Although his novels are wrapped in the tenets of crime fiction, George Pelecanos works as a social historian, plotting the progress, decline and hopes of the multicultural, multiracial nation's capital. Pulling together a cohesive, taut story with a far-flung, complex cast of characters that echoes Richard Price's Clockrs, "Hell to Pay" is a look at an inner-city society driven by characters who are under siege from the drugs and violence that have infiltrated their world.-----$24.95-----Recommended by: MJS