Crime Song

By: David Swinson

Narrated by: Christopher Ryan Grant

The return of Frank Marr, the "refreshing" protagonist of one of the New York Times' Best Crime Novels of 2016

Frank Marr was a good cop with a bad habit until his burgeoning addictions to alcohol and cocaine forced him into retirement from the DC police. Now barely eking out a living as a private investigator, he agrees to take on a family case: a favor for his aunt, who was like a second mother to him growing up.

Frank's surveillance confirms that his cousin Jeffrey is involved with a small-time drugs operation. Modest stuff until Frank's own home is burglarized, leaving a body on the kitchen floor: Jeffrey. Worse, Frank's .38 revolver - the murder weapon - is stolen along with his cherished music collection, his only possessions of sentimental value: dozens of vinyl albums that belonged to his late mother. Only Frank's stash, his dwindling supply of the cocaine he needs to get through the day, is untouched. Why?

Clearly his cousin was deeper in the underworld than anyone realized. With the weight of his family, his reputation, and his own life on the line, he'll have to find the culprit by following the stolen goods through a tangled network of petty thieves, desperate addicts, deceiving fences, good cops, bad cops, and one morally compromised taxi driver.

Frank's as determined to uncover the truth as he is to feed his habit, and both pursuits could prove deadly. This time it may just be a question of what gets him first.

©2017 David Swinson (P)2017 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

" Crime Song is fast and rough and great. The atmosphere is perfect. The details are perfect. Only a cop, someone who's really lived in this world, could get so much so right." (James O. Born, best-selling author of Walking Money)

"A veteran detective, David Swinson knows DC's secrets and it shows in this killer noir, so authentic it'll make you get up and lock your doors. Crime Song is even better than the fantastic The Second Girl and Swinson writes with a refreshing, understated realness. This is right up there with Richard Price and The Wire." (Matthew Quirk, New York Times best-selling author of Dead Man Switch)

Excellent

Fast moving and several twists. I believe this is a follow up from the book , The Second Girl.
Some foul language but not as much as in the Second Girl. Great writer! I will be reading his next book. A great crime book.

Great and gritty

Love this series. Frank Mar is bad ass with a habit . Deals out justice playing by his own rules. Excellent writing and narration. Hope this series keeps going!

flawed but lovable

What did you love best about Crime Song?

I truly like the flawed hero.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

I do enjoy this character. I'm hope there is more to come from David Swinson's character Frank Marr.

Which scene was your favorite?

I don't really have a favorite.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

A somewhat flawed hero.

Any additional comments?

I like the dirty flawed hero.

Another Enjoyable Story

The author puts the reader right there on the streets of DC with the main character. I feel like I am his partner entangled in the story as well.

Anti-hero

A good pick for fans of hard-core anti-heros. Frank Marr, the main character, is a high functioning addict, and there is a LOT of drinking, drugs, and the "F" word in this fast-paced story. Good narration, although the editing was terrible ( tone and volume changing often)

Ok but not memorable

Overall, the story flowed well. There was no implausibility, no big coincidences to force the story in a direction or make the way easy, and it wasn't predictable. The one possible coincidence-type of exception—and it was a big one for me but maybe not for others—was Frank's being unable to access Lexus Nexus after his computer was stolen wherein he had listed the password. You can always retrieve a password, so that didn't quite work for me. Was he not supposed to have a password, which is why he couldn't ask for a new one and reset his? I don't know; it didn't make sense to me. And it wasn't explained. It wasn't a huge deal in the story overall, but it was a big deal to me and played a part in the movement of the tale. Also, there was a racial component to the story that was problematic for me. The common savior vs in need of saving racialized trope. Lastly, there were very few redeeming qualities of the main character, Frank.
The narrator was good.

It was okay

Fortunately Christopher Ryan Grant does an excellent job narrating this series. I didn't like it as much as 'The Second Girl' but I listened all the way through.

Again... Okay, is the best rating I can give this book.

J