The Blue Flame
Found a better price? Request a price match
The Blue Flame
Latest News
Meet Reverie Puzzles: Puzzles Made for Book Lovers
Reverie Puzzles have arrived at Book Hero and they might just be the perfect puzzles...
New ACOTAR Puzzles Are Coming to Book Hero!
Pre-order Official ACOTAR Puzzles coming soon to Book Hero! From a trip to Velaris and...
Pick Up a Poem this Poetry Day
August 28th is National Poetry Day here in Aotearoa. What better excuse to try something...
Meet Trevell and Pieces & Peace: New Brands at Book Hero!
Meet French brands Trevell and Pieces & Peace, with beautiful illustrated artwork, cosy and bookish...
New Releases to add to your TBR this week (26th August)
This week we have the perfect new release for Father's Day (it's coming up soon!)...
See morePrivate investigator Derek Strange returns in a riveting drama about revenge, greed, and redemption-from bestselling author and Emmy-nominated writer for HBO's The Wire and Treme, George Pelecanos.
He was curious. It was the cop in him. That flame was still alive.
The neon "Strange Investigations" sign may be flickering in disrepair outside his office, but private investigator Derek Strange is still accepting new cases. When a flashy drug lawyer hires him to prove an alibi for an accused murderer, Strange can't help getting drawn into the darkness.
In his hunt for answers, he stands his ground against some of Washington, D.C.'s most dangerous criminals, and a police department that doesn't entirely welcome his interference. As the violence escalates and claims another victim, the raised stakes force Strange to question his own moves. Are his instincts still intact?
The Blue Flame is signature Pelecanos: tough, smart, rich with details of a time and placeβand at its core, exposing the good and bad that exist side by side in so-called heroes and villains alike.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9781398731004
Publisher: Orion Publishing Co
Format: Hardback
Date Published: 20 August 2026
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: Orion
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 28.0mm
Width: 162.0mm
Height: 236.0mm
Weight: 440g
Pages: 256
About the Author
George Pelecanos was born in Washington, D.C. in 1957. He worked as a line cook, dishwasher, bartender, and woman's shoe salesman before publishing his first novel in 1992.
Pelecanos is the author of twenty books set in and around Washington, D.C. He is an award-winning essayist who has written for The New York Times, The New Yorker and numerous other publications. Esquire magazine called him "the poet laureate of the D.C. crime world." In Entertainment Weekly, Stephen King wrote that Pelecanos is "perhaps the greatest living American crime writer." Pelecanos was a producer, writer, and story editor for the acclaimed HBO dramatic series, The Wire, winner of the Peabody Award, the AFI Award, and the Edgar. He was nominated for an Emmy for his writing on that show. He was a writer and co-producer on the World War II miniseries The Pacific, produced by Steven Spielberg, and most recently worked as a writer and Executive Producer on the HBO series Treme. Pelecanos lives in Silver Spring, Maryland.Also by George Pelecanos
View allMore from Crime & Thriller
View allWhy buy from us?
Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!
Service & Delivery
Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 100,000 books, toys, board games and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.
Auckland Bookstore
We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.
Our Gifting Service
Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.
Crime & Thriller lists from the team
Explore our curated lists from our heroes to find your next read!



