Why is it that stories about the Mafia or crime families are so compelling? Why were The Godfather, The Sopranos, The Wire or Power such a huge success? I am not sure I have a good answer to those questions, but it is certainly true that crime families provide compelling material for books, movies and TV series. So when I head that Don Winslow had a series about the conflict between the Irish and Italian Mafia families in Providence Rhode Island, I was intrigued. This is a story about hard scrabble, “poor cousin” mafia families who have survived by working the docks in Providence but are struggling to survive in the changing world of the 1980’s, unlike the rich crime families that dominate New York and Las Vegas.

Danny Ryan married into the family, but has never been given much credence by his father-in-law, who is the head of the Irish crime family. Danny feels like they need to go more “legit,” and find ways to  make money that leaves them less exposed to prosecutors intent on making a name for themselves. But no one listens to Danny, and so he does what is asked and keeps the peace. But suddenly the peace is disturbed when at the annual barbecue hosted by their friendly Italian rivals, a beautiful women appears as a guest and sets off a brutal rivalry between the two families. As the body count rises, and grief consumes his father-in-law, Danny must take the reins to try and save the family he has sworn to protect. Surprisingly, Danny emerges as a ruthless strategist, as he tries to negotiate a way forward while avoiding the threats posed by the Italians, the greedy New York and Las Vegas families who see a chance to take over his territory, and the law who must find a way to stop the blood shed and restore order.

Winslow is uncanny in how he gets into the mind of mafia culture. The characters, especially Danny, are both horrifying and yet human and you can’t help but empathize with them. The complicated choices, the honor culture and the toll this life takes on relationships are all disected and exposed, as Winslow carefully describes Dannys’ journey from a tangential part of a small crime family to becoming its leader and enforcing a new vision for the future. This is part one of a trilogy-City of Dreams, part two, was just released in April and I am looking forward to reading that as soon as possible!

Brenda’s Rating: *****(5 Out of 5 Stars)

Recommend this book to: Marian and Keith

Book Study Worthy? Yes

Read in e-library format.