{"product_id":"the-second-girl-9781473618176","title":"The Second Girl","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHe's a good detective...with a bad habit. The first in a brilliant series from former DC cop David Swinson.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA down-and-dirty thriller with real heart from an author who knows what he's talking about. This is firmly in George Pelecanos territory and it doesn't get much better than that -- Mark Billingham\u003cbr\u003eDavid Swinson pulls off a masterly piece of characterization: he creates a damaged, damned protagonist who no sane person would want to get close to, and then he grabs you by the collar and hauls you into Frank Marr's mind so fast and so thoroughly that none of that matters. The writing throws sparks, and the ferocious plot peels back layer after layer of Frank's character as we - and he - find out how much of his humanity is still left. -- Tana French\u003cbr\u003eA gripping, authentic tale (the author is an ex-cop) of a man's journey into the heart of darkness that will appeal to fans of \u003ci\u003eThe Wire\u003c\/i\u003e * Shortlist *\u003cbr\u003eOnce you're drawn into Frankie Marr's world (in, oh, the first few pages of this fine novel), you won't want to leave. Marr is one of the most compelling and complex protagonists to come along in years. And, not content with just creating a memorable hero, author Swinson also offers up a breakneck plot, which he recounts in muscular prose and with a commanding knowledge of cops, bad guys and the streets of Washington, D.C. Reminiscent of \u003ci\u003eThe Wire\u003c\/i\u003e and the writing of George Pelecanos and Dennis Lehane, \u003ci\u003eThe Second Girl\u003c\/i\u003e is a winner -- Jeffery Deaver\u003cbr\u003eLike the very best of classic crime writing, THE SECOND GIRL made me want to read faster and slower at the same time. Now I want David Swinson to write faster -- Michael Robotham\u003cbr\u003eA non-stop drive through American crime, punishment and even an alley or two of justice. -- James Grady, author of \u003ci\u003eSix Days of the Condor\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAn excellent ­addition to the noir genre...­Readers of Dennis Lehane and  Richard Price as well as fans of \u003ci\u003eThe Wire \u003c\/i\u003ewill appreciate * Library Journal *\u003cbr\u003eThe first book in your favorite new thriller series * Kirkus *\u003cbr\u003eImagine Philip Marlowe upped and transplanted to contemporary Washington with a mountain of stolen coke hidden in a secret safe rather than a bottle of bourbon in his desk drawer, and you're close to Frank Marr, the winningly debauched private investigator hero of this gritty thriller...A complex, vulnerable but brilliant creation, with a unique personal morality, his spare narration is laced with wry humour but entirely lacking in self-pity...More is promised from Swinson and Marr, and for fans of tough, urban US crime that is very good news indeed. * CrimeScene *\u003cbr\u003eThe delight of\u003ci\u003e The Second Girl\u003c\/i\u003e  is how smoothly its engine runs and how wisely it avoids the pitfalls  of overstuffed, half-considered thrillers. The premise is  straightforward: former cop seeks subtle redemption by reuniting missing  girls with their families. The action reads like a real crime story  you'd hear on the nightly news * Washingtonian *","brand":"Hodder \u0026 Stoughton","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48739511599447,"sku":"9781473618176","price":9.49,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9781473618176.jpg?v=1720052444","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/the-second-girl-9781473618176","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}