By George Pelecanos (Little Brown: 2011)

Those of us who like serial thrillers are going to enjoy reading Pelecanos’ new series featuring Spero Lucas. Spero is recently returned from Iraq and not really suited to ordinary employment, so he sets himself up as

 an agent who returns things to their owners, not always in a way that would bear legal scrutiny.
For his service, he charges 40% of the value of the object. In this first book of the series, Spero is tasked with finding two 30-pound packages of high-grade marijuana and returning them to the owner’s family, since the owner is serving time in prison.
Spero’s family and culture are Greek, but Spero and his two brothers were adopted as young boys. It always gives people pause to be introduced to Spero who is Caucasian and his brother Leo who is black. The Greek and Catholic outlook is unusual for a protagonist and adds an unusual flavor to the book.
I consider this a “man’s book” because of Spero’s sexual exploits—Just about every time he meets a good-looking female they end up having terrific sex…no strings attached. If you can overlook the man’s fantasy thing, the adventure is pretty good.--