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Frank Marr #2
Crime Song
Frank Marr ("a masterly piece of characterization" - Tana French) is back.
Marr, a retired D.C. police detective working as a private eye for a defense attorney, has a serious problem. He is secretly a drug addict, and his long-time supply of cocaine is about to run out.
While staking out an upscale nightclub in an attempt to target the stash-houses of dealers from whom to steal for his fix, he settles on a target: a young college student. After a long night in pursuit of his quarry, Marr returns home to find he has been burglarized. Though his drugs are safe, several items are missing: his .38 revolver and his cherished music collection (with dozens of albums belonging to his deceased mother.) Marr immediately begins investigating the crime himself.
But when the dealer Marr had been following is stabbed to death in his own fortified home, Frank is certain that the burglary and murder are related. With good cops, bad cops, and exceptionally dangerous drug lords on his tail, Frank is determined to find out the truth, even if it kills him. This time, it just might.
Marr, a retired D.C. police detective working as a private eye for a defense attorney, has a serious problem. He is secretly a drug addict, and his long-time supply of cocaine is about to run out.
While staking out an upscale nightclub in an attempt to target the stash-houses of dealers from whom to steal for his fix, he settles on a target: a young college student. After a long night in pursuit of his quarry, Marr returns home to find he has been burglarized. Though his drugs are safe, several items are missing: his .38 revolver and his cherished music collection (with dozens of albums belonging to his deceased mother.) Marr immediately begins investigating the crime himself.
But when the dealer Marr had been following is stabbed to death in his own fortified home, Frank is certain that the burglary and murder are related. With good cops, bad cops, and exceptionally dangerous drug lords on his tail, Frank is determined to find out the truth, even if it kills him. This time, it just might.
369 pages, ebook
First published May 2, 2017
97 people are currently reading
1214 people want to read
About the author
David Swinson
17 books334 followersDavid Swinson is the author of THE SECOND GIRL, CRIME SONG, TRIGGER and City on the Edge, by Mulholland Books/Little, Brown& Co. He is a retired DC police detective, and a former alternative and punk rock promoter in Long Beach, CA in the eighties.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 123 reviews
June 7, 2020
This is a great series, love it. The point of view is well done, believable and real. The concept is more unique than others the main character is an excop who has to service his drug habit by ripping off the bad guys. Sounds unappetizing but the author pulls it off and makes the protagonist likable, almost like a magic trick. I pick the new one up in the series each time it comes out.
I recommend this series.
David Putnam author of the Bruno Johnson series.
I recommend this series.
David Putnam author of the Bruno Johnson series.
December 31, 2017
I'm between 3.5 and 4 stars, so I'll round up.
Retired DC police detective Frank Marr returns in Crime Song , the second book in David Swinson's great series. Frank is, for lack of a better term, a total mess. His addiction to cocaine and alcohol got so bad that he was forced to resign from the police force, so now he works as a private investigator, making just enough to live and (mostly) support his drug habit.
He agrees to do a favor for his somewhat-estranged aunt, who helped raise him after his mother died, and figure out what trouble his college-aged cousin Jeffrey has gotten himself into. Frank hasn't seen Jeffrey since he was a little kid, but when his aunt says that Jeffrey has been skipping his classes at George Washington University, he figures it should be easy to determine what he's up to. And after some surveillance at a trendy nightclub downtown, he confirms that Jeffrey has become a relatively small-time drug dealer.
Frank remembers Jeffrey as a kid, and part of him wants to talk some sense into Jeffrey himself, but instead he's going to report his findings to his aunt. Just before making that phone call, Frank's house is ransacked and a body is left on the floor—Jeffrey's. There's even a possibility that Frank's missing gun might have been the murder victim. It's more than enough to strain the fragile relationship with his aunt, not to mention possible damage his reputation for good.
Once the police are reasonably convinced Frank didn't have a hand in any of this, they promise to try and find all of his stuff and, more importantly, figure out what happened to Jeffrey. Of course, the police's involvement doesn't dissuade Frank from running his own investigation. He has some latitude as a private investigator, but he just can't get caught interfering. He wants answers, and perhaps equally important, he needs to replenish his stash, so if he comes into contact with a drug dealer he can steal from, so much the better.
As Frank follows the trail of his missing stereo equipment, records and CDs, and other electronics, he finds a pretty extensive operation involving drug dealers and addicts selling to fences who look the other way, and thinks he's found his guide into the madness in the persona of a conflicted cab driver. But there's a lot more than meets the eye than burglaries and drugs—and somehow, unknowingly, Frank is in the middle of all of it.
Will more lives be endangered, including his own, before he figures out the truth? How far can he let things go without telling the police what he's found? Can he even trust the police, or should he deliver his own justice? And how is he involved, and by whom? No matter what he does, he risks it all—his ability to work as a PI, the possibility of a relationship with his aunt, his friendships and his fragile relationship with a former police colleague-turned-defense attorney, his reputation, and his life.
Swinson tells a great story. This was an addicting crime novel from start to finish, and in fact, having a little bit of a staycation (and a sick husband), I read the book in one day. Frank Marr is a terrific character. He's utterly flawed and has his own skewed sense of right and wrong, yet he's doggedly loyal once he's trying to solve a case. He knows his addiction will destroy him, but he doesn't see a way out, and frankly, he's not too interested in finding one.
Not a lot of what happens plot-wise is too surprising, but that doesn't really matter. Following Frank, seeing how good of an investigator he is despite his issues, and watching his conflict between sharing what he knows with the police and dealing with everything on his own is fascinating and compelling. I like some of the supporting characters in these books, and I was sad that Swinson didn't give us a little more Luna or Leslie, but ultimately this is Frank's show.
Having lived in the DC area for years, I love a good locally set crime novel. Swinson's series is definitely worth picking up, and you'll marvel over the complexity of such a flawed, yet good, man.
See all of my reviews at http://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blo....
Retired DC police detective Frank Marr returns in Crime Song , the second book in David Swinson's great series. Frank is, for lack of a better term, a total mess. His addiction to cocaine and alcohol got so bad that he was forced to resign from the police force, so now he works as a private investigator, making just enough to live and (mostly) support his drug habit.
He agrees to do a favor for his somewhat-estranged aunt, who helped raise him after his mother died, and figure out what trouble his college-aged cousin Jeffrey has gotten himself into. Frank hasn't seen Jeffrey since he was a little kid, but when his aunt says that Jeffrey has been skipping his classes at George Washington University, he figures it should be easy to determine what he's up to. And after some surveillance at a trendy nightclub downtown, he confirms that Jeffrey has become a relatively small-time drug dealer.
Frank remembers Jeffrey as a kid, and part of him wants to talk some sense into Jeffrey himself, but instead he's going to report his findings to his aunt. Just before making that phone call, Frank's house is ransacked and a body is left on the floor—Jeffrey's. There's even a possibility that Frank's missing gun might have been the murder victim. It's more than enough to strain the fragile relationship with his aunt, not to mention possible damage his reputation for good.
Once the police are reasonably convinced Frank didn't have a hand in any of this, they promise to try and find all of his stuff and, more importantly, figure out what happened to Jeffrey. Of course, the police's involvement doesn't dissuade Frank from running his own investigation. He has some latitude as a private investigator, but he just can't get caught interfering. He wants answers, and perhaps equally important, he needs to replenish his stash, so if he comes into contact with a drug dealer he can steal from, so much the better.
As Frank follows the trail of his missing stereo equipment, records and CDs, and other electronics, he finds a pretty extensive operation involving drug dealers and addicts selling to fences who look the other way, and thinks he's found his guide into the madness in the persona of a conflicted cab driver. But there's a lot more than meets the eye than burglaries and drugs—and somehow, unknowingly, Frank is in the middle of all of it.
Will more lives be endangered, including his own, before he figures out the truth? How far can he let things go without telling the police what he's found? Can he even trust the police, or should he deliver his own justice? And how is he involved, and by whom? No matter what he does, he risks it all—his ability to work as a PI, the possibility of a relationship with his aunt, his friendships and his fragile relationship with a former police colleague-turned-defense attorney, his reputation, and his life.
Swinson tells a great story. This was an addicting crime novel from start to finish, and in fact, having a little bit of a staycation (and a sick husband), I read the book in one day. Frank Marr is a terrific character. He's utterly flawed and has his own skewed sense of right and wrong, yet he's doggedly loyal once he's trying to solve a case. He knows his addiction will destroy him, but he doesn't see a way out, and frankly, he's not too interested in finding one.
Not a lot of what happens plot-wise is too surprising, but that doesn't really matter. Following Frank, seeing how good of an investigator he is despite his issues, and watching his conflict between sharing what he knows with the police and dealing with everything on his own is fascinating and compelling. I like some of the supporting characters in these books, and I was sad that Swinson didn't give us a little more Luna or Leslie, but ultimately this is Frank's show.
Having lived in the DC area for years, I love a good locally set crime novel. Swinson's series is definitely worth picking up, and you'll marvel over the complexity of such a flawed, yet good, man.
See all of my reviews at http://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blo....
May 19, 2017
As always I would like to thank Goodreads, Mr Swinson and Mulholland Books forthe opportunity to read this novel. I liked this book but it was dark so if you are looking for a nice little mystery with minimal violence this is not the book for you. The characters are flawed and often brutal ,right and wrong are intermingled, but I could not put it down when I began reading it .
July 24, 2017
I enjoyed this second book in the series as much as the first. Frank Marr is a great character with many flaws but he has a good heart. A retired DC detective turned PI with an addiction that gets him into trouble. This time he is burglarized and they take more than material things. Really good read.
August 5, 2017
David Swinson's new series is rapidly becoming one of my favorites.
Frank Marr was a DC cop, forced to retire because of his drug addiction. But now he's a private investigator, able to cut corners to keep feeding his habit and to solve crimes.
His gritty DC noir is worth reading. I am hoping he has a long run.
Frank Marr was a DC cop, forced to retire because of his drug addiction. But now he's a private investigator, able to cut corners to keep feeding his habit and to solve crimes.
His gritty DC noir is worth reading. I am hoping he has a long run.
April 11, 2019
Crime Song by David Swinson is number two in the Frank Marr series. Marr is a drug and alcohol addicted former Washington, DC narcotics detective now forced to work as a private investigator. Marr is a Jack-of-All-Trades investigator and not above taking questionable jobs to make a living.
In Crime Song, Marr's aunt has asked him to check up on her son to make sure he is not in harm. Marr then is pulled into street dealings involving his cousin and a cousin he describes as more of a brother than a nephew.
The bodies soon start piling up and Marr gets pulled into a series of street crimes that involve decent people forced to do bad things and characters previously introduced in the first novel The Second Girl.
Crime Song is a tighter novel than the first Frank Marr novel, however, as with The Second Girl, the Marr character still lacks a large enough likability factor which just doesn't create a deep caring for Marr and what happens to Marr, although, in Crime Song, Swinson does increase Marr's humanity somewhat.
Crime Song is recommended to those that enjoy the novels of Alan Parks and other novels involving urban crime settings and questionable main characters bent on self-destruction.
In Crime Song, Marr's aunt has asked him to check up on her son to make sure he is not in harm. Marr then is pulled into street dealings involving his cousin and a cousin he describes as more of a brother than a nephew.
The bodies soon start piling up and Marr gets pulled into a series of street crimes that involve decent people forced to do bad things and characters previously introduced in the first novel The Second Girl.
Crime Song is a tighter novel than the first Frank Marr novel, however, as with The Second Girl, the Marr character still lacks a large enough likability factor which just doesn't create a deep caring for Marr and what happens to Marr, although, in Crime Song, Swinson does increase Marr's humanity somewhat.
Crime Song is recommended to those that enjoy the novels of Alan Parks and other novels involving urban crime settings and questionable main characters bent on self-destruction.
April 30, 2018
This book is about a a former police detective with the DC police named Frank Marr, who made his debut in the book The Second Girl, which is a great book to read before you read this one. He was forced into retirement due to his drug problem and that drug problem continues in the series.
He is now working as a private investigator. He has, of course, connections in the DC Police (where he used to work) who kind of look out for him, but at the same time are worried about him. And they get really worried about him in this book, because his nephew ends up murdered in his house and all of this stuff of his is stolen and some of it's very sentimental. He wants it back, and he wants to know who the hell killed his nephew.
It's just a wonderfully written book. It's hardboiled mystery with a noir edge to it. Very, very edgy, dark noir stuff going on here. The tone of the story is manic, in keeping with the fact that this guy is a drug addict.
And I've spoken with David Swinson on my podcast the Crime Cafe and he talked about the influence of Hunter Thompson on his writing. I think it clearly shows in this book, because there's something Thompson-esque about this guy's mind. The way it just seems to be in a constant state of mania, I'll say for lack of a better word. His thoughts are just like—bup-bup-bup-bup—all over the place sometimes.
But you definitely should check out this book and if possible read The Second Girl before you read this, because it gives you even more background into who the characters are in this book and how devastating his drug addiction is on relationships with other people. It's a really important and timely topic. In any event, do read this book. It's a wonderful book and check out the Crime Cafe interview with David Swinson, because it was a really interesting interview and fun to talk to him: https://bit.ly/2HExA9l
He is now working as a private investigator. He has, of course, connections in the DC Police (where he used to work) who kind of look out for him, but at the same time are worried about him. And they get really worried about him in this book, because his nephew ends up murdered in his house and all of this stuff of his is stolen and some of it's very sentimental. He wants it back, and he wants to know who the hell killed his nephew.
It's just a wonderfully written book. It's hardboiled mystery with a noir edge to it. Very, very edgy, dark noir stuff going on here. The tone of the story is manic, in keeping with the fact that this guy is a drug addict.
And I've spoken with David Swinson on my podcast the Crime Cafe and he talked about the influence of Hunter Thompson on his writing. I think it clearly shows in this book, because there's something Thompson-esque about this guy's mind. The way it just seems to be in a constant state of mania, I'll say for lack of a better word. His thoughts are just like—bup-bup-bup-bup—all over the place sometimes.
But you definitely should check out this book and if possible read The Second Girl before you read this, because it gives you even more background into who the characters are in this book and how devastating his drug addiction is on relationships with other people. It's a really important and timely topic. In any event, do read this book. It's a wonderful book and check out the Crime Cafe interview with David Swinson, because it was a really interesting interview and fun to talk to him: https://bit.ly/2HExA9l
May 6, 2020
The second book in this series about a junkie ex-cop turned detective. Like I said in my review of the first book, I plowed through this in a day and a half. Granted, I’m under house arrest so reading is one of the few things that I’m permitted to do, but I enjoyed the ride. I’ve started and stopped reading a half a dozen books since I committed my crime of being susceptible to the Covid-19, so it’s not like I’ll read any damn thing.
I noticed in my review of his first book that I complained about the dialogue which was interesting because as I was reading this book, I often felt that the dialogue was quite good. As I was reading this, I felt like I had in the first novel that the gimmick of the guy being a junkie was sort of stupid. He is dating a prosecutor and ex-cop. If he’s such a drug fiend, you could only imagine that their sex life is non-existent, and unless she is a complete moron, there is no way she wouldn’t know that he’s an addict. I thought this part of the story—his addiction—added nothing.
I would have rated this higher except that plot was sort of stupid and didn’t really make a lot of sense. The overall story was a very flimsy tent under which the author led us around the life of the detective. He didn’t really need any sort of elaborate story to do this, and this convoluted mess just distracted me from the anti-hero detective going about his business. Instead of a junkie, just make him dishonest and a thief. Snorting coke and smoking crack all day long makes for a pretty brain-dead investigator, and physically he could be subdued by a nine-year old boy.
I noticed in my review of his first book that I complained about the dialogue which was interesting because as I was reading this book, I often felt that the dialogue was quite good. As I was reading this, I felt like I had in the first novel that the gimmick of the guy being a junkie was sort of stupid. He is dating a prosecutor and ex-cop. If he’s such a drug fiend, you could only imagine that their sex life is non-existent, and unless she is a complete moron, there is no way she wouldn’t know that he’s an addict. I thought this part of the story—his addiction—added nothing.
I would have rated this higher except that plot was sort of stupid and didn’t really make a lot of sense. The overall story was a very flimsy tent under which the author led us around the life of the detective. He didn’t really need any sort of elaborate story to do this, and this convoluted mess just distracted me from the anti-hero detective going about his business. Instead of a junkie, just make him dishonest and a thief. Snorting coke and smoking crack all day long makes for a pretty brain-dead investigator, and physically he could be subdued by a nine-year old boy.
June 2, 2017
Second in series w/ Frank Marr, former narcotics detective and now P.I. still living with his addiction to cocaine and alcohol.
A case gets too personal and Frank makes some bad decisions along the way to making sure the bad guys get nailed.
Frank is a unique character. Anxious to see next in series whether Frank continues to self-destruct or can come back from the brink.
Swinson relies on his own police experience to good effect. Depicts life on the mean streets of D.C. well.
A case gets too personal and Frank makes some bad decisions along the way to making sure the bad guys get nailed.
Frank is a unique character. Anxious to see next in series whether Frank continues to self-destruct or can come back from the brink.
Swinson relies on his own police experience to good effect. Depicts life on the mean streets of D.C. well.
March 17, 2019
I have now read the trilogy, albeit not in order. I can highly recommend it! Probably start with the first book though. :)
June 7, 2020
I didn't plan on reading the sequel to The Second Girl but when I saw
Crime Song
at the library, I picked it up. What the hey, I thought.
Frank Marr is at it again. And not just boozing, smoking, and drugging.
A surveillance case turns personal when a relative ends up dead in his home.
He takes it upon himself to discover the thief and murderer and lands himself amid druggies, drug smuggling, a robbery ring and a crooked cop.
Marr sacrifices his personal integrity (what little is left) to right some wrongs and bring justice to the victims caught in the crossfire of his unsanctioned investigation.
Main characters are supposed to be flawed. That's why we like them. Because they're just like us. We all have problems. And cops have a lot of flaws, mainly most of them are alcoholics, womanizers, or womanizing alcoholics.
But I never liked Frank Marr. Not in the first book and not in the second. I guess because he has too many problems.
The fact he is a fully functioning drug addict makes it hard for me to suspend disbelief that he is a competent investigator but then I don't know many high functioning addicts (and I don't intend to start any time soon).
I also wasn't interested in the mystery; a bunch of lowlife druggies and thieves run by a crooked cop for perceived vengeance against Marr.
I wasn't so much bored as I was so much not caring about anybody or anyone. I did feel for Leslie, though. But hey, she deserves better.
Frank Marr is at it again. And not just boozing, smoking, and drugging.
A surveillance case turns personal when a relative ends up dead in his home.
He takes it upon himself to discover the thief and murderer and lands himself amid druggies, drug smuggling, a robbery ring and a crooked cop.
Marr sacrifices his personal integrity (what little is left) to right some wrongs and bring justice to the victims caught in the crossfire of his unsanctioned investigation.
Main characters are supposed to be flawed. That's why we like them. Because they're just like us. We all have problems. And cops have a lot of flaws, mainly most of them are alcoholics, womanizers, or womanizing alcoholics.
But I never liked Frank Marr. Not in the first book and not in the second. I guess because he has too many problems.
The fact he is a fully functioning drug addict makes it hard for me to suspend disbelief that he is a competent investigator but then I don't know many high functioning addicts (and I don't intend to start any time soon).
I also wasn't interested in the mystery; a bunch of lowlife druggies and thieves run by a crooked cop for perceived vengeance against Marr.
I wasn't so much bored as I was so much not caring about anybody or anyone. I did feel for Leslie, though. But hey, she deserves better.
February 14, 2019
Cocaine
"If you got that lose, you want to kick them blues, cocaine
When your day is done, and you want to ride on cocaine
She don't lie, she don't lie, she don't lie,
Cocaine"
A crime song.
Drugs, drug dealers, dirty bad cops, dirty good ex cops, and more drugs.
This was a fast moving read, like it was high on something.
Frank Marr, an ex cop forced into early retirement for you guessed it drug abuse, now a private investigator searching for the killer of his cousin in his home.
I liked Frank. An enigma. Even with all his baggage he was a man with character and morals, i trusted him to do what was right.
My only complaint was the killer(s) was easy to spot early.
"Here i am with a backpack filled with more coke than i've seen in years and construction bag almost half full with dirty money"- Frank Marr
"If you got that lose, you want to kick them blues, cocaine
When your day is done, and you want to ride on cocaine
She don't lie, she don't lie, she don't lie,
Cocaine"
A crime song.
Drugs, drug dealers, dirty bad cops, dirty good ex cops, and more drugs.
This was a fast moving read, like it was high on something.
Frank Marr, an ex cop forced into early retirement for you guessed it drug abuse, now a private investigator searching for the killer of his cousin in his home.
I liked Frank. An enigma. Even with all his baggage he was a man with character and morals, i trusted him to do what was right.
My only complaint was the killer(s) was easy to spot early.
"Here i am with a backpack filled with more coke than i've seen in years and construction bag almost half full with dirty money"- Frank Marr
May 18, 2017
I was totally blown away by the first book in this series, this one was good, but not quite as compelling, in my opinion. Still, the misadventures of the multi-addicted, ethically challenged and sometimes brutal protagonist make this a worthwhile and harrowing ride through the mean streets of D.C.
May 4, 2017
Frank Marr is back!
July 21, 2019
Really liking this ex police officer turned PI Frank Marr.
June 22, 2021
This book is what I used to stereotype as a man's man book. No, I still do. Violent. Graphic in language and pissing orders of all nuances and types. Not only within the police department but also within criminal cabals of and in every direction. Pardon my language but this is far beyond hard boiled or noir. It's wannabbee's and thataboys in realistic police jargon which is unprintable here in reaction.
And Frank Marr's cocaine habit is at its worst on top of it.
It was an absorbing read until every favorite character was stuck with Frank involvement to their ultimate demise. DC was super accurate real. I've stayed in Alexandria twice but for much nicer reasons than Biddy's. Used the Metro to similar spots.
Superb police world "eyes". It's takes a worse bad boy to checkmate the most vile and duplicitous evil doer. And his associates unnamed.
I had 3 of these brutal reads come at once. I am going to space them out. Milder next instead. This is very dark and also frenetic. Excellent writing.
Not recommending this for the cozy lover or the faint hearted. It taught me all about the why's of meth addict evidence of physical clue appearances that I have noticed but didn't really get. Addiction is the elephant in the entire world room here. 4 or 5 kinds within various combos per taker.
Excellent writer. He is spot on in expressions of nifty-gritty city drug culture and crime reality.
Super, super sad. Vengeance is reciprocated. Cold comfort for that fact, IMHO. Conscience reigns in the last 2 pages. Too little too late. Trigger might see a turn around?
And Frank Marr's cocaine habit is at its worst on top of it.
It was an absorbing read until every favorite character was stuck with Frank involvement to their ultimate demise. DC was super accurate real. I've stayed in Alexandria twice but for much nicer reasons than Biddy's. Used the Metro to similar spots.
Superb police world "eyes". It's takes a worse bad boy to checkmate the most vile and duplicitous evil doer. And his associates unnamed.
I had 3 of these brutal reads come at once. I am going to space them out. Milder next instead. This is very dark and also frenetic. Excellent writing.
Not recommending this for the cozy lover or the faint hearted. It taught me all about the why's of meth addict evidence of physical clue appearances that I have noticed but didn't really get. Addiction is the elephant in the entire world room here. 4 or 5 kinds within various combos per taker.
Excellent writer. He is spot on in expressions of nifty-gritty city drug culture and crime reality.
Super, super sad. Vengeance is reciprocated. Cold comfort for that fact, IMHO. Conscience reigns in the last 2 pages. Too little too late. Trigger might see a turn around?
January 27, 2018
It's not very often that I read an author's books back to back but that's just what I've done here, in that I had barely finished David Swinson's 'The Second Girl' when I knew I just had to read 'Crime Song' immediately after. This is the second of the Frank Marr series of novels to feature the cocaine addicted, ex-Police Detective now turned P.I. working out of Washington D.C. In this case Frank's house has been burgled and among other things his beloved vinyl/cd collection, which included his deceased mother's albums, has been stolen and they also left a dead body in the kitchen ! Frank reports the matter to the Police but decides to investigate the crimes himself as he has a vested interest in solving the crimes and also he is not hampered by police protocol. As an aside, Frank is also struggling as his cocaine stash is running low and he needs to replenish it fast.
This is every bit as good as 'The Second Girl' as Frank goes about his investigation in his own inimitable style, which as ever, includes a lot of surveillance and strong-arm work. As he discover's evidence that the police don't have, he has to decide what he can reveal and how to reveal it to the investigating officers but at the same time keep himself on the right side of the law. Frank also describes his 'habit' in some detail and how he manages to maintain some semblance of normality in his life, by balancing his cocaine intake with alcohol and illegally obtained prescription drugs. However Frank does 'lose it' at one point and his life threatens to spiral out of control which has a profound effect on his relationship with girlfriend and lawyer Leslie Costello.
As I stated in my previous review, the character of Frank Marr reminds me of one of my favourite detectives, Lawrence Block's Frank Scudder, as both have addictions and both left the police force under a cloud to work as P.I.'s. In Scudder's case he attends A.A. meetings to keep himself from lapsing and maybe, just maybe there are hints at the end of 'Crime Song' that Marr realises that his life has got to change ? I hope that Swinson has more Frank Marr novels in the pipeline as I can't wait to see how the character develops but in the meantime I've also got Swinson's debut 'A Detailed Man' to read but can I read 3 novels in a row by the same author ?
This is every bit as good as 'The Second Girl' as Frank goes about his investigation in his own inimitable style, which as ever, includes a lot of surveillance and strong-arm work. As he discover's evidence that the police don't have, he has to decide what he can reveal and how to reveal it to the investigating officers but at the same time keep himself on the right side of the law. Frank also describes his 'habit' in some detail and how he manages to maintain some semblance of normality in his life, by balancing his cocaine intake with alcohol and illegally obtained prescription drugs. However Frank does 'lose it' at one point and his life threatens to spiral out of control which has a profound effect on his relationship with girlfriend and lawyer Leslie Costello.
As I stated in my previous review, the character of Frank Marr reminds me of one of my favourite detectives, Lawrence Block's Frank Scudder, as both have addictions and both left the police force under a cloud to work as P.I.'s. In Scudder's case he attends A.A. meetings to keep himself from lapsing and maybe, just maybe there are hints at the end of 'Crime Song' that Marr realises that his life has got to change ? I hope that Swinson has more Frank Marr novels in the pipeline as I can't wait to see how the character develops but in the meantime I've also got Swinson's debut 'A Detailed Man' to read but can I read 3 novels in a row by the same author ?
November 23, 2017
this is # 2 in the Frank Marr series that came out this year and while pretty good, not quite as strong as the first one. Frank is still working as a private investigator in the DC area and yes he is still a functioning drug addict. this is the element that makes Frank unique and interesting for me to read about. the case this time involves burglaries, drug dealers and a murder that hits close to home. a good page turner, just not as interesting as the case in the first book, but still 4 stars and I look forward to see what is next for Frank.
July 23, 2017
I read this book first, and haven't read The Second Girl yet, so I can't comment on the continuation of the Frank Marr series. However, as a standalone, Crime Song absolutely delivers. The atmosphere is perfect and the dialogue spot on- I love snappy, gritty, street-dialogue, reminiscent of Elmore Leonard or classic hardboiled detective stories. I would definitely recommend Crime Song for any fans of mysteries or thrillers and particularly for readers who enjoy a dark detective tale.
December 12, 2018
Great narrator is the whole show here. It is an engrossing read following this flawed, unrepentant character. Not much is going to stop him from getting what he wants. I love that it does not turn away from his manipulation and outright lying to figure it all out. It's so addictive that you don't really care that the plot is almost nothing. By the end it leaves me feeling a little empty. There's conflict I guess but it was all too easy.
April 19, 2017
I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would.
It was not too slow and not too fast. And the mystery of it all was good.
The author's experience as a cop really lended itself well to the story. And I really enjoyed his writing.
I would recommend this book to others
It was not too slow and not too fast. And the mystery of it all was good.
The author's experience as a cop really lended itself well to the story. And I really enjoyed his writing.
I would recommend this book to others
August 14, 2019
This was especially fun to read given that I have lived in the Logan Circle/Dupont Circle/Columbia Heights areas for the past 40 years. He does a great job capturing much of the flavor of the city over years; along with a compelling story line.
June 18, 2017
Another good installment. I'm digging this series. Full review to come
December 21, 2017
Less of a breathless thrill ride than THE SECOND GIRL, but Frankie Marr's character is wonderfully developed and deepened--and left in a pretty dark place. Can't wait for Book 3!
February 9, 2018
This is the second book in the Frank Marr series written by former Metropolitan Police [MPD] Detective David Swinson. Frank Marr is a former MPD Detective who after 17 years on the job, mostly working for the departments Narcotics Special Investigation Division [NSID] is accidently caught with a positive drug test. MPD not wanting to risk overturning loads of cases because of a drug addicit detective gives him a choice, retire quitely on a partial pension or go to prision. Marr chooses retirement and begins working as a Private Investigator, mostly for defense attorneys.
Free from random drug checks Marr begins life as a raging drug addicit ripping off drug dealers in Washington, D.C. in between cases to feed his ever growing habit.
Crime Song follows the case of his nephew, a George Washington University Student whom his aunt believes may be mixed up with the wrong crowd. Before Marr can get find a drug dealer to rob his nephew is murdered in his kitchen. This leads Marr on a series of adventures to find out who killed his cousin, why did they do it and why did they do it in his kitchen.
Marr is a character who wants to do good but now that he has been freed from police procedures he often uses the law as a rough guide as to what to do. For Marr the ends justify the means but the character is falling further and further into his drug addiction and is having a more difficult time functioning.
Crime Song is a good read and has some feel for pulling back the curtain on the MPD to see what it is really like behind the badge. The character and story is dark so some people may have a difficult time seeing who are the good guys and who are the bad guys.
Free from random drug checks Marr begins life as a raging drug addicit ripping off drug dealers in Washington, D.C. in between cases to feed his ever growing habit.
Crime Song follows the case of his nephew, a George Washington University Student whom his aunt believes may be mixed up with the wrong crowd. Before Marr can get find a drug dealer to rob his nephew is murdered in his kitchen. This leads Marr on a series of adventures to find out who killed his cousin, why did they do it and why did they do it in his kitchen.
Marr is a character who wants to do good but now that he has been freed from police procedures he often uses the law as a rough guide as to what to do. For Marr the ends justify the means but the character is falling further and further into his drug addiction and is having a more difficult time functioning.
Crime Song is a good read and has some feel for pulling back the curtain on the MPD to see what it is really like behind the badge. The character and story is dark so some people may have a difficult time seeing who are the good guys and who are the bad guys.
October 10, 2017
Frank Marr was a star narcotics detective with the DC police until his addictions to alcohol and cocaine forced him into early retirement. Now barely eking out a living as a PI, Marr gets a call from his aunt and agrees to check up on his cousin Jeffrey who has been cutting classes at George Washington University. Marr tracks Jeffrey to a nightclub and quickly sees him engaged in some low-level drug dealing. But then Marr's own home is burglarized and the dead body in the kitchen is Jeffrey's.
Marr searches for Jeffrey's killer and his missing property by doggedly and tenaciously searching in pawn shops and thrift stores, and calling in some favors. Marr's discovery of a few stolen items leads him to a cab driver who is very reluctantly enlisted in his search and then leads to a junkie, some drug dealers and one crooked cop. As a high functioning addict, Marr also needs to replenish his dwindling drug supply and is willing to commit plenty of violent and illegal acts to get his way.
This is a gritty story with plenty of action and violence and is another strong entry in the Frank Marr series.
I received an eARC via Netgalley and Mulholland Books with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book and provided this review.
Marr searches for Jeffrey's killer and his missing property by doggedly and tenaciously searching in pawn shops and thrift stores, and calling in some favors. Marr's discovery of a few stolen items leads him to a cab driver who is very reluctantly enlisted in his search and then leads to a junkie, some drug dealers and one crooked cop. As a high functioning addict, Marr also needs to replenish his dwindling drug supply and is willing to commit plenty of violent and illegal acts to get his way.
This is a gritty story with plenty of action and violence and is another strong entry in the Frank Marr series.
I received an eARC via Netgalley and Mulholland Books with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book and provided this review.
September 22, 2018
I knew that it was the second book in the series, but it was the only one on the shelf at my local library, so I took the leap.
I was glad that I did! What a flawed protagonist! Frank Marr was a narco pig who got busted on a surprised piss test (second in a week) & was forced into early retirement so as not to jeopardize his prodigious arrests & convictions. He now works as a P.I. in D.C. for a former partner turned defense attorney, but he is as shady as ever. He has a ravening cocaine habit which leads him to act like Omar from "The Wire" & supplement both his income & his stash by taking off drug dealers. 8=O
In this second installment, he is the one getting jacked & the finger points towards his errant nephew (like uncle, like nephew, eh, Uncle Steve?). When his nephew is murdered, Marr is contacted by his estranged aunt & goes into action. I'm not giving any more away, but this is a series worth reading. Will he bottom out & go the way of Lawrence Block's Matthew Scudder & become an addict in recovery, but still on the prowl? Or will he just continue to be a f**ked-up cokehound, skirting the law & still getting the job done, ala Bruce Robertson in Irvine Welsh's "Filth"? Time will tell, but either way …
I was glad that I did! What a flawed protagonist! Frank Marr was a narco pig who got busted on a surprised piss test (second in a week) & was forced into early retirement so as not to jeopardize his prodigious arrests & convictions. He now works as a P.I. in D.C. for a former partner turned defense attorney, but he is as shady as ever. He has a ravening cocaine habit which leads him to act like Omar from "The Wire" & supplement both his income & his stash by taking off drug dealers. 8=O
In this second installment, he is the one getting jacked & the finger points towards his errant nephew (like uncle, like nephew, eh, Uncle Steve?). When his nephew is murdered, Marr is contacted by his estranged aunt & goes into action. I'm not giving any more away, but this is a series worth reading. Will he bottom out & go the way of Lawrence Block's Matthew Scudder & become an addict in recovery, but still on the prowl? Or will he just continue to be a f**ked-up cokehound, skirting the law & still getting the job done, ala Bruce Robertson in Irvine Welsh's "Filth"? Time will tell, but either way …
May 22, 2017
Many thanks to Goodreads and Mulholland Books for my first-time Giveaways win !! Woohoo! All I now have to do is give an unbiased review.
Crime Song by David Swinson was excellent and I can highly recommend it.
A must read for all fans of American crime fiction especially if you like George Pelecanos and Elmore Leonard. You'll find no clever serial killers or grand heists within these pages; this is firmly rooted in the everyday reality of street crime and their consequences.
These novels ,for me,succeed or fail on their characters and dialogue and in this David Swinson triumphs.
His experience as a police officer has given him an insight as to how street officers and criminals really speak and his dialogue has a rhythm and flow that makes it a pleasure to read.
All his characterisations are tremendous but it his main protagonist,Frank Marr, that is particularly well done. A once decent man and cop who has become totally compromised by his addiction to cocaine. The conflict between Frank trying to do the right thing and his habit makes for an engaging read.
Give this one a go. Highly recommended.
Crime Song by David Swinson was excellent and I can highly recommend it.
A must read for all fans of American crime fiction especially if you like George Pelecanos and Elmore Leonard. You'll find no clever serial killers or grand heists within these pages; this is firmly rooted in the everyday reality of street crime and their consequences.
These novels ,for me,succeed or fail on their characters and dialogue and in this David Swinson triumphs.
His experience as a police officer has given him an insight as to how street officers and criminals really speak and his dialogue has a rhythm and flow that makes it a pleasure to read.
All his characterisations are tremendous but it his main protagonist,Frank Marr, that is particularly well done. A once decent man and cop who has become totally compromised by his addiction to cocaine. The conflict between Frank trying to do the right thing and his habit makes for an engaging read.
Give this one a go. Highly recommended.
September 6, 2017
This is the first book I have read by David Swinson, and the second in his Frank Marr series. The author himself was a police detective for 16 years with the Washington D.C. Metropolitan Police Department. Frank Marr, the protagonist in this story, is now a private investigator, after retiring from the Washington D.C. Police, due to his serious cocaine habit, which he is having a terrible time trying to rid himself of. His current job is working for his aunt to keep an eye on his nephew, Jeffrey, who is attending college in D.C. The trouble is that Jeffrey seems to be hanging around drug dealers in various night clubs, and may himself be doing cocaine. One night Frank comes home to find his home burglarized; and his flat screen TV, computer, and his record and CD collection (many belonging to his deceased mother and of sentimental value) and his gun are gone. The only thing the burglar(s) did not get was his stash of cocaine, which is already dwindling. The other problem with the burglary is that Jeffrey's murdered body is located on the floor of his kitchen. Thus begins a twisting tale of somewhat likable drug dealers and also hateful and crooked cops.
January 25, 2019
Frank Marr isnt your typical ex-cop PI. He doesn't adhere to a flexible code of honour honed from his days on the job. His primary objective at any one time is finding a way to keep himself supplied with cocaine to fuel his addiction. Even when it comes to investigating the murder of his cousin, who is found shot dead in Marr's kitchen, he is playing the angles to not only solve the crime, but to re-up his dwindling supply of coke.
The short chapters fuel the fast pace of this novel that's compelling even while Frank is merely staking out pawn shops, taxi drivers and motels. The secondary characters introduced in the first novel are used sparingly as we witness Marr throw caution to the wind in his pursuit for more coke and see signs that perhaps the continued drug use is making him slip. Who knows if there will be a Scudder-esque turnaround in the future of the series, but Swinson delivers enough hints to make you question what is in store for our protagonist.
We'll find out in short order with the third in the series, "Trigger", available in a couple of weeks.
The short chapters fuel the fast pace of this novel that's compelling even while Frank is merely staking out pawn shops, taxi drivers and motels. The secondary characters introduced in the first novel are used sparingly as we witness Marr throw caution to the wind in his pursuit for more coke and see signs that perhaps the continued drug use is making him slip. Who knows if there will be a Scudder-esque turnaround in the future of the series, but Swinson delivers enough hints to make you question what is in store for our protagonist.
We'll find out in short order with the third in the series, "Trigger", available in a couple of weeks.
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