Shoedog

In a hardboiled noir mystery by the creator of The Wire, a Washington, D.C. liquor store heist shows a drifter named Constantine what it means to be a shoedog-a tale that throbs with soul and pulsates with menace.

"Haunting, gritty … an exceptional, memorable book." -Booklist

Constantine was born in D.C. and has been traveling the world ever since-finding everything but a home. Randolph has stayed in this city every day, selling shoes, taking care of ladies who lie about their sizes-and sometimes fit him into their beds. Now, these two strangers-one white, one Black-have come together in a criminal's audacious plan.

With five partners and the hit ready to go down, Constantine doesn't understand the treacheries, feuds, and fantasies swirling around him-and he's fallen for a woman who only doubles his risk. But Randolph, a self-professed "shoedog", can sniff trouble a mile away. And when the shooting starts, he'll give Constantine a chance to live-or die where he was born.