphia Inquirer -
Every time I read one of George Pelecanos's novels, I'm left a little awed...The guy's a national treasure.
— Dennis Lehane -
A lean, swift, atmospheric detective novel...The characters-good-hearted, ill-intentioned or in between-are shown by Mr. Pelecanos with loving clarity, free of cliché, condescension or illusion. Spero Lucas is an engagingly layered character...The Cut is a resourceful and notably original work the delivers the thrills of an action movie and the poignancy of fine storytelling.
— Tom Nolan, Wall Street Journal
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About George Pelecanos
George Pelecanos is the author of twenty-two novels and story collections set in and around Washington, DC, and has been the recipient of numerous international writing awards. He is a screenwriter, essayist, and television writer–producer whose credits include The Wire, Treme, The Deuce, and We Own This City.
About Dion Graham
Dion Graham is an award-winning narrator named a “Golden Voice” by AudioFile magazine. He has been a recipient of the prestigious Audie Award numerous times, as well as Earphones Awards, the Publishers Weekly Listen Up Awards, IBPA Ben Franklin Awards, and the ALA Odyssey Award. He was nominated in 2015 for a Voice Arts Award for Outstanding Narration. He is also a critically acclaimed actor who has performed on Broadway, off Broadway, internationally, in films, and in several hit television series. He is a graduate of Rutgers University’s Mason Gross School of the Arts, with an MFA degree in acting.