The most enthralling competitions involve equally talented opponents who have something to prove, ideally a something that runs deeper than the game at hand. In his gripping novel Second Story Man, Charles Salzberg immerses us in this very sort of rivalry, delivering far more than just thrills.
At the start of the novel, Miami police detective Manny Perez lures Charlie Floyd, a former investigator for the Connecticut attorney general, out of retirement to help take down a master home burglar, Francis Hoyt. Although Charlie had specialized in investigating homicides and white-collar crimes and is more interested in these “high-stakes” cases than in theft and other “low-class” crimes, Manny asserts that Hoyt is no ordinary thief: “Francis Hoyt is a genius. A talented, artistic, criminal genius. There has never been anyone like Francis Hoyt before and we should pray to God there never will be one like him in the future.”
The heart of Hoyt’s genius is his ability to relieve wealthy homeowners of valuable possessions—in his earlier days, jewelry—without getting caught and without leaving a trace of forensic evidence. An especially bold aspect of Hoyt’s jewelry-stealing days was that he made his moves while residents were awake and on the premises, a situation in which their alarm systems were unlikely to be activated. He would enter the second floor during dinnertime, when residents were typically downstairs eating, watching TV, or socializing.
But when a not-entirely-voluntary effort to “train” two mobsters in his burglary tactics takes a deadly turn, Hoyt winds up in prison for two years. After his release, he shifts his M.O. Although he still burglarizes wealthy homes, he decides to break in only at night to limit the possibility of any contact with victims. And because the residents are sleeping at this time, he switches from second-floor treasures to first-floor ones: high-end silver.
A major advantage of Manny and Charlie’s Miami-Connecticut collaboration is that Hoyt regularly pulls jobs in both regions, where the investigators have valuable connections. Understanding that Hoyt follows the route of wealthy “snowbirds,” who in spring migrate north to wealthy enclaves of New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, and Massachusetts, and in fall head south to Florida, Manny and Charlie try to anticipate his next moves. Given that during the time of the novel, summer is just around the corner, the investigators focus largely on leads in Charlie’s neck of the woods.
A key driver of the story—and one reason it is so compelling—is that Charlie, Manny, and Hoyt all have something to prove. Both Charlie and Manny feel the need to redeem themselves for what they see as failures in their careers, and in themselves. Before his retirement, Charlie lost the trail of a suspect he’d desperately wanted to bring to justice: a man who’d murdered his entire family. (The hunt for this killer took Charlie to Florida, where he got his first opportunity to work with Manny.) Manny is on suspension from the Miami Police Department because of actions he took during an earlier attempt to bring Hoyt down. Specifically, authorities discovered that after following Hoyt into a city outside of his jurisdiction, Manny searched Hoyt’s motel room without a warrant. (Thanks to Hoyt’s meticulousness, the room was spotless and free of evidence, as if “inhabited by a ghost.”)
The factors that drive Hoyt are, to me, one of the most fascinating aspects of the novel. He is on a constant campaign to prove to himself and to anyone who wants to end his burglary career (especially Charlie and Manny) that he can’t be stopped from stealing anything he puts his mind to—and he’s always looking for greater challenges. Being able to master these challenges, and continuing to show that he’s the very best at what he does, constitute his greatest source of self-esteem and pride.
Also, Hoyt relishes the impact of his crimes on his victims. In a particularly chilling passage of the novel, he observes:
This is just one example of the many ways in which Salzberg immerses in the thought processes of both the criminal and his pursuers. As we learn the details of how both parties carefully analyze each other’s drives, M.O.s, potential weaknesses, and possible next moves, it feels like we’re taking a deep dive into the ever-scheming minds of two very sharp and well-matched chess opponents. As a result, although the novel delivers all the pleasures of a thrilling competition, with plenty of twists and turns, its satisfactions feel far more than superficial.
I don’t want to reveal the twists and turns, much less where they lead to in the end. But I will say that the way the story closes suggests the possibility of a sequel. If there will be one, I very much look forward to reading it.
Would My Pick be Your Pick?
If you're interested in ________, the answer may be "Yes":▪ Crime novels or thrillers with well-developed characters and compelling plots
▪ Insights into the minds of criminals and those who pursue them
