Jimmy McSwain's Early Files
by
A recent graduate of the NYPD’s cadet academy, Jimmy McSwain dreams of anything except being a cop. He’s got bad history with them, and it’s not a rap sheet. Years ago, his police officer father was gunned down during an off-duty incident, leaving Jimmy bitter that his killer was never found.
Now, grown-up, trained in the art of law, Jimmy decides to embark on a new career: that of private detective. But you just can’t get your own license, you need experience. What happens will lead Jimmy into a part of New York he doesn’t know, realizing he’s the stranger in a neighborhood that lives by its own rules.
Skeptical about his job is his mother, Maggie McSwain, but there’s nothing she can do to stop her headstrong son from entering this shadowy new world. As a warm May settles over the city, a twist of fate has Jimmy taking on his first case, one that is a time bomb ready to explode.
What he can’t leave behind is the memory of his father, and the silver shield which he earned only out of respect. Can he live with his decision?
- 1 Read list
Publisher: JMS Books, LLC
Genres:
Pairings: M-M
Heat Level: 5
Romantic Content: 3
Ending: Click here to reveal
Character Identities: Gay
Protagonist 1 Age: 18-25
Protagonist 2 Age: 18-25
Word Count: 25,000
Setting: Hell's Kitchen, New York City
Languages Available: English
Series Type: Continuous / Same Characters
AUTHOR’S NOTE
I’m a big fan of the TV-show “The Big Bang Theory.” It was natural that I would watch its prequel/spin-off, “Young Sheldon.” Between the writing of FALSE JUSTICE and plotting the next full-length Jimmy McSwain File, I wondered about this journey I’d set my character off on, and when it had started.
Jimmy was already a licensed private investigator at the start of the series. He’s got his own business, working out of an office/apartment above his uncle’s pub. Of course, Jimmy just didn’t decide to become a private investigator, and he certainly couldn’t, legally, just get his license without any experience. The question I asked was: how did this happen?
It was great fun to imagine and write about Jimmy when’s he’s slightly younger than when readers first met him. He’s less confident, but no less driven or, I hope, witty. Readers will also see other familiar characters, including Ralphie, who was a pleasure to revisit.
There’s more Jimmy McSwain in the works. A new novel, plus a novella with an interesting twist, its plot teased here, in SILVER SHIELD. Maybe they’ll even be more of what I jokingly refer to as “Young Jimmy.” Check out HEART BEAT, the second in this new series.
--Adam Carpenter, Summer 2024
