Things seem to be at a boiling point all the time. In fact, it has been that way my whole life. I find it interesting, and I like the fact that the e…

- George Pelecanos

The thirst for knowledge is like a piece of ass you know you shouldn't chase; in the end, you chase it just the same.

- George Pelecanos

The crime part is the engine that moves the narrative and allows me to write the other things I want to write about.

- George Pelecanos

We get schooled by the people around us, and it stays inside us deep.

- George Pelecanos

I'm a better writer now because I've worked very hard at getting better. My long-range goal will always be to write better books.

- George Pelecanos

If the storytellers told it true, all stories would end in death.

- George Pelecanos

What's more interesting are the dynamics between people that involve hypocrisy or ignoring each other. That's what I want to write about. I like to m…

- George Pelecanos

I don't believe that murders can be "solved." I think that this is the big lie of the mystery novel, that you should close the book and feel that the…

- George Pelecanos

Any time you have poverty, joblessness, sub-par public schools, and a lack of opportunity, you're going to have a high rate of crime.

- George Pelecanos