Finished Pelecanos's THE TURNAROUND last night: so very, very good. For some reason, in spite of my passion for crime fiction and THE WIRE, and having had Pelecanos on my radar for years and years, this was only the second of his books I've read (the other being the second Spero Lucas novel, THE DOUBLE); it will not be the last – nor will it take me as long to turn the pages.

Loved this, from the backmatter:

"Conflict drives good fiction, and crime fiction presents the highest form of conflict: life-and-death. Also, the form best allows me to explore the social issues that get me jacked up. I might take a different path now and again, but I'm not goingto walk out of the arena."
George Pelecanos https://www.worldcat.org/title/324993401

As a result, perhaps – of both the emotional pull and tug of THE TURNAROUND and of Pelecanos's remarks above, I'm redoubling my efforts to break through the brick wall of the MainFictionThing, which is most definitely in the crime fiction mold – though via my own "chamber writing" (Principle 07) interpretation of said mold.

the morning's attendance card, a sketchy me in a Kelley Jones-infused Batman costume accompanied by a sketchy dog with similar Kelley Jones Bat-ears because Kelley Jones is my favorite Bat-artist and I've got the black and white status in a place of