Book Review: CITY IN RUINS by Don Winslow

CITY IN RUINS by Don Winslow (William Morrow, April, 2024)  Hardcover, 400 pages.  

Synopsis on the Goodreads website . . . . .

Sometimes you have to become what you hate to protect what you love.

Danny Ryan is rich. Beyond his wildest dreams rich.

The former dock worker, Irish mob soldier and fugitive from the law is now a respected businessman – a Las Vegas casino mogul and billionaire silent partner in a group that owns two lavish hotels. Finally, Danny has it all: a beautiful house, a child he adores, a woman he might even fall in love with.

Life is good. But then Danny reaches too far.

When he tries to buy an old hotel on a prime piece of real estate with plans to build his dream resort, he triggers a war against Las Vegas power brokers, a powerful FBI agent bent on revenge and a rival casino owner with dark connections of his own.

Danny thought he had buried his past, but now it reaches up to him from the grave to pull him down. Old enemies surface, and when they come for Danny they vow to take everything – not only his empire, not just his life, but all that he holds dear, including his son.

To save his life and everything he loves, Danny must become the ruthless fighter he once was – and never wanted to be again.

My Five-Star Review on the Goodreads website . . . . .  

This is the final book from Don Winslow (per his retirement announcement) and the final book in the Danny Ryan trilogy - - - and it's a big winner. As sad as I am to read his last book, this is a testament to all the things that make his fiction so great. 

He understands organized crime, the inners workings of law enforcement, and always incorporates his research into his stories. 

     Winslow is also a tight writer, not wasting words, and the master of the short sentence - - his lines contain multitudes. 

Now with CITY IN RUINS, he displays equally concise skills at short chapters that reveal more than the paragraphs convey. The final quarter of this novel unravels in a whirlwind. 

     Danny Ryan wanted to escape his Irish organized crime roots but no matter where he goes his past continues to follow him. The final book is an insightful tour-de-force into the Las Vegas gambling business, his last venture. As violent as these novels have been, with plenty of shockwaves, this one ends satisfactory.

Farewell, Don Winslow. We already miss you.