Author David Swinson specializes in tragically and spectacularly flawed heroes. Detective Simeon, in Swinson’s dark, memorable novel A DETAILED MAN, was afflicted with Bell’s Palsy. Swinson, after too long an absence, returns to the crime story world with THE SECOND GIRL, introducing a tragically fractured and darkly rumpled knight errant in a book that hopefully launches a long and prosperous series.

Frank Marr is the unlikely protagonist of THE SECOND GIRL. Frank, when introduced, is on a stakeout of a drug house for the worst of reasons. A former Washington, D.C. police detective, Frank in his dark present is a drug addict with multiple monkeys on his back who masquerades convincingly as a private investigator employed by a defense attorney. His plan is to rob the drug house on its pharmaceutical assets when no one is home. He ultimately does just that, though he is startled on his first entry to discover that the house has more than drugs and money inside. Specifically, a 15-year-old girl is being held hostage. Frank liberates her and sees that the wheels are put in motion to reunite her with her parents.

"My understanding is that THE SECOND GIRL heralds the start of a new series. I assume that Swinson will be putting his protagonist through some interesting changes. You won’t want to miss a mile of this ride, so jump on now."

No good deed goes unpunished, though. Frank, in his guise as a noble PI, finds himself reluctantly tasked with finding another girl who has gone missing and went to the same high school as the young lady he rescued. As one might expect, there are some twists and turns in the investigation that take him to places he does not expect. But the book is primarily character-driven, and Frank is quite a character. Swinson knows the territory of the addicted mind. When Frank, who narrates the book in the first person present, talks about substances such as cocaine making everything clear and helping the mind work in the way it’s supposed to, in a manner that was “taken away,” I got chills up my spine. This guy is for real. A good part of the novel occupies itself in the manner with which Frank plans his next high and takes pains to hide his addiction from the rest of the world. This is true addictive behavior: the high takes center stage, and everyone and everything else become supporting cast and scenery.

The problem that Frank encounters here is that his rescue of the abducted girl results in an unexpected and unwanted spotlight on him, which makes it more and more difficult for him to carry on his lifestyle as he has become accustomed. The tragedy is that his addiction really doesn’t give him much time to adapt. Watching him go through life is like witnessing a reel of broken-field running through a land mine, only there’s a missing girl’s life potentially at stake, as well as his own. And as tough as it may be to watch it unfold, you really can’t ever look away.

My understanding is that THE SECOND GIRL heralds the start of a new series. I assume that Swinson will be putting his protagonist through some interesting changes. You won’t want to miss a mile of this ride, so jump on now.