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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
City on Fire takes the principle of Chekhov's gun and beats it into submission.
Winslow's prose is a luminous string of firecrackers. His plot points explode furiously, and even while braced and expectant of the next bang, we jump.
Readers come to Winslow for plot-forward, fast-moving thrillers, and he delivers some of the best in the genre. While not as jaw-droppingly incredible as The Power of the Dog this is a solid first entry in a trilogy that is only supposed to grow in achievement.
Recommended to fans of Dennis Lehane's fantastic Coughlin police trilogy, the recently published Michael Mann/Meg Gardiner Heat 2 novel, or a little-known masterpiece called The Sopranos.
Winslow's prose is a luminous string of firecrackers. His plot points explode furiously, and even while braced and expectant of the next bang, we jump.
Readers come to Winslow for plot-forward, fast-moving thrillers, and he delivers some of the best in the genre. While not as jaw-droppingly incredible as The Power of the Dog this is a solid first entry in a trilogy that is only supposed to grow in achievement.
Recommended to fans of Dennis Lehane's fantastic Coughlin police trilogy, the recently published Michael Mann/Meg Gardiner Heat 2 novel, or a little-known masterpiece called The Sopranos.
Don Winslow absolutely knocked it out of the park with this one! Hold on to y'all's hats, this series is gold!
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Lately I am handing out 5-star reviews like they are M & Ms. I know it stretches credulity to believe that I am figuratively rolling around in excellence so much of the time, but what can I say, I have been getting lucky on the regular (alas strictly with respect to literary satiation.)
I love Don Winslow, even when he is bad he is good, but there is no bad here. As has been mentioned by many before me this is a modern riff on the Trojan Wars set amongst the crime families of Providence. The Italians and Irish are all enjoying the kumbaya born of long established boundaries. It is a love fest until a beautiful woman rises from the water and sets off the war. When I first started reading this I thought Winslow had fallen prey to the boring old male gaze, but I forgave him because noir sort of requires that. But then Don surprised me. It is clear from the first moment that this is all about the guys who are felled in part by their dehumanization of women as being there for their needs. They are in fact felled by their male gaze not by the femme fatale. Way to go Mr. Winslow!
This book is brutal and funny and sad and angry and very human. Danny is a first rate antihero and all the others around him are complicated and fascinating. It is about a mob war so it is not a spoiler to say not everyone gets out alive and its also not a spoiler to say that there are people left with things to avenge. I am already looking forward to the next in this series.
I listened to this one, and the audio read by Ari Flakios is excellent.
I love Don Winslow, even when he is bad he is good, but there is no bad here. As has been mentioned by many before me this is a modern riff on the Trojan Wars set amongst the crime families of Providence. The Italians and Irish are all enjoying the kumbaya born of long established boundaries. It is a love fest until a beautiful woman rises from the water and sets off the war. When I first started reading this I thought Winslow had fallen prey to the boring old male gaze, but I forgave him because noir sort of requires that. But then Don surprised me. It is clear from the first moment that this is all about the guys who are felled in part by their dehumanization of women as being there for their needs. They are in fact felled by their male gaze not by the femme fatale. Way to go Mr. Winslow!
This book is brutal and funny and sad and angry and very human. Danny is a first rate antihero and all the others around him are complicated and fascinating. It is about a mob war so it is not a spoiler to say not everyone gets out alive and its also not a spoiler to say that there are people left with things to avenge. I am already looking forward to the next in this series.
I listened to this one, and the audio read by Ari Flakios is excellent.
dark
medium-paced
adventurous
funny
fast-paced