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Danny Ryan #2
City of Dreams
Hollywood.
The city where dreams are made.
On the losing side of a bloody East Coast crime war, Danny Ryan is now on the run. The Mafia, the cops, the FBI all want him dead or in prison. With his little boy, his elderly father and the tattered remnants of his loyal crew of soldiers, he makes the classic American migration to California to start a new life.
A quiet, peaceful existence.
But the Feds track him down and want Danny to do them a favor that could make him a fortune or kill him.
And when Hollywood starts shooting a film based on his former life, Danny demands a piece of the action and begins to rebuild his criminal empire.
Then he falls in love.
With a beautiful movie star who has a dark past of her own.
As their worlds collide in an explosion that could destroy them both, Danny Ryan has to fight for his life in a city where dreams are born.
Or where they go to die.
From the shores of Rhode Island to the deserts of California where bodies disappear, from the power corridors of Washington where the real criminals operate to the fabled movie studios of Hollywood where the real money is made, City of Dreams is a sweeping saga of family, love, revenge, survival and the fierce reality behind the dream.
The city where dreams are made.
On the losing side of a bloody East Coast crime war, Danny Ryan is now on the run. The Mafia, the cops, the FBI all want him dead or in prison. With his little boy, his elderly father and the tattered remnants of his loyal crew of soldiers, he makes the classic American migration to California to start a new life.
A quiet, peaceful existence.
But the Feds track him down and want Danny to do them a favor that could make him a fortune or kill him.
And when Hollywood starts shooting a film based on his former life, Danny demands a piece of the action and begins to rebuild his criminal empire.
Then he falls in love.
With a beautiful movie star who has a dark past of her own.
As their worlds collide in an explosion that could destroy them both, Danny Ryan has to fight for his life in a city where dreams are born.
Or where they go to die.
From the shores of Rhode Island to the deserts of California where bodies disappear, from the power corridors of Washington where the real criminals operate to the fabled movie studios of Hollywood where the real money is made, City of Dreams is a sweeping saga of family, love, revenge, survival and the fierce reality behind the dream.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published April 18, 2023
About the author
Don Winslow
79 books6,579 followersDon Winslow is the author of twenty-one acclaimed, award-winning international bestsellers, including the New York Times bestsellers The Force and The Border, the #1 international bestseller The Cartel, The Power of the Dog, Savages, and The Winter of Frankie Machine. Savages was made into a feature film by three-time Oscar-winning writer-director Oliver Stone. The Power of the Dog, The Cartel and The Border sold to FX in a major multimillion-dollar deal to air as a weekly television series beginning in 2020.
A former investigator, antiterrorist trainer and trial consultant, Winslow lives in California and Rhode Island.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
A former investigator, antiterrorist trainer and trial consultant, Winslow lives in California and Rhode Island.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 907 reviews
May 14, 2023
4.5 stars,rounded up
City of Dreams picks up right where City on Fire left off. Danny Ryan, his son, father and what’s left of his crew leave Rhode Island to go into hiding. Winslow takes his time setting up the premise of this book. But the book really heats up when two of his crew realize a movie is being made about their lives in Providence. Danny ends up getting involved and then falling in love with the star of the movie. For someone looking to lay low, he fails miserably. And that’s when things really catch fire.
This is a busy book, with lots of twists and turns and never a dull moment. It’s a dark story, a gritty story but with some real pathos.
Winslow does a great job of showing the moral ambiguity in all enterprises, those supposedly honest and those criminal. Danny is cutting deals with one FBI agent while he’s pursued by another. All sorts of folks are scratching each other’s backs, while others are doing the opposite, seeing who they can double cross. Everything Danny does is for love, but that doesn’t mean it’s ethical.
I just adored Winslow’s ability to turn a phrase. If I had been reading this, I would have been highlighting phrases for the sheer poetry combined with spot on accuracy. It would be easy to create a bunch of cliched mob and Hollywood characters. But Winslow managed to make them all feel real, even the Altar Boys.
This wouldn’t work well as a stand-alone. And the ending left me wondering how long I’d have to wait for the third in the trilogy.
Ari Fliakos is just an amazing narrator and perfect for this series.
City of Dreams picks up right where City on Fire left off. Danny Ryan, his son, father and what’s left of his crew leave Rhode Island to go into hiding. Winslow takes his time setting up the premise of this book. But the book really heats up when two of his crew realize a movie is being made about their lives in Providence. Danny ends up getting involved and then falling in love with the star of the movie. For someone looking to lay low, he fails miserably. And that’s when things really catch fire.
This is a busy book, with lots of twists and turns and never a dull moment. It’s a dark story, a gritty story but with some real pathos.
Winslow does a great job of showing the moral ambiguity in all enterprises, those supposedly honest and those criminal. Danny is cutting deals with one FBI agent while he’s pursued by another. All sorts of folks are scratching each other’s backs, while others are doing the opposite, seeing who they can double cross. Everything Danny does is for love, but that doesn’t mean it’s ethical.
I just adored Winslow’s ability to turn a phrase. If I had been reading this, I would have been highlighting phrases for the sheer poetry combined with spot on accuracy. It would be easy to create a bunch of cliched mob and Hollywood characters. But Winslow managed to make them all feel real, even the Altar Boys.
This wouldn’t work well as a stand-alone. And the ending left me wondering how long I’d have to wait for the third in the trilogy.
Ari Fliakos is just an amazing narrator and perfect for this series.
May 1, 2023
City of Dreams follows on immediately after the events of City on Fire and throws you straight into the action. Danny Ryan and what is left of is loyal crew are on the run from the Italian Mob, the FBi, police - everyone really. Along with his young son and elderly father, they head for the West Coast and a new life. Of course, it is not as easy as that.
With stops in Las Vegas, San Diego and Hollywood, Danny tries to go straight, for the sake of his son. He wants a quiet life but can't rely on the others doing the right thing, as well as being sort out for jobs by others. When the 2 biggest troublemakers of the gang discover a film is being made about the events in Rhode Island, the believe they are entitled to a cut. This brings Danny out of hiding to restore calm. He gets much more than he bargained for, and his life is once again turned on its head.
I loved the California setting for this story. We see a new side to Danny as a father and a son. He knows he has made some dreadful life choices, and wants a different life for his son Ian. It is an emotional read, while still being violent, dark and messy as you would expect. The body count is high, so don't get attached to any of the characters
I spent a lazy Saturday afternoon devouring the last half of this book in one sitting. I already can't wait for book 3 to complete the trilogy.
Thanks so much to Harper Colins Australia for sending me an advanced copy of this book to read and review. Published on April 19th.
With stops in Las Vegas, San Diego and Hollywood, Danny tries to go straight, for the sake of his son. He wants a quiet life but can't rely on the others doing the right thing, as well as being sort out for jobs by others. When the 2 biggest troublemakers of the gang discover a film is being made about the events in Rhode Island, the believe they are entitled to a cut. This brings Danny out of hiding to restore calm. He gets much more than he bargained for, and his life is once again turned on its head.
I loved the California setting for this story. We see a new side to Danny as a father and a son. He knows he has made some dreadful life choices, and wants a different life for his son Ian. It is an emotional read, while still being violent, dark and messy as you would expect. The body count is high, so don't get attached to any of the characters
I spent a lazy Saturday afternoon devouring the last half of this book in one sitting. I already can't wait for book 3 to complete the trilogy.
Thanks so much to Harper Colins Australia for sending me an advanced copy of this book to read and review. Published on April 19th.
April 29, 2023
In this, the second volume in Winslow's last trilogy, our east coast mobsters head west to Hollywood, but they can never leave their pasts behind.
Danny Ryan is on the run with his newborn son and two of his friends from back home. Not exactly the best of situations for anyone. Danny, once again, figures his way out of some tense situations and lands himself and his buddies on the west coast, free and clear. What's he going to do now? They get into the movie business, of course! Will Danny and friends escape their pasts? Are their lives finally free of the mafia AND the feds? You'll have to read this to find out!
I didn't find this book to be quite as compelling as the first, but it was still good. Winslow creates characters with so much depth and feeling, you can't help but to care for them, especially with Danny. Even though he's slim and Irish, he still reminds me of Tony Soprano. Trying to balance difficult family matters while trying to do business can be frustrating, and Danny worries about being a good father. But he worries more about keeping everyone alive. The only thing Danny is missing is a good therapist!
The denouement here was exciting and it sets the stage for the third and last book of Don Winslow's very last trilogy. I can hardly wait!
*Thanks to William Morrow, NetGalley and the author for the E-ARC in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it.*
Danny Ryan is on the run with his newborn son and two of his friends from back home. Not exactly the best of situations for anyone. Danny, once again, figures his way out of some tense situations and lands himself and his buddies on the west coast, free and clear. What's he going to do now? They get into the movie business, of course! Will Danny and friends escape their pasts? Are their lives finally free of the mafia AND the feds? You'll have to read this to find out!
I didn't find this book to be quite as compelling as the first, but it was still good. Winslow creates characters with so much depth and feeling, you can't help but to care for them, especially with Danny. Even though he's slim and Irish, he still reminds me of Tony Soprano. Trying to balance difficult family matters while trying to do business can be frustrating, and Danny worries about being a good father. But he worries more about keeping everyone alive. The only thing Danny is missing is a good therapist!
The denouement here was exciting and it sets the stage for the third and last book of Don Winslow's very last trilogy. I can hardly wait!
*Thanks to William Morrow, NetGalley and the author for the E-ARC in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it.*
September 28, 2023
City of Dreams (2023) is the middle game of the Danny Ryan trilogy, which began with City on Fire (2021) and will end next year with next year’s City in Ruins (April 2024). Winslow has announced that this will be the final book in his writing career and will now focus his energies on making politically-charged videos. This is, without question, an awesome trilogy, although one has to wonder if there is much left to destroy and ruin after the devastation wrought in the first two novels in the series.
City on Fire took two feuding Providence, Rhode Island, organized crime families, the Italian family of the Morretis, and the Irish family, the Murphy-Ryans. As that novel opened, everyone, the Italian and the Irish got along, knew their territories, and even hung out on the beach party, that is until Helen of Troy (Pam) (Paulie Moretti’s girlfriend) came out of the water glistening in her tiny bikini and Liam couldn’t keep his hands off her. The Morettis and their crew beat the living crap out of Liam and, when Pam still mesmerized by Liam’s boyish charms, visited him in the hospital, war broke out, a war to end all wars, that like the Trojan War would leave everyone from victor to loser broken and destroyed.
As book two, City of Dreams opens, Danny Ryan, whose father once ran the Irish mob in Providence, has botched everything. He made a dope deal with a corrupt FBI agent who was in league with the Morretis and, instead of making off with a fortune, he dumped ten million dollars of dope in the Long Island Sound. But, no one believes he didn’t make off with a fortune, not the FBI, not the Morettis, not even the rest of the Irish. Also, he personally killed the corrupt agent. He had no choice, but still it is blood on his hands. Problem though with Danny that we hear again and again throughout this novel is that Danny has a soft spot and can’t finish the job and off his opponents even though everyone in his crew knows it will come back to bite them.
Danny and his crew head out on the highway with Danny’s little boy as he is now widowed thanks to cancer and his elderly father who is fighting a losing battle with Alzheimer’s. On a whim they head out to California and plan their next move with the FBI and the Italians gunning for them. That next move means taking down Cartel money for the CIA’s secret overseas programs. Danny and his crew end up in a long-term motel in Burbank and his crew starts working on a former mate who has sold their tale of violence to the movie studios. First, they break him down dollar by dollar, but then they meet the director, who wants authentic acting, and hires them as consultants. Big mistake because this crew knows how to do only one thing to a business, break it down brick by brick and take all the assets. Danny gets involved to chill things down and the star playing Pam’s role in the movie falls for him. And, he gets famous for being the hood bedding down the starlet. So much for keeping a low profile. The whole Hollywood thing feels kind of humorous until it doesn’t because you just know it is all going to go wrong at some point and everybody and everything is coming down.
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. 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.
What Winslow gets so right with this novel and this series and the pervasive sense of tragedy that overwhelms everything. The guys all seem to think that they can make it right with their next move, their next score, their next vendetta, but everything goes sideways and there is no turning back to the clock to what seem like the good old days, but really weren’t so good either. It is another epic Shakespearean tragedy.
City on Fire took two feuding Providence, Rhode Island, organized crime families, the Italian family of the Morretis, and the Irish family, the Murphy-Ryans. As that novel opened, everyone, the Italian and the Irish got along, knew their territories, and even hung out on the beach party, that is until Helen of Troy (Pam) (Paulie Moretti’s girlfriend) came out of the water glistening in her tiny bikini and Liam couldn’t keep his hands off her. The Morettis and their crew beat the living crap out of Liam and, when Pam still mesmerized by Liam’s boyish charms, visited him in the hospital, war broke out, a war to end all wars, that like the Trojan War would leave everyone from victor to loser broken and destroyed.
As book two, City of Dreams opens, Danny Ryan, whose father once ran the Irish mob in Providence, has botched everything. He made a dope deal with a corrupt FBI agent who was in league with the Morretis and, instead of making off with a fortune, he dumped ten million dollars of dope in the Long Island Sound. But, no one believes he didn’t make off with a fortune, not the FBI, not the Morettis, not even the rest of the Irish. Also, he personally killed the corrupt agent. He had no choice, but still it is blood on his hands. Problem though with Danny that we hear again and again throughout this novel is that Danny has a soft spot and can’t finish the job and off his opponents even though everyone in his crew knows it will come back to bite them.
Danny and his crew head out on the highway with Danny’s little boy as he is now widowed thanks to cancer and his elderly father who is fighting a losing battle with Alzheimer’s. On a whim they head out to California and plan their next move with the FBI and the Italians gunning for them. That next move means taking down Cartel money for the CIA’s secret overseas programs. Danny and his crew end up in a long-term motel in Burbank and his crew starts working on a former mate who has sold their tale of violence to the movie studios. First, they break him down dollar by dollar, but then they meet the director, who wants authentic acting, and hires them as consultants. Big mistake because this crew knows how to do only one thing to a business, break it down brick by brick and take all the assets. Danny gets involved to chill things down and the star playing Pam’s role in the movie falls for him. And, he gets famous for being the hood bedding down the starlet. So much for keeping a low profile. The whole Hollywood thing feels kind of humorous until it doesn’t because you just know it is all going to go wrong at some point and everybody and everything is coming down.
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. 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.
What Winslow gets so right with this novel and this series and the pervasive sense of tragedy that overwhelms everything. The guys all seem to think that they can make it right with their next move, their next score, their next vendetta, but everything goes sideways and there is no turning back to the clock to what seem like the good old days, but really weren’t so good either. It is another epic Shakespearean tragedy.
March 3, 2023
To be published April, 2023. This is a thrilling ride, packed with tough guy bravado, loveable but still scary bad guys and enough blood and guts to please the most crime family loving reader. The story is well crafted, fast moving and creates characters that come alive in the readers' imagination. This is crafted really well and was a sit down and read straight through book for me. Highly recommend.
My thanks to the author, Don Winslow, and the publisher, Harper Collins, for my advance copy of this book. #Goodreads Giveaway
My thanks to the author, Don Winslow, and the publisher, Harper Collins, for my advance copy of this book. #Goodreads Giveaway
June 15, 2023
Filming the Fire
“City of Dreams” is Don Winslow’s follow-up to “City on Fire,” two books in his City trilogy following Danny Ryan of the Irish mob from Providence, Rhode Island. In this sequel we open with Danny fleeing the East Coast with his ailing father and his young son. His wife has just died, and he cannot even attend her funeral as he has enraged the Italian faction of the mob and is being hunted by the FBI, suspected of having murdered one of their (dirty) agents.
Danny smooths things over with the Feds, carrying out a mutually beneficial solid for them.
The pressure from the mob is easing up as well– as long as he keeps a low profile in his new Southern California home. Hollywood is the city of dreams and Danny is drawn to a financial investment in a movie property, shades of “Get Shorty.” 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. So much for the low profile– everybody is after Danny Ryan again.
“City on Fire” was a compelling book and this one only gets better. The characters are stronger– particularly the women– and readers are going to hunger to see the Vegas finale of this saga in the next one, “City in Ruins.”
As a side note, actor Austin Butler (“Elvis") has been cast as Ryan in an upcoming treatment of “City of Fire,” the “soon to be a major motion picture” thing.
Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for providing an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review. #CityOfDreams #NetGalley
“City of Dreams” is Don Winslow’s follow-up to “City on Fire,” two books in his City trilogy following Danny Ryan of the Irish mob from Providence, Rhode Island. In this sequel we open with Danny fleeing the East Coast with his ailing father and his young son. His wife has just died, and he cannot even attend her funeral as he has enraged the Italian faction of the mob and is being hunted by the FBI, suspected of having murdered one of their (dirty) agents.
Danny smooths things over with the Feds, carrying out a mutually beneficial solid for them.
The pressure from the mob is easing up as well– as long as he keeps a low profile in his new Southern California home. Hollywood is the city of dreams and Danny is drawn to a financial investment in a movie property, shades of “Get Shorty.” 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. So much for the low profile– everybody is after Danny Ryan again.
“City on Fire” was a compelling book and this one only gets better. The characters are stronger– particularly the women– and readers are going to hunger to see the Vegas finale of this saga in the next one, “City in Ruins.”
As a side note, actor Austin Butler (“Elvis") has been cast as Ryan in an upcoming treatment of “City of Fire,” the “soon to be a major motion picture” thing.
Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for providing an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review. #CityOfDreams #NetGalley
April 12, 2023
City of Dreams is the second book in the Danny Ryan trilogy, following the wild ride of tense highs and heartbreaking lows of a modern day gangster who has just enough cunning to keep himself and his crew a step ahead of his murderous enemies.
The story begins a mere few hours after the events of City on Fire took place and Danny Ryan is on the run, trying to evade the coming wrath of the Italian mob. He and the Irish had lost the gang war and he has decided it’s time to take himself and the remainder of his family out of Providence before it’s too late.
With the feds and the Italian mob both hot on his trail, it’s the government that makes first contact with Danny. He’s made an offer to help the government in taking down a Mexican cartel in such a way that it would be worth millions to Danny and the slate would be wiped clean.
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 quite the epic gangster story as the earlier City On Fire, this one chronicles the aftermath and the way in which members from both sides of the gang war have coped. While Danny heads west, his counterpart in Providence, Peter Moretti stays and plots his revenge.
It’s set largely in Arizona, Nevada and California and moves at a frantic pace. Through it all, Danny has a helluva price on his head and everyone is keen to cash it in. The problem for Danny is that there are eyes everywhere and laying low is not quite as easy as it should be.
This very much feels as though it’s a transitional book, a much more sedately paced story chronicling life on the run of a former gangster. There’s a great deal of character development going on, something that Don Winslow is highly adept at crafting. This helps us to become more attuned to Danny and his crew along with the changing of the guard in Providence.
While we’re treated to a few short bouts of the violence you’d expect after reading the first book in the trilogy, the majority of the book deals with the Irish fugitives' ideas of laying low. 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.
Rather than providing the in-your-face high energy that we became accustomed to in City On Fire, City Of Dreams has a more brooding atmosphere. There is danger coming, you can feel it building and this volume is merely the calm before the storm.
It’s book 2 of a trilogy, it’s meant to be read as part of a 3 volume set so you’re definitely going to get more out of it by reading the first volume before cracking this one open.
My thanks to William Morrow and Netgalley for my ARC to allow me to read, enjoy and write this review.
The story begins a mere few hours after the events of City on Fire took place and Danny Ryan is on the run, trying to evade the coming wrath of the Italian mob. He and the Irish had lost the gang war and he has decided it’s time to take himself and the remainder of his family out of Providence before it’s too late.
With the feds and the Italian mob both hot on his trail, it’s the government that makes first contact with Danny. He’s made an offer to help the government in taking down a Mexican cartel in such a way that it would be worth millions to Danny and the slate would be wiped clean.
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 quite the epic gangster story as the earlier City On Fire, this one chronicles the aftermath and the way in which members from both sides of the gang war have coped. While Danny heads west, his counterpart in Providence, Peter Moretti stays and plots his revenge.
It’s set largely in Arizona, Nevada and California and moves at a frantic pace. Through it all, Danny has a helluva price on his head and everyone is keen to cash it in. The problem for Danny is that there are eyes everywhere and laying low is not quite as easy as it should be.
This very much feels as though it’s a transitional book, a much more sedately paced story chronicling life on the run of a former gangster. There’s a great deal of character development going on, something that Don Winslow is highly adept at crafting. This helps us to become more attuned to Danny and his crew along with the changing of the guard in Providence.
While we’re treated to a few short bouts of the violence you’d expect after reading the first book in the trilogy, the majority of the book deals with the Irish fugitives' ideas of laying low. 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.
Rather than providing the in-your-face high energy that we became accustomed to in City On Fire, City Of Dreams has a more brooding atmosphere. There is danger coming, you can feel it building and this volume is merely the calm before the storm.
It’s book 2 of a trilogy, it’s meant to be read as part of a 3 volume set so you’re definitely going to get more out of it by reading the first volume before cracking this one open.
My thanks to William Morrow and Netgalley for my ARC to allow me to read, enjoy and write this review.
April 18, 2023
In the second book of Don Winslow's Danny Ryan series, we find Danny Ryan on the run, escaping everything that went down in Providence between the Irish and Italian mob families. He and his loyal crew make for the sunny shores of California--with Danny's elderly father, Marty, and young son, Ian, in tow. 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.
I fell in love with Don Winslow's books last year and adored the first book in this series, CITY ON FIRE. The second one was not quite what I was expecting, but it was certainly an interesting and fascinating read. 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. Central to this is the fact that two of his crew, Sean and Kevin, aka "the Altar Boys" stumble upon the fact that there is a movie being made based on the Italian and Irish mob families of Rhode Island--there's even someone playing Danny! As Sean and Kevin become move involved on set, eventually Danny must be as well, and soon he's dating an actress and splashed all over the papers. Not exactly the reclusive Danny Ryan we are used to!
This is a typical Winslow tome filled with a ton of characters--we still hear from a bunch of folks in Rhode Island--but the main focus is, of course, Danny and his new start. There's less focus on the intricacies of the mob world, but plenty of violence and gritty crime. We also learn a lot about the movie business and get more glimpses into the life of Danny's estranged mother. I felt the story bounced around a lot--both character-wise and plot-wise--but I stayed enthralled. Winslow is such a great storyteller, bringing to life his detailed worlds so well. 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. At his heart, he's a father, a son, and the leader of his crew.
There's excerpt at the end of DREAMS from the third book, and I cannot wait to read it. I also need to continue catching up on my Don Winslow backlist! 4 stars.
I received a copy of this book from William Morrow and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review. Thanks too to Danielle Bartlett for sending me a finished copy of this gorgeous book!
I fell in love with Don Winslow's books last year and adored the first book in this series, CITY ON FIRE. The second one was not quite what I was expecting, but it was certainly an interesting and fascinating read. 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. Central to this is the fact that two of his crew, Sean and Kevin, aka "the Altar Boys" stumble upon the fact that there is a movie being made based on the Italian and Irish mob families of Rhode Island--there's even someone playing Danny! As Sean and Kevin become move involved on set, eventually Danny must be as well, and soon he's dating an actress and splashed all over the papers. Not exactly the reclusive Danny Ryan we are used to!
This is a typical Winslow tome filled with a ton of characters--we still hear from a bunch of folks in Rhode Island--but the main focus is, of course, Danny and his new start. There's less focus on the intricacies of the mob world, but plenty of violence and gritty crime. We also learn a lot about the movie business and get more glimpses into the life of Danny's estranged mother. I felt the story bounced around a lot--both character-wise and plot-wise--but I stayed enthralled. Winslow is such a great storyteller, bringing to life his detailed worlds so well. 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. At his heart, he's a father, a son, and the leader of his crew.
There's excerpt at the end of DREAMS from the third book, and I cannot wait to read it. I also need to continue catching up on my Don Winslow backlist! 4 stars.
I received a copy of this book from William Morrow and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review. Thanks too to Danielle Bartlett for sending me a finished copy of this gorgeous book!
April 15, 2023
7,5/10
Segunda parte de la trilogía de Danny Ryan de Don Winslow. Gustándome esta lectura, he de decir que ha bajado un pelín el nivel con respecto a la primera, tiene algunos peros que en el primero casi ni existían, pero en cualquier caso sigue siendo una buena lectura si te gusta el bueno de Winslow o las novelas de mafiosos.
Destacaría que es un más de lo mismo que el anterior, algo que no tiene porque ser bueno, pero que en este caso si lo es. Buen ritmo narrativo, quizás menos acción, pero bien narrada, buenos personajes y esa atmósfera de los bajos fondos y el hampa, que tan bien sabe su autor trasladarla a una novela, y que nos hace sentir como si fuéramos uno más de la banda de los Murphy.
Me ha gustado menos, que a pesar del buen ritmo general, el libro engancha y se lee muy bien, hay una parte, centrada en Hollywood, que se me ha hecho demasiado larga y a la que para mi gusto le sobraban páginas. Tampoco me ha terminado de convencer del todo el cambio de escenario a California, prefería el Providence con sus muelles, astilleros, sindicatos y demás, es más acorde a lo que en mi mente es una organización de este estilo.
¿Recomendable? Sin duda, si te gusto el primero este lo disfrutarás bastante, ya que continúa donde lo dejo el anterior y lo hace de una forma bastante natural, el pero en mi caso fue el cambio de escenario, pero ya se sabe que para gustos...En cualquier caso, con ganas de que nos llegue el siguiente y ver los derroteros por los que sigue la historia.
Segunda parte de la trilogía de Danny Ryan de Don Winslow. Gustándome esta lectura, he de decir que ha bajado un pelín el nivel con respecto a la primera, tiene algunos peros que en el primero casi ni existían, pero en cualquier caso sigue siendo una buena lectura si te gusta el bueno de Winslow o las novelas de mafiosos.
Destacaría que es un más de lo mismo que el anterior, algo que no tiene porque ser bueno, pero que en este caso si lo es. Buen ritmo narrativo, quizás menos acción, pero bien narrada, buenos personajes y esa atmósfera de los bajos fondos y el hampa, que tan bien sabe su autor trasladarla a una novela, y que nos hace sentir como si fuéramos uno más de la banda de los Murphy.
Me ha gustado menos, que a pesar del buen ritmo general, el libro engancha y se lee muy bien, hay una parte, centrada en Hollywood, que se me ha hecho demasiado larga y a la que para mi gusto le sobraban páginas. Tampoco me ha terminado de convencer del todo el cambio de escenario a California, prefería el Providence con sus muelles, astilleros, sindicatos y demás, es más acorde a lo que en mi mente es una organización de este estilo.
¿Recomendable? Sin duda, si te gusto el primero este lo disfrutarás bastante, ya que continúa donde lo dejo el anterior y lo hace de una forma bastante natural, el pero en mi caso fue el cambio de escenario, pero ya se sabe que para gustos...En cualquier caso, con ganas de que nos llegue el siguiente y ver los derroteros por los que sigue la historia.
March 7, 2023
City of Dreams is the second book in the trilogy featuring Danny Ryan by Don Winslow. Beautifully written with intriguing characters, City of Dreams moves through Ryan's life -- the highest of highs and the lowest of lows -- swiftly and deftly. Really, my only bugaboo with City of Dreams was the ending. It felt rushed and honestly, too easy. However, the ending doesn't detract from the near perfect first 95% of the book.
My sincere thanks to William Morrow and Edelweiss for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of City of Dreams!
My sincere thanks to William Morrow and Edelweiss for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of City of Dreams!
April 21, 2023
Don Winslow does Get Shorty... 3.5.
Winslow is always great fun to read, always entertaining. But this has 'middle book of a trilogy' written all over it.
The plot is all over the place - loads happens but little of it is coherent. Like, there is no way in hell you could read this without having first read City On Fire, and without then going on to read City In Ruins. Which is fine for mega-fans like myself, I guess. And I suppose that's who is reading Winslow at this point, because once you've read one of his books you are a fan for life.
We are all set up nicely for the great man's final bow next year. It's gonna be a sad day and crime fiction will be much poorer for his retirement. He's the greatest living crime writer.
Winslow is always great fun to read, always entertaining. But this has 'middle book of a trilogy' written all over it.
The plot is all over the place - loads happens but little of it is coherent. Like, there is no way in hell you could read this without having first read City On Fire, and without then going on to read City In Ruins. Which is fine for mega-fans like myself, I guess. And I suppose that's who is reading Winslow at this point, because once you've read one of his books you are a fan for life.
We are all set up nicely for the great man's final bow next year. It's gonna be a sad day and crime fiction will be much poorer for his retirement. He's the greatest living crime writer.
April 18, 2023
***. Happy Publication Day for this outstanding crime novel. ***
In this, the second book in his City trilogy, Don Winslow picks up right where City on Fire ended and continues the saga of East Coast rival crime families. I'm happy to report that this book is every bit as good as the first, City on Fire.
The war between the Moretti and Murphy crime families is mostly over, The body count was high and now soldier Danny Ryan has risen to lead the remains of the Murphy gang. Escaping Rhode Island in the middle of the night, Danny and his remaining crew head for California, hoping to start their lives anew and maybe leave their gangster life behind. Unfortunately, the Moretti family and the Feds have other plans. Thinking Danny still has some heroin left from a heist that went wrong, Peter Moretti sends soldiers after him, and the Feds, well, they have plans for Danny that is both risky and lucrative.
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. I kept thinking of the movie Goodfellas as I followed Danny and his crew around Providence, Rhode Island. This book is equally as good and even though they are now in California and trying to go legit, I just knew the temptation would be there to revert to their former selves. And I was right! City of Dreams can be read as a standalone--enough backstory is given to understand the situations the characters face--but I recommend reading City on Fire first, just because it's an excellent read. Now I can't wait for the final book, City in Ruins, to come out.
Thank you, NetGalley and William Morrow for an advance copy for review. The publication date is April 18, 2023.
In this, the second book in his City trilogy, Don Winslow picks up right where City on Fire ended and continues the saga of East Coast rival crime families. I'm happy to report that this book is every bit as good as the first, City on Fire.
The war between the Moretti and Murphy crime families is mostly over, The body count was high and now soldier Danny Ryan has risen to lead the remains of the Murphy gang. Escaping Rhode Island in the middle of the night, Danny and his remaining crew head for California, hoping to start their lives anew and maybe leave their gangster life behind. Unfortunately, the Moretti family and the Feds have other plans. Thinking Danny still has some heroin left from a heist that went wrong, Peter Moretti sends soldiers after him, and the Feds, well, they have plans for Danny that is both risky and lucrative.
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. I kept thinking of the movie Goodfellas as I followed Danny and his crew around Providence, Rhode Island. This book is equally as good and even though they are now in California and trying to go legit, I just knew the temptation would be there to revert to their former selves. And I was right! City of Dreams can be read as a standalone--enough backstory is given to understand the situations the characters face--but I recommend reading City on Fire first, just because it's an excellent read. Now I can't wait for the final book, City in Ruins, to come out.
Thank you, NetGalley and William Morrow for an advance copy for review. The publication date is April 18, 2023.
April 29, 2023
I liked this, but it wasn't as good as the first book. It picked up right where City on Fire left off and I was pretty into it until the last section, where Don Winslow does his own version of the Island of the Lotus-Eaters (it wasn't my favorite part of The Iliad, either.) I'm not 100% sure what actually happened to Danny during/after that... guess I'll have to read the next book to find out.
In other news... how 'bout that gorgeous cobalt blue on the cover! I love it combined with the gold type.
In other news... how 'bout that gorgeous cobalt blue on the cover! I love it combined with the gold type.
April 20, 2023
When I read the book jacket about mobsters in Hollywood I thought oh no. Especially since I loved Book One so much. Unfortunately this book is a dumpster fire. It has none of the old charm, it’s chaotic, and it ends in fever dream confusion that makes no sense. It’s like he drew plot points out of a hat and tried to make them all work. 2.5 /5 stars from a dissatisfied fan
October 29, 2022
At some point in the past few years, Don Winslow has become a favorite author of mine. His Power of the Dog trilogy blew me away (almost 3,000 pages for the trilogy and I still read every word). When I learned Winslow would be starting a new trilogy based on the mob in 1980s Rhode Island, I was eager to get my hands on it.
City of Fire quickly surprised POTD trilogy to become my new favorite Winslow and upon meeting these characters, I was excited to hear there would be two more books following them. Upon approval for City of Dreams, I dropped everything to pick back up with Danny Ryan & co. There’s not even a cover out for this one yet and I’m already wondering how I can get my hands on book 3.
Thank you to William Morrow for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.
City of Fire quickly surprised POTD trilogy to become my new favorite Winslow and upon meeting these characters, I was excited to hear there would be two more books following them. Upon approval for City of Dreams, I dropped everything to pick back up with Danny Ryan & co. There’s not even a cover out for this one yet and I’m already wondering how I can get my hands on book 3.
Thank you to William Morrow for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.
May 9, 2023
Rhode Island, 1988.- Han pasado unas horas de la muerte de su querida Terri y Danny tiene que pensar en el futuro de su pequeña familia. Rhode Island ha dejado de ser seguro y menos aún para criar a un niño teniendo a la mafia italiana tan cerca.
Pero, comenzar una nueva vida y pasar desapercibido es muy complicado con el FBI y la mafia pisándole los talones, sabe que no pararán hasta dar con su paradero porque, ambos, tienen ojos en todos los rincones y todo acto tiene sus consecuencias…
Antes de comentaros lo mucho que me ha gustado esta novela os quiero dar un consejo; leed antes 'Ciudad en llamas', la primera parte de esta historia. Si os llama la atención, pero aún no habéis leído la primera parte, podéis encontrar mi reseña en el perfil.
Para los que ya habéis leído la primera parte, pero os pasa como a mí, que tenéis la memoria de Dory de 'Buscando a Nemo', no os preocupéis, Winslow nos refresca la historia anterior en los primeros capítulos, lo que para mí ha sido una maravilla.
La novela comienza inmediatamente después de donde terminó el primer libro, eso sí, esta vez, volvemos a tener una historia de mafiosos, pero un pelín más calmada, aunque no por ello menos interesante.
Se produce un cambio total de escenario, salimos de Rhode Island para viajar por diferentes lugares de Estados Unidos, como Las Vegas o el mítico Hollywood y, aunque me han encantado estas nuevas localizaciones, he de decir que he echado un poquito de menos Rhode Island.
En cuanto a la historia, continua con un ritmo muy ligero que engancha desde las primeras páginas provocando momentos de mucha tensión.
Al igual que en ' Ciudad en llamas' los personajes son, en mi opinión, su punto fuerte, la historia que tiene detrás cada uno de ellos es asombrosa. Sin duda, tengo que hacer una mención especial para el protagonista, Danny Ryan, un personaje que ganó mi simpatía en el libro anterior y que en este me ha encantado, tiene una evolución muy interesante.
Después de leer este libro, tengo muchísimas ganas de leer la tercera parte que aún no está publicada, tengo el presentimiento de que será una traca final que nos dejará con la boca abierta.
En resumidas cuentas, si te gustan las historias de lealtad y venganza en las que la mafia es la principal protagonista, tienes que leer esta trilogía.
Pero, comenzar una nueva vida y pasar desapercibido es muy complicado con el FBI y la mafia pisándole los talones, sabe que no pararán hasta dar con su paradero porque, ambos, tienen ojos en todos los rincones y todo acto tiene sus consecuencias…
Antes de comentaros lo mucho que me ha gustado esta novela os quiero dar un consejo; leed antes 'Ciudad en llamas', la primera parte de esta historia. Si os llama la atención, pero aún no habéis leído la primera parte, podéis encontrar mi reseña en el perfil.
Para los que ya habéis leído la primera parte, pero os pasa como a mí, que tenéis la memoria de Dory de 'Buscando a Nemo', no os preocupéis, Winslow nos refresca la historia anterior en los primeros capítulos, lo que para mí ha sido una maravilla.
La novela comienza inmediatamente después de donde terminó el primer libro, eso sí, esta vez, volvemos a tener una historia de mafiosos, pero un pelín más calmada, aunque no por ello menos interesante.
Se produce un cambio total de escenario, salimos de Rhode Island para viajar por diferentes lugares de Estados Unidos, como Las Vegas o el mítico Hollywood y, aunque me han encantado estas nuevas localizaciones, he de decir que he echado un poquito de menos Rhode Island.
En cuanto a la historia, continua con un ritmo muy ligero que engancha desde las primeras páginas provocando momentos de mucha tensión.
Al igual que en ' Ciudad en llamas' los personajes son, en mi opinión, su punto fuerte, la historia que tiene detrás cada uno de ellos es asombrosa. Sin duda, tengo que hacer una mención especial para el protagonista, Danny Ryan, un personaje que ganó mi simpatía en el libro anterior y que en este me ha encantado, tiene una evolución muy interesante.
Después de leer este libro, tengo muchísimas ganas de leer la tercera parte que aún no está publicada, tengo el presentimiento de que será una traca final que nos dejará con la boca abierta.
En resumidas cuentas, si te gustan las historias de lealtad y venganza en las que la mafia es la principal protagonista, tienes que leer esta trilogía.
April 25, 2023
The single best use of mescaline in literature ever (yes, I read The Doors of Perception and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.)
I just gobbled this up, as I also did with the first in this series. I am always reading multiple books because I am a quivering ball of ADHD so while I can sink into a book for hours at a time, once I put it down I generally cannot pick it back up for a while. But this is the book I kept wanting to return to, night after night. I have been busy with work and social things, but I have spent most every alone moment for four days with this book. Thankfully I consumed this in audiobook form (beautifully read by Ari Fliakos, who also read the first in the series) or I am sure I would not have cleaned or done laundry or walked anywhere during that time.
In this book we return to the gangster with a heart of gold, Danny Ryan, in the hours after the event that closed out the first book, City on Fire. Danny is our Odysseus, and this leg of the journey takes him from New Hampshire to Southern California. If you read the first book you know that Danny is broke, in the middle of a hailstorm of grief, and in a lot of trouble at the end of the last book. He is Danny though, and things work out for Danny. I don't want to spoil anything but I will say he ends up dead center in the middle of a studio movie (not as an actor) and we find out there are more similarities than one might guess between the Irish mob in Providence and the LA mob behind the visual content we consume. The end of this, like the end of the last book, is like the finale of a good fireworks show, more and more and more until you think "okay already" and then just one more explosion that makes you realize you were wrong and you needed one more.
Great characters, new and old, utter carnage at random points interspersed with cute children and true love and honor and sweetness and also it is all funny as can be. Winslow says this is it. One more book left in this trilogy (which he says is already written) and that is the end. Luckily he has written a lot of books and they are pretty much all very good (or at least the nine I have read) but I still hope he unretires. He is the best.
I just gobbled this up, as I also did with the first in this series. I am always reading multiple books because I am a quivering ball of ADHD so while I can sink into a book for hours at a time, once I put it down I generally cannot pick it back up for a while. But this is the book I kept wanting to return to, night after night. I have been busy with work and social things, but I have spent most every alone moment for four days with this book. Thankfully I consumed this in audiobook form (beautifully read by Ari Fliakos, who also read the first in the series) or I am sure I would not have cleaned or done laundry or walked anywhere during that time.
In this book we return to the gangster with a heart of gold, Danny Ryan, in the hours after the event that closed out the first book, City on Fire. Danny is our Odysseus, and this leg of the journey takes him from New Hampshire to Southern California. If you read the first book you know that Danny is broke, in the middle of a hailstorm of grief, and in a lot of trouble at the end of the last book. He is Danny though, and things work out for Danny. I don't want to spoil anything but I will say he ends up dead center in the middle of a studio movie (not as an actor) and we find out there are more similarities than one might guess between the Irish mob in Providence and the LA mob behind the visual content we consume. The end of this, like the end of the last book, is like the finale of a good fireworks show, more and more and more until you think "okay already" and then just one more explosion that makes you realize you were wrong and you needed one more.
Great characters, new and old, utter carnage at random points interspersed with cute children and true love and honor and sweetness and also it is all funny as can be. Winslow says this is it. One more book left in this trilogy (which he says is already written) and that is the end. Luckily he has written a lot of books and they are pretty much all very good (or at least the nine I have read) but I still hope he unretires. He is the best.
April 25, 2023
The first Winslow book I didn’t finish. Put it down with less than 50 pages left.
This book makes me want to reassess everything I’ve read by Winslow. Was he always a dime-store Elmore Leonard?
The Power of the Dog is an all-time favourite of mine. Everything since then has been a let down to a different degree. The rest of that trilogy was pretty good. Savages was bad but original, The Force was cheesy but kind of fun, City on Fire was derivative but energetic and twisty.
This was just bad! The one thing about all of those books was that the characters were real (by pulp novel standards). The decisions they made had logic to them, and reason.
Not here. Nothing makes sense in this book. I don’t know why there’s a whole Get Shorty knockoff jammed in here, but it doesn’t work.
This book makes me want to reassess everything I’ve read by Winslow. Was he always a dime-store Elmore Leonard?
The Power of the Dog is an all-time favourite of mine. Everything since then has been a let down to a different degree. The rest of that trilogy was pretty good. Savages was bad but original, The Force was cheesy but kind of fun, City on Fire was derivative but energetic and twisty.
This was just bad! The one thing about all of those books was that the characters were real (by pulp novel standards). The decisions they made had logic to them, and reason.
Not here. Nothing makes sense in this book. I don’t know why there’s a whole Get Shorty knockoff jammed in here, but it doesn’t work.
July 7, 2023
Po przegranej wojnie o wpływy Danny Ryan i jego załoga są zmuszeni opuścić Providence. Irlandczycy udają się na zachód, najpierw do Las Vegas, potem do LA, gdzie Danny wchodzi w biznes filmowy, jednak stare demony i niezakończone sprawy nie dają o sobie zapomnieć.
Drugi tom zaczyna się tam, gdzie kończy pierwszy. Winslow nie wymyśla koło na nowo, daje nam znane z literatury mafijnej motywy, a że pisać potrafi, to czyta się Miasto marzeń świetnie, chociaż jak na mój gust żaden człowiek nie przetrwałby takiej nawałnicy dramatów życiowych, jakich przez te dwa tomy doświadczył Danny Ryan, ale kto chciałby czytać o zwykłych ludziach? Poza tym zakończenie lekko mnie zawiodło, bo jakoś tak za gładko to wszystko się potoczyło.
Dawajcie trzeci tom!
Drugi tom zaczyna się tam, gdzie kończy pierwszy. Winslow nie wymyśla koło na nowo, daje nam znane z literatury mafijnej motywy, a że pisać potrafi, to czyta się Miasto marzeń świetnie, chociaż jak na mój gust żaden człowiek nie przetrwałby takiej nawałnicy dramatów życiowych, jakich przez te dwa tomy doświadczył Danny Ryan, ale kto chciałby czytać o zwykłych ludziach? Poza tym zakończenie lekko mnie zawiodło, bo jakoś tak za gładko to wszystko się potoczyło.
Dawajcie trzeci tom!
July 23, 2023
Following the epic, ambitious, instant New York Times bestseller City on Fire,comes the dramatic second novel in an epic crime trilogy from Don Winslow,
Hollywood. The city where dreams are made.
On the losing side of a bloody East Coast crime war, Danny Ryan is now on the run. The Mafia, the cops, the FBI all want him dead or in prison. With his little boy, his elderly father and the tattered remnants of his loyal crew of soldiers, he makes the classic American migration to California to start a new life.
A quiet, peaceful existence.without any bloodshed
But the Feds track him down and want Danny to do them a favor that could make him a fortune or kill him.
And when Hollywood starts shooting a film based on his former life, Danny demands a piece of the action and begins to rebuild his criminal empire
Than he falls in love with a beautiful movie star who has a dark past of her own.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. When he’s supposed to lay low That could destroy them both, Danny Ryan has to fight for his life in a city where dreams are born.or were they go to die.
From the shores of Rhode Island to the deserts of California where bodies disappear, from the power corridors of Washington where the real criminals operate to the fabled movie studios of Hollywood where the real money is made, City of Dreams is a sweeping saga of family, love, revenge, survival and the fierce reality behind the dream.
This book checks all the boxes and then some
Non stop intensity, thrills betrayals, greed, grit and with writing as sharp and insightful as a razor blade.
I literally stayed up all night reading, I was literally spellbound, a real page turner full of exciting plot twists
Winslow is a master storyteller, with a knack of bringing characters to life . . .
City Of Dreams 5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Rating
Highly recommend
I would like to thank NetGalley and Mira for the ARC of City of Dreams by Don Winslow in exchange for my honest review
Hollywood. The city where dreams are made.
On the losing side of a bloody East Coast crime war, Danny Ryan is now on the run. The Mafia, the cops, the FBI all want him dead or in prison. With his little boy, his elderly father and the tattered remnants of his loyal crew of soldiers, he makes the classic American migration to California to start a new life.
A quiet, peaceful existence.without any bloodshed
But the Feds track him down and want Danny to do them a favor that could make him a fortune or kill him.
And when Hollywood starts shooting a film based on his former life, Danny demands a piece of the action and begins to rebuild his criminal empire
Than he falls in love with a beautiful movie star who has a dark past of her own.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. When he’s supposed to lay low That could destroy them both, Danny Ryan has to fight for his life in a city where dreams are born.or were they go to die.
From the shores of Rhode Island to the deserts of California where bodies disappear, from the power corridors of Washington where the real criminals operate to the fabled movie studios of Hollywood where the real money is made, City of Dreams is a sweeping saga of family, love, revenge, survival and the fierce reality behind the dream.
This book checks all the boxes and then some
Non stop intensity, thrills betrayals, greed, grit and with writing as sharp and insightful as a razor blade.
I literally stayed up all night reading, I was literally spellbound, a real page turner full of exciting plot twists
Winslow is a master storyteller, with a knack of bringing characters to life . . .
City Of Dreams 5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Rating
Highly recommend
I would like to thank NetGalley and Mira for the ARC of City of Dreams by Don Winslow in exchange for my honest review
May 29, 2023
I never thought I'd find myself thinking, saying, or writing this sentence, but Don Winslow's literary effort, was disappointing, in parts trite, and, the last 10 or 15 pages a botched attempt to mimic the unintelligible Irish author James Joyce, an anti-climax.
To make matters worse for me, he writes about San Diego's Gaslamp Quarter as though it remains the sordid underbelly of San Diego that it was 50 to 100 years ago when sailors, prossies, and drunk came up from their moored vessels at the Harbor to get sex and fun. As someone who is very familiar with San Diego, the Gaslamp District today as pretty much defines chi-chi, with expensive apartments and stores and the Chinese Historical Society Museum located in the middle of it with Petco Field only blocks walking distance from it. It is almost as though Winslow hadn't visited the locus in quo before he wrote about it.
The shock of it first hit me hard reading about the attempt to describe Dianne Carson's life before she hooked up with Danny Ryan. Oh no, Winslow really is plowing through the LA landmarks and tabloid stereotypes of successful actresses moving to the top in LA. For a time, I thought I was reading a merged script of The Godfather and The Departed (remember that scene where Leonardo DiCaprio gives a beatdown to 2 hoods from Providence, only minutes before Jack Nicholson murders them on a beach).
Winslow still reigns as one of my favorite authors whose books I look forward to enjoying long before they hit the stalls. His books are exciting to read, and I've found only a few current and living authors who capture my attention the way Winslow does (Mick Herron ranks up there). My expectations were high, therefore, but what I got was the transition book to Danny Ryan setting up in Las Vegas (the next in the trilogy, which I will read despite my disappointment with the City of Dreams.)
To make matters worse for me, he writes about San Diego's Gaslamp Quarter as though it remains the sordid underbelly of San Diego that it was 50 to 100 years ago when sailors, prossies, and drunk came up from their moored vessels at the Harbor to get sex and fun. As someone who is very familiar with San Diego, the Gaslamp District today as pretty much defines chi-chi, with expensive apartments and stores and the Chinese Historical Society Museum located in the middle of it with Petco Field only blocks walking distance from it. It is almost as though Winslow hadn't visited the locus in quo before he wrote about it.
The shock of it first hit me hard reading about the attempt to describe Dianne Carson's life before she hooked up with Danny Ryan. Oh no, Winslow really is plowing through the LA landmarks and tabloid stereotypes of successful actresses moving to the top in LA. For a time, I thought I was reading a merged script of The Godfather and The Departed (remember that scene where Leonardo DiCaprio gives a beatdown to 2 hoods from Providence, only minutes before Jack Nicholson murders them on a beach).
Winslow still reigns as one of my favorite authors whose books I look forward to enjoying long before they hit the stalls. His books are exciting to read, and I've found only a few current and living authors who capture my attention the way Winslow does (Mick Herron ranks up there). My expectations were high, therefore, but what I got was the transition book to Danny Ryan setting up in Las Vegas (the next in the trilogy, which I will read despite my disappointment with the City of Dreams.)
April 4, 2024
Looking for a breezy beach book? Look elsewhere.
Looking for a comedy? Look elsewhere.
Looking for a murder-mystery? Look elsewhere.
Looking for a gritty, intense, incredibly well written novel, #2 in a trilogy, about a man trying desperately to escape the ruins of his life in organized crime? Then settle in and hold onto your hat, 'cause you are in the right place.
Seems to me that just about every book by Don Winslow is gripping, intense, tending towards dark but with just enough light sprinkled in to give you faith that, somehow, against all odds, it'll all work out in the end... maybe. His ear for dialogue, his ability to craft a story and populate it with memorable characters is stellar.
In Danny Ryan, we have a character that is at once both sympathetic and despicable; noble and unsavory; tormented, yet driven by that torment to find peace. Danny is surrounded by other memorable characters whose personalities range from demonic to angelic. The mixture is akin to a perfectly balanced stew, with just the right amount of salty, sweet, and spicy flavors.
If you are an NPR listener, you might have caught Winslow's interview recently in which he revealed that the final installment of this series is the last book he plans to write. I have read many, not all, of his books, but I will be reading #3 in this series, City In Ruins next. I lament his retirement, as there are few authors that match his style and intensity, but take solace in knowing there's a few more Winslow novels waiting to be read. And after that, well, that's what Goodreads is for, right?
Looking for a comedy? Look elsewhere.
Looking for a murder-mystery? Look elsewhere.
Looking for a gritty, intense, incredibly well written novel, #2 in a trilogy, about a man trying desperately to escape the ruins of his life in organized crime? Then settle in and hold onto your hat, 'cause you are in the right place.
Seems to me that just about every book by Don Winslow is gripping, intense, tending towards dark but with just enough light sprinkled in to give you faith that, somehow, against all odds, it'll all work out in the end... maybe. His ear for dialogue, his ability to craft a story and populate it with memorable characters is stellar.
In Danny Ryan, we have a character that is at once both sympathetic and despicable; noble and unsavory; tormented, yet driven by that torment to find peace. Danny is surrounded by other memorable characters whose personalities range from demonic to angelic. The mixture is akin to a perfectly balanced stew, with just the right amount of salty, sweet, and spicy flavors.
If you are an NPR listener, you might have caught Winslow's interview recently in which he revealed that the final installment of this series is the last book he plans to write. I have read many, not all, of his books, but I will be reading #3 in this series, City In Ruins next. I lament his retirement, as there are few authors that match his style and intensity, but take solace in knowing there's a few more Winslow novels waiting to be read. And after that, well, that's what Goodreads is for, right?
June 27, 2023
Don Winslow continues to blow me away.
A trilogy bridge/middle book, but very much tells its own story as it sets up the finale. Which is high on my anticipated reads list.....
A trilogy bridge/middle book, but very much tells its own story as it sets up the finale. Which is high on my anticipated reads list.....
February 21, 2023
I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley to read and review.
CITY OF DREAMS by author Don Winslow is the 2nd book in the “Danny Ryan” series that continues the story of the life of the young Irish father and husband, who is a member of an Irish mob family, and who is running for his life in the aftermath of the conclusion of the first novel in the series “CITY ON FIRE”, (which I’d highly recommend).
Danny leaves Providence RI, the only city he’s ever known to hide out until it’s safe for his family and crew members to show up in public again after accomplishing what they set off to do, but at the cost of the safety and security of all involved in the heist successfully pulled off.
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.
Madeleine is Danny’s mother, a former showgirl who has successfully gained financial and political strength by making the right decisions and connections along the way, and who now would like to come to the aid of her son and grandson in their time of need, as she’s kept up on their lives from afar due to Danny’s refusal to forgive her for the abandonment of him after his birth.
Realizing the need to accept her offer of assistance, he agrees to leave his young son Ian in her care while he takes measures to ensure the safety of he and his crew.
Danny soon learns that his mother has almost unlimited influence in all areas, and eventually warms to her as both mother and benefactor, and she protects him against all enemies which allows him to decide what he wants to make of himself, and where his future should lie.
Soon the transformation of Danny from mob underling to a successful businessman dating a beautiful celebrity takes place, much to the amazement of all who’ve known him in the past, but also to those who view him as an enemy from the past.
Does Danny have the resolve to stay the course and avoid unwanted attention in the spotlight that could mean disaster for him and everyone around him, or will the temptation of his new love and lifestyle prove too difficult to let go of for the good of all who rely on his decisions?
Excellent second novel in the series that made me go back and read the first book in the series again, this is another fine mob novel by the author that makes a strong main character someone you hope will survive and succeed, in spite of some of the horrible things he’s done in in the past.
Highly recommended to all who enjoy a great mob story as only author Winslow can write.
5 stars.
CITY OF DREAMS by author Don Winslow is the 2nd book in the “Danny Ryan” series that continues the story of the life of the young Irish father and husband, who is a member of an Irish mob family, and who is running for his life in the aftermath of the conclusion of the first novel in the series “CITY ON FIRE”, (which I’d highly recommend).
Danny leaves Providence RI, the only city he’s ever known to hide out until it’s safe for his family and crew members to show up in public again after accomplishing what they set off to do, but at the cost of the safety and security of all involved in the heist successfully pulled off.
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.
Madeleine is Danny’s mother, a former showgirl who has successfully gained financial and political strength by making the right decisions and connections along the way, and who now would like to come to the aid of her son and grandson in their time of need, as she’s kept up on their lives from afar due to Danny’s refusal to forgive her for the abandonment of him after his birth.
Realizing the need to accept her offer of assistance, he agrees to leave his young son Ian in her care while he takes measures to ensure the safety of he and his crew.
Danny soon learns that his mother has almost unlimited influence in all areas, and eventually warms to her as both mother and benefactor, and she protects him against all enemies which allows him to decide what he wants to make of himself, and where his future should lie.
Soon the transformation of Danny from mob underling to a successful businessman dating a beautiful celebrity takes place, much to the amazement of all who’ve known him in the past, but also to those who view him as an enemy from the past.
Does Danny have the resolve to stay the course and avoid unwanted attention in the spotlight that could mean disaster for him and everyone around him, or will the temptation of his new love and lifestyle prove too difficult to let go of for the good of all who rely on his decisions?
Excellent second novel in the series that made me go back and read the first book in the series again, this is another fine mob novel by the author that makes a strong main character someone you hope will survive and succeed, in spite of some of the horrible things he’s done in in the past.
Highly recommended to all who enjoy a great mob story as only author Winslow can write.
5 stars.
April 11, 2024
With CITY OF DREAMS, Don Winslow delivers his penultimate novel; the second book in his Danny Ryan Trilogy. After escaping Rhode Island, Ryan takes up residence on the West Coast hoping to put the mob life behind him. However, as we all know, it isn’t that easy. Ryan has made a lot of powerful enemies over the years and in order to provide a modicum of safety for his family, Danny must pull one final job that will not only alleviate some of the pressure, but will also make him a very wealthy man in the process.
Much like Winslow’s best novels, CITY OF DREAMS runs at a break-neck pace. Not only is the action and plot beyond tightly structured, Winslow’s prose has the staccato of a machine gun as he rattles off quick, biting sentences that had my eyes racing across the page. I had a few long nights with this one as I found it damn near impossible to put down. Ryan’s quest to be seen as either legit, or a “good guy” is constantly marred by his reluctance to steer clear of the kind of justice that only organised crime can deliver. Knowing he has that option when his back is against the wall certainly makes him a flawed protagonist but one who still has morality, in a way. The best crime fiction novels spotlight main characters like Ryan who deep down know right from wrong, but aren’t afraid to get in the muck with their adversaries to come out on top.
While this novel will get your heart racing and your adrenaline pumping, there is lots of heartbreak to digest as well. Danny is ultimately a tragic figure and Winslow does not allow him to get through this novel unscathed. Something happens near the novel’s conclusion that left me misty-eyed. Like the best writers out there, Winslow really gets under your skin with his character work allowing you to truly care whether these fictional characters live or die, which sometimes isn’t easy.
CITY OF DREAMS had been initially released in 2023 in hardcover and since the majority of my Winslow novels are paperback, I somehow held off on reading this one until the paperback release hit store shelves. Once I put this one down, there was no way I was waiting a year for CITY IN RUINS. I was lucky enough to get my hands on that a few days before release, so review to follow!
Much like Winslow’s best novels, CITY OF DREAMS runs at a break-neck pace. Not only is the action and plot beyond tightly structured, Winslow’s prose has the staccato of a machine gun as he rattles off quick, biting sentences that had my eyes racing across the page. I had a few long nights with this one as I found it damn near impossible to put down. Ryan’s quest to be seen as either legit, or a “good guy” is constantly marred by his reluctance to steer clear of the kind of justice that only organised crime can deliver. Knowing he has that option when his back is against the wall certainly makes him a flawed protagonist but one who still has morality, in a way. The best crime fiction novels spotlight main characters like Ryan who deep down know right from wrong, but aren’t afraid to get in the muck with their adversaries to come out on top.
While this novel will get your heart racing and your adrenaline pumping, there is lots of heartbreak to digest as well. Danny is ultimately a tragic figure and Winslow does not allow him to get through this novel unscathed. Something happens near the novel’s conclusion that left me misty-eyed. Like the best writers out there, Winslow really gets under your skin with his character work allowing you to truly care whether these fictional characters live or die, which sometimes isn’t easy.
CITY OF DREAMS had been initially released in 2023 in hardcover and since the majority of my Winslow novels are paperback, I somehow held off on reading this one until the paperback release hit store shelves. Once I put this one down, there was no way I was waiting a year for CITY IN RUINS. I was lucky enough to get my hands on that a few days before release, so review to follow!
April 17, 2023
Another good read. Not Winslow’s best, but still engaging and enjoyable. Felt maybe a bit rushed at times, which is a bit strange as the author’s work always felt very carefully and well-paced previously.
Looking forward to the final book in the trilogy. Shame it’s such a long wait again.
Looking forward to the final book in the trilogy. Shame it’s such a long wait again.
May 16, 2023
Note to self - do not try this author again.
May 1, 2023
“No one really knows why damaged people find each other. But they do. There’s an attraction of pain to pain, a magnetism of hurt, a mutual recognition that creates a haven of understanding.”
This is the 2nd book of the Danny Ryan series and let me tell you, it’s my newest favorite series!! A but if a mix of Goodfellas and The Godfather, involving organized crime and of course beautiful women. The author does a great job in this book explaining things that happened in the first, so you could read it as a standalone…but, I would recommend reading them in order. It only took me a day and a half to read them both they are that good!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
This is the 2nd book of the Danny Ryan series and let me tell you, it’s my newest favorite series!! A but if a mix of Goodfellas and The Godfather, involving organized crime and of course beautiful women. The author does a great job in this book explaining things that happened in the first, so you could read it as a standalone…but, I would recommend reading them in order. It only took me a day and a half to read them both they are that good!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
April 26, 2023
No time for review, but word of advice. Read the first book of the trilogy first (City on Fire)as it provides a much needed and fleshed out background to the current story. 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. This novel is TOO good to not fully understand the culture and environment that these characters lived in. I cannot wait for the third book as there is a teaser at the back of the book with a short excerpt..Winslow wins!
May 31, 2023
There is no novelist that can compare with Don Winslow’s novels that deal with the drug cartels and organized crime, their operations, what it was like to be inside these murderous organizations, and what it was like to try and end their reign of drug induced terror. If you have read Winslow’s cartel trilogy; THE POWER OF THE DOG, THE CARTEL, and THE BORDER then you have experienced the depth of the author’s knowledge of the drug trade in well-written, deeply insightful, and carefully crafted works. Winslow is the author of twenty-three bestsellers, many of which have been made into films. His latest is the Danny Ryan trilogy which begins with CITY ON FIRE followed by his latest work, CITY OF DREAMS where we become reacquainted with Mr. Ryan who is now on the run from the FBI, the Mob, and the police as he tries to create a new life for himself in California. The crime fiction genre has no shortage of memorable mob sagas by such practitioners as Mario Puzo, James Ellroy, and Dennis Lehane. With its large cast of memorable characters and low-key allusions to classical literature, in CITY OF DREAMS Winslow provides incontrovertible evidence that he is part of this elite group, and perhaps is the best among them with his wit, erudition, and riveting approach to storytelling.
Winslow begins the novel describing the end of an organized crime war between the Irish and Italian mobs for control of the New England market, circa 1988. The Murphy’s, which Danny Ryan belonged to, lost the war to the Moretti family, and Ryan and his crew are driving south on I95 trying to escape the feds, the cops, and most of all the Moretti’s. Peter Moretti had set up the Murphy gang and they fell for what appeared to be an effective drug heist, but it backfired resulting with Ryan and his crew on the run and Moretti trying to recover millions of lost drugs.
The novel’s plot centers on Ryan who, when push came to shove, dumped $2 million worth of heroin into the ocean and killed a dirty FBI agent named Phil Jardine. The problem for Ryan is that the FBI’s national sub director for organized crime, Reggie Moneta was Jardine’s lover and she wants revenge against Ryan no matter the cost. For Ryan, who winds up in San Diego and later Las Vegas life is hard. Right before he left Providence, RI his wife Terri died of cancer. Further, his father the old leader of the Murphy gang, suffers from dementia and is institutionalized. Ryan also has a young son Ian and is broke.
Winslow’s story presents the dysfunctional nature of mob families. The Moretti’s are a case in point as Peter and Paul Moretti, brothers, do their best to make the other look bad. As the novel unfolds one gumba is screwing another’s wife, one of the gambas daughters commits suicide, and all are looking for the next drug deal that will set them up for life. Interestingly, one of the affairs is between Peter Moretti and Cassandra Murphy even as their families are trying to kill each other.
The author’s writing is serious, witty, and extremely entertaining. His characters’ experiences are fodder for Winslow’s sarcasm and somewhat perverted view of human nature that permeates the novel. It is clear the FBI and the mob want Ryan dead, but the former head of the CIA and currently a Georgetown University professor, Evan Penner wants him alive, which allows Winslow to introduce a number of characters that help create varied plot twists. There is Brent Harris, a former student of Penner who is a DEA agent with the Southwest High Intensity Drug Trafficking Task Force. He will track Ryan down in Las Vegas and convince or blackmail him into doing his bidding against the Baja Cartel and its leader Domingo Abbarca. Other important characters include Madeline McKay, Ryan’s mother who has done very well financially as a courtesan to feds, cabinet members, judges and other officials as a “high class courtesan,” who has morphed into a “dotting” grandmother.” Celia Moretti who hates her husband Peter is screwing Vinnie Calfo who will eventually become head of the crime family. Lastly, Reggie Moneta who is obsessed with killing Ryan even when she is told by higher ups to stand down telling associates she “wants Ryan delivered like KFC. In a bag or in a box.”
Perhaps the most entertaining section of the book is the author’s insight into the Hollywood film industry, particularly comments that show how “the Hollywood film industry and the criminal class intersect.” It centers on two members of Ryan’s crew, “the Alter boys,” Kevin Coombs and Sean South who weasel and threaten their way onto the set of a film about the New England mob as “consultants.” The film entitled, “Providence” has a “Danny Ryan type figure” and when the “Alter boys” want a larger stake in the film the producer pushes them away resulting in negative happenings on the set. Eventually Ryan is contacted to reign in his crew, invests in the film himself, and meets its star Diane Carson, just out of rehab.
The result of all of the machinations Winslow introduces is a continuing drug war involving the FBI carrying out an off-book operation against a Mexican cartel, a continuing war with the remnants of the Murphy and Moretti crime families, Danny Ryan seemingly working with the feds to survive, and a Hollywood film, resulting in a fascinating plot as Ryan falls in love with a Hollywood starlet. The progression of Ryan’s life involves numerous twists and turns, the result of which makes for a sweeping tale of family, revenge, and survival as he confronts the reality of what he hopes his life will turn out to be.
As Maureen Corrigan writes in her April 27, 2023, review in the Washington Post, ”before journey’s end, Danny will also be hunted down by a Mexican cartel run by a psychopath named Popeye Abbarca, whose men will comb roadside motels and bars, thirsting for Danny’s blood and that of his kin. Though inflected with occasional reflections on the absurdity of the human condition, “City of Dreams” is no picaresque; instead, as his many fans have come to expect from Winslow, this latest novel in a projected trilogy is unrelentingly tough, tense and violent. Distinct from its predecessor, “City on Fire,” in the geographical sweep of its story, “City of Dreams” reads like one long breathless drag race between Danny and his many enemies on the all-American road to Nowhere.”
By the end of the new novel, Danny and the few friends he has left are on the run again, setting the stage for the trilogy’s upcoming conclusion, CITY IN RUINS.
Winslow begins the novel describing the end of an organized crime war between the Irish and Italian mobs for control of the New England market, circa 1988. The Murphy’s, which Danny Ryan belonged to, lost the war to the Moretti family, and Ryan and his crew are driving south on I95 trying to escape the feds, the cops, and most of all the Moretti’s. Peter Moretti had set up the Murphy gang and they fell for what appeared to be an effective drug heist, but it backfired resulting with Ryan and his crew on the run and Moretti trying to recover millions of lost drugs.
The novel’s plot centers on Ryan who, when push came to shove, dumped $2 million worth of heroin into the ocean and killed a dirty FBI agent named Phil Jardine. The problem for Ryan is that the FBI’s national sub director for organized crime, Reggie Moneta was Jardine’s lover and she wants revenge against Ryan no matter the cost. For Ryan, who winds up in San Diego and later Las Vegas life is hard. Right before he left Providence, RI his wife Terri died of cancer. Further, his father the old leader of the Murphy gang, suffers from dementia and is institutionalized. Ryan also has a young son Ian and is broke.
Winslow’s story presents the dysfunctional nature of mob families. The Moretti’s are a case in point as Peter and Paul Moretti, brothers, do their best to make the other look bad. As the novel unfolds one gumba is screwing another’s wife, one of the gambas daughters commits suicide, and all are looking for the next drug deal that will set them up for life. Interestingly, one of the affairs is between Peter Moretti and Cassandra Murphy even as their families are trying to kill each other.
The author’s writing is serious, witty, and extremely entertaining. His characters’ experiences are fodder for Winslow’s sarcasm and somewhat perverted view of human nature that permeates the novel. It is clear the FBI and the mob want Ryan dead, but the former head of the CIA and currently a Georgetown University professor, Evan Penner wants him alive, which allows Winslow to introduce a number of characters that help create varied plot twists. There is Brent Harris, a former student of Penner who is a DEA agent with the Southwest High Intensity Drug Trafficking Task Force. He will track Ryan down in Las Vegas and convince or blackmail him into doing his bidding against the Baja Cartel and its leader Domingo Abbarca. Other important characters include Madeline McKay, Ryan’s mother who has done very well financially as a courtesan to feds, cabinet members, judges and other officials as a “high class courtesan,” who has morphed into a “dotting” grandmother.” Celia Moretti who hates her husband Peter is screwing Vinnie Calfo who will eventually become head of the crime family. Lastly, Reggie Moneta who is obsessed with killing Ryan even when she is told by higher ups to stand down telling associates she “wants Ryan delivered like KFC. In a bag or in a box.”
Perhaps the most entertaining section of the book is the author’s insight into the Hollywood film industry, particularly comments that show how “the Hollywood film industry and the criminal class intersect.” It centers on two members of Ryan’s crew, “the Alter boys,” Kevin Coombs and Sean South who weasel and threaten their way onto the set of a film about the New England mob as “consultants.” The film entitled, “Providence” has a “Danny Ryan type figure” and when the “Alter boys” want a larger stake in the film the producer pushes them away resulting in negative happenings on the set. Eventually Ryan is contacted to reign in his crew, invests in the film himself, and meets its star Diane Carson, just out of rehab.
The result of all of the machinations Winslow introduces is a continuing drug war involving the FBI carrying out an off-book operation against a Mexican cartel, a continuing war with the remnants of the Murphy and Moretti crime families, Danny Ryan seemingly working with the feds to survive, and a Hollywood film, resulting in a fascinating plot as Ryan falls in love with a Hollywood starlet. The progression of Ryan’s life involves numerous twists and turns, the result of which makes for a sweeping tale of family, revenge, and survival as he confronts the reality of what he hopes his life will turn out to be.
As Maureen Corrigan writes in her April 27, 2023, review in the Washington Post, ”before journey’s end, Danny will also be hunted down by a Mexican cartel run by a psychopath named Popeye Abbarca, whose men will comb roadside motels and bars, thirsting for Danny’s blood and that of his kin. Though inflected with occasional reflections on the absurdity of the human condition, “City of Dreams” is no picaresque; instead, as his many fans have come to expect from Winslow, this latest novel in a projected trilogy is unrelentingly tough, tense and violent. Distinct from its predecessor, “City on Fire,” in the geographical sweep of its story, “City of Dreams” reads like one long breathless drag race between Danny and his many enemies on the all-American road to Nowhere.”
By the end of the new novel, Danny and the few friends he has left are on the run again, setting the stage for the trilogy’s upcoming conclusion, CITY IN RUINS.
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