Review: The Dawn Patrol by Don Winslow

Today in January Magazine’s crime fiction section, Cameron Hughes reviews The Dawn Patrol by Don Winslow. Says Hughes:

I’m hoping The Dawn Patrol changes things for Don Winslow, that this is a huge success, and that he is hereafter mentioned in the same breath as modern giants such as Michael Connelly and George Pelecanos, because this new book is one of the best private eye novels I’ve read in years.

Boone Daniels used to be a cop. Now he’s a surfer in San Diego, California, obsessively checking how high the waves are and tracking where the epic swells will be on any given day. To support this habit, he does the bare minimum of work necessary, as a P.I. Life seems pretty darn good for Boone Daniels and his surfer buddies on “the Dawn Patrol.” So why is Daniels’ bank account empty? And why does he now spend countless nights trying to find the suspected rapist and killer of a 6-year-old girl -- a case that got cold fast when he was on the San Diego Police Department and refused to torture information out of the favored suspect?

This is a novel chock-a-block with hidden secrets and depths, and Winslow lets you know that right off the bat when he introduces the members of his Patrol by their nicknames only. Other than Daniels, we have Hang Twelve, Dave the Love God, Sunny Day, High Tide and an occasional comrade known as Red Eddie. Don’t you dare let anyone spoil the fun by telling you ahead of time what these names mean. Even their group’s appellation -- and this book’s title -- has a second, darker meaning.

The full review is here.

Interview: Richard Marinick

Today in January Magazine, Cameron Hughes chats with novelist Richard Marinick, author of 2004’s Boyos and, more recently, In for a Pound. In an affectionate preamble to the interview, Hughes says:

It is my fear that Richard Marinick’s novels will be overshadowed by his past. You see, he was a prolific thief of armored cars. To put it in crime-fiction terms, he was the Parker of his thievery gang, the planner. But he was caught before anyone was killed by his gang and served 10 years in the Massachusetts Correctional Institution at Norfolk. Before getting into the robbery game, Marinick was a state trooper in Massachusetts. Now, at 56 years old, he proves that you can always turn your life around.

Marinick’s also a damn fine writer. His debut novel, Boyos (2004), was a fierce and violent heist novel, brimming with passion and, yes, humanity. There are no cardboard criminals in Boyos, spouting Tarantino dialogue; nor does the author rip off heist masters like Richard Stark (aka Donald E. Westlake). His novels are completely original and fresh.

The interview is here.

Review: A Killer’s Kiss by William Lashner

Today, in January Magazine’s crime fiction section, Cameron Hughes looks at A Killer’s Kiss by William Lashner. Says Hughes:

Man, I hate legal thrillers. They’re just so awful. And there are varieties of awful, too! There’s Small-town Lawyer Standing Up for What’s Right, there’s Small-town Lawyer Who Is Smarter Than the Corporate Bullies, and then there’s my favorite, Big-shot Lawyer Sees the Light and Fights for the Little Guy/Lost Cause. Bonus points if there’s a plucky minority member involved.

Tell me I’m wrong.

So thank goodness for William Lashner, the Philadelphia trial lawyer turned novelist, who probably noticed all of this and has since been proving, rather quietly, that legal thrillers can actually be cool, that they can be character driven and smart and funny as hell.

The full review is here.