QUES: (CNN) -- Horror-meister, Stephen King calls George Pelecanos "perhaps the greatest living American crime writer." His stories are set in Pelecanos' hometown of Washington, D.C., but this is not the side of the U.S. capitol that you see portrayed on TV with white marble monuments, lawyers and lobbyists. Pelecanos is more interested in working families struggling to get by, the racial tensions in its ethnic neighborhoods and the low-lifes on the edges. His crime-writing peers call Pelecanos the "undisputed poet" of Washington's gritty side. The best-selling and award-winning author is out this week with his 17th and latest novel, "The Cut." It's the first in a new series featuring Iraq war veteran and private investigator Spero Lucas. When he's not working for a Washington defense attorney, Lucas recovers stolen property for a 40% cut. Now, a high-profile crime boss hires Lucas to find out who's been stealing from him, and it could turn out to be Lucas' biggest payday or an untimely end. While Pelecanos made his bones in the noir tradition, there's a definite "Western" feel to "The Cut." The new novel takes place in a morally gray and often violent world. It's peppered with pitch-perfect dialogue and captures the sights, sounds and taste of Washington in rich detail. In short, Pelecanos reads like the real deal. Pelecanos knows a thing or two about capturing the authenticity of urban America with an ethnically and socially diverse cast. In addition to his success as a novelist, Pelecanos is a producer and writer for HBO's New Orleans-set, "Treme." He was previously a producer and Emmy-nominated writer on the hit series "The Wire" and the miniseries "The Pacific." Read an excerpt from "The Cut" CNN recently spoke to Pelecanos about his new novel. The following is an edited transcript. CNN: Tell me more about your new character, Spero Lucas.
Do you have any questions?
MY QUESTION: Who is the protagonist of the new book "The Cut" by George Pelecanos?

QUES: The world can be divided into three climate zones. The first climate zone is the polar zone. As it sounds, the polar zone is near earths poles. The polar zone has very long and cold winters. Brrr!!!! Near the equator is the tropical zone. The tropical zone is known for being hot and wet. Between these two zones is the temperate zone. Temperatures there tend to be mild. Its not too hot and not too cold. You might expect places near the equator to be hot and wet. Thats not always the case. Sometimes there are other factors at work. These factors can affect the local climate type or a region. Oceans and mountain ranges can have a major impact. They can greatly influence the climate of an area. Many factors influence an areas climate.
Do you have any questions?
MY QUESTION: In which zone are temperatures neither too hot nor too cold?

QUES: I am very hungry. I look for my mother. When is dinner? I ask. Dinner is at six, my mother says. What can we eat? I ask. We can pick food from our garden, she says. I help her pick corn, beans, and peas. The corn is yellow and white. The beans are small and brown. The peas are green and round. I put the beans in a basket. I put the peas in a bowl. Mother brings the corn. We go inside. I have dirty hands. I wash my hands with soap and water. The water is warm. My hands are now clean. Mother lets me stir the beans. I fill a pot with water. Mother puts the corn into the pot. She puts the pot on the stove. The water boils. Mary is my sister. Mary puts four plates on the table. Each plate is blue. We each eat two pieces of meat. I eat more corn than Mary. Mary eats more beans than our mother. What did you learn today? Mary asks. I can spell ten new words, I say. Mary can only spell two words.
Do you have any questions?
MY QUESTION: Why do I look for my mother?

QUES: Earth processes have not changed over time. The way things happen now is the same way things happened in the past. Mountains grow and mountains slowly wear away. The same process is at work the same as it was billions of years ago. As the environment changes, living creatures adapt. They change over time. Some organisms may not be able to adapt. They become extinct. Becoming extinct means they die out completely. Some geologists study the history of the Earth. They want to learn about Earths past. They use clues from rocks and fossils. They use these clues to make sense of events. The goal is to place things in the order they happened. They also want to know how long it took for those events to happen.
Do you have any questions?
MY QUESTION:
If Earths processes do not change, what does?