DRAMA CITY

One of the finest writers in crime fiction today, Pelecanos once again delivers a moving story of life, death and survival on the streets of Washington, D.C. This time, he focuses on Lorenzo Brown, an ex-con who returns to his old neighborhood after serving eight years in prison. Doing his best to keep straight, Lorenzo prowls the streets rescuing abused animals as a Humane Society officer, but the violent actions of two rival drug gangs threaten to drag him back into his former thug life. Pelecanos knows the world he writes about—his streets, and the characters inhabiting them, throb with vivid authenticity. Unfortunately, Coleman, an articulate actor with a well-modulated voice, delivers Pelecanos's emotionally rich and descriptive prose in a dry, matter-of-fact tone. His is a competent line-by-line reading, but in the end, his detached delivery fails to capture the vitality and intimacy of the author's work. This is a shame, since the audio's abridgment, editing and incidental music are all top-notch. Simultaneous release with the Little, Brown hardcover (Forecasts, Feb. 21). (Mar.)