Reading so far in 2006

I've had a slow start in 2006. Here's the book read to date:

1. A Gesture Life, Chang-rae Lee. Fiction, 1-4, 356
2. Shoedog, George Pelecanos. Thriller, 1-7, 200
3. The Hearing, John Lescroart. Legal Thriller, 1-11, 451
4. The Second Chair, John Lescroart. Legal Thriller, 1-14, 387

(title, author, genre, date completed and pages)

I like Lee. I didn't think this book was quite as good as Aloft, but it's far, far better than most fiction being written today. Shoedog is an early Pelecanos; his third book. Clearly evident in this thriller are Pelecanos' economical style and rapid pacing, which he masters by his sixth book, King Suckerman.

Lescroart is something of a guilty pleasure. Lescroart's skill in developing characters more than makes up for the somewhat improbable plots.