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Trigger (Frank Marr Book 3) Kindle Edition

by David Swinson (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 152 ratings
See all formats and editions
Forced to retire from the D. C. police, newly minted P.I. Frank Marr is recovering from rock bottom when a friend asks for help -- and now, he must revisit the dark, drug-fueled world he left behind.
Ostracized by his family after a botched case that led to the death of his baby cousin, Jeffrey, Frank was on a collision course with catastrophe. Now clean and clinging hard to sobriety, he's barely eking out a living as a private investigator for a defense attorney -- who also happens to be his ex-girlfriend. Frank passes the time -- and tests himself -- by robbing the houses of local dealers, taking their cash and flushing their drugs down the toilet. But when an old friend from his police days needs Frank's help to prove he didn't shoot an unarmed civilian, Frank is drawn back into the world of dirty cops and suspicious drug busts, running in the same circles that enabled his addiction those years ago.
Never one to play by the rules, Frank recruits a young man he nearly executed years before. Together -- a good man trying not to go bad and a bad man trying to do good -- detective and criminal charge headfirst into the D.C. drug wars. Neither may make it out.
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  1. Book 3 of 3
    Frank Marr
  2. Print length
    354 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  5. Publisher
    Mulholland Books
  6. Publication date
    February 12, 2019
  7. File size
    592 KB
  8. Page Flip
    Enabled
  9. Word Wise
    Enabled
  10. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  11. See all details
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From the brand

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Streetwise."―The New York Times Book Review

"With ripped-from-the-headlines intensity,,,Swinson sustains the velocity of the drama and ingeniously gets at the power dynamic of personal relationships with nuance and generosity toward broken people in his messy world of ambiguous boundaries."
―The National Book Review

"Frank Marr prowls Washington like a creature from a different age: hard-knuckled, hard-drinking, equal parts loyalty, craving, determination, and regret. But in Trigger, David Swinson's detailed, glittering, vicious DC is up-to-the-minute. Never one to bend a rule when he can smash it instead, Marr leads us straight back into the wreckage he left in The Second Girl and Crime Song. It's a thrill to watch him pick up the pieces."―Bill Beverly, Edgar Award-winning author of Dodgers

"Chock full of pace and purpose, Trigger lays out hard-hustle D.C. in all its gritty shades of gray without ever once sneering at them. It's a brave novel, one with no easy outs, and an ending that feels both raw and true."―Ryan Gattis, author of Safe

"Frankie Marr, the ex-cop turned PI with a skewed sense of justice, situational ethics and a drug habit he kicked by turning to alcohol, is back. The ex-cop turned author, David Swinson, takes us on another pulse-pounding, stripped-down excursion into the badlands of the nation's capital. An old friend and colleague teeters on the brink of catastrophe and Frankie answers the call; his street wits, reckless courage, and pit bull tenacity racing ahead of glorious and soulful collapse. I missed you, Frankie, and I'm very happy to see you again."―Joe Ide, author of IQ

"George Pelecanos fans will welcome Swinson's gritty third novel featuring PI Frank Marr. . . . Swinson, a former police officer, writes with authority and honesty, giving readers a timely, informed look at the mean streets from an insider's perspective."―Publishers Weekly

PRAISE FOR DAVID SWINSON AND FRANK MARR:



"Swinson is one of the best dialogue hounds in the business."―The New York Times Book Review

"Within the first couple of pages, David 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, author of The Trespasser

"Frank remains a fascinating, deeply flawed protagonist. . . . He remains a hard-boiled hero well worth our attention."―Booklist

About the Author

David Swinson is a retired police detective, having served 16 years with the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police Department. He is the author of two previous novels featuring Frank Marr: The Second Girl and Crime Song. Swinson currently lives in Northern Virginia with his wife, daughter, bull mastiff, and bearded dragon.

Christopher Ryan Grant is an actor and audiobook narrator. His readings include It's A Long Story: My Life by Willie Nelson and Honky Tonk Samurai by Joe R. Lansdale, among others.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07DHKJ59Z
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Mulholland Books (February 12, 2019)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ February 12, 2019
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 592 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 354 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 152 ratings

About the author

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David Swinson

David Swinson

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David Swinson is a retired police detective from the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, DC, having been assigned to Major Crimes. Swinson is the author of the critically acclaimed Frank Marr Trilogy - The Second Girl, Crime Song and Trigger, and the standalones, A Detailed Man, City on the Edge and Sweet Thing.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
152 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Michael D. Keleher
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic!
Reviewed in the United States on February 24, 2019
Verified Purchase
"Trigger" is the third book in the Frank Marr trilogy. I've read them all - The Second Girl, Crime Song, and now Trigger. When I tell you it may be the best modern crime, anti-hero series there is, I'm not exaggerating. The dialogue alone is superior to most any other novel you will read in its genre. The action and the story lines are top notch, with recent events as references throughout the series.
They say every protagonist is a version, in some form or another, of its author. This holds true here. David Swinson is a former DC cop, and for a time worked as a promoter in the punk scene. You can see both sides of Mr. Swinson in Frank Marr. The writing is so good, it makes me wonder if Frank's life is a direct reflection of Mr. Swinson in other ways.
Frank Marr is a flawed hero. As far as crime fiction goes, those are the most compelling characters. This series may be the best I've read in a long time in that regard. I waited over a year for this book, and Trigger didn't disappoint. Read this entire series, it's highly recommended. Easy 5 stars!!
4 people found this helpful
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BooksRme
4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable But....
Reviewed in the United States on April 29, 2019
Verified Purchase
His first two Frank Mar books were better. This was a good story but, just not as engaging as the first two. Mar is struggling to stay clean. He's not trying to fool anybody. He's not knocking down doors and taking names. He's a little more tame without the drugs.
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Gary L. Carter
5.0 out of 5 stars Police Noir At It’s Best
Reviewed in the United States on March 19, 2019
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David Swinson and anti-hero Frank Marr are fast climbing the pantheon ofthebest writers in this class Robert Crais, Michael Connelly, Don Winslow and James Lee Burke. Frank Marr some would say is not a good man and maybe a bad man. What seperates him is he lives by code it might be one that most people don’t but it works for him.

Mr. Swinson’s character are flesh and blood an believable. His plotting is impeccable. Do yourself a favor and read his books.
3 people found this helpful
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View from Above
5.0 out of 5 stars Another Wonderful Continuation of Frank Marr
Reviewed in the United States on May 29, 2019
Verified Purchase
The protagonist is a cynical Washington DC ex-detective who turned PI. As the author is also an ex-DC detective, he offers some wonderful insight as to how the department, and the crime scene, is working there. With his excellent cynical humor, David Swinson weaves a fascinating tale. The story really keeps moving, and surely kept me entertained. I am really looking forward to a fourth book. Bravo!
3 people found this helpful
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The Night Gardener
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful, simply wonderful
Reviewed in the United States on August 24, 2021
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Great story, great descriptive text and an altogether different hero. I can't get enough of these DS books, the new man in town.
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Shawn T. Perry
4.0 out of 5 stars DC Detective Novel Engaging
Reviewed in the United States on March 25, 2019
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I rarely read fiction, but I heard the author interviewed on NPR and was intrigued because it was set in DC. I enjoyed it. And I think it would be a fun read for many DC area residents.
One person found this helpful
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Donna C. Keller
5.0 out of 5 stars Quick and interesting read. Draws you right in.
Reviewed in the United States on March 18, 2019
Verified Purchase
His description and thoughts put you right there. Really makes a visual in your mind.There’s something intriguing about Frank Marr, even more so than the story line. I read all 3 books and enjoyed them. I know trilogy’s are the big thing now, but i’d Like to read more books with the Frank Marr character!
2 people found this helpful
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ggma
3.0 out of 5 stars okay
Reviewed in the United States on September 12, 2019
At this point there are only 2 1* reviews and I know everyone has a right to their opinion and I agree with that, but this book is about tough cops and this cop has an addiction but yet still functions as a cop but he's retired and now a PI, soooo, I'm sure if you get into big cities with lots of gang activity you're going to have a lot of bad language, a lot of drinking and a lot of drug use, so I would suggest that you just don't pick up a book like that,

sooooo, for my review on this book? I think it's okay, I didn't think the story was very good and didn't move along very good but the part where Calvin is introduced and Frank takes him under his wing is probably the beginning of a new character for this series and for me that seemed to be more of the main storyline instead of finding if the 'kid' had a gun or not

It might not be the best book I've ever read but it does deserve more than a 1 or 2* rating but yet to each their own and I understand that.
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