City of Dreams: Don Winslow

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He also finds himself emotionally tangled up with a troubled starlet, a passion landing him smack dab on the cover of every tabloid in the country. He and his loyal crew make for the sunny shores of California--with Danny's elderly father, Marty, and young son, Ian, in tow. It’s a deal that is difficult to pass up, particularly when the fed contact suggests that the lives of all of his Irish friends and family would be in serious jeopardy should he refuse. Not to be outdone though, back in Providence, the Morretis, winners of the war back there, fall apart in a series of tragedies, essentially taking out each other in an intra-family feud of epic proportions. Winslow tries to make it a stand alone by providing background information but I think one is missing the boat if you attempt it in this manner.

Desperate for money to fund a new start, he makes a deal with the Drug Enforcement Agency to undertake a covert operation against a Mexican drug dealer. In the end, there is nowhere for any of these guys to turn because the old life is gone and the walls are all closing in on them. Further, his father the old leader of the Murphy gang, suffers from dementia and is institutionalized.

And when Hollywood starts shooting a film of his former life, Danny demands a piece of the action and begins to rebuild his criminal empire.

City of Dreams picks up exactly where City on Fire left off, and the result is even sharper, funnier, and more brilliant than its predecessor … but Winslow makes this Aeneid-inspired tale soar―sometimes from epic to venal, or from poignant to comical―and it makes the wait for the third book unbearable. Except that Danny and these remnants of his family, as well as his loyal crew who are riding in cars streaming out behind him, are escaping a mob war — the Italians vs. While FIRE delved deep into the nuances of the mob world and Danny's ties to Dogtown, this novel meanders a bit, spending a lot of time in Hollywood and Las Vegas, as Danny attempts to start a new life, but cannot quite break free from his past. Winslow creates characters with so much depth and feeling, you can't help but to care for them, especially with Danny. Facing the serious pressure of looking out for both his young son and his father who’s health is rapidly declining, he must do so while trying to keep a tight lid on his crew, which would be difficult under any circumstances let alone what else he’s dealing with, also making it impossible to grieve the loss he’s recently experienced.Next stop Hollywood, to pull into line two of his former gang members who are extorting the makers of a new feature film about the very New England crime war from which he has escaped. Before they know it, they are drawn into the world of Hollywood, and Danny finds himself in love with a famous actress playing a role in a movie based on his Dogtown experiences. These just feel rushed, less sensational and way too many plot lines and characters to hold the story together. When they make their love public Danny live is in danger as the paparazzi take pictures of him and his new love interest and put them in a tabloid. Plus, watching Danny struggle with his conscience (how much does he want, or not want, to remain a part of the world he left behind) and grapple with exactly what he would do to hold his family (both real and crew) together is fascinating and extremely well-done.

Somehow getting involved in the Hollywood movie scene can not be considered the wisest move, but at least it was an entertaining prelude to what promises to be a cataclysmic showdown to come.

City on Fire was the first Don Winslow book I read and I found it so engrossing, the characters so vivid, and the atmosphere so gritty, that I was hooked.

Leaving behind a trail of corpses, including a corrupt federal agent, Ryan flees to California with the remains of his gang, his 18-month-old son, and his senile alcoholic father. The problem for Danny is that there are eyes everywhere and laying low is not quite as easy as it should be. The story is well crafted but for a deus ex machina ending, and even that is enough of a shocker that readers may not mind.

Brooks is a pro at building suspense even if it plays out in some rather spectacularly yucky episodes, one involving a short spear that takes its name from “the sucking sound of pulling it out of the dead man’s heart and lungs. Second in the 'City' trilogy, which started with the fast paced 'City on Fire' book set in Providence, Rhode Island.