Jitter Joint

Jitter Joint is Swindle's first stab at fiction--although in reality he hasn't left the real world too far behind. His central character, Jeb Quinlin, is an alcoholic--as Swindle was some years back. The struggle for sobriety and starting afresh, is a subject that Swindle knows only too well, and he therefore creates a remarkably convincing protagonist. Quinlin, a homicide detective for the Dallas P.D., is forced into a rehabilitation clinic by his boss and his wife. Losing his "estranged wife from the far side of hell" is not a major concern, but losing his beloved job would be agonizing. So Quinlin checks himself in, and prepares to dry out. Yet, before he can even say "Jack Daniels," a grisly murder occurs at the clinic, quickly followed by another. What makes these murders sinister is that the murderer leaves behind a card on each body--a card adorned with a step from AA's Twelve Step program. Quinlin's law-enforcement profession (and more pressure from his boss) make him the perfect person to solve these hideous crimes--despite his fragile state of mind. So begins a frantic battle against time, as Quinlin attempts to unveil the murderer, wrestle with the bottle, and struggle with a new romance. Jitter Joint is a highly addictive read that leaves us yearning for more from Howard Swindle. --Naomi Gesinger