Hard Revolution (Derek Strange & Terry Quinn Series #4) » (Reprint)

A devotee of the hard-boiled school of detective fiction, George P. Pelecanos has honed his street-smart style with a series of detective thrillers all set in the seamier corners of the D.C./Maryland/Virginia triangle.

In this epic showdown from "one of the best crime novelists alive" (Dennis Lehane), police rookie Derek Strange tries to help his brother, a Vietnam vet with a disability pension and a drug problem. But Washington, D.C., like the rest of the country, soon reels from the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.

The New York Times

Hard Revolution is best appreciated in context, with the adult Derek Strange in sight. It offers a blunt introduction to this enduring character, and a potent one … Mr. Pelecanos writes clean, tight, cogent prose with a heartfelt urgency. However convenient the story's timing may be, it packs a serious punch. — Janet Maslin