For the last 30 years, Don Winslow, one of the most interesting and creative American crime writers, has made the purchase of his latest book a very reliable and easy choice for readers. He has published a number of series, The Cartel trilogy being the most successful. He rarely followed a book with a sequel, it was always a pleasant surprise to find out what the next book was, and each book was better than the last. Savages and The Death and Life of Bobby Z were both made into films. In 2020, he published Broken, a collection of six novellas/short stories that was hilarious, violent and profane. Within it, he paid homage to writers such as Elmore Leonard in a very sincere and flattering fashion.

Ten years ago, Winslow became an outspoken activist and opponent of all Trumpian forces. He announced that after the release of the final book in the City series, City in Ruins, he would be retiring from writing and spending the rest of his days fighting Trump and his goons.

City on Fire began the Cities trilogy about Danny Ryan. It was set in Rhode Island in the ’80s and ’90s, and a woman emerging from the waves à la Helen of Troy set the Irish and Italian mobs to war, and so this intergenerational saga began. City of Dreams then followed Danny Ryan to Hollywood and the film industry. And this month we’ll have City in Ruins: the final chapter in the Danny Ryan trilogy and of Winslow’s writing career. The book itself was unavailable at press time, but I think Winslow deserves a valedictory salute. If you liked The Godfather, Get Shorty, The Friends of Eddie Coyle or Mystic River, I strongly recommend you start your Don Winslow reading journey with City on Fire and then explore his backlist.