Canary

Seraphina Holland, ie: Sarie Canary, an affectionate name created by her parents, is an honor role student, teenager, who’s recently lost her mother to cancer. Her dad is an substance abuse counselor and Sarie is a no nonsense kid that won’t drink alcohol or even consider drugs. But then she meets a guy. He’s “the” guy you know? But D, the guy, is a drug dealer and gets her involved with the wrong people which leads to her getting arrested for helping her boyfriend evade the law. So unless she cooperates by becoming a criminal informant she’s going to jail. So begins this crazy, wild, ride of escapades extraordinaire. Her cop handler, Wildey, and the lowlifes she encounters have no idea that Sarie is not your average teenage girl, but harbors a level of intelligence that turns the tables of cops and mobsters. Duane Swierczynski is in rare form here and in his element. Nobody writes edge of your seat action thrillers like Duane. This is highly entertaining escapist fiction that is not to be missed!

I liked this fairly well. It is fast-moving and has twists. The characters are generally well-drawn and interesting. The female protagonist originally accidentally gets into a position where she knows something about a drug dealer. She refuses to inform on the drug dealer - I didn't buy her reasoning. It was more like a technicality, especially considering how the drug dealer knowingly got her into the circumstances. So, the whole way through the book, I kept thinking, you don't even have to be in this situation at all. This goes double for the ending, in which the protagonist is in even more legal jeopardy. Hated what this meant for her family. It is hard for me to believe that the authorities wouldn't be able to piece the right story together, given we're talking about a nice, straight-A, middle class college freshman. And, I suppose that's the nut of the problem: never quite made it really believable that this model student from a nice home wandered into this much trouble.

Coming off of the spectacular Charlie Hardie trilogy, Duane Swierczynski gives us Canary, a current standalone that is positioned to initiate a new series. Serafina “Sarie” Holland is a Philadelphia college student. Make that an honors student. One night she drives into a dodgy section of Philly with an acquaintance named D. (Drew, we learn later.) D is not in town to buy a book or a cheesesteak; he’s a small-time dealer who leaves some product in Sarie’s car. When Sarie is braced by a black narcotics cop named Ben Wildey (pronounced Will-dee, though his Lieutenant calls him Wild Child), she is told that she has two options. She can do time or she can become a CI for Wildey’s boss’s mini-task force. Wildey will serve as her handler. She chooses the latter and quickly finds herself in the midst of the Philly underworld. What she doesn’t yet know is that we have some L.A. Confidential action going on here; a member of the Philly PD aspires to take over the local drug trade and is working with some wiseguys to accomplish that feat. Increasingly, Sarie must fall back on her own devices, extricate herself from her lethal situation and also bring the bad guys to justice. How will she be able to do that when she doesn’t know who she can trust?The setup is terrific and DS weaves the plot with a master’s hand, releasing tidbits very slowly and unexpectedly. The story is told from multiple points of view. Sarie compiles a diary (written in college examination blue books); her intended reader is her dead mother, though we look over her shoulder as the story develops. This constitutes the bulk of the narrative, but we also hear from Ben Wildey as he attempts to track Sarie, control her, protect her and utilize her skills. Sarie’s addictions counselor father is worried about her, as is her younger brother Marty (a 12 year-old with, as expected, a penchant for video games and electronic devices). When Marty discovers the burner phone that Ben has given Sarie he worries about his sister’s secret activities, concealing those concerns as best he can from their father.The architectonics of the plot are extremely complex though very easy to follow and the drip-drip of information contributes to the urgency and momentum of Sarie’s story. One example of the information that we learn later in the game (Spoiler): Sarie’s dead mom was once involved with a Mexican cartel.The story begins slowly; it is not dull or ponderous, but it builds slowly. By the last 80-100 pp. we reach a jackhammer crescendo that is both unrelenting and very satisfying. The book begins like a harsh coming of age story, but Sarie is more than a teenage honors student with a great fake i.d. She is one of those spunky heroines from the past, all modernized and updated. She learns that she can not only navigate the dark side but also feel comfortable there. Thanks to DS we have a new undercover specialist who can both command our attention and our respect.Bottom line: a superb new novel from a young master.

Duane Swierczynski , the author, created two strong characters in this book. The first is the honors girl, Sarie Holland and the second is the cop, Wildey. Sarie is in college in Philadelphia. It helps if you know the geography of Philadelphia. The story is told through both their eyes, Sarie does the telling and writes in her diary or texts sometimes and you see her writing and texts. Sarie is telling the story in the first person. Wildey is told in the third person. Then there is the narrator who tells in the third person about the other characters like the boyfriend and the father and the mother, who died . The story makes it like everyone is on drugs in Philadelphia and many people are on the take. Sarie innocently falls into the whole mess. Wildey is supposed to arrest drug dealers and uses Sarie for his own purposes, at least in the beginning. However, he misjudges the honors girl. Sarie is like a cellophane girl where all the many dangers fall off her like water rolls off cellophane. While people are falling and dieing all round her, she manages to survive. Meanwhile, Wildey and his superior are trying to use her and double-cross her at every turn. The honors girl survives by her own wits. In secret, Wildey himself while still using her starts to root for her to make it through all the obstacles he places in her path. From what I can see this is Swierczynski's best book. It is a quantum jump in character development from his other books. You too will relate to the honors girl and root for her to make it.

Canary by Duane SwierczynskiA teenage girl is arrested by the police and becomes an informant. Fast moving, smart, funny and touching, Canary is a joy.

Bought as a present.

Sempre piacevole lo stile di questo autore East Coast, capace di creare trame avvincenti con pochi e semplici elementi. Rispetto ai suoi precedenti romanzi, peró, questo presenta situazioni poco verosimili che guastano un po' il piacere della lettura.

I’ve never heard of Swierczynski’s books but hearing about them on FB I decided that I needed to read them. This is the first one and it’s what I call a “get to work late” book, can’t put it down and spend all day thinking about the characters..what are they doing now? Exited to have found another 5 star Author ❤️

Tolle Story, rasant, unvorhersehbar und wie immer herrlich unrealistisch!Dieses Buch ist, wie alle anderen Bücher von DS, sehr empfehlenswert.