Dennis Lehane and other notables such as James Sallis have remarked that George Pelecanos is among the finest ten or twelve novelists working in the US today. Pelecanos is a rare thing – a unique writer that works as a crime writer. He writes books that push against the conventions of the genre; that describe the alienation of the urban landscape with an intense alacrity; he uses the private eye form to expose racial issues, and then if that is not enough he dissembles the socio-ethnic concerns of decades in his books. Right as Rain is the first in the series with two former cops – black funk-loving private eye Derek Strange (and his dog) and white Irish sometime colleague Terry Quinn, a Western used bookstore assistant. They are tarnished heroes that throw a light on the interests of the author, and of course, on the rough and tumble of life in the ghetto. It follows the D.C. Quartet, a group of books that transformed Pelecanos from a little known, but critically acclaimed crime writer to a seminal writer of a string of hard-hitting noir novels.

Plotline from the author’s website: Derek Strange is black and successful. Terry Quinn is white and barely holding on. Now Strange has been hired to investigate a police shooting in which Quinn played a major role. For Strange, a savvy and careful man, the investigation goes against his style and instinct. For Terry Quinn, Strange’s questions are a chance to absolve his conscience and shake out a little truth. But in a city that lives in the shadow of a nation’s dream, neither man can foresee the dirty little war that will break out around them … or how deadly being right can be.

Dennis Lehane, a leading figure in the rebirth of American noir as a contributing force to the best in fiction provides a nice tribute in his appreciation. Right as Rain was issued in an ordinary edition of 99 numbered and signed copies, and a further 15 deluxe lettered were produced for private distribution. Only a few ordinary copies are available.