The Cut

Spero Lucas, Book 1

By: George Pelecanos

Narrated by: Dion Graham

Length: 7 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

Spero Lucas has a new line of work. Since he returned home after serving in Iraq, he has been doing special investigations for a defense attorney. He's good at it, and he has carved out a niche: recovering stolen property, no questions asked. His cut is 40 percent.

A high-profile crime boss who has heard of Lucas's specialty hires him to find out who has been stealing from his operation. It's the biggest job Lucas has ever been offered, and he quickly gets a sense of what's going on. But before he can close in on what's been taken, he tangles with a world of men whose amorality and violence leave him reeling. Is any cut worth your family, your lover, your life?

Spero Lucas is George Pelecanos's greatest creation, a young man making his place in the world one battle and one mission at a time. The first in a new series of thrillers featuring Spero Lucas, The Cut is the latest confirmation of why George Pelecanos is "perhaps America's greatest living crime writer" (Stephen King).

©2011 George Pelecanos (P)2011 Hachette

Solid Work, but Softened by the Promise of More

What about Dion Graham’s performance did you like?

Great voice and strong narration, but he struggles with some of the accents here.

Any additional comments?

The good news here is that Pelecanos can write. He’s a pro as I know from this, another novel or two, and his rock-solid reputation. He’s one of the top-tier noir guys going. The signs of that come early here: he’s got the Elmore Leonard capacity for leaving out the parts people want to skip, and he’s got a knack for establishing compelling aspects of character in a few slick sentences.

The bad news is that this feels, from the start, like a bid for a successful series. Spero Lucas is a striking character. He’s proud of the Greek heritage he took from his adoptive family, but he’s also bound by the fact of his dark skin. He’s a full brother to Leo, but they’re on opposite sides of the business of bettering their community; Leo’s an idealistic teacher and Spero is a private investigator who’s willing to work with questionable characters. Spero’s young, handsome and dealing with his demons from the Iraq war. And there’s the unresolved business of his now widowed mother.

My point isn’t that all that’s bad – in fact, the premise of an Iraq vet P.I. is timely and promising – but that it has the feel of a bigger plan. It’s not just Spero’s relationship with his mother that’s unresolved; everything is. We get invited into his busy and sprawling life, and we don’t really get shown the exit. Yeah, the particular crime gets resolved, but we’re left ‘teased’ with the idea that there’s more to come in Spero’s story.

That’s not necessarily Pelecanos’s fault; it’s his job after all to get a series rolling. I just can’t help feeling that, for all the excellent series we’ve seen in noir, that there’s something un-noir, un-hardboiled to them. I don’t believe in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame because I think rock is always implicitly anti-institutional; so an institution celebrating that is either self-consciously ironic or just plain wrong. In the same way, I think noir is about a glimpse into a dark corner of a dark scene. Repeated glimpses mean, eventually, fuller illumination. They mean a kind of well-lit noir – and that sounds like an oxymoron to me.

Anyway, I did enjoy this – and I have enjoyed some series, most of all Walter Mosley’s Easy Rawlins stories – but I can’t help feeling there’s better Pelecanos elsewhere. What we get of Spero’s Iraq history is compelling, and I like the Greek flavor, too. There’s a good mystery with a clever enough twist, but there’s also a gratuitous change of heart by one of the antagonists. That is, there’s a softness in the heart of what otherwise feels hard.

My favorite part here is undoubtedly the beginning, when Pelecanos writes with a crisp enthusiasm in his new detective’s world. Once he settles into the demands of widening that world, once he telegraphs that we’re in for a whole raft of sequels, I start to think maybe this is less a matter of excellence and more a matter of competence.

Loved even if plot was fairly predictable!

I love Pelecanos stories, especially as someone who has lived and worked in many of those neighborhoods. The plot was fairly predictable but thy didn’t take away from enjoying another great piece from Mr. Pelecanos.

Unusual, engrossing crime story set in DC

This is George Pelecanos’ 1st Spero Lucas novel. The hero is a criminal investigator whose side business is recovering stolen property, in this case illegal property. Pelecanos wonderfully evokes a certain segment of DC society and culture, with lively and colorful dialogue. Great characterization, including of the minor players. Perhaps a bit too much geographical detail, and every meal is described in depth. Dion Graham is an excellent reader.

Amazing detail as and descriptions

I love the way he Describes little details in his stories. Also being a native Washingtonian it's cool to know some of the locations in the story.

Could have been great

Storyline got lost. Inconsistent characters painfully unpleasant phony dialogue. Not worth it. Try a different author

a cardboard character in my opinion

What would have made The Cut better?

less stereotyping.

What was most disappointing about George Pelecanos’s story?

the main character was like a cardboard cut out. he had some good aspects to his character, but nothing really suprising.

Which character – as performed by Dion Graham – was your favorite?

maybe leo-spero's brother.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

disappointment.

Any additional comments?

i have not read this author before-at least not that i remember, and i might give the 2nd book in this series a try, but i won't be rushing to do it too soon.

Not of average George Pelecanos standard

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

A better story.

What could George Pelecanos have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Written much shorter and less boring introduction.

What didn’t you like about Dion Graham’s performance?

Hearing him saying "said Lucas" many hundred times after short few word lines almost turned this book to a cartoon.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

Pelecanos use to be a good author, and I've never complained about his other books.

Any additional comments?

I've listened and enjoyed several other George Pelecanos books but this one was different, indeed. With only a few seconds between all these "said Lucas" and "said Leo or said somebody else" was, so far, the worst performance in my opinion.

Don't believe everything you hear

Would you recommend The Cut to your friends? Why or why not?

Not in audiobook.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Dion Graham?

Yes! Too many forced and fake voices for me.

Any additional comments?

I heard only great things about Pelecanos, and loved his contributions on the show "The Wire" and thought I would give this novel a try. My biggest issue is with the narrator, which most likely killed my enjoyment of the novel. The story was in interesting but not so unpredicatable I was ever truly surprised as events unfold.

Cut

Mundane. Heard this story many times. Too formulaic. The descriptions and dialog were very good.

Stereotypes, caricatures and cliches

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

People who like their characters and plots to be simple and predictable.

Would you ever listen to anything by George Pelecanos again?

Probably not.

How could the performance have been better?

Not sure. It needed a better book.

What character would you cut from The Cut?

Spero Lucas

Any additional comments?

This is the first book I've read from Pelecanos. It will be the last. Is there any character that isn't a caricature or stereotype? Could it be any less predictable? I don't think so. A good mystery writer should first be a good writer.