113. The Night Gardener by George Pelecanos...

About the book:

In 1985, the body of a 14-year-old girl turns up in a Washington, D.C., park, the latest in a series of murders by a killer the media dub "The Night Gardener." T.C. Cook, the aging detective on the case, works with a quiet, almost monomaniacal, focus. Also involved are two young uniformed cops, Gus Ramone, who's diligent, conscientious and unimpressed by heroics, and Dan "Doc" Holiday, an adrenaline junkie who's decidedly less straight.

Fast forward 20 years. Detective Ramone, now married with kids of his own, investigates the murder of one of his teenage son's friends. The homicide closely resembles the earlier unsolved Night Gardener murders. Holiday, now an alcoholic chauffeur and bodyguard, follows the case on his own and tracks down Cook, long retired but still obsessed with the original murders. While the three work together toward a suspenseful ending, Pelecanos emphasizes the fallacy of "solving" a murder and explores the ripple effects of violent crime on society.

drey's thoughts:
The Night Gardener is a mystery/detective novel that's more about the people--the detectives, the families, the victim--than it is about solving the crime itself. Yes, there's a crime (more than one, in fact, but there's just the one in the present time). Yes, there are detectives looking into the crime. And a few ex-detectives as well. But the story that Pelecanos tells pulls you along with the characters as they go about their daily lives--at work, at home, with friends, with suspects...

The creepiest part of the book? The second to last paragraph in the book. And I cannot say any more, or I'll give it away.

Title: The Night Gardener
Author: George Pelecanos
ISBN-10: 0316056502
ISBN-13: 978-0316056502
Paperback: 372 pages
Publisher: Back Bay Books, 2009

74. The Way Home by George Pelecanos...

The Way Home by George Pelecanos is a story about how your past can not only come back to haunt you, but it influences the way everyone sees you and your actions thereafter. It is also a story on rising above, growing up, and doing the right thing.

Christopher Flynn just couldn't seem to make the right decisions.  Bad attitude and bad habits send him on his way to incarceration while still a teenager.  When he gets out, he does the responsible thing - gets a job working for his dad, meets a girl, tries to settle into "normal" life. 

One day while on a job he & his partner are tempted by a treasure trove. Not wanting to get dragged back into the life he has finally put behind him, Chris convinces his partner to leave it where it was. When the treasure disappears, the owners come a-hunting Chris & his partner. Now Chris has to find out who's hunting him, and who took the treasure they're looking for. All while convincing his father that he hasn't reverted to his former life.

The Way Home is a sad story about life and it's breaks (or lack thereof) when you get caught for your irresponsibility and have to pay the price to society. It is also the story of a young man's redemption and maturity. I found it hard to read - I wanted bad Chris to leave good Chris alone. But all is not as we want it, which is good, for to be otherwise would mean a boring world, indeed. My wanting aside, this was a good read with very well-drawn characters who will pull you into their story.  

Title: The Way Home
Author: George Pelecanos
ISBN-10: 0316156493
ISBN-13: 978-0316156493
Paperback: 323 pages (ARC)
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company, May 2009