Rating: 
Summary: Loathsome heroes, charming villains
Review: I loved this book, great thriller, good action, killer dialogue. But, the couple of heroes at the heart of King Suckerman are loathsome, to say the least. All macho, all the time? Gimme a break from that knight-in-shinning armor shit! The villains on the other hand are quite charming, except when you consider their villanous deeds, of course.
Rating: 
Summary: Below average for author, way above average for the genre
Review: I've read most of Pelecanos' work and, in my opinion, King Suckerman would rank as one of his weaker efforts. It's one of the earlier works and is worth reading for background on some characters who will show up in later books. It's also worth reading because it's a slam bam, gritty crime novel. It may not be one of the author's best books, but it's still one of the best crime novels I've read. As usual, Washington, D.C. is both the setting for the story and a living character in the book. There are plenty of tough and weak, cunning and stupid players in the twisting story. If you have a pulse and like crime fiction, I don't see how you can skip this book or anything else Pelecanos writes.
Rating:
Summary: Below average for author, way above average for the genre
Review: I've read most of Pelecanos' work and, in my opinion, King Suckerman would rank as one of his weaker efforts. It's one of the earlier works and is worth reading for background on some characters who will show up in later books. It's also worth reading because it's a slam bam, gritty crime novel. It may not be one of the author's best books, but it's still one of the best crime novels I've read. As usual, Washington, D.C. is both the setting for the story and a living character in the book. There are plenty of tough and weak, cunning and stupid players in the twisting story. If you have a pulse and like crime fiction, I don't see how you can skip this book or anything else Pelecanos writes.
Rating:
Summary: FLOORED!!!
Review: James Crumley (who you all should be fans of) once said that Pelecanos uses music the way some others use the weather. Or he said something to that effect, and man, he was right on. This was the second Pelecanos book I read. The first was A FIRING OFFENSE a couple years earlier. I liked that one, but when I cracked open the KING I was floored. Now this book may seem a little over the top to some, but think about it, it is, in part, a tribute to blaxploitation flicks, which were all without exception, over the top. I don't want to spoil this for anyone, so let me just say that this involves some very bad people, some pretty bad people, and some bad people who wish they were good people. And a lot of drugs and cold hard cash. And music. lots of music. And enough great writing about cars to satisfy any gearhead out there. Unless you just plain don't like good fast storytelling, i gurantee KING SUCKERMAN will make you a Pelecanos fan.
Rating:
Summary: Guns, Friends, and One Smokin' Soundtrack!
Review: King Suckerman is one funny book! The prose is so high energy it shines, but a quick glance of the first page of customer reviews makes me nervous about writing a positive review of this book (most of you guys are dissing Pelecanos's effort, it looks like). I think King Suckerman was intended as an action-comedy, sort of a Sergio Leone-meets-Shaft novel where the message is that friendship and loyalty rises above. Pelecanos riffs freely on subjects from reefer, to DC basketball, to violence, to the real question at each of our hearts: was Jimi Hendrix a rock musician, or a soul musician? All of this lightly covers some heavier issues underneath the surface of King Suckerman; chiefly race, drugs, and violence in our nation's capitol. Marcus Clay is a black DC record store owner (Real Right Records) and Demitri Karras is a young white man with no clear direction in his life. The two play ball together on DC's famed city courts, and when a simple drug deal draws Clay into pulling a gun on a local dealer, Karras and Clay become the subject of the dealer's (and some out of town boys') revenge. The novel follows a pretty tight storyline from there with the redneck goons tracking down Karras and Clay, ultimately leading to the novel's The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly style climax on a DC bicentenial July 4th with fireworks exploding in the background! As with other Pelecanos novels (Right as Rain, Shame the Devil, Soul Circus, The Sweet Forever), King Suckerman is a deeply moral novel where redemption and loyalty rises above ignorance and hatred. There is an interesting passage in Suckerman where Karras finds out that a young kid he's sold some dope to has died in an automobile accident, and for a time he seems torn, trying to choose between right and wrong, friendship and honor. At the end of the novel, Karras does have a focus and a responsibility, and through friendship, he comes to be a more mature character. It's the kind of ending that leaves you wanting to see what'll happen next in Karras's life, now that he has matured. Fortunately, that novel has been written (Shame the Devil) and is every bit as intense and powerful as King Suckerman. If you're new to Pelecanos, my best recommendation would be to read his more recents books (or to check out HBO's The Wire, for which he writing this season) and see if his style appeals to you. If it does, you'll eventually want to read King Suckerman because it is one of the brightest, funniest novels in Pelecanos's ouvre. I highly recommend this novel! Stacey
Rating: 
Summary: Rent Pulp Fiction instead
Review: Maybe it's just me but this whole violence being cool thing has wore very thin for me. This is not the 70's that I remember though I'm sure at some level it existed. This book reminds me of a 70's version of "Less Than Zero"; worthless unredeeming characters caught in worthless unredeeming lives. A pathetic "Pulp Fiction" ripoff and a waste of time. I mean "Superfly" was one thing but this?
Rating:
Summary: This book sings!
Review: One of the best hardboiled novels I've read in many a moon. Not only does it have flash (the slang, and the references to music, cars, fashion, and other pop culture), it's got soul: you really care about Karras, the main character, and his friend Marcus. It's the character development that sets this one apart from all of the Tarantino imitations out there. It's not only a terrific crime novel, it's a moving story about the changes the characters go through. King Suckerman is one of the most original pop novels to come along in years.
Rating:
Summary: Suckerman is pure funk. Oh yeah!!
Review: Open this book and you can hear Issac Hayes say: "Shaft's one bad mother - shut your mouth - just talking 'bout Shaft." Excellent characters, and a great soundtrack. This book rocks, no wait a minute it funks. That's what I'm talking 'bout. As James Brown would say, "Make it funky!"
Rating:
Summary: King Suckerman just sucked me right in!
Review: Pelecanos hooks you from the very first page and makes you want to keep turning 'till the end.His knowledge of pop-culture in the 70's is outstanding and his descriptions of the locales and how it all unfolds is right on the money!This book leaves you jealous when the characters are having a good time and downright bummed when one or more of the characters leaves and/or dies.It takes alot to keep me interested, but this book kept me up all night looking forward to the end.
Rating:
Summary: fast paced, funny, and brutal
Review: Pelecanos' books are generally set in Washington D.C., and King Suckerman is no exception. The title refers to a movie which is debuting soon in the area theatres, to a lot of street-level buzz. The characters aren't glamorous, but they're really memorable. Description is one of the author's strong suits, but that doesn't get in the way of an exciting, riveting plot. Pelecanos' books are my favorites among crime and mystery authors working today; he really captures the sense of Washington D.C. (this book is set during the 1970's), and the characters are true to form. If you like your fiction hard-boiled, give Pelecanos a try. I wouldn't start with this one. Start with A FIRING OFFENSE. If you've read some of the earlier ones, like Nick's Trip or A Firing Offense, try the Suckerman. ken32
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