City in Ruins

So Don Winslow closes the curtain on both Danny Ryan and his career with the fitting, explosive, brutal and brilliant City In Ruins.

There is not much that can said about this stellar mega star of writing that’s not already been said. But as ever the hype is backed up with a story and trilogy that genuinely deserves the title epic.

With his own superlative writing style, Winslow builds the suspense, the intrigue, the threat throughout the first 200 pages before truly unleashing his full gamut of story telling power as he bring Danny Ryan’s tale to an incredible close.

Undoubtedly one of the finest books of the year, and one of the finest crime trilogy’s on paper.

Don Winslow's writing career comes to a close as he retires with his gritty final addition to his explosive epic crime saga with his Danny Ryan trilogy. Ryan, the ex Rhode Island docker, a low level member of the Irish mob, who lost his wife, is fiercely determined to protect his son, as we are provided with a much appreciated brief recap of the previous books. In its echoes of Greek tragedies, Helen of Troy, the Trojan War and its repercussions, this is a dark and bleak concluding narrative where the past Ryan thought long forgotten refuses to remain buried, as we encounter both familiar and new characters. As might be forseen, there is brutality, conflict, and violence as all that Ryan holds dear comes under threat.

Danny Ryan is now rich beyond imagination, he has turned his life around, a reputation as a respected businessman and casino mogul, part of an enterprise, a silent partner, which owns hotels. However, for him it is not enough, he wants more, but as he reaches too far, this brings a host of powerful and ruthless operators, old and new, including a FBI agent seeking revenge, intent on destroying him and taking all that he owns. To protect himself and his son, Ryan has no choice but to do anything necessary, forced to draw on his past, to be the ruthless man he never wanted to be again. This is a emotional roller coaster of a read, taking in ambition, love, feuds, revenge, hatred, humanity, power, corruption, psychopaths, misery and more.

This is an utterly compulsive and intense concluding entry in Winslow's complicated and memorable trilogy that ends on a career high for the author, soaked with vibrant drama, with its skilful character developments that can surprise and intrigue, a dirty past that Ryan can never quite be free of, and with a epilogue that informs and charts Ryan's son, his life and future. This is a fitting final piece that I have no doubt many readers will love, a beautifully written must read crime trilogy that I recommend highly to all readers. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

City in Ruins is the last book by Don Winslow as he is retiring from being an author and if that holds then this is an excellent way to go out.

The book is the third one in the Danny Ryan series and is another excellent read from a great author.

Highly recommended.

All good things have to come to an end and if this really is the end of Dan Winslow's book writing career then he has gone out on a suitable high.

The saga of Danny Ryan, mobster turned businessman comes to a suitable end and one that has you nod g in satisfaction if perhaps even shedding the odd tear.

The story is brilliantly told and all loose ends are suitably dealt with. The writing style is elegant and yet the story zips along at pace and the characters are all well developed and credible and never cardboard cut outs.

The tension and excitement builds until an end befitting of such a wonderful series.

Thank you Don Winslow for such an amazing series and indeed a panoply of brilliant titles over the course of your august career.

City in Ruins is the final book in Don Winslow's powerful Danny Ryan trilogy and I finished it in 2 minds. Firstly it didn't disappoint and is an exciting and satisfactory end to a great series, Secondly,and sadly,this is Winslow's last book........but what a note to end on.

After his escapades in Hollywood Ryan retires his old crew,leaves his old life behind him and heads to Las Vegas. With his old life behind him Danny finds success in the hotel business and becomes very rich,and popular. When he overreaches and makes an enemy of a former friend things start to go wrong,not least when the past he thought he'd left behind comes back to bite him with a vengeance. Danny Ryan only knows one way to respond to a threat.

It's pretty much essential to have read the previous 2 books to get the most out of this one, the whole is quite a complicated saga. This episode sees Ryan in his more mellow middle years and while there are rumblings of the past it seems most of the old characters have settled into much quieter lives......but of course this is Don Winslow and when things start to happen they happen quickly then really kick off.

This is a fitting end to Don Winslow's career as a writer and a hell of a finale. I don't know why he's decided to stop writing but thanks Don for the years of entertainment.