The final novel in the historical DC Quartet finally brings the reader into the then-present day of the 90s, drawing together threads from the previous three books as well as from Pelecanos's Nick Stefanos series. Although I respect the number of elements that Pelecanos keeps in the air, in the end, trying to tie it all together leads the plot to be a bit slower and less thrilling than his previous books. PI Nick Stefanos, formerly just a cameo player in the series, takes a lead role here. Stefanos is a likable protagonist, but his prominence comes as a bit of a surprise. Whereas earlier titles followed a group of friends, mainly 70s burnout Dmitri Karras, thrown into threatening circumstances almost by chance, Stefanos's main storyline is propelled by his private eye profession. He plays a smaller role in the main plot, where a bunch of vicious killers have returned to town to settle scores. This dividing of Pelecanos's narrative saps the main thread of some strength. Whereas his climaxes usually rivet the readers to their seats, here it feels a bit perfunctory. Pelecanos is more interested in the fates of Karras and Stefanos, using this novel to put them in a better place than the emotionally scarred state they start the book in. While this redemption isn't unearned, it detracts from the usual energy of the plot.

That said, the book is never anything less than utterly readable. It's just a bit less of a page turner than some of his other books.