The Winter of Frankie Machine by Don Winslow

This is the first book that I'd like to bring to people's attention. This is the story of retired hitman Frank Machianno, known in mob circles as Frankie Machine. He is working hard at his post-hitman careers when someone tries to kill him and he is dragged back into his former life. This has been done before but Winslow does it with humor and a realistic grittiness that is sometimes lacking in crime fiction. I have read some reviews that said that the flashbacks were a negative but I found them to be interesting and they lay the foundation for the story happening in the present.

Fans of The Sopranos would enjoy this as well as people who like crime fiction in general. It is due to be a movie in 2009 starring Robert DeNiro and directed by Michael Mann. I am looking forward to this because DeNiro is a great actor and Michael Mann's Heat is one of my favorite movies.

Whether you like this one or not, leave a comment and let me know what you think. If you like it, spread the word. I can also recommend Winslow's California Fire and Life.

Jeff's Bookcase

My intention is to review books that I like and only books that I like. The web is already too full of crap to waste space complaining about books, especially if you haven't published one yourself. Since I haven't, yet, I'm going to focus on books that I enjoyed. If you agree with me, leave a comment. If you don't agree with me, leave a comment. I will try not to review anything that is out of print or insanely expensive. Otherwise, any book is fair game, although I am partial to crime novels and history so the selections may be slanted that direction. My hope is to introduce people to authors that they may not already know.