Hard Revolution is a

crime novel Crime fiction, detective story, murder mystery, mystery novel, and police novel are terms used to describe narratives that centre on criminal acts and especially on the investigation, either by an amateur or a professional detective, of a crime, ...

written by

George Pelecanos George P. Pelecanos (born February 18, 1957) is an American author. Many of his 20 books are in the genre of detective fiction and set primarily in his hometown of Washington, D.C. He is also a film and television producer and a television writ ...

and set in

Washington, DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan ...

. The main character of the book is Derek Strange, a black

rookie A rookie is a person new to an occupation, profession, or hobby. In sports, a ''rookie'' is a professional athlete in their first season (or year). In contrast with a veteran who has experience and expertise, a rookie is usually inexperienced ...

police officer A police officer (also called a policeman and, less commonly, a policewoman) is a warranted law employee of a police force. In most countries, "police officer" is a generic term not specifying a particular rank. In some, the use of the ...

. The story is a prequel to other novels featuring Strange as a

private detective A private investigator (often abbreviated to PI and informally called a private eye), a private detective, or inquiry agent is a person who can be hired by individuals or groups to undertake investigatory law services. Private investigators of ...

. The book begins in 1959 when Strange is a child, setting the stage for the moral paths that the characters take as Pelecanos shows their evolution. The story then jumps to 1968 just after Strange joins the police force. As in all of Pelecanos’ books, Washington, DC is a character throughout the book, featuring major local landmarks, personalities and music. Another major theme in the book is race and

racial tension An ethnic conflict is a conflict between two or more contending ethnic groups. While the source of the conflict may be political, social, economic or religious, the individuals in conflict must expressly fight for their ethnic group's positio ...

. Throughout the book, Strange fought through the pressure of work and of peer for acceptance of his community. The book climaxes with the

assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr., an African-American clergyman and civil rights leader, was fatally shot at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 4, 1968, at 6:01 p.m. CST. He was rushed to St. Joseph's Hospital, where he died at 7 ...

and the ensuing April

1968 Washington, D.C., riots The Washington, D.C., riots of 1968 were a four-day period of violent civil unrest and rioting following the assassination of leading African American civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr., on April 4, 1968. Part of the broader Ki ...

, as Strange and veteran Detective Frank Vaughn search for the killer of Strange’s brother in the chaos.

Critical reception

A review in BookReport.com stated "Pelecanos's Washington, D.C. is not that of the edifices and facades of government; rather, he walks the streets that aren't mentioned in any guidebooks." A review in GoodReads.com stated “Filled with the rich details of time, place, music, and local color that are Pelecanos's trademark, and with unerring insight into the morality of daily life, HARD REVOLUTION is a gripping, modern Cane and Abel tale set against the backdrop of a nation at war with itself.” Booklist Oneline wrote: "As Strange, a proud black man and a good cop, is forced to work riot control in his own neighborhood, all of the unresolvable conflicts--personal, racial, historical, political--that have roiled in the background of this novel are ignited in front of our eyes."

Library Journal ''Library Journal'' is an American trade publication for librarians. It was founded in 1876 by Melvil Dewey. It reports news about the library world, emphasizing public libraries, and offers feature articles about aspects of professional prac ...

wrote: "Pelecanos sets both cases against the backdrop of racial unrest in Washington, D.C., brilliantly using his characters and their situations to examine the era's social realities. As with the previous Strange works, this is a superior crime novel from one of the genre's outstanding writers."Review of ''Hard Revolution''

References

{{reflist 2004 American novels American crime novels Novels by George Pelecanos Novels set in Washington, D.C. Fiction set in 1968