(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.

Question: "George Pelecanos has been involved as a writer and producer for which television shows?"

OPTIONS:
- no
- yes

Answer: "Who Wants to be a Millionaire"

Response: no

Tommy and Suzy (brother and sister) went to the playground one afternoon with their mom and dad, Jan and Dean. They were playing a game of tag and having the best time ever running after each other and laughing. They liked to play tag instead of building sandcastles or swinging. They liked tag because they liked to run. They like to play hopscotch or jump rope but that day they wanted to play tag. Other games aren't as fun. They met Tony and Ally (who are best friends) and invited them to play tag too. Tony and Ally like to play other games like hopscotch or jump rope but that day they joined the game of tag. Making new friends is important. Tony and Ally would rather make friends than play their favorite games.

Question: "Who wanted to play tag instead of hopscotch or jump rope?"

Response: "Suzy"
OPTIONS:
- no
- yes

A: yes

Problem: If you have a mass of 50 kg on Earth, what is your weight in newtons? An object with more mass is pulled by gravity with greater force. Mass and weight are closely related. However, the weight of an object can change if the force of gravity changes. On Earth, the force of gravity is the same everywhere. So how does the force of gravity change? It doesnt if you stay on Earth. What if we travel to another planet or moon in our solar system? Look at the photo of astronaut Edwin E. Aldrin Jr. taken by fellow astronaut Neil Armstrong in the Figure. They were the first humans to walk on the moon. An astronaut weighs less on the moon than he would on Earth. This is because the moons gravity is weaker than Earths. The astronauts mass, on the other hand, did not change. He still contained the same amount of matter on the moon as he did on Earth. If the astronaut weighed 175 pounds on Earth, he would have weighed only 29 pounds on the moon. If his mass on Earth was 80 kg, what would his mass have been on the moon? [Figure 3]

Question: "When does the force of gravity change"

Answer: "When the mass changes"

OPTIONS:
- no
- yes
Answer: yes

Question:
Plants also detect the daily cycle of light and darkness. Do you know how plants respond to these changes? Some plants open their leaves during the day. It is during these hours the plant can collect sunlight. At night, the plant closes its leaves to prevent water loss. Many plants respond to the change in the length of the day. As days grow shorter, some plants respond by going dormant. Dormant is when a plant suspends its growth. It does this in order to survive. Shorter days signal the coming of winter. Winter in most areas means extreme cold. It is also very dry in the winter months. As winter approaches, some plants respond by their leaves changing color. After the change in color, they fall off. This dormancy period helps trees. It allows them to survive the cold and dry winter. Plants only want to grow when conditions are right. After reading the above, is "Some plants go dormant to survive" the correct answer to the question "Is suspended growth required for plants to survive?"? OPTIONS:
- no
- yes

Answer:
yes

The film begins with Brick Bardo ( Tim Thomerson , from ( ( Dollman hitchhiking to get to the town of Pahoota , where he tries to find a girl named Nurse Ginger ( Melissa Behr , who was shrunken to 11 inches in ( ( Bad Channels , to prove to her that she's not alone . Meanwhile , the film cuts to Judith Grey , who has a nightmare about the events that happened in the previous film a year before . Ever since the events that took place a year before , Judith has been watching the Toyland Warehouse , believing that the toys are still alive . Meanwhile , a bum breaks into the Warehouse , and starts to mess around with a clown tricycle , until he gets knocked in the head with a box of toys , causing him to hit his head on the ground , killing him . However , his blood continues to flow over to the place where the demon was buried , and brings back : Baby Oopsie Daisy , Jack Attack , Mr. Static , and this time brings up a new killer toy named Zombietoid , a blonde GI JOE action figure with a sword as a weapon . Judith , who's now inside the building , finally sees the toys in full view , but is then arrested for breaking into a secluded building . After the police leave , the toys force the new security guard Ray Vernon to help them with their needs . Meanwhile , Judith , who now knows about Nurse Ginger and Brick Bardo's history , bribes a news reporter to tell her where they 're at , and tells her they are in Pahoota . Judith , after having a deal with Bardo and Ginger to help her kill the toys , they head off back to the Warehouse .

Question: "What are the names of the location of the toys and who is guarding/assisting them?"

OPTIONS:
- no
- yes

Answer: "The watertower, Judith"

Response:
no