David Swinson

Frank Marr, was a police detective in Washington, D.C., but was forced to retire due to his own drug habit. Now a private investigator, Frank creates his own accountability, his own rules, hovers between the ups and downs of his habit and sometimes comes very close to his own edge.

When a novel is written by an author that has training and years of experience in law enforcement, the reader is given a gift of authenticity that penetrates the mind and tugs on emotions unlike any other reading experience. David Swinson served 16 years with the Washington Metropolitan Police Department. His creation of Frank Marr as private investigator shows us realism, humanity, and vulnerability. Frank can't be put in a mold. As the layers of Frank's thought process unfold during the investigations, it depicts a different side of life than many of us will ever experience. I found it thought-provoking.

As an aftereffect of reading this novel and again watching the news of the day, the reader wonders how many unnamed heroes helped to bring back a little balance to law and order within the last 24 hours as the wheels of justice keep turning. Would we have sanctioned his/her behavior? Was there a "Frank Marr" among them? I would softly answer, "yes." I think the author would too.… (mer)

This book is 3rd in the Frank Marr series, but it works as a standalone. I had no problem figuring out the relationships and background of the major characters.

My thoughts:
I enjoyed this book until about a third of the way through. Then I hit a I’m-burned-out-on-reading-crime/suspense/anything-with-words phase, and it took an unpardonably long amount of time to finish the last 200 pages. (In case you’re wondering, I had to take a weekend off and watch a bunch of Marvel movies to kick-start my reading adrenaline again. I’m still not back to normal, even after watching all the Captain America movies, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Endgame–twice.)

That’s not Swinson’s fault, obviously. The book is excellent. Here are a few things that I liked:

The relationship between the former police partners seems realistic.
Swinson builds up why Frank believes Al, even in the face of contrary evidence. No gun has been found. No witnesses, no video footage, nothing, yet Frank believes Al’s account of the shooting. They’re close friends, but more importantly, they were work partners for years: they know each other in ways that others might not understand. Al was also Frank’s mentor, and Frank feels that he “owes” the other man.

This doesn’t mean that Frank is blind to Al’s shortcomings. When he uncovers some “compromising” photos (not involving the shooting but his relationship with their former street informant), Frank gives Al the riot act. Al’s relationship with Tamie Darling is unethical, but it compromises all the investigations where Darling was an informant. Frank’s confrontation with Al is fierce and honest.

The understated prose works well for the story being told.
Swinson doesn’t give us lush descriptions of anyone or thing in the novel. This isn’t a book that relies on appearances–which can be deceitful–but on action and dialogue. This is bare-bones prose that suits the narrator’s voice.

Swinson does a great job handling Frank’s addiction issues.
Frank has finally kicked a cocaine habit, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t still crave it. I’ve never taken recreational drugs, but Swinson made me feel how desperate Frank is. He’s desperate to kick the addiction, to pass the test of being near it without consuming it, but sometimes, circumstances trigger him, and he’s desperate for his drug fix.

When the novel opens, Frank is breaking into a house and stealing cocaine. (This is the 1st chapter, so it shouldn’t be considered a spoiler.) Then, when he successfully resists the temptation to use the cocaine, he says,

“Damn, that’s hard, but I passed the test. Again. How many more tests before I don’t have to worry about failing?” (page 6)

From what I know about addiction, this feels real. Always being tested, always scared of failing, always wondering how long before failure isn’t the default option.

Overall, this is a great novel. There’s lots of f-bombing, though, so if that’s an issue, you should probably skip it. To me, it felt realistic for the setting.
… (mer)