I’ve seen, and relished Spike Lee’s Clockers, the 1995 urban crime drama based on Richard Price’s novel of the same name, which he adapted for the movies. And I’ve seen several other films — Ransom and Sea of Love — built on his screenplays.

But I had never had the opportunity to enjoy any of Price’s books until last week, when I read the thoroughly gripping, expertly crafted Samaritan, published in 2003.

Below is the mini-review I posted on my Facebook page:

I finally got around to reading a Richard Price novel, and I wonder why I waited so long. Price’s protagonist – a television writer from a tough background; certainly, the author’s similar experiences informed the development of this character – is the samaritan of the title.

Trouble is, his propensity for helping others in need is something of an obsession/compulsion, stemming from his addictive tendencies, and his guilt over the various ways he’s screwed up his family life.

The milieu, alternating between a poverty stricken area of urban New Jersey, where the lead character grew up, and the upscale development where he now lives, is richly drawn, and (yes, it’s a cliche to say this, but …) Price really puts the reader in the center of the action.

The unfolding mystery – who attacked this troubled writer, and why? – is entirely compelling, and Price employs an effective storytelling device, alternating chapters from the recent past with chapters from a later date, until the two finally meet at the end. Recall how television’s “Damages” takes a similar approach?

There’s a real depth of emotion and feeling here, along with highly descriptive scene setting, realistic characters, and an unflinching examination of addiction, and what might be called white liberal guilt, that I found really compelling.

Next on my list: Price’s recently published Lush Life.