Stage Fright (The Jimmy McSwain Files #3)

In the third Jimmy McSwain mystery, our intrepid and conflicted hero has to juggle, as usual, two cases on top of various family and love-life complications. Adam Carpenter never takes it easy on his main character, and so Jimmy again has a number of emotional mazes to navigate, at least one of which brings him up against a potential dead-end that might mean retracing his steps in future books to see where the trail went wrong. Also like its predecessors, this novel moves along at break-neck speed, even the theoretically “quiet” moments (which usually involve Jimmy either sleeping or having sex) move at least one of the plots along.

The characters are as well delineated as ever. The returning supporting cast (Jimmy’s mother, his sisters, his uncle, his father’s old partner) all get at least one scene to shine. The new characters (Seetha Assan, Wellington Calloway, Calloway’s niece and nephew, and the cast and crew of Triskaidekaphobia) fit the roles they are given (secret keepers and red herrings and of course a real murderer in the mix). Captain Frisano is as frustrating as ever: the heat between him and Jimmy is real, and thus so is the frustration that his career, and his father’s approval, is more important than any relationship he could find himself in.

Jimmy McSwain, as a lead character, is a hot mess. In his thirties, he is still not over the tragic murder of his father when Jimmy was 14. This affects everything he does, and cannot help being a factor in every case he investigates. He probably should be in therapy (and those therapy sessions would probably make good sub-plot drama), but as Carpenter is essentially writing Modern Noir, Jimmy goes it alone. His insecurities and paranoias run rough-shod, moreso in this volume than in the preceding two. Jimmy’s cracks are starting to show, and I think the author is letting them on purpose. Especially in light of the fact that this time, the book’s two mysteries (one involving more clues to Jimmy’s father’s murder, the other the “case of the week”), don’t really connect at all.

Carpenter really drives home the point that each case distracts Jimmy significantly from the other to the point that he doesn’t do anywhere near his best work on either case. In fact, there’s at least once where he misses key evidence that a detective of his skill should have noticed, and at least twice where he fails to ask a question that folks like Columbo would have brought up much earlier than Jimmy manages to. When I first finished the book, what lingered (and almost caused me to give fewer stars) was an annoyance that, in the final analysis, Jimmy didn’t actually solve either case: the answers kind of fall in front of him, or are the work of others. Then I realized that the author has probably done this on purpose, to show how Jimmy is slowly unraveling as his father’s murder remains unsolved despite so much new information coming Jimmy’s way, so many of those leads not panning out. I hope that Carpenter will follow this thread out to a satisfying conclusion over the course of the series, and make Captain Frisano a meaningful part of Jimmy’s recovery from whatever rock-bottom he hits.

Because both mysteries do get solved, because the characterization for Jimmy and Frisano is multi-dimensional, and because this book more than the first two in the series really feels like a tribute to classic noir, and because the author clearly knows his way around a theater (the primary setting for the central mystery), I’m giving this one five stars.

This is the 3rd of the series and, being a great fan of mystery series and character development, Mr. Carpenter does it again. This is a very good book! I very much enjoyed #1 and #2, but this takes everything a step farther with hope building to resolution followed by collapse – HA – how is that for not giving away the plot!?

As usual, Jimmy has 2 cases going with a balancing act that is very fun to watch and anticipate the next turn. Add Frank to the mix and it gets explosive! I was wrong, it would appear, with both cases and yet the twist in one still feels like a manipulation by the NYPD and the second of interesting dimensions. And all setting the stage for volume 4. I for one cannot wait!

I would highly recommend all three books – start at the beginning and have a great weekend. They are fast, deep, in some cases despairing, and totally entertaining. I just hope that Jimmy can some day find a resolution to his continually open case and the PTSD that keeps him alone

Jimmy McSwain is back, still haunted by the mystery of his father’s killing. This has to take a back seat when the head of the Calloway Theater, and his mother’s boss, needs to find out who is sending death threats to the author of the theater’s newest play. If that’s not enough on his plate, Jimmy is presented by his sometime lover , with the sister of the man who might have killed his father.

Once again Adam Carpenter has woven a sexy, tight mystery. It’s filled with complex characters, and an abundance of twists and turns that kept this reader glued to the story. His imagery of New York made me feel like I was a native and not just a visitor. I thank the books gods that I found this series.

I am really liking this series. I like the author’s voice. Jimmy is smart, no nonsense, and good at doing things on his own. He’s solitary but not emotionally detached. He’s a unique and memorable character in the m/m genre. The mystery was entertaining, if a bit dramatic at the end when the killer is revealed, but more interesting was the bits and pieces added to Jimmy’s Forever Haunt – his investigation of his dad’s death. And the scenes with Frank were great…those two have a lot of chemistry.

The third McSwain novel is nothing to sneeze at. It is remarkably the best one so far. The theatre setting is amazing; I feel like an usher just reading about it. The other settings, in the outer boroughs and upstate, were nice as well. There were so many twists and surprises in this one, that it makes me wonder what the other stories will be like. I was reading it on the subway and I almost missed my stop for the book is that good. Can’t wait for the next one!

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