Shoedog

by George P. Pelecanos and George P Pelecanos

Book Overview

From "the poet laureate of the D.C. crime world" (Esquire) comes this powerful early novel--the noirish story of how a Washington, D.C., liquor store heist shows a drifter named Constantine what it... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0446610747
• Release Date: September 2004
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 0.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 6.8" x 0.8" x 4.3"

Customer Reviews

A great stand-alone Pelecanos heist novel

This was a fun book. The plot involves a drifter named Constantine who essentially randomly finds himself caught up in a scheme to rob two liquor stores nearly simultaneously. Constantine's fellow ne'er-do-wells are engaging written and the pace of the novel is action-packed. Shoedog doesn't involve any of Pelecanos' other signature characters (Nick Stefanos, Derek Strange, etc.) in a significant way. It is, however, set in Washington, DC, as are the rest of his books. This was one Pelecanos' first novels, but his writing is still as polished as ever. I actually ended up reading this book after I had read all of his other, better known books and found myself enjoying it more than some of his latest. One very minor quibble: the title is a bit of a misnomer, because the "shoedog" character is not actually the most developed -- the "Shoedog" character plays a decidely second fiddle to Constantine, the protagonist. The book ends with one of Pelecanos' traditional big finale shootouts, but is still entertaining for all that. I would highly recommend this book to any of Pelecanos' current fans, as well as anyone interested in reading a fun, engaging book about a heist that goes wrong (don't they all?).

Outstanding Drama

Few crime novelists can hook you like George Pelecanos. His 1994 stand-alone "Shoedog" was out-of-print until last fall in paperback....great news! There are no good guys in this tale of violence, extreme betrayal and social realism. Every character is morally questionable. Like great film-noir, the cast is either anti-hero or villain. After drifting worldwide for seventeen years, Constantine decides to hitchhike back to DC. He accepts a ride from an older hood called Polk (everyone in "Shoedog" goes by one name). Outside DC, Polk needs to make a stop to "collect some dough." That stop sets a dreadfully dark caper in motion for Constantine. A dual liquor robbery in DC on payday...two inside men on both jobs and a driver. Well cased and set up...it looks okay...and no one has a chance to say no. In the great noir tradition a woman upsets loyalties and outsiders are after Polk. The dénouement is stunning and will resound in your mind for an extensive period. Packed with remarkable dialogue, suspense, treachery, fanatical duplicity and filled with superb pop culture references, "Shoedog" is best read in black and white.

Another hit.

Pelecanos does it again in SHOEDOG. He hits on all counts, the writing is superb, and the characters, as always, are deep and interesting. I couldn't get enough of this book. This is one that I was sad to come to the end.

If you like crime fiction and can find a copy, read it

I've now read all but one of Pelecanos' books and, while I wouldn't rank Shoedog as even one of the top five, I still rate it a five star book. The author has so many tools to work with that he can produce a terrific book even if he's not hitting it on all cylinders. I thought this book was a little short, which limited the character and story development a bit. And, several of the heist characters were also not as interesting as many others I've encountered in this author's books.Having stated my criticism, I'll have to say I loved reading the book anyway. Randolph, the Shoedog character, was superb. The planning and execution of the robberies was gripping. The Washington, D.C. and music references were characteristically well done. The story had enough twists and turns and the ending was not that predictable. If you like crime fiction and can find a copy (it's kind of scarce), I think you should read it.

Noir in DC

Pelecanos takes a break from the Nick Stefanos series to tell the noir tale of a drifter who, while simply hitching a ride south, gets caught up in shady dealings with deadly consequences. The protagonist, Constantine, is extremely similar to Pelecanos' Nick Stefanos (and even spends a night in Stefanos' bar) he's a loner, able to hold his own, at home with the underbelly of society and a keen sense of what is right and wrong. He gets caught up in with some petty criminals and their controlling boss and ends up in a sticky situation. As usual, Pelecanos uses Washington DC and environs as a backdrop for this gritty little tale.