There are two elements that CANARY has going for it from the jump. Both are contained on the cover. I know, I know, you don’t judge a book that way. But the cover of this striking, edgy crime novel --- it’s a bright yellow background with a silhouette of a canary, upside down, caught in some nasty-looking crosshairs --- immediately attracts attention. The other element is Duane Swierczynski’s name on the cover. Those who have read his work know; those who haven’t should. Fans of dark crime fiction who want constant surprises should have Swierczynski on their must-read list, as he is incapable of writing badly.

"CANARY is finely driven by its plot and characters, who take turns at the wheel while the reader embarks on a journey through the streets just outside of the lights of the popular and posh clubs and restaurants of the moment, where the cool kids go to see and be seen."

CANARY may be Swierczynski’s most ambitious work yet. It quickly jumps around a number of different viewpoints, the primary one being that of Sarie Holland. Holland is the “Canary” of the piece. She is a college freshman in the honors program, going to school and living in Philadelphia with her widowed father and younger brother. The entire family is still coming to terms with the loss of Sarie’s mother due to terminal illness. Her dad is a drug and alcohol counselor whose own alcoholism is keeping him on the very narrow line between functional and nonfunctional. Her younger brother seems a little distant, maybe just a bit off-kilter in this already off-balanced family, but he’s a good kid and well meaning. Sarie was given the nickname “Canary” as a child, but as the narrative progresses, we see the term acquiring multiple meanings.

Sarie is bright in many ways, while woefully lacking in judgment in some others. Her life begins to get a quick kick to the wrong curb at a college mixer, where, as the only discernibly sober attendee, she is asked by a likable loser named D. to give him what is ostensibly an innocent ride across town. Sarie’s dialogue --- which is addressed, somewhat poignantly, to her late mother --- indicates that she is torn between uneasiness and attraction. Attraction wins, unfortunately, and before the night is over, she finds herself arrested for possession of drugs and traded out as a confidential informant. The arresting officer is a driven narcotics detective named Ben Wildey (Will-dee to you), who is attempting to live up to the reputation of his grandfather, a pioneering Philadelphia cop. Wildey balances a tough and tender act with Sarie, who in turn is trying to walk a very thin and dangerous line between giving Wildey everything he wants and protecting the elusive D., who is hardly worth the trouble.

It is to Swierczynski’s credit that while the reader doesn’t quite get Sarie’s feelings for D., her blind spot is evident, given that she keeps digging herself in just a bit deeper with him when she should be running like the wind. If you aren’t screaming “NO!” at some of Sarie’s maneuvers by the time you’re halfway through the book, you aren’t paying attention. Still, Sarie didn’t become an honors student by accident. She is a quick study, and as things get progressively worse for her, she begins to see a way out. The question is what it will cost her, and how much.

CANARY is finely driven by its plot and characters, who take turns at the wheel while the reader embarks on a journey through the streets just outside of the lights of the popular and posh clubs and restaurants of the moment, where the cool kids go to see and be seen. As always, Swierczynski provides a bit of real world information, knowledge and trivia throughout. There is a vignette in a diner where a grim Wildey provides a dramatic lesson in the business of drug trafficking, using sugar packets, seasoning shakers and condiments. Even if you hate the book from the jump (which you won’t), it is worth reading just to get to that passage. It’s brilliant, and it’s why I read Swierczynski. And it’s why you should read CANARY.