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Rating: 
Summary: The Streets of Washington DC in the 80s
Review: Set in Washington DC in the mid-1980s, the drug of choice has now changed from marijuana to cocaine. Dimitri Karras and Marcus Clay are featured again, as in King Suckerman, but Nick Stefanos (both the older and younger) make appearances. To avoid confusion, it is highly recommended that before reading this book you try reading a couple of Pelecanos' earlier books, particularly The Big Blowdown and King Suckerman which are the earlier of this particular series.In this book, a drug car smashes and bursts into flames outside Marcus Cray's Real Right record store. Someone waiting outside the record store walks over to the car and takes a pillowcase filled with money out of the burning car. When the local gang-leader, and owner of the money, finds out about the theft of his dough, he's not very happy and seeks to regain his money. Dimitri and Marcus are drawn into this fight because of their proximity to the original accident. Once again, the mood of the book is set by the use of street talk by the characters, the description of the music they listen to, and the ongoing NCAA basketball tournament of the day. As with all Pelecanos books, the drug culture is strongly featured and appears to have gripped Dimitri pretty tightly now. This is the third of a series of four books, with the fourth title being Shame the Devil.
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Summary: Well Done and Engrossing
Review: The Sweet Forever is a well done and engrossing crime novel. Pelecanos' story shifts from the Washington DC gang members to the corrupt cops to honest people just trying to get by and back again. It's not really about one crime, like a murder that must be solved. Rather it concerns a chain reaction of events which occur after a bag of drug money is taken from a flaming car. The characters are real and will stay with you after you put the novel down. The resolution is satisfying--nothing canned or predictible here. The Sweet Forever is an enjoyable, engrossing read.
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Summary: First Time Pelecanos reader
Review: This is my first time reading a pelecanos book, not even sure why I chose to read it. I have to admit, that I read the first 100 pages, sporadically over a week. I really was not being pulled in by the plot, but I wanted to keep reading because of the characters. They are realistic, in language, habits and all have depth. The characters do stay with you long after the book. The ending may have been a little too clean, but it was still realistic. The details about the music and the streets seemd to take away from the story. It was just too much detail. It was DC in 1988, so the backdrop of a Presedential election seems to be completely ignored, considering how much detail he put into other areas. The Len Bias backdrop was a great backstory. i definitely want to read mroe from Pelecanos.
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