Set in the present day, George Pelecanos’ new classic crime thriller The Double focuses on issues of returning Iraqi war veterans, racism, murder and stolen works of art. That’s a lot to handle in one novel, but in this sequel to his 2011 book, The Cut, Pelecanos manages to not only tell a story that is both dynamic and adrenaline-raising, but successful in providing readers with a multifaceted, edge-of-your-seat adventure. The Double is fast paced and ever shifting.
At the center of this tale is Spero Lucas, a Marine veteran of the Iraq War who currently makes his living as a private investigator for a D.C.-based attorney (while also dabbling in private work on the side). Set in the gritty underbelly of our nation’s capital, The Double follows Lucas, a thorough and intelligent investigator, as he finds himself trying to balance numerous cases. He is asked by a bartender to investigate a painting stolen by a woman’s ex-boyfriend at the same time as he attempts to solve a first-degree murder case that isn’t as cut-and-dry as it first appeared. In the midst of this maelstrom, Lucas manages to find time to begin an illicit affair with a married woman as well as try to get a handle on his large Greek-American family. In the process he comes up against career criminals, a Russian internet scammer and a sociopath bent on destruction.
Pelecanos, a Washington, D.C., native, has written 19 novels while also working as the writer and producer of the Emmy award-winning TV series “The Wire.” He will speak at Mystery One Bookstore (109 N. Prospect Ave.) at 5 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 17, and at Boswell Book Co. (2559 N. Downer Ave.) that same evening at 7 p.m.
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Book Happening
Thomas Biel
7 p.m., Oct. 22
Boswell Book Co.
2559 N. Downer Ave.
Badlands, a new collection of linked short stories by Milwaukee author Thomas Biel, debuted this summer. These coming-of-age narrative tales follow a dynamic group of boys as they explore issues of morality, sexuality and connection to the landscape. Biel, an English teacher at Rufus King high school in Milwaukee, has been teaching for 27 years.
