In Security

In Schwarzschild’s engaging second novel (after Responsible Men), Gary Waldman, a recent widower and father of six-year-old Ben, is barely holding it together. Gary feels responsible for the death of his wife, Laurie, in a bike accident, and as self-punishment he gives up his passion of coaching tennis and remains working for the TSA at the Albany International Airport, which Gary describes as more like the “fluffy sitcom Wings” than the “flashy, high-body-count dramas of 24.” One day, Gary picks up Ben, the only part of his life that keeps him going, at school and tells him about an unusually eventful shift: Alex Strand, a rich local developer, suffered a heart attack, and Gary intervened to save his life. Gary is largely seen as a hero, but is later criticized by his boss for breaking protocol during a briefing on a possible ISIS threat. Then Gary’s brother-in-law, an FBI agent who previously derided Gary and the TSA as “Thousands Standing Around,” shows up and tells the TSA team to be on the lookout for terrorists. As the weeks pass, Gary begins cautiously dating Strand’s stepdaughter, who Ben’s babysitter has doubts about. The plots converge late in the game with a tense if rushed climax, but what lingers is Schwarzschild’s touching chronicle of the ways Gary and Ben help each other overcome their grief. Schwarzschild’s dynamic workplace drama serves an ace. Agent: Rob Arnold, Aevitas Creative Management. (Oct.)