ABRIDGED
AUDIO BOOK
6 HOURS ON 5 CDs
READ BY THE AUTHOR
The year is 1985, and several community gardens
in Washington, D.C., yield a very strange crop, planted by
a killer the police call the Night Gardener. Three teenagers
are found in the gardens, murdered under similar circumstances.
Sgt. T.C. Cook, the detective examining the last one, notes
the many similarities of each. They all are shot in the head
and show signs of sexual abuse, each missing a lock of hair.
However, one similarity is bizarre. The names of the victims,
Ava, Otto and Eve, are all palindromes, causing the media
to refer to the killings as the palindrome murders. Sgt. Cook,
already a legend in the police force for his ability to solve
crimes, finds himself stumped by these murders. Two young
uniformed police officers, Gus Ramone and Dan "Doc"
Holliday, are posted to guard the scene of the third murder,
and they observe the famous Detective Sgt. Cook with awe.
Twenty years later, the palindrome murders are
still unsolved and almost forgotten until the body of a 14-year-old
boy with a palindrome for a name is found in a community garden.
Officer Holliday is no longer a cop, but runs his own limo
service. Gus Ramone works as a detective in charge of the
violent crimes branch, and the famous Sgt. Cook, long since
retired, is remorseful at having failed to find the palindrome
killer. Because of each one's interest in the original murders,
they overcome past hurts, insults and regrets to work together
to solve the current crime.
George Pelecanos does an excellent job in letting
the listener feel the various emotions of the characters.
His words and narration allow the listener to sense anger,
frustration, bewilderment, loneliness, sadness, remorse, desire
and love. His dialogue between cops, bar patrons, and even
conversations between the criminals is realistic and believable.
He creates characters who express feelings of anguish and
sorrow, cynicism and regret. A subplot with a gangster wannabe
who wants to make a name for himself as the biggest and baddest
in town adds another dimension to the portrayal of criminal
and police behavior.
This audio book is easy to recommend for anyone
who enjoys a good mystery with authentic characterization.
Not only are the characters vividly drawn in this police procedural
novel, but the story is crafted with enough twists and revelations
to keep the reader guessing until the unexpected conclusion.
Whether it's a parent who has lost a child or a cop who has
lost a dream, Pelecanos is able to make the reader understand
the motivations and reactions of each. His masterful use of
dialogue creates a world of intense drama that seesaws between
brutality and tenderness and takes the listener along as though
eavesdropping.
,
by George Pelecanos
