MR. KOJO NNAMDICompromised, but well-meaning cops, ruthless yet likeable drug dealers, double-dealing politicians. Whether on the page or on the screen, George Pelecanos says conflicted characters feel so real, you almost expect to run into them at the local watering hole or supermarket. The acclaimed writer on the HBO series "The Wire" knows how to create stories that stick with you. He's currently working on the third season of the New Orleans television drama "Treme."

MR. KOJO NNAMDIBut for many fans, George Pelecanos is about hard-boiled detective stories set in and around Washington, D.C., social crime fiction, as he prefers to call it. His latest novel features a new character and a new series. George Pelecanos joins us in studio. He's an independent film producer and an Emmy-nominated writer on the HBO series "The Wire" and "Treme." He's also the author or numerous best-selling novels including his most recent "The Cut." George, good to see you again.

MR. GEORGE PELECANOSGood to see you, Kojo.

NNAMDIAlways a pleasure. A lot of people will be very excited that you have a new character now. He is introduced in "The Cut." Tell us about Spero Lucas.

PELECANOSHe's a Marine who has returned from Fallujah, and like several men that I've met who were in the conflict, he came back and got a job as a private investigator for an attorney here, criminal investigator. And the reason that some of these guys do this is because, number one, they're suited for the job, you know, they're used to conflict. And also, they don't want a desk job. They don't really wanna go back to school. They're used to having a mission every day and that's -- approximates that experience that they had.

NNAMDIIf you'd like to join the conversation, call us at 800-433-8850. Do you have questions for George Pelecanos about the HBO series "The Wire" or "Treme," his new novel "The Cut" or any of his other work? 800-433-8850. You can also go to our website, kojoshow.org. Send us a tweet, @kojoshow, or email to kojo@wamu.org. A lot of people will be very excited that this book "The Cut" will not be the last they'll be seeing of Lucas. Why did you decided to embark on a whole new series here?

PELECANOSWell, I didn't. It wasn't exactly like that. I wrote the book. And then when I was done, I saw the possibilities. And my publisher did too. You know, commerce was involved. But on my end, the thing was is that I was still interested in the guy, and I wanted to explore him further. And it's a cool setup. You know, the guy takes -- the reason the book is called "The Cut" is he takes these side jobs. And in those side jobs, he retrieves stolen property, and he takes a 40 percent commission or cut. And that sort of setup gives you a lot of possibilities as a writer.

NNAMDIYou know, when I read "The Cut," and I won't give the story away, but I will tell listeners that when you read "The Cut", you will recognize a story that's been in the news in Washington a lot lately, having to do with the relationship of the police and police cars and crime. Is that correct?

PELECANOSYeah. Mm-hmm. You're one of the few people that caught it.

NNAMDIThat's kind of -- part of it is just drawn out in the news -- oh, really?

PELECANOSYeah. Actually, you know, I just had somebody email me last week, and he was the first guy to recognize it. But the officer in question was just sentenced to…

NNAMDII was about to say, if you read the newspaper, you'll -- last week is when officer in question and that particular case was sentenced. And I guess you've recognized so much of Washington in these stories. Have you met a lot of veterans who, like the character in your book, Lucas, feel that they need a mission a day?

PELECANOSYeah. One common thread when you talk to a lot of these men and women is that as horrible as the experience of war is, it's also very exhilarating. And they told me that when they got up in the morning they knew exactly what they were gonna do over there. They had a mission every day. They had their orders. When they came back here, all of a sudden, they didn't know what to do. And they were looking to try to duplicate that in some kind of way.

PELECANOSAnd this job puts them out on the street. It gives them a mission, and they're not deskbound. And they're good at it. You know, they're good with dealing with people. And I have -- do have to say that, you know, the unemployment rate for veterans of the Iraq War and the Afghanistan war is very, very high, disproportionately to the population. And people should look to hire these men and women because they're good workers. They're good managers and, obviously, they've proven themselves.

NNAMDITalk a little bit about mission. Read from page 81, if you will, of your book about why he feels he and others like him need a mission. Here's George Pelecanos from "The Cut."

PELECANOSThis is Spero talking to his girlfriend. "I had a couple of semesters. It wasn't my thing. Lucas leaned forward. There's a lot of men and women out here like me, Constance. We've been through this war and we just look at things differently than other people our age. I mean, there are certain bars I don't hang in. The people, the conversations, they're too frivolous. I'm not gonna sit around and have drinks with people who are, you know, ironic. Being in a classroom listening to some teacher theorizing, I can't do it.

PELECANOSI also wasn't about to take a job in an office to deal with the politics. I woke up one day and I knew that I was never gonna have a college degree or wear a tie to work. I was coming up on 30 years old, and I realized I've fallen through the cracks. But I'm luckier than some people I know. I found something I like to do. My eyes opened in the morning, and I have purpose."

NNAMDISpeaking of his character Spero Lucas in the book "The Cut." You said you were attracted to crime writing because it's about people you recognized, ordinary working-class people.

PELECANOSThat's right. I could never get with the literary works that were sort of shoved down my throat when I was growing up because I couldn't recognize those people. And when I finally did start reading crime fiction in college, the light bulb went off. It's like, oh, yeah, this is something I can relate to. And that's why I went in that direction. It wasn't the crime or the mystery aspect so much that interested me. It was the people.

NNAMDIWe're talking with George Pelecanos. His latest novel is called "the Cut." He's an independent film producer and Emmy-nominated writer on the HBO series "The Wire" and "Treme," also author of numerous best-selling novels. 800-433-8850. Here is Liz in Washington, D.C. Liz, you're on the air. Go ahead, please.

LIZYeah. Hi. Thanks for taking my call.

NNAMDIYou're welcome.

LIZWe got a lot of calls the day -- the Sunday that The Washington Post covered your new book, Mr. Pelecanos because we actually live in the house, I think, where Spero Lucas lives.

PELECANOSOh, boy. I ride my bike by that house very often.

LIZSo I guess I'm personally curios as to how you choose locations where these things happen in your novels.

PELECANOSOkay.

NNAMDISee, this -- I got a comment about that, Liz, because when I first started reading George Pelecanos -- the first one I read was "Right as Rain" -- I immediately recognized the neighborhoods and some of the specific houses in those neighborhoods. I don't read any other novels that give me the sense of place that George Pelecanos' novels do. But he can answer your specific question.

LIZYeah. Thanks.

PELECANOSWell, Liz, I -- in this book, I actually wrote -- did the research a lot of from the saddle of my bike and inside my jeep and in the cockpit of my kayak. I was out there. And I ride my bike in your neighborhood quite a bit. And you have a beautiful house, by the way. I'm just intrigued by the, sort of, like, the country vibe of that 16th Street Heights around there. And that's what I do. The house that he breaks into a case, you know, I went back in the alley. I made sure you can break into that house in the middle of the day.

PELECANOSAnd then there's a fight scene up at the parking lot of the Emory Methodist Church on Georgia. And what got me about that was, you know, I was walking up through Fort Stevens one night. I came to this parking lot, and the fourth district police station is right there down the block. But you can very easily kill somebody in that parking lot and not be seen because it's elevated from the avenue.

NNAMDIExactly right. If you come to that parking lot from the back way, you can go up a hill. If you happen to come to it from the street on Georgia Avenue, you got a lot of stairs to go up before you get to that parking lot. Liz, thank you so much for your call.

LIZThank you. Thanks. Enjoying the book.

PELECANOSThanks.

NNAMDIYour parents are Greek -- or the -- Lucas Spero's parents are Greek. And he and his brother insult each other in Greek. You're a Greek-American. How close to home is Spero Lucas for you?

PELECANOSVery, in the sense that my -- the family in the book is -- are a couple of Greek-Americans who have adopted a bunch of kids and they have this interracial family. And the sons, because they were raised in the church and they played church basketball and so on, you know, they think they're honorary Greeks even though they're not. And they even speak Greek in -- to each other. My family...

NNAMDIEven though one who's African-American in the -- his wife, yes.

PELECANOSYes. Why not? I have an adoptive family also that's also -- we're also an interracial family. It's no big deal, just like it's no big deal in the book. They don't even really comment. You don't know the person's color who's speaking most of the time in the book because the narrator, it's no big deal to him either, you know? So that's it. There weren't any message. You're just sort of, like, memorializing parts of my life in the book.

NNAMDISome of the Greek dishes that are described in the book would make your mouth water. Also familiar from your childhood, right?

PELECANOSYeah. And I have a chapter set at Mourayo Restaurant on Connecticut, which is my favorite restaurant in town. They have beautiful food there. I just -- you know, that makes its way into the books too. Food is a very important part of our life, obviously.

NNAMDIGeorge's father owned a diner downtown, where George worked when he was a kid. So food is very important to him. We'll get to the other thing that's very important to him later, music, but here's Mary Lou (sp?) in McLean, Va. Mary Lou, you're on the air. Go ahead, please.

MARY LOUThis is a great privilege. George, you were -- you made my husband, who passed away last year, a character in your new book...

PELECANOSYes.

LOU...Tim McCarthy. (sp?)

PELECANOSYes. Thank you.

LOUAnd he -- you were definitely one of his -- most favorite writer. He bought every single one of your books. And we love the whole centric place. And as -- in fact, on Saturday, we buried his ashes in St. Mary's right across the cemetery that you have in your book. And I know that Spero Lucas' father died. You also have him dying of a brain tumor, like Tim did. So I just wanna thank you for great, great writing and the great privilege of Tim McCarthy, who was the quintessential D.C. guy being in your new book.

PELECANOSI never met Tim. A friend of mine, Greta Sebentrid, (sp?) told me about him, and he, apparently, was a gentleman, and it was my honor to put him in the book. Thank you.

NNAMDIAnd thank you so much...

LOUThank you.

NNAMDI...for your call, Mary Lou. You, too, can call us at 800-433-8850. We're talking with George Pelecanos. He's an independent film producer and Emmy Award -- Emmy-nominated writer on the HBO series "The Wire" and "Treme." He's also the author of numerous bestselling novels. His most recent is called "The Cut."

NNAMDIAnd since she mentioned about how you talked about her husband, Washington, D.C., itself is always central to your stories. There's another passage of "The Cut" that I'd like you to read. I think it's around page 31 and 32, speaking of real-life people that George Pelecanos happens to mention in his books. Here he is.

PELECANOSOkay. This is a passage from "The Cut." "Lucas met Tavon Lynch and a young man named Edwin Davis at the Florida Avenue Grill, at 11th and Florida, for breakfast. Locals called it the grill, as if there were only one, and in their heads it was so. It was the old city's soul diner, the warmest spot for a real Southern breakfast, owned and operated by the son of the original owners, in business for almost 70 years.

PELECANOS"Autographed head shots of former mayors, movie stars, comedians, Howard Theater headliners and singers, many in Jheri curls, lined the walls. Customers typically wore Redskins gear, bled burgundy and gold, had deep knowledge of high school sports, worked every day, spoke of their mothers with reverence, attended some kind of church, listened to HUR, PGC or KYS for their music and John Thompson's show on 980 AM for sports talk, and would have elected 88.5's Kojo Nnamdi for mayor if only he would run."

NNAMDII don't know whether to say thank you or you shouldn't have done that because it'll only start those rumors going up again. But I will say thank you for that. Besides nominating me to run for mayor, it really gets to the heart of how this city itself, D.C., becomes a character in your books. In your books, you read about the people that people see every day but don't read about in books. And when you said those people bleed burgundy and gold, I knew exactly who you were talking about because they're bleeding right now, as a matter of fact, as a result of the Redskins' loss yesterday...

PELECANOSRight, stop the bleeding.

NNAMDI...as a result of the Redskins' loss yesterday. But the District that you portrayed in your books is now changing a lot. How do you feel when a little barbershop or a watering hole or a hole-in-the-wall restaurant you've written about makes way for, oh, a big chain store?

PELECANOSWell, I'm of two minds about it. Like most people, I'm nostalgic for the things of my youth and the city of my youth and so on. But one thing to remember is that, you know, when you see these stores coming in, restaurants and the neighborhoods changing and so on -- you know, you take H Street, for example, or U Street. All the lights are on in those businesses now that didn't use to be on, and those businesses employ Washingtonians.

NNAMDIHaven't been on since 1968.

PELECANOSRight. It took a long time, but, you know, we're finally getting there.

NNAMDIAnd, by the way, if you wanna know exactly what happened in 1968, you can read the "Hard Revolution" by George Pelecanos, which described the events in 1968. And I talked with a reporter who covered those events, and he says you got it exactly right. But the changes here, in some respects, obviously welcome.

PELECANOSI think so, yeah. I mean, you can't -- there are certain things you can't fight, and then there's also things that you shouldn't fight because, you know, the question is does the city look better to you now than it did 20 years ago? And you look at your -- forget about the makeup, the racial makeup, 'cause that's something that happens in all cities once they begin to improve in services and so on. But take crime. I mean, look at the homicide rate compared to what it was in 1989 when we had 460-some homicides in the city. So Washington is a much more livable town now, and it's reflected in the books.

NNAMDIWe got an email from Steve. "Mr. Pelecanos mentioned at a reading years ago that there had been interest in filming some of his works, specifically 'King Suckerman.' Are there any updates?" "King Suckerman." Are there any updates?

PELECANOSYeah. Not on "Suckerman," but a book I wrote called "Shoedog," is pretty close, I think. And, you know, hopefully, we'll be able to film it in D.C., but in the world of tax credits, you have to sometimes go elsewhere, and it's in your contract. So I don't want people to get mad at me if I'm not shooting it here because the people that control the purse strings tell you where you have to shoot.

NNAMDIIt's also my understanding that "Right as Rain," which features Derek Strange, the detective, is set maybe to become a movie. You did not do the adaption, but what do you know about it? Adaptation. What would you know about it?

PELECANOSThat is also -- I'm working on it, but it's at Warner Bros., and I have to get it away from Warner Bros., and they cost money.

NNAMDII hear. I know how development hell works. You're about to start working on the third season of "Treme." It's my understanding you're headed to New Orleans later today. You're looking forward to being back there?

PELECANOSI am. I have really enjoyed discovering New Orleans, working there. It's a wonderful town. In many ways, it's not unlike Washington. I didn't feel like I was dropping in some alien landscape or anything like that. And this year, I'm producing and working with my son, who's on the crew, and we're gonna be living together down in the Warehouse District. So he's a bachelor, I'm not, but, you know, we're gonna have some fun.

NNAMDII know that that son has had a journey, so I know you're proud about that. But...

PELECANOSYes.

NNAMDI...I am suspecting that one of the reasons you like New Orleans so much, music has always been a part of your novels. Each of your novels has a track, a music track that goes with it. One of them even came with a CD of the music...

PELECANOSYes.

NNAMDI...that you talk about in it. Is that one of the reasons you like New Orleans so much?

PELECANOSYeah. That and food.

NNAMDII thought so as much. How important is music, in your view, to the authenticity of "Treme," and how different is it from "The Wire" in that regard?

PELECANOS"The Wire" is strictly -- there's a word for it. I'm losing it right now, but it was always in the background. It was what was playing on the radio or, you know. We never had a soundtrack to that -- score to that show. "Treme," we feature real musicians. Every episode has several scenes in nightclubs and bars and out on the street, the second line, where we let it go and we let you listen to the music. You watch the musicians play it. And it's kind of a -- I tell you, it's a really fun show to work on for that reason.

NNAMDIBefore you go, I'd just like to go out on some music from "Treme" because, well, it's New Orleans music.

NNAMDI"La Danse Mardi Gras" by the Balfa Brothers. George Pelecanos is on his way down to New Orleans to continue work on "Treme." He's an independent film producer and Emmy-nominated writer on both "The Wire" and "Treme." His most recent novel is called "The Cut." George Pelecanos, always a pleasure.

PELECANOSThank you, sir.

NNAMDIAnd thank you all for listening. I'm Kojo Nnamdi.