David Swinson at One More Page BooksSaturday, Feb. 11
The Midatlantic boasts a rich history of crime novelists, with Wire alumnus and detective fiction master George Pelecanos at its center. But now, there’s a new face in the crowd: retired D.C. detective David Swinson, whose noirish debut novel A Detailed Man hits stores later this month. Swinson may not be a deadly sharp writer yet—he occasionally indulges in too-poetic, maudlin prose—but his characters are surprisingly well-sketched with depth beyond their hard-boiled skins. Swinson’s protagonist is Ezra Simeon, a Bell’s Palsy-afflicted detective who inherits a high-profile murder from a dead buddy’s case file, and comes to suspect a serial killer. Cue a slow-burning trek through the dark and dangerous corners of D.C., replete with thugs, johns, cold cases, and all those details muddled in shows like C.S.I. In this District, crime is anything but polished.
David Swinson signs and discusses his book at 3 p.m. at One More Page Books, 2200 N. Westmoreland St., No. 101, Arlington. Free. onemorepagebooks.com. 703-300-9746.
Putting my reader's hat on, I quite like reading the "not so great" reviews, those that tell you which bits worked for them and which didn't, because that's just their personal taste and needn't necessarily conform to your own - each to their own as they say! Sometimes I think they help more than a wholly uncritical review as they focus my mind on what sort of things work for me - in highlighting what doesn't work for them, they can highlight something that does 'do it' for me - if that makes any sense?! And "characters.. well-sketched" makes me think I need to bump your book up my waiting list and read it soon!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Phil. I do agree with you. They can be very helpful.
ReplyDeleteBeware journalists doing book reviews! As jealous and prickly as a woman, of her fellow women, at a cocktail party ;) Good luck David.
ReplyDeleteHa! I like that. And thank you.
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