George P. Pelecanos

Follows a single sprawling drug investigation in Baltimore, against the backdrop of the mayor's reelection campaign. Told from the point of view of both the police and their targets, where easy distinctions between good and evil are challenged at every turn.

In 1940s Los Angeles, an unidentified murder victim is found bisected in a shadowy lot. A catchy nickname is given her in jest—"The Virgin Tramp"—and suddenly a "nice little homicide that would have drifted off the front pages in a couple of days" becomes a storm center. Two brothers, Tom and Des Spellacy, are at the heart of this powerful novel of Irish-Catholic life in Southern California just after World War II. Played in the film version...