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A review by harry_reads4fun
The Power of the Dog by Don Winslow
2.0
I feel like I have to explain my low rating...
Maybe the rating reflects my own preferences more than the book's quality. Despite all the action - and there is a lot of shooting, double crossing and conspiracy uncovering - the plot felt as shallow as the characters justifying why they had to sacrifice their lives and families to chase violent revenge: of course they can't really explain it, they just sort of "have to".
On the positive side, the narrative doesn't hide from America's disastrous and self-righteous "war on drugs" - the destabilization of Latin America and shadowy state interests are exposed as the DEA narrator graduates from naive drug stopper to government pawn in a conspiratorial web.
Still, for me, that doesn't salvage what can't be saved. I cringed at some of the dialogue and descriptions like when a young drug dealer decides it's just too lucrative to give up the drug business for a career, he explains "...the last thing I want in this world is a J-O-B. Couldn't afford the pay cut." The plots spans 25+ years and the prose is written in present tense and short choppy sentences. It's easy to read, skim and skip down entire pages.
There are lot of atmospheric and interesting thrillers out there. This isn't one of them.
I finished and left in on a shelf at an Airbnb, hoping the book finds a more enthusiastic reader.
Maybe the rating reflects my own preferences more than the book's quality. Despite all the action - and there is a lot of shooting, double crossing and conspiracy uncovering - the plot felt as shallow as the characters justifying why they had to sacrifice their lives and families to chase violent revenge: of course they can't really explain it, they just sort of "have to".
On the positive side, the narrative doesn't hide from America's disastrous and self-righteous "war on drugs" - the destabilization of Latin America and shadowy state interests are exposed as the DEA narrator graduates from naive drug stopper to government pawn in a conspiratorial web.
Still, for me, that doesn't salvage what can't be saved. I cringed at some of the dialogue and descriptions like when a young drug dealer decides it's just too lucrative to give up the drug business for a career, he explains "...the last thing I want in this world is a J-O-B. Couldn't afford the pay cut." The plots spans 25+ years and the prose is written in present tense and short choppy sentences. It's easy to read, skim and skip down entire pages.
There are lot of atmospheric and interesting thrillers out there. This isn't one of them.
I finished and left in on a shelf at an Airbnb, hoping the book finds a more enthusiastic reader.