Article: `Hell to Pay' by George Pelecanos; Little, Brown ($24.95, 353 pages).

Byline: Oline H. Cogdill

Wrapped in the tenets of crime fiction, George Pelecanos' novels delve into the heart of contemporary urban society. Without flinching or preaching, Pelecanos works as a social historian, plotting the progress, decline and hope of the multicultural, multiracial nation's capital.

This is especially true of his 10th novel, ``Hell to Pay.'' Pelecanos pulls together a cohesive, taut story despite a far-flung, complex cast of characters that echoes Richard Price's ``Clockers.''

Yes, ``Hell to Pay'' does have a murder _ and it's a horrific, heart-tugging one _ to spur the plot and put the novel in the realm of crime fiction. ...

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