Don Winslow, The Winter of Frankie Machine

The Winter of Frankie Machine

Don Winslow

Knopf, October 2006, $24.00

ISBN 1400044986

Former mob hit man Frank "Frankie Machine" Machianno was considered the best at his vocation by his peers and his superiors until he retired. He relocated to San Diego, where he opened up a bait shop and sells seafood he catches to local restaurants.

Though he sometimes misses his old life, Frank knows that killing people is a young man's game, with few of his profession reaching retirement age like he has. Still, he does an occasional favor for his former associates, so he is asked to provide backup during a disputed resolution between the San Diego and Detroit mobs, and Frank agrees to do so. However, instead of providing quiet muscle, Frank realizes the scenario is a setup with someone wanting him dead. Though not quite the super Frankie Machine, Frank remains a formidable opponent and begins an investigation into who from his past hired a hit on him, while surviving attempts to take him out by killing first.

Mindful of Bronsen's The Mechanic, THE WINTER OF FRANKIE MACHINE is terrific tense thriller starring an antihero struggling to survive his past. The key to this action-packed tale is Frank and his adversaries who seem genuine, which makes the suspense that much more intense and intriguing. Don Winslow provides a great tale, and the audience needs to set aside time, as the plot's hook keeps readers' attention from start to finish.