Howard Swindle (1945–2004)

Jeb Quinlin is a homicide detective who is hijacked by his estranged wife and is boss - take care of your alcoholism or you will be out of a marriage and out of a job. So he checks into a clinic. Murders start to happen. Jitter Joint is the kind of book that lets me know I am not a real book reviewer. I loved this book and I have no idea why. A real reviewer would know. All I know is that the characters are interesting and the dialogue is ok and the plot is ok but the book grabbed me and from the first page to the last, I felt like I had fallen into someplace fascinating. Also I don't know anyone who has read it who hasn't raved about it.… (más)

I found this a compelling read. Prohibition is often regarded as something of a joke, but this book makes me wish it had succeeded. An alcoholic detective is forced into treatment, or he loses his job, and more importantly, his pension. (I can relate to that.) There are many sub-plots going on here: the issue of tough love versus cruelty in dealing with flawed people, politics in the police force, a drug cartel, the main character's love life, the struggle between the pleasures of booze and sobriety. There were a few cliches here, but over all, it held my interest and I became very involved in the characters.… (más)