City on Fire: The gripping new crime novel for fans of The Godfather from the international number one bestselling author of The Cartel trilogy (Danny Ryan, 1)

The ‘Border Trilogy’ about the Mexican drug Cartels has to be up there with some of my favourite books. City on Fire is the first book in his other trilogy which reminded me of the Godfather and is as good as the Border trilogy. City on Fire transports the typical mob story from the well-worn streets of New York or Boston, to the grittier, more intimate landscape of 1980s Providence, a fading New England industrial city which becomes almost a character itself, its economic decline mirroring the moral decay of the families who control it, the Irish and Italian mob. They had previously worked harmoniously, but one incident escalates the relationship into outright war, the novel’s Helen of Troy comparison. The novel tracks a minor player in the Irish mob, Danny Ryan, who married the boss’s daughter, as he tries to navigate the gang war, eventually escaping Providence, to California, in the aftermath with his son, father and several friends. His wife and best friend having died. As always with Winslow his pacing makes the book a page turner and builds tension through what feels like inevitable momentum rather than forced plot machinations. His characters are sharp and naturally reveal layers without unnecessary exposition. Perhaps the novel's greatest strength lies in its exploration of how violence begets violence through seemingly minor provocations. Winslow shows how a misunderstood gesture or perceived disrespect can trigger cascading consequences that spiral beyond anyone's control. This isn't just about honour codes or territory, it's about the fundamental human inability to see beyond our own perspective until it's too late. Providence's decline becomes metaphor for the characters' inability to adapt, making their destruction feel both personal and historical. Winslow has crafted a modern retelling of the Iliad, where Helen of Troy is a New England trust fund girl called Pam.

Don Winslow's books are always exciting and interesting, and this one keeps up his high standards.

Great book by Great author

Don Winslow writes very well. In his Mexican drug trilogy there was a great deal of violence, more than a little sex and some moral philosophy. But his English was copybook. In City on Fire, he adopts the language of the American / Italian / Irish gangster. "Gangster speak." I never watched the Sopranos on television but they lived in the same world that Winslow has moved to Rhode Island. Conflict between one time partners becomes very violent and the plot is excellent. Many authors find it difficult to bring a good plot to a good conclusion, but in this first book of a trilogy, Winslow succeeds in doing so. Knowing there were 2 more books to come did slightly influence my reaction to the end scenes, but I found this to be an easy, fast moving read.

This was a bit of a slow burner to start with a lot of background information about the characters but once it got rolling it was well up to the standard that I have come to expect from Don Winslow, superb, surprising and massively entertaining, thank you Don.

This is an enjoyable and easy read, and I do look forward to the rest of the trilogy - with certain characters having real potential to grow and pique more interest - but the characters and storylines are a bit hackneyed and if you’re a fan of the mobster genre then with each page you may get the nagging suspicion you’ve read or seen similar elsewhere before, and maybe better done. It’s a bit unfair to compare to his Cartel trilogy, which is an absolute masterpiece - more than just fiction, but also a wide-ranging education and sharp commentary on the ‘war’ on drugs - and was I’m sure both exhausting to research and write in such (often harrowing) depth, so I don’t necessarily blame the author for taking a slightly easier path. However, the characters and storyline lack freshness - with the gay mafioso storyline similar to that told in The Sopranos - and Winslow’s other novels such as The Force and The Winter of Frankie Machine have covered similar themes before but with much more vim and vigour. All in all, I enjoyed it, and you most likely will to, but I felt a little disappointed. Perhaps Mr Winslow has set his own bar very high. I suspect the trilogy will improve as it proceeds and perhaps this opening book is just a necessary route to allow for fresher, more engaging developments. I hope so.

I’ve read the three books in this serial and they are fantastic treat yourself you won’t be disappointed O

Having been blown away by the Force & The Border trilogy- been sitting on this until close to publication of the final book in the series. Winslow is a master. This is a starting point, looking forward to seeing where the story goes.

... here You have it right from the pen of a great Storyteller! And it's only the first of a trilogy which Don Winslow himself in several interviews declared 'his Last One'. Here he let himself inspire by Homer and his Iliad and Odyssee, and we will see in the next two books if he 'copied' by Vergil and his Aeneis, too. Here the Greeks and Trojans are the Irish and Italian Mobsters, but this word is not openly used. Rhode Island in 1986, the Northwest of the USA is divided by two opposing criminal syndicates. Pam, the modern Helen of Troy is dating a Moretti, but seeks a sweet connection with the opposite part, the Murphy Clan. And soon the bodies start to pile up... The main character is Danny Ryan, married with a child on the way and soon forced into a role he never wanted. But have a brother-in-arms almost beaten to death, cannot go by without revenge. And a small flash ignites a fire which is worth that of the Fall of Ancient Troy... But around the epic, eternal themes about family, love, honor, loyalty, hate and treachery we have to wait patiently for the release of the two following books of this Saga. The next book is called "City of Dreams" and the first chapters are there, in my Kindle eBook. And I personally, am biting my nails!

The first book in the Danny Ryan trilogy. Intriguing plot and well-developed characters, which Ryan continues throughout two more volumes. This stands out among mystery trilogies. Strong imagery throughout.

A brutal witty page-turner you don't want to come to an the end.

I'm a big fan of Don Winslow and this book is just as great as the others. Can't wait to start the second book !

Wow! What a book. I read a lot of crime books and I must say that this book and his previous book The Force were page turning thrillers. In particular I liked The Force and an earlier book, The Winter of Frankie Machine. In those 2 books not only does Winslow tell gritty tale, but decries the massive political corruption that is so prevalent. City on Fire is beautifully crafted and leaves place for a sequel , which I am eagerly anticipating. Winslow, in my mind, in the 3 books mentioned in the review, is the Crime writer since Jame Elroy’s first 3 books in his L.A. Novels, beginning with The Black Dahlia