City on Fire by Don Winslow is the first book in a gangster trilogy about Danny Ryan a low-level member of the Irish mob. Winslow writes gangsters and shady people on both sides of the law so well and City On Fire has a lot of them, that you will love and hate. This book is a character piece that analyzes a variety of different characters who have a bad side. This book has so many characters but Winslow can give them all unique stories and backgrounds to not confuse the reader. The beginning makes an effort to start slow and expand to its many characters, but I still felt it was too fast and a little confusing the way the second chapter expanded, Winslow being the great writer that he is I was not confused for long, in chapter 3 and 4 everything made sense and I was able to tell which member was in which gang and was never confused again. The book is about a gang war between the Irish and Italian mobs, and it starts in the dumbest way possible. The nickname for the war is the titty war and that’s what it is, I felt this storyline was too petty for a war to break out. I feel Winslow does a lot of research and this probably did happen but I wanted something with more weight, I felt the story was cheapened because of it. When the war does start the story gets good with lots of twists, turns, and double-crosses. The finale was good and it had a couple of good twists at the end, it shows how Danny Ryan’s character reacts when backed into a corner. It did not end how I thought it was, but I’m okay with it and want to see where Danny Ryan’s character ends up.

Plot Summary: Danny Ryan is a low-level gangster for the Irish mob in Providence, Rhode Island in the 1980s. His father used to run it but was such a drunk he lost it to the Murphy’s who currently run it. Danny is married to one of Murphy’s Daughters, Terri. Danny wants more but he’s also ready to be a dad and actively trying with his wife. The Irish and Italian mobs are rivals but are currently at peace and trying to expand their territory when Paulie the son-to-be leader of the Italian mob brings a woman that Liam the future leader of the Irish mob wants. Liam’s actions are dumb and petty and start a full-blooded war between the Irish and Italian mobs. Danny is in a place where he could be in or out, based on old loyalty to his father and his wife just having a baby. Which will he choose family or loyalty?

What I Liked: The character study of all the characters, we get background on 15 characters some go into great details and some just give us context. The gangster war is wild and action-packed. I liked how loyalty and respect were analyzed. Danny Ryan and his relationship with Terri and how she called him out on his crap. I liked the character of Ned and how loyal he was to Danny’s father Marty. The double and triple crosses were for the most part explained pretty well, I only had an issue with one. The scene with John Murphy and Marvin and how they develop this respect for each other, was great when John said, get the good stuff in the back, it made me emotional for him to change his racism right before his eyes. Sal’s backstory and his internal struggles were good to see.

What I Disliked: Two character choices I was not happy with one is Pam the girl who started to whole war, I was disappointed with her character choices and why she stayed so long, after reading her background I felt she was stronger than that. Another character that I had an issue with was a double-crosser at the end who shockingly had no background, it didn’t seem believable that he could fool the people that he did with the heroin and why he went rogue and was alone at the end. I wanted a different war than the Titty War, something Winslow could do a lot better.

Recommendations: Nobody writes crime dramas like Winslow he is the best. This is the fifth book I have read from Winslow and have not given him anything lower than a four-star rating. I recommend you check out this book I had some issues with it but overall this is storytelling at the highest level. I will say trigger language for LGTBQ members there is a secret gay character and the mob uses very colorful language that is 1980’s accurate but cruel. If that is your trigger language then I would skip it but if you can handle it the story is a wild ride with so many bad choices and double-crosses.

Rating: I rated City On Fire by Don Winslow 4 out of 5 stars. Here’s the full ranking for the 5 Don Winslow books that I have read from favorite to least (reminder all are over 4 stars and great) 1) The Cartel, 2) Power of the Dog, 3) The Force, 4) The Border, and 5) City on Fire.