King Suckerman

George Pelecanos · first published 1997 · ISBN 9780316235136

This novel moves forward to the 1970s in DC, where two African American men work as con artists and small-time hustlers in a city transformed by the Civil Rights era. The story braids together their schemes, their friendships, their relationships with women, and the wider social and cultural forces around them, from soul music to Black Power. It's a book about partnership, loyalty, and what survival looks like when the system is rigged.