The Winter of Frankie Machine

The stunning new novel by the acclaimed author of The Power of the Dog ('so good you want to keep him to yourself' Ian Rankin), bought for the movies by Robert de Niro, who plans to play Frankie himself. Frank Machianno is the guy, a late-middle-aged ex-surf bum who runs a bait shack on the San Diego waterfront. That's when he's not juggling any of his other three part-time jobs or trying to get a quick set in on his long board. He's a beloved fixture of the community, a stand-up businessman, a devoted father to his daughter. Frank's also a hit man. Well, a retired hit man. Back in the day, when he was one of the most feared members of the West Coast mob, he was known as Frankie Machine. Years ago, Frank consigned his mob ties to the past, which is where he wants them to stay. But a favour called in by the local boss is one Frank simply can't refuse, and before he knows it he's sucked back into the treacherous currents of his former life. Someone from his past wants him dead, and he has to figure out who, and why, and he has to do it fast. The problem is that the list of candidates is about the size of his local phone book and Frank's rapidly running out of time...

About the Author :
Don Winslow has worked as a movie theatre manager, a production assistant, and as a private investigator. In addition to being a novelist he now works as an independent consultant in issues involving litigation arising from criminal behaviour. His novels include The Kings of Cool, Savages, The Death and Life of Bobby Z, California Fire and Life, The Power of the Dog, The Winter of Frankie Machine and The Dawn Patrol. In 2012 Savages was released as a blockbuster film.

Review :
Praise for The Power of the Dog: No one since James Ellroy has conveyed the morally troubled heart of the American dream with such savage aim... A future classic. Don Winslow is the kind of cult writer who is so good you almost want to keep him to yourself The first great dope novel since Dog Soldiers thirty years ago. It's frightening and sad, with a superbly sustained intensity. A beautifully compressed vision of hell, with all its attendant moral madness A damn good read. If you've never read Don Winslow, start now It is impossible in a few words to do [it] justice... It's a huge book, both in size and scope It was hard to see how Winslow could top his excellent 2006 novel The Power of the Dog, but he's done it ... Masterful Smoothly oiled, superbly assembled . . . A traditional mob tale on steroids A gripping thriller . . . Like his book's central figure, Mr. Winslow is good at what he does Graceful . . . Wonderfully imagined . . . Winslow's story explodes with . . . gritty realism Smart, staccato . . . A reading experience of sustained intensity, with appealingly sleazy characters and an Elmore Leonard-like snap in the dialogue