Quickly read second novel (4)
I believe the answer is:
skim
'quickly read' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'second novel' is the wordplay.
'second' becomes 's' (common abbreviation).
'novel' becomes 'kim' (Rudyard Kipling novel).
's'+'kim'='SKIM'
(Other definitions for skim that I've seen before include "Read cursorily" , "Brush over" , "Move lightly over a surface" , "avoid paying income tax" , "head" .)