When Henry Swann is asked by his quirky partner, Goldblatt, to find a missing psychic who’s swindled his ex-wife out of a small fortune, he just can’t say no. Although he doesn’t actually expect to get paid, he figures it might give him a chance to finally learn more about his partner’s mysterious past. His search takes him into the controversial, arcane world of psychics, fortunetellers, and … charlatans, while raising questions in his own mind about whether or not there is an after-life.
While working his partner’s case, he’s approached by a former employer, attorney Paul Rudder, to track down a missing witness who might be able to provide an alibi for his client, Nicky Diamond, a notorious mob hitman who’s scheduled to go on trial in a week for murder he claims he didn’t commit. Swann’s search for the missing witness, who happens to be the defendant’s girlfriend, takes him from Brooklyn to a small beach town across the bay from Mobile, Alabama. But what does she really know and will she even come back with him to testify for her boyfriend?
Praise for SWANN’S DOWN:
“From Manhattan to Coney Island to the steamy shores of Alabama, Charles Salzberg delivers a top-flight mystery with his latest Henry Swann outing. Highly recommended.” —Tom Straw, New York Times bestselling author as Richard Castle
“Psychics, double-crosses, missing persons—Charles Salzberg’s latest Henry Swann book has it all. Swann’s Down is a gritty, no-frills PI novel that brings to mind greats like Reed Farrel Coleman’s Moe Prager and Michael Harvey’s Michael Kelly. Whether this is your first Swann adventure or the latest, you won’t want to miss the brass-knuckle punch that is Swann’s Down. Trust me.” —Alex Segura, author of Blackout and Dangerous Ends
“Swann’s Down gives readers two intriguing mysteries for the price of one, as skip tracer Henry Swann pursues a woman who might alibi a murderer and a psychic who swindled the ex-wife of Swann’s partner. Swann’s wry wit, quotes from authors and philosophers, genius for questioning suspects, and dark past make him a character readers will follow anywhere as he seeks his quarry. This is another thrilling addition to this excellent series.” —Rich Zahradnik, Shamus Award-winning author of Lights Out Summer
“Henry Swann dives in where others fear to tread in Swann’s Down. Fast. Funny. And smart. This time out, Swann crosses paths with a psycho hitman, a phony psychic and Swann’s mysterious partner, a disbarred lawyer. Who could ask for more? I hope we’ll see a lot more of Swann in the future and that this isn’t Swann’s swan song.” —Paul D. Marks, Shamus Award-winning author of White Heat and Broken Windows
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Charles Salzberg has crafted a really fun, fast-paced read with two mysteries to solve. I love the writing style that kept me engaged and the characters were intriguing enough to keep me flipping through the pages.
Swann’s Down is the fifth book in the series, but I had no issues reading it as a standalone. Henry Swann is a compelling lead, with fantastic growth and an interesting story.
I really enjoyed that this novel had two mysteries yet neither took away from the other. It didn’t feel like information was crammed into the story, and the twists and turns kept me guessing until the end.
I highly recommend checking out Swann’s Down. I think it’s a good read for anyone who loves mysteries and I think I’d like to go back and read the rest of the series!
*I received a copy of this book as part of a blog tour with Partners in Crime Book Tours. All opinions are my own.*
In Charles Salzberg’s SWANN’S DOWN, Henry Swann takes on two cases. The first case presented is one featuring a questionable fortune teller who has taken Swann’s partners former wife for most of her inherited fortune. While Swann has just begun to start tracing the medium, he is approached by an attorney he’s worked for in the past who wants him to track a young woman he needs to provide an alibi for his client.
Throughout the book, Swann moves between the two cases, sometimes with the questionable aid of his partner, Goldblatt. This is the fifth book in the Henry Swann series, and the explanation of who Goldblatt is and why he is now attached to Swann as an unwelcome partner may be explained in earlier books. No matter, it has nothing to do with these two cases or Swann’s activities as he works to track down the two principal’s for each case. That said, Goldblatt offers some interesting syncopation to Swann’s activities and reporting of his efforts such as when he accompanies Swann to the attorney’s office or when he shows up at a restaurant where Swann has set up a meeting.
There is just enough action to keep the book moving at a good pace along with just enough action to underscore the reality that Swann’s chosen profession is not without danger. Swann himself is not a stranger to difficulty, nor to a lack of funds which is a major part of what drives him. Still, he comes across as a man with a reasonably good moral compass whose approach to his cases and his dealing with people while doing his job is colored by his basic sense of what might best be described as a belief in “doing the right thing.”
Swann’s activities in this book take him to two vastly different coastal communities. On the one hand, he travels to Fairhope, Alabama, across the bay from Mobile in search of a witness. For the other case, he travels out to Coney Island on the hope that a promised meeting with an unknown man will yield some needed information without causing him bodily harm.
Throughout the book, Swann reminds himself of his job, it’s scope and its limitations. It’s possible for him to abdicate long-term responsibility for end term results by the often employed idea that “it’s not my job”. Somehow, as a reader, this seems to be an acceptable answer when employed by Swann.
In summary, I’m delighted to have decided to step out from my typical read to try something new. This book has several things going for it:
1. The story is engaging with just enough mixture of suspense and lightheartedness to keep you entertained and wanting to read further.
2. Interesting characters who help round out the story and make you want to read other books in the series to find out more about them and how they relate to Henry Swann.
3. A protagonist who is entertaining and who has a number of positive characteristics, but who also has his dark side.
One caution for those who prefer their books free of profanity. Many of these characters, including Henry Swann and Goldblatt, are rough around the edges people with lots of street smarts as well as street language.
My thanks to NetGalley and Down and Out Books for an Advanced Read copy of this book. It stands alone as it is completely self-contained. I’m delighted to have found a new author and a new protagonist to add to my list of future reads.
It’s odd what people will pay good money for.
However, it’s a win for Henry Swann because he’s paid to find people and most of the time, it’s people who don’t want to be found. Do not call him a private investigator. That’s not what he does. He finds people then his job is done. Swann has no desire to see a case through to its conclusion. There’s no money in that.
His “partner”, Goldblatt, “hires” him to find the grifter who swindled his ex-wife for almost one hundred thousand dollars posing as a psychic.
An attorney hires him to find the young woman who’s skipped town, but can supposedly clear his client of murder charges. His client… the hitman.
Swann doesn’t have high hopes for either case, but dives in because his bank account is looking anemic… and he’ll do anything for money. Anything. Almost.
I found Swann’s Down to be more about the man himself than the mysteries.
He paints himself as a pragmatist, has a memory bank of literary quotes concerning life, and his belief system appears to be nonexistent. But, those things make him good at his job… and allow him to survive.
Coming into the series at book five, there are missed connections for me. The death of Swann’s wife, losing his son, how he became a skip tracer, and of course, Goldblatt. Whom I found annoying at best, but there has to be more backstory for Swann to even entertain Goldblatt’s foolishness.
From cons and scams to mafia gangsters and hitmen. Henry Swann’s cases smolder and he likes it that way. But they could explode at any moment.
And he’s okay with that too.
Though the language may be too graphic for cozy-readers, mystery fans will love putting the pieces of this puzzle together, and crime fiction fans will enjoy the seedier side of justice and elements of danger. Good read!
Enjoy!