City on Fire

July 15, 2021
A blistering novel filled with anger and bite. Danny Ryan is a dockworker in Providence, Rhode Island, who's "faithful like a dog" to his wife, Terri, of the rival Murphy clan, and sometimes does some less-than-legal errands for his father-in-law, John. He wants more out of his life and wants to "not owe nobody nothing," but nobody ever leaves Dogtown. One day at the beach, he sees "the goddess who came out of the sea" and who "has a voice like sex." Terri's brother Liam Murphy accidentally-on-purpose touches the woman's breast, which sets off a chain reaction of events in which bullets fly and f-bombs and their ilk swarm like cicadas on nearly every page. You know, you just don't touch a made guy's woman, and the goddess is going out with Paulie Moretti. The Providence press gleefully reports the other-side-of-the-tracks bloodletting among men who supplement their wages with hijacking trucks and boosting heroin. So Danny wants out with his wife and son, but--well, it's complicated. Chances are they'll have to live and die in Dogtown. And, oh yeah, Danny loathes his rich mother, who tries so hard to make amends for abandoning him. The characters are as vividly described as some of them are vile: One guy "never met a job he couldn't lose." John Murphy is "the king of an empire that died a long time ago. The light of a long-dead star." At the ocean, Danny observes that the "whitecaps look like the beards of sad old men." A Murphy declares, "That Ryan blood....It's cursed." But the Murphy blood isn't exactly touched by angels either. And then there are the Morettis, all of them trapped in a cycle of crime and violence, just looking for an excuse to go to war. One difference between Danny and some of the others is he's never killed anybody. Yet. Meanwhile, a planned heist might just solve some financial problems for whomever survives all the betrayals. Plenty of pain for the characters, plenty of thrills for the reader.

COPYRIGHT(2021) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Starred review from July 19, 2021
Set in 1986, this impressive series launch from Edgar finalist Winslow (the Cartel trilogy) focuses on the follies, vendettas, and private ambitions of warring mobsters in Providence, R.I. Well-connected, rival mob families have managed to coexist in the city in relative harmony for decades, with aging racketeer John Murphy and his Irish clan controlling the docks in the upper southside, known as Dogtown, and Pasco Ferri’s Italian circle on Federal Hill ruling the trucking industry. Murphy’s son-in-law, conscientious Danny Ryan, whose father once controlled the Irish syndicate, frequently does jobs for the powerful Moretti brothers, Peter and Paulie. But when Danny’s arrogant, troublemaker brother, Liam, drunkenly molests Paulie’s new girlfriend, it tears the fabric of their association, triggering a vicious lasting feud that wrecks the balance of power irrevocably. With Pasco’s retirement imminent, the provocation is the perfect excuse for the Morettis to beat Liam almost to death and initiate a power grab that forces peacekeeper Danny into a desperate battle to protect those he loves. Winslow’s epic slow-burner, full of richly layered characters and tender personal struggles, bubbles to an intricate, exciting climax. Crime fiction fans will eagerly await the sequel. Agent: Shane Salerno, Story Factory.

Starred review from August 1, 2021
A tenuous peace exists between rival gangs in 1986 Providence, Rhode Island. The Irish control the docks, while the Italians run the drugs and hijack the trucks. Then, at the annual clambake, where both groups traditionally make nice, a femme fatale appears in a bikini (""the goddess who came out of the sea,"" as Danny Ryan describes her). Danny knows she's going to cause trouble, and it happens quickly. Pam, the goddess, is with one of the Italians, Paulie, and naturally, Liam, Danny's impetuous and ""Kennedy-handsome"" brother-in law (""he didn't kiss the Blarney Stone--it kissed him""), makes a crude pass at Pam. It's hardly surprising that Winslow begins several sections of this first in a trilogy with quotes from Homer's Iliad; the gang war that erupts when Pam (Helen of Troy) dumps Paulie (Menelaus) and takes up with Liam (Paris) drives the action, but the family drama featuring conflicted Danny (a fascinating blend of warrior Achilles and introspective Hector) is at the heart of the novel, and Winslow brilliantly captures the passion and human drama on the home front. Torn by domestic crises involving his wife, Terri, and his estranged mother, Danny longs to escape Providence, but his inherited role as head of the family holds him in place. Will an elaborate finesse set him free? This completely immersive opening act signals a trilogy in the offing that will possess all the power of Winslow's celebrated Cartel novels.

COPYRIGHT(2021) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Starred review from January 1, 2022

Winslow ("Cartel Trilogy") hits the ground running in this stunning first installment of a planned trilogy about the conflict between two mob families who control New England in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The Murphy and Moretti families have been at odds for years, but now a beautiful young woman named Pam comes between them. She gets involved with one of the Morettis and sets off events that soon evolve into a full-scale mob war and implicate hard-working young longshoreman and family man Danny Ryan, who provides part-time muscle for the Irish crime syndicate headed by John Murphy. When Danny is injured in a botched hit job, he will have to decide whether to step up and lead the crime family or be destroyed in a war that threatens him, his family, and his beloved hometown of Providence. VERDICT Echoing Homer's epic Iliad, Winslow delivers a fast-paced, intense, and brooding story. It's perfect for readers of William Boyle, James Lee Burke, and Dennis Lehane.--Bill Anderson

Copyright 2022 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.