The Man Who Came Uptown

From writer and producer on HBO's THE WIRE and THE DEUCE comes one of the most critically-acclaimed crime novels of the year: 'He is, quite simply, among America's finest crime writers. This latest story does not disappoint ... lyrical, beautifully observed and constantly surprising, it is a delight' Daily Mail 'In his first novel for five years, Pelecanos demonstrates why he deserves to be regarded as one of the best American crime novelists ... It's a moving tale, beautifully told' The Times * * * * * Anna Byrne is a jailhouse librarian. In a place where hope is hard to find, the power of books can be a light in the dark. For some of the prisoners, her work is life-changing. Like Michael Hudson, her best student, who's been locked up awaiting trial before his sudden release. He's relieved to be free - to 'come uptown', as they say - but can't shake the question: why is the witness who put him behind bars is suddenly refusing to testify? There's a man who might have the answer, but he wants something first. Phil Ornazian is a private investigator who moonlights as a petty criminal. He's not exactly proud of it, but times are hard in Washington, D.C. People have to change to survive, or die trying. But everything comes at a price and, at some point, everyone has to pay... * * * * * Praise for George Pelecanos: 'Perhaps the greatest living American crime writer' Stephen King 'Outstanding' Sunday Telegraph 'Powerful' Observer 'American crime writing at its finest' Independent on Sunday 'Terrific' Elmore Leonard 'Powerful' Michael Connelly 'I love the way he writes: economical, rhythmic, elliptical and angrily political' Val McDermid 'Hard-boiled fiction with heart' Sunday Telegraph 'Pelecanos has joined James Lee Burke and Lawrence Block at the high table of contemporary crime greats' The Times 'The coolest writer in America' GQ 'Gold-standard character-driven crime writing that few will ever match' Financial Times

George Pelecanos was born in Washington, D.C. in 1957. He worked as a line cook, dishwasher, bartender, and woman's shoe salesman before publishing his first novel in 1992. Pelecanos is the author of twenty books set in and around Washington, D.C.: A Firing Offense, Nick's Trip, Shoedog, Down By the River Where the Dead Men Go, The Big Blowdown, King Suckerman, The Sweet Forever, Shame the Devil, Right as Rain, Hell to Pay, Soul Circus, Hard Revolution, Drama City, The Night Gardener, The Turnaround, The Way Home, The Cut, What It Was, The Double, and The Martini Shot. He has been the recipient of the Raymond Chandler award in Italy, the Falcon award in Japan, and the Grand Prix Du Roman Noir in France. Hell to Pay and Soul Circus were awarded the 2003 and 2004 Los Angeles Times Book Prizes. The Turnaround won the Hammett Prize for literary excellence in the field of crime writing. His fiction has appeared in Playboy, Esquire, and the collections Unusual Suspects, Best American Mystery Stories of 1997, Measures of Poison, Best American Mystery Stories of 2002, Men From Boys, and Murder at the Foul Line. He served as editor on the collections D.C. Noir and D.C. Noir 2: The Classics, as well as The Best Mystery Stories of 2008. He is an award-winning essayist who has written for The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Washington Post, GQ, Sight and Sound, Uncut, Mojo, and numerous other publications. Esquire magazine called him "the poet laureate of the D.C. crime world." In Entertainment Weekly, Stephen King wrote that Pelecanos is "perhaps the greatest living American crime writer." Pelecanos would like to point out that Mr. King used the word "perhaps." Pelecanos was a producer, writer, and story editor for the acclaimed HBO dramatic series, The Wire, winner of the Peabody Award, the AFI Award, and the Edgar. He was nominated for an Emmy for his writing on that show. He was a writer and co-producer on the World War II miniseries The Pacific, produced by Steven Spielberg, and most recently worked as a writer and Executive Producer on the HBO series Treme. Pelecanos lives in Silver Spring, Maryland.