4 Stars
This is the first book I’ve read by this author. I love mysteries and the first thing that
caught my attention was the title.
The main character, Spero, is a vet from Afghanistan turned
private eye. He is a womanizer, drinks
too much, smokes too much, and likes to get into violent confrontations. Even though he has all these bad traits,
there is still some incentive to ride his bike, kayak, and stay fit. On these adventures, the reader gets to see
bits of the countryside around Washington
DC
It’s Spero’s job to find evidence about murder victims, retrieve
stolen merchandise, etc which he’s good at doing because he’s willing to do
whatever it takes. Along with his main
job, working for lawyer, Tom Peterson, he takes on odd jobs that usually bring
him into contact with women, most of whom find him irresistible. The women he meets all drink about as much as
he does, which I don’t think would be the case in real life.
Pelecanos squeezes Spero’s private life with family in
between his sleuthing and his beating up people to get information about his
cases, which usually involve pretty and/or lonely women. There is a lot of fighting with fists and
guns and several descriptive sex scenes, so if this bothers you, be forewarned.
Once this book gets going, it’s an interesting read, but
there was nothing special about the story.
It didn’t really have an “oh wow” that will stick in my mind long after
I closed the cover. But not everything
is resolved in the end so maybe a sequel is coming.
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