⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I literally couldn’t put down City in Ruins. Don Winslow caps off both his Danny Ryan trilogy and his career with a knockout of a finale that’s equal parts brutal, beautiful, and heartbreaking. Former dockworker and Irish mob soldier Danny Ryan has transformed into a Las Vegas casino mogul, swimming in wealth and respectability. Life finally seems golden—he has a son he adores, a woman he might love, and enough money to last several lifetimes. But when Danny tries to buy a prime piece of real estate to build his dream resort, he stirs up a hornet’s nest of corrupt Vegas power brokers, a ruthless FBI agent bent on revenge, and a rival casino boss with mob ties of his own.
The story is pure Winslow—tight plotting, whip-smart dialogue, and characters drawn with both fire and humanity. As Danny’s world unravels, the violence is gut-punch real, yet the emotion cuts even deeper. Beneath the blood and betrayal lies a haunting meditation on loyalty, redemption, and the price of ambition. If this truly is Winslow’s final act, he’s going out on top. City in Ruins is crime fiction at its finest—taut, tragic, and utterly unforgettable. If you are new to the series, I recommend you read the novels in order.
** Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for a complimentary copy. The opinions are my own.