The Winter of Frankie Machine by Don Winslow
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

It is a very well written book. I read and reread some passages several times because Mr. Winslow's prose is so wonderful. The book is extremely readable and quite funny. Frank Machianno, an accomplished killer, is a fully developed character, described through his actions rather than through the author's words. The plot is tight and engrossing, although the pace slows down toward the end. To sum up, a masterful and entertaining thriller. So why only three stars? I do not really need another book about the mob. The topic is so boring. It has been exhausted. Let's quote from the book (page 167, hardcover edition): "Hanging out with the mob guys, Frank thought, was like being frozen in some perpetual junior high school time warp. The conversations were always about sex, food, farts, smells, girls, small dicks, and homos." Exactly!

View all my reviews