By THIRSTY
David Swinson served with
the Metropolitan Police Department (Washington, D.C.) for sixteen years before
retiring as a highly decorated detective. With tours of duty in uniform, tactical,
plainclothes/undercover, investigations, as a detective and with the Special Investigations
Bureau/Major Crimes, he brings not only deep law enforcement experience, but also
a real sense of authenticity to his crime novels. His newest book, Trigger, is the final installment in the
Frank Marr trilogy and has been called a “pulse-pounding, stripped-down
excursion into the badlands of the nation's capital.”
Stay
Thirsty Magazine was thrilled to visit with David Swinson
at his home in Northern Virginia for this Conversation.
STAY
THIRSTY: Your latest book, Trigger,
is the third installment in your Frank Marr trilogy. Who really is Frank Marr
and how has he evolved in these three books?
DAVID
SWINSON: Frank Marr is someone, I hope, who is the exact man I
wrote him to be. I was drawn to his character because I wanted to step away
from police procedural and have someone who would break the rules. I also
wanted a flawed, broken man, but not someone who complained about everything.
He is a man who is content with the way he is, even enjoys the lifestyle. You
can only take a character like his so far before he self-destructs so that is
why it’s a trilogy. Even though Frank doesn’t use cocaine in Trigger, he’s still messed up and the
only thing he occasionally complains about is missing cocaine. By the third
book he did develop more of a sense of humor, but much of that has to do with
his new working partnership.
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| David Swinson |
STAY
THIRSTY: As a former police detective, how do you view the
circumstances when a police officer shoots someone?
DAVID
SWINSON: Even though I have been to several officer-related
shootings over the course of my career, I have never investigated one. That was
up to Internal Affairs. Unfortunately,
it happens, most of the time (based on my experience) that they were justified.
Of course, I am relieved when an officer is put in a life-threatening situation
and survives. I don’t know any law enforcement officers who go on their tour
and want to get in a terrible situation like that. Taking a life, even when
it’s justified is a terrible thing, and it’s something they have to live with.
STAY
THIRSTY: Why do drugs play such an important role in the underground
economy? How has the drug culture contributed to the stigmatization of
underprivileged neighborhoods and to crime?
DAVID
SWINSON: It’s easy money for crews, organized gangs, and
suburban high school kids. It’s not just restricted to poor urban neighborhoods
anymore. It’s everywhere.
STAY
THIRSTY: How did you view the forces of good vs. evil when
writing about Frank Marr and the other characters in Trigger?
DAVID
SWINSON: I didn’t think about good or evil, just characters who
make decisions. Sometimes they make mistakes, but other times they just make
stupid decisions. It was an awful mistake with respect to what Al Luna did. It
was neither good or evil.
STAY
THIRSTY: How prevalent are alcohol and drug addiction in the
police forces around the country? How are vice cops able to resist the
temptations and stay clean?
DAVID
SWINSON: I know that it exists. I’ve seen it on the news, not
only with local jurisdictions, but with federal agencies. I’ve never seen it on
the job at my department, but I’m not saying it doesn’t exist. I never associated
with officers or detectives who did that kind of stuff. Quite honestly, the
majority of us would turn another officer in if we found they were using
illegal narcotics on the job or getting drunk on the job. That could, and probably
would jeopardize a life, not just their own.
STAY
THIRSTY: What role does race play in Trigger? Is race destiny in the eyes of your characters?
DAVID
SWINSON: Race doesn’t play a part in my books. I’m playing on
the readers assumptions as they read the characters. Marr could be African
American or Caucasian, but certain characters, based on description (not
dialogue) are identified by race.
STAY
THIRSTY: Which prevails in your book – justice or loyalty and
why?
DAVID
SWINSON: Both, justice and loyalty. Frank did his best, but
despite his moral ambiguity, he won’t cross certain lines even for his friend.
Al Luna could face indictment for manslaughter, or the prosecutors and the
department might find the shooting justified. Those answers in real life will
often take months and so that is why I chose not to go there. It would have
taken an epilogue, and made the book something else.
STAY
THIRSTY: Will Frank Marr be back?
DAVID
SWINSON: Yes, but not as a Frank Marr book. He’ll be a
character, though.
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