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3.5 

Canary

By Duane Swierczynski
Canary by Duane Swierczynski digital book - Fable

Publisher Description

It's dangerous enough when an ordinary college girl turns confidential informant. Even more dangerous when she's smarter than the killer, kingpins, and cops who think they control her.

Honors student Sarie Holland is busted by the local police while doing a favor for her boyfriend. Unwilling to betray him but desperate to avoid destroying her future, Sarie has no choice but to become a "CI" -- a confidential informant.

Philly narcotics cop Ben Wildey is hungry for a career-making bust. The detective thinks he's found the key in Sarie: her boyfriend scores from a mid-level dealer with alleged ties to the major drug gangs.

Sarie turns out to be the perfect CI: a quick study with a shockingly keen understanding of the criminal mind. But Wildey, desperate for results, pushes too hard and inadvertently sends the nineteen-year-old into a death trap, leaving Sarie hunted by crooked cops and killers alike with nothing to save her -- except what she's learned during her harrowing weeks as an informant.

Which is bad news for the police and the underworld. Because when it comes to payback, CI #1373 turns out to be a very quick study...

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19 Reviews

3.5
“2.5 - Had the bones of what could have been a good crime novel, but that was quickly buried beneath a pile of thinly drawn characters, dumb decisions, random POV changes, and awkward writing style (the author seems to struggle with present-tense narration, so much that I wonder why he didn't just write the book in standard past tense). The biggest disappointment, ironically, was Sarie herself - I wanted so much to like her, since she was hyped up in the blurb as some kind of prodigy with a "shockingly keen understanding of the criminal mind." Yeah, about that... What sensible person puts her and her family's lives on the line to protect a near-stranger? A near-stranger with the intelligence and emotional maturity of a piece of cardboard, to boot? You want to start with a "criminal mind," start with the dumbass who let you get picked up by the cops in the first place, then sold you out to his drug boss without a second thought! Oh no, but he's cute.... *eye roll* Basically this whole book was Sarie ricocheting from one scrape to another, stumbling upon drug kingpins by chance, narrowly avoiding death deus ex machina style, saved by not just one, but two bleeding-heart contract killers in the surprisingly chivalrous drug underworld. Somehow, while tripping over her patchwork quilt of bad decisions, she still manages to leave seasoned cop Ben Wildey in the dust... (Did I mention Sarie was supposed to be a genius? I think her twelve-year-old brother had more sense and sleuthing skills than she did.) Sadly, I spent a non-zero amount of money on this book, and there was just barely enough plot to keep me turning the pages, so I made myself finish it. Not really seeing how this scored an Edgar nomination though. If you're looking for an Edgar-worthy, gritty, dark story with a similarly-named teenage protagonist, surviving on her strength and wit alone, read Sadie by Courtney Summers instead. It'll break your heart, but at least it won't kill your brain cells.”
“3.5⭐️”

About Duane Swierczynski

Duane Swierczynski is the Edgar-nominated author of nine novels including Canary, Severance Package, and the Shamus Award-winning Charlie Hardie series (Fun and Games, Hell and Gone, Point and Shoot). He's written over 250 comics for Marvel, DC, Dark Horse, Valiant and IDW, including The Black Hood, the first comic for Archie's Dark Circle imprint. Swierczynski has also collaborated with CSI creator Anthony E. Zuiker on the bestselling Level 26 series. He lives in Burbank with his wife and children.

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