Pelacanos grew up in D.C. and his books are filled with urban grittiness and the dialogues he heard growing up in his father's diner. "The Martini Shot" is his first collection of shorts, seven short stories and the title novella. Many of these stories have been published before, just not together as a collection. These stories share a sad, grittiness of life in the big city and are filled with rich, deep characters like the police snitch who thinks he found his calling, but still lives in his ailing father's house compared to his successful brother. They are filled with characters like the couple who wanted a companion for their only child and couldn't stop adopting kids and wondered if they lived successful lives. Other stories are about guys playing pickup basketball, trying to determine how to act tough, but not get killed in the process. There are also stories about guys who absconded to South America and guys who get caught back home and wonder who they can trust. "Martini Shot" is the last shot of the day before you take a break from filming and head out for martinis. This story is a change of pace and location for Pelecanos taking his storytelling out of the city streets and urban world onto a Hollywood film set with directors making time with crew members and petty disputes among the stars and, oh yeah, there's a body. This story is a bit underwhelming compared to the others in this collection, but it does show the range of this author. Overall, this is a fine collection and should appeal to Pelacanos' fans and those looking to take a peek at his D.C. world. ( )

Between 2.5 and 3, so I upped it to a 3. "Hard-boiled" and "gritty" were two words I have heard to describe this selection of short stories, and those words do it justice. I think this is just not my the type of work I enjoy reading. Most of the stories had rather depressing characters leading rather depressing lives. I did learn what a "martini shot" is though. While filming a movie or TV show, the "martini shot" is the last shot of the day, frequently late at night, before cast and crew go out for a few real shots at a bar. The novella by that name has so much technical language, that I felt I needed John M. to translate. ( )