The Night Gardener

Among aficionados of crime fiction, the name of George Pelecanos is revered. And the fact that he is not particularly known to the general public -- who spend their money on far less accomplished authors -- only adds to the lustre of his reputation among those who have discovered him. If you are wondering why this is the case, pick up The Night Gardener, and the chances good that you will see the appeal of this highly accomplished author.

Stephen King has called Pelecanos 'perhaps the greatest living American crime writer', and one of the reasons for this praise may be the total verisimilitude of his writing: this is crime fiction that makes most entries in the fields seem glossy and insubstantial. The plot here involves unsolved crimes and a killer who has never been brought to justice. In 1985, a ruthless individual was kidnapping teenagers, killing them and dumping their mutilated bodies in public parks. 20 years have passed, and detectives Gus Ramone and Dan Holiday -- who worked on the original case -- have taken different career trajectories: Gus has made Detective Sergeant, while Dan has lost his job over a series of irregularities. But then a boy is found murdered in a public park, and both men find themselves seeking closure on a dark case from their pasts. All the things that distinguish Pelecanos' best writing -- flinty characterisation, solid plotting and a marked social concern -- are present here. If you haven't already, it's time to join the legions of Pelecanos admirers. --Barry Forshaw.

'This is much more than just a serial-killer novel; as ever, Pelecanos tackles race, family, loyalties and drug culture with the utmost delicacy of touch, providing a gently panoramic and compassionate view of the ills as well as the positive elements of American society.' (Maxim Jakobowski THE GUARDIAN )

'[Pelecanos'] fiction over the past decade has been fed by anger and an empathy for a majoirty African-American population that has been marginalised by its own city. His 13th novel The Night Gardener ... concerns itself with what it means to be a good parent in a city where baclk children are tempted daily by the quick-fix blandishments of gang activity. ... It's also a quite brilliant crime novel.' (Paul Connolly METRO )

'[The Night Gardener] is almost flawless ... the multi-stranded narrative exhilaratingly displays the equal ease with which Pelecanos depicts blacks and whites, kids and adults, cops and outlaws, men and women. ... The Night Gardener has a strong claim to be regarded as his most impressive indivudual work,' (John Dugdale SUNDAY TIMES )

'George Pelecanos is a stunningly good chronicler of the mean streets of Washington DC ... For anyone who has somehow missed out on Pelecanos, he is up there with Elmore Leonard and even Chandler for street dialogue and inner city settings, and there is always a pleasing moral undertow to his work.' (Carla McKay DAILY MAIL )

'Pelecanos rocks! There are no two ways about it. Fresh from The Wire, which is the berst cTV cop show on either side of hte Atlantic, his new novel takes off from the word go, as a serial killer from the 1980s appears to return to the 21st century. ... Things are never quiet in Pelecanos land and we should be grateful. Police prodedural at its very best.' (Mark Timlin INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY )

'this novel is complex and gripping.' (IRELAND ON SUNDAY )

'By concentrating onthe relationships between the characters as much as on the detail of the pursuit, Pelecanos turns a mystery into a moving story with no easy conclusion.' (Susanna Yager SUNDAY TELEGRAPH )

'For some years now, George Pelecanos has been among the higher echelons of American Crime writers such as Denis Lehane, James Ellroy and Michael Connelly, but with The Night Gardender I feel he has outpaced the posse. ... a powerful novel that crosses genres, much like ... Mystic River, and it just demands to be read.' (Vincent Banville IRISH TIMES )

'He is building up not just a series of formidable murder mysteries, but a veritable chronicle of of the social ills and issues - especially racial tensions and drugs - that beset the US capital.' (Marcel Berlins THE TIMES ) --Maxim Jakobowski THE GUARDIAN )&#