The Man Who Came Uptown by George Pelecanos

Michael Hudson makes some bad choices as a D.C. youth and ends up in prison.  There he meets Anna, the prison librarian who changes his life.  She engages Michael in reading, the classics primarily, which make him want to be a better man. 

Michael is suddenly released from prison when a P.I., Phil Ornaizon intimidates a witness into withdrawing his testimony against Michael.  Michael returns to his D.C. neighborhood, finds a job washing dishes, and becomes a voracious reader.  Coincidently, Anna lives in his neighborhood and continues to recommend books to support his new found hobby.  Ornaizon, however, has other plans for Michael.  The P.I. runs a criminal side business where he robs crooks of ill-gotten gains and continually pesters Michael to join him.  Michael feels some loyalty to Ornaizon but truly wants to go straight.

I love the way Pelecanos brings out both the good and bad in his characters.  They are all flawed but have many redeeming qualities that make you root for them and hope they make good choices… such an honest and intimate view of humanity.  No one does this as well as Pelecanos.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advance look.

Past Tense by Lee Child

Jack Reacher is in Maine headed to California when he decides to visit his father’s birthplace, Laconia, New Hampshire.  After asking around and doing some research at the town hall, Reacher discovers the small village where his father lived is no longer inhabited and the neighbors are hostile.

Meanwhile, a Canadian couple check into a secluded motel nearby and find the motel owners lie to them, then delay their departure.  What devious plans do the owners have for the unsuspecting couple and how will Reacher come to the rescue?

This is the typical Jack Reacher novel: show up, find someone in need, kick some ass, charm the intelligent female, and move on.  It’s always a worthwhile adventure.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advance look. 

West Coast Don thinks this book was okay. As Midwest Dave writes, it is  straightforward Child. There are two main plots which develop slowly, but once the plots collide, the action gets more intense. The story is so-so, but if you like Reacher, then you'll find this worthwhile. In this book, Child emphasizes the physical size of Reacher more than I remember him doing, and I wonder if that is a reaction to the use of the diminutive Tom Cruise as the movie version of the protagonist.