This is Book 3 in Dan Winslows Danny Ryan series, but I’ll bet it’ll be called his “Cities”series. I’ve been a Wnslow fan since The Dawn Patrol (2008) and I the latest books were some stand-alone stories when they attracted my attention at Audible. Then came The Cartel but I had to go back to pick up The Power of the Dog and go on to The Border – I did love that series.

City in Ruins
by Don Winslow
2024
read by Ari Flaikos, 8h 57m
Rating – A++ / crime thriller with lit tones
(#3 in Danny Ryan trilogy)

And then came the “Danny Ryan” books and an announcement that this was the end. Winslow read the works of Aeschylus decades ago and it fascinated him. He dreamed of writing a modern day version so there are epigrams from heading every chapter.

Winslow was retiring. Oh dear. But I think he started going through his old writings because this is about when his old novellas and some short stores started appearing on “the stands”

In book 1, City on Fire, Winslow introduces Danny Ryan and some Rhode Island fishing families. There were some gangs there too, so the Ryans became the Irish gang, but there were Italian gangs, and some Black gang encroachment from New York. They all vied for power by violence, but for a long time the main money was in fishing.

Then drugs came in and in City of Dreams Danny’s father an old-time a shot-caller doesn’t want any part of it so Danny Ryan gets the nod. But now a kind of war breaks out between the gangs. Danny ends up leaveing town with his infant son, Ian, (whose mother died of cancer) and a few cronies and a “shit-load” of money he’d skimmed in all the confusion. Danny heads for Las Vegas where his mom has “done well,” and those who go along choose California. And Danny’s mom there and finds more action – gangs – trying to control the money. Danny wants nothing to do with that, but can’t quite stay completely out of it. He gets a casino license.
( ** Up above, do a search for Winslow and you’ll come up with about a dozen books.**)

In City in Ruins, the final book in the trilogy, Danny and Ian have settled in with his mother and the locals including a few “wise guys,” He has his old buddies from Rhode Island along with some new friends and business associates from various places including family.  Gang activity is strictly prohibited and pretty well enforced. He’s already rich and has a motherless 11-year old son. What now? He wants to buy in on his main rival’s casino. He wants to put up a bigger casino. He wants to get more – always.

In some ways I was reminded so much of The Godfather with its gang violence all the way to the old and the very top. The families and associates sprawl as they compete for “business” and power. I remember reading Mario Puzo’s bestseller and having to lightly skim (or actually skip) the graphic violence until I could see who was left alive. I loved the book though and I read

Not this time. I read every word but got pretty confused sometimes. There are a lot of characters some and Danny’s schemes and dreams are complex through all three books. I didn’t look at reviews prior to or during my reading, but after I finished reading I did.

Nope again. I read every word, but got pretty confused sometimes. There are a lot of characters some and Danny’s schemes and dreams are complex through all three books. I didn’t look at reviews prior to or during my reading, but after I finished reading I did.

I think the main themes are kind of the usual – how family, love, honor and loyalty will sustain a man but greed and pride are always around and highly motivating.