In a hardboiled noir mystery by the creator of The Wire, a Washington, D.C. liquor store heist shows a drifter named Constantine what it means to be a shoedog—a tale that throbs with soul and pulsates with menace.

'Haunting, gritty ... an exceptional, memorable book.' —Booklist

Constantine was born in D.C. and has been traveling the world ever since—finding everything but a home. Randolph has stayed in this city every day, selling shoes, taking care of ladies who lie about their sizes—and sometimes fit him into their beds. Now, these two strangers—one white, one Black—have come together in a criminal's audacious plan.

With five partners and the hit ready to go down, Constantine doesn't understand the treacheries, feuds, and fantasies swirling around him—and he's fallen for a woman who only doubles his risk. But Randolph, a self-professed 'shoedog', can sniff trouble a mile away. And when the shooting starts, he'll give Constantine a chance to live—or die where he was born.