The Blue Flame by George Pelecanos

Final power rotation author: George Pelecanos’ The Blue Flame

First, a word about Pelecanos. He has something like 24 novels/novellas/graphic novels/story books to his credit. All are based in and around Washington, DC. Want more? How’s this: he was one of the original writers and producers of what many critics say is the best crime series on TV . . . EVER: The Wire. Add to that writing/producing credits for streaming series Treme, The Pacific, The Deuce, We Own This City. IMDB notes 68 credits to his work. Nominated twice for Emmy awards (The Wire, Treme). Has quite the nod from none other than Stephan King who calls Pelecanos ‘The greatest living American crime writer.’

And I bet you aren’t reading his books. I’m borderline offended. 

The Blue Flame continues one of Pelecanos’ regular characters, Derek Strange of Strange Investigations, a black PI who owns and runs his own business right there in front of all who inhabit his corner of NE DC. A black business owner who is open dang near 24/7 to help out his neighborhood. Derek is a DC native, grew up in NE DC, was a DC cop until the 14th St. riots after the death of Martin Luther King, after which he quit and opened up a PI agency. He knows his limits. What he can do, what he should do, where he might gently step over the line, and importantly understand the relationship between a PI and DC Metro police. Nearing retirement, but still can get the job done. 

Billy Lake, a local defense lawyer known for his work mostly with drug dealers seeks Derek out. Antone Anthony sits in the DC Metro jail on a murder charge. Lake thinks the young man isn’t a killer (dealer: yes; killer: no). Wants Derek to talk to his friends for background information.

Background info: Nigel Walker, Cynthia Barnes, Ricardo Lennox, Antone, and Kenneth Norton were all childhood friends. Now in their 20s and trying to figure out their place in the DC world. Cynthia had an older brother they all looked up to, but he was cut down by a drunk driver. And her mother had died (or ran off, can’t remember to be truthful). The rest of the boys took in on themselves to look out for Cynthia. Which they did. Cynthia and Nigel had this occasional friends with benefits thing going on. But Nigel never parked outside of her house cuz he was afraid of her father, a retired DC cop. 

One night, Nigel told Cynthia that he was headed over to see Antone about a money beef. Something about cash flow in Antone’s dealing business. Only he never made it. A couple blocks removed from Cynthia’s, Nigel is shot in his car. When the police investigate, they check out the apts of all five friends and find the gun in Antone’s apartment. 

Derek talks to them all. Comes away with some observations, types up his report for Billy Lake, gets paid. Short story? He doesn’t think Antone killed Nigel. 

Maybe three weeks later, someone a few streets over from Antone’s calls in a foul odor from a junkyard. A body had been squeezed into an old freezer and the smell of decay was everywhere. It was Cynthia. 

The problem is that now one set of cops thinks the two crimes are connected and another thinks Cynthia was just wrong-place-wrong-time. A coincidence. Word gets to Derek and he approaches Lake asking for his contract in the Antone case extended so he can dig around a bit further . . . and not piss off the cops. 

Here’s the thing about Pelecanos. He has lived his life in Silver Spring, MD, a DC suburb. Grew up working in small local corner cafes listening to the ebb and flow of DC life. I seem to remember reading he volunteered with DC Metro juvenile counseling kids to get out of the life. The stories he writes are mostly about DC street crime. Nary a mention about the DC intrigue of guv’ment, politics, FBI, CIA, etc. His beat is the streets. Based on his history, he comes by his plots and, importantly, the dialogue of the DC streets honestly. His brilliant portrayal of the landscape, geography, neighborhoods, streets, local details, is, in my opinion, among the best in the crime business. He makes DC come alive. Hey, I grew up in Silver Spring, MD. He and I attended the same high school (albeit maybe 6-8 years apart). As a local, I am continually impressed with his attention to detail about DC and for me, that is an enormous selling point. 

Bottom line: Get off your lazy hindparts, head to your local library, Amazon, or wherever you get your books and get busy reading Pelecanos. Don’t trust me? See the quote from Stephan King above. 

Thanks to NetGalley for the advance reader copy. Expected publication date is August 4, 2026

The Brothers McKay by Craig Johnson

Second power rotation author: Craig Johnson’s The Brothers McKay.  #22 in the Walt Longmire saga. 

There is no love lost when a cantankerous, but wealthy, local is found dead in a fishing stream back up Crazy Woman Canyon in Wyoming (Remember the crazy woman from the movie ‘Jeremiah Johnson.’ Year, that one). Not a single person liked Pepper McKay. A prominent unlikeable wealthy citizen, Pepper McKay, not his family of four sons (make that 3.5. One of his sons is illegitimate) all who have motive, are the obvious suspects. His adult sons include a journalist, a monk from a nearby mountain monastery, an accountant (? Not sure about that one). The fourth lives as a ranch hand whose most critical project is breaking a big-ass mule named Borax. 

But there is more. All around the county, the locals are watching the wind as multiple wildfires are threatening valleys, farms, and small towns. Another body is found extending the list of possible suspects. We can’t ignore a former Russian spy, Maxim Sudorov who Walt is acting as sort of a parole officer (a leftover character from the previous book, Return to Sender). The chemistry between Walt and Sudorov is tres interesting. It’s Maxim who points out the similarities of familial treachery to Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov (hence, the significance of the book's title) to the case.

The book begins in Johnson’s typical meanderings with locals and co-workers. Walt slowly puts pieces of the puzzle together amid the genial back-and-forth typical of the Longmire series that makes the characters so comfortable and compelling.

Until the Highway Patrol issues the GO order forcing everyone to get the hell out of dodge to seek safety. All that ‘aw shucks’ banter suddenly disappears. The monk runs off into the wilderness and the fire. Walt goes after him to stop him from being engulfed by the flames.  The smoke and flames become so intense that Walt takes a fall - messed up his ankle. As he rolls over to contemplate his immediate future, he sees a familiar face: Borax. And now we witness the travails of the cowboy and his trusted steed (maybe that’s giving Borax more rope than deserved) as they try to get to safety. The whole survival episode is where Johnson earns his chops. The reader may wonder if Walt will get out unscathed (probably), but what about the monk? And Borax? Compelling story telling at a fever pace after nearly three-quarters of the story was more like Gunsmoke on a Saturday afternoon and Miss Kitty’s saloon.  And don’t forget why we are all here? The murder of Pepper McKay. 

You need to check this out. But if you already worship at the alter of Longmire, you don’t need me to push this book on you. It’s an easy read. Straightforward storytelling. Fun characters (well, most are fun), plenty of humor, Native American mysticism, that Wyoming landscape.  

What more could you want?

Thanks to NetGalley for the advance reviewer copy. Available May 26, 2026

The Crossroads by CJ Box

I hit the jackpot this past month. Three of my power rotation authors have a new release or soon to be published titles. 

First power rotation author: CJ Box’s The Crossroads by CJ Box. 

By now, readers of this blog know that the MRB boys are big fans of CJ  Box’s 26 (!) Joe Pickett books. Started in 2001 and Box has published a book every year since. You’ll recall that Pickett is a Wyoming game warden whose primary task is ensuring that hunters, fishermen, etc. all have their licenses up to date and aren’t exceeding state mandated hunting limits. But always seems to end up being involved with cases that are (well) outside hit state mandates. And this one is no different. Sort of.

Joe’s been told by a hunter of seeing what appeared to be a drunk elk on a ranch. This falls under his authority so he goes to check it out. The ranch in question is a bit of a drive that takes him out of cell phone coverage. He drives out to where Antler Creek Rd crosses some other back country road. At this crossroads, Joe stops to consult his map. There are three ranches out here. One biggun’ owned by an Atlanta hedge fund manager (code word for ‘loaded’). Another ranch is owned by two borderline crackpot sisters. The third is owned by a long-time couple/resident who just wants to be left alone and aren't afraid to face down trespassers, hunters, lawmen, basically anyone.

So far, basic Joe Pickett plot. 

Until he is ambushed. Shot in his own truck, including a head wound. Left for dead. Chapter 1.

This ain’t your ordinary Joe Pickett book now. A guy out hunting comes across the aftermath, calls it in and promptly disappears. Word gets out across the law enforcement community like a runaway wildfire. Wife Mary Beth is yanked from a library board meeting and taken to the crossroads. Daughters are called in. Eldest Sheridan is working as an investigator in the mountain area (works for Cassie Dewell featured in Box’s six ‘The Highway’ books). April helps run Nate Romanowski’s bird abatement business. Both are tough and not to be messed with. Lucy has just returned from a university experience in Europe. Not to mention there is a new sheriff in town and this is his first big case. Box and Mary Beth are airlifted to Bozeman, MT. Before doing anything drastic medically, the brain swelling must be controlled and the medical team puts Joe into a medical induced coma. 

Have to admit, when the primary protagonist for 25 books is gunned down in the first chapter, it’s painfully obvious that other typically secondary characters will have to step up. And the three daughters do just that. Each daughter gets one of the three ranches at the end of this road to find out who is behind the attempt on their father.

The Joe Pickett series is legendary for the devotion of its readers and Box certainly knows how to set a hook. When was the last time an author put the lead name out front and then nearly blew the lead into kingdom come? Had I not had a life that demanded attention, the sheer audacity of the plot would’ve kept me glued to my seat to see how Box puts the daughters front and center in the storyline while Joe is attended to by a team of neurosurgeons. The girls are up to the task because they are tough, resourceful, committed, and seriously angry. 

Gotta love it. Should be painfully obvious that Box is taking us into the world of the Pickett daughters while daddy recovers (and maybe retires?). Leave it to a great storyteller to leave us breathlessly waiting for episode #27 next year. 

And it’s in bookstores so you won’t have to wait. 

 

ECD
 

The Keeper

 This is not actually a review of the content of Tana French’s new book The Keeper.  I did not realize just how important the voice is in an audiobook, but I quickly realized it with this one. I only got about 2% into the book when I simply could not stand to listen to the narrator. The voice was too slow, too dramatic and hysterical, so I gave up. Although I liked and gave positive reviews of a couple of her early books, and although I did review six of her books, I’ve not been a great fan of her writing and haven’t read her work since 2018. Anyhow, perhaps this book would have turned the tables for me since she is obviously a very successful writer. But, the narrator soured my mood. I even tried to listen to it a day later – just could not do it. Now, duh, I've developed a new appreciation for most of the great narrators that have brought me so much pleasure. I didn't realize that I was taking them for granted. No more! Maybe you won't be turned off to this reader the way that I was.

The Butcher's Boy

 The Butcher’s Boy by Thomas Perry, a very prolific writer, published his first novel in 1982, and he won an Edgar Award for it. Although I listened to this audiobook to the end, I thought the best part was the introduction, I’m guessing it was written in the early 2000s, by Michael Connelly. He wrote about struggling with people who were complimenting his own writing only to have someone say they still liked his first book the best (The Black Echo published in 1992).  Connelly wrote this introduction at a time when Connelly had already written 12 books, so he lamented that such a back-handed compliment meant his time since the first publication must have been time squandered. He described feeling some difficulty with his feeling that The Butcher’s Boy was also Perry’s best work. Connelly added that his own reaction to such a compliment did eventually change and he was able to respond more kindly to those compliments. (I’ve read The Black Echo several times, and while I think it was a very good story, Connelly is the master of this genre, and he has in fact written more and better works.)

My primary problem with this audiobook was the narrator. The man spoke in too slow a cadence and there was a slight slur to his words, as if he was a bit drunk. The story itself was quite solid as you might guess given its history of winning the Edgar, but I think the novel would be better received by reading it and not just listening. I’m not really motivated to read the second book in the series, at least not in the audiobook format with the same narrator. The reviews of the four-book series have been quite favorable.

 

Against All Odds

 It was about a year ago that I read and reviewed my first Richard Danzig novel, The Collectors. It was the third in a series of novels about Chance Cormac, a Brooklyn attorney. Against All Odds is the fourth book in the series and I thought it was a better read than the prior one. There were three main story lines in this novel. One had to do with Chance’s choice to confront a very dangerous woman who was the head of a corrupt triad group based in Hong Kong. It was a story that was a sequel to The Collectors, and once again, it showed Chance’s willingness to put his life at risk in order to help his friends and to right a wrong.

The second storyline had to do with the ICE arrest of Dr. Lyla Abda. She was born in Syria where she overcame the most difficult circumstances at home in her country and win scholarships to a university. Her successful scholarship next won her admission to a medical school in London. After medical school, she began working on various projects to feed impoverished and malnourished refugees in various locations in the world. She ended up writing a paper about malnourishment that was published in a medical journal. She was then invited to do research on that subject at Yale. Based on the misinterpretation of that research paper, in the US, she was charged as being a terrorist. When she was ordered to be released from custody, the government shipped her off to a notorious prison in El Salvadore. Chance took on that case which ended up leading to him getting shot in the chest while delivering a public challenge to the ICE operation. He barely survived. You’ll have to read the book to learn about the resolution of this matter.

The third story line was the continuation of Chance’s troubled personal life. He had a relationship with Sally that he was very certain would lead to marriage. As a younger woman, Sally had a daughter via IVF from a sperm donor. The pregnancy resulted in the birth of Melody who turned out to be a bright and talented student and athlete. Chance loved both Sally and Melody. When Melody was in high school, they investigated who the sperm donor might have been and learned that it was a man named James, a pro tennis player who had briefly played on the pro circuit, but who had retired to become a tennis teacher. He then became Melody’s coach, and she loved the attention of both men. James became a part of the family, and Chance felt quite threatened by is love for the two women. But James had a serious and eventually fatal diagnosis of cancer, and Sally decided that the father of her child deserved to have a true family experience with what a short life he had left, and she agreed to marry him. Chance was incredibly wounded by the experience, and he exited himself from the family although his live for Sally and Melody was unchanged. As James’ disease progressed to its fatal conclusion, Melody became severely depressed and withdrawn from school and her tennis activities. The resolution of those problems was most touching and brought this novel to an end.

I enjoyed the author’s three stories, and I look forward to see what will happen with Chance’s personal life, as well as learning what important social issues he chooses to write about.

The Conviction

I’ve reviewed at least eight novels by Robert Dugoni, most of which I’ve commented about very favorably. The Conviction does not stand up to the author's prior efforts. This is meant to be a thriller about the never-loses lawyer, David Sloane. Written in 2012, the story surrounds Sloane and a friend choosing to take their boys on a wilderness hike. The story surrounds the boys running afoul of the law in a small California town which has been purchased in its entirety by a very wealthy man who wants to run a tight ship with regard to even the pettiest of crimes, or really, just bad manners. The boys are arrested for sneaking out at night and breaking into a small store at night, and before Sloane and his friend can even wake up the next morning, the boys have been tried and sent off to a juvenile boot camp respectively for 6 months and 12 months. Then Sloane and his friend are arrested for being rude to the judge who had sentenced the boys.

I thought the story was ridiculous. Those of us who love thrillers and murder mysteries must suspend judgement to some extent regarding the circumstances that we’re reading about, but the stories can’t go too far away from reality to keep us interested. This one crosses that line the wrong way. I got to the one-quarter mark of the book and decided I had better things to do with my time.

I’m not recommending this one. Good authors can’t write a winner every time, and this is just one of those books that does not qualify.