On March 19th, 2024, City in Ruins, the final novel from New York Times bestselling author Don Winslow, will take over bookstores everywhere as one of the genre’s greatest talents calls it a career before pivoting to fight for a new cause.
Well, if this isn’t bittersweet. To say Don Winslow has had one hell of a career would be a massive understatement. From the author who brought us such classics as The Force (2017), The Cartel Trilogy, five Neal Carey Mysteries, and numerous hit standalone titles, comes one last epic, must-read novel that will bring his final trilogy . . . and his illustrious career . . . to a close. Last April, Deadline reported that Winslow would be retiring after his then-already-written two sequels to City on Fire (2022) were released in an effort to focus on launching various digital campaigns to support Democratic causes. More specifically, video productions, which last spring, had totaled more than 250 million views.
“It’s time to do something else,” Winslow said told Deadline in a statement at the time the article ran. “I want to continue on speaking out where I see what I think is wrong. It’s a big deal. It’s not a decision I made easily. Democrats have better ideas, better candidates, and a better vision for tomorrow. What they don’t have is better messaging and I’m going to try and change that. I will be paying for everything myself and not accepting any donations.”
You can read the full Deadline article, which includes a lengthy statement from Winslow, here.
As for City in Ruins, we know that Winslow’s last book will follow both City on Fire and City of Dreams (2023), which means that Danny Ryan, the hard-working longshoreman and occasional “muscle” for the Irish crime syndicate, is back for one final go-around. Only now, he’s gone on to become a successful businessman—but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have enemies.
Check out the official plot details below.
Following City on Fire and City of Dreams, City in Ruins is the explosive, impossible to put down conclusion to New York Times bestselling author Don Winslow’s epic, genre-defining crime trilogy and the final book of Winslow’s extraordinary career.
Sometimes you have to become what you hate to protect what you love.
Danny Ryan is rich.
Beyond his wildest dreams rich.
The former dock worker, Irish mob soldier and fugitive from the law is now a respected businessman – a Las Vegas casino mogul and billionaire silent partner in a group that owns two lavish hotels. Finally, Danny has it all: a beautiful house, a child he adores, a woman he might even fall in love with.
Life is good.
But then Danny reaches too far.
When he tries to buy an old hotel on a prime piece of real estate with plans to build his dream resort, he triggers a war against Las Vegas power brokers, a powerful FBI agent bent on revenge and a rival casino owner with dark connections of his own.
Danny thought he had buried his past, but now it reaches up to him from the grave to pull him down. Old enemies surface, and when they come for Danny they vow to take everything – not only his empire, not just his life, but all that he holds dear, including his son.
To save his life and everything he loves, Danny must become the ruthless fighter he once was – and never wanted to be again.
Ranging from the gritty back rooms of Providence, RI to the power corridors of Washington, DC and Wall Street to the golden casinos of Las Vegas, City in Ruins is an epic crime novel of love and hate, ambition and desperation, vengeance and compassion.
Don Winslow is the author of twenty-four acclaimed, award-winning international bestsellers, including six New York Times bestsellers (Savages, The Kings of Cool, The Cartel, The Force, The Border and City on Fire). Savages was made into a feature film by three-time Oscar-winning writer-director Oliver Stone and a screenplay by Shane Salerno, Winslow and Stone. Winslow’s epic Cartel trilogy has been adapted for TV and will appear as a weekly series on FX in 2023. The Force is soon to be a major motion picture from 20th Century Studios starring Matt Damon with James Mangold directing from a Scott Frank screenplay. Additional Winslow books are currently in development at Netflix, Warner Brothers, Sony and Working Title and he has recently written a series of acclaimed short stories for Audible narrated by four-time Oscar nominee Ed Harris.
Readers looking to pre-order Don Winslow’s final novel can now do so here or anywhere else books are sold.
Praised as “One of the hardest working, most thoughtful, and fairest reviewers out there” by #1 New York Times bestselling author Lisa Scottoline, Ryan Steck has “quickly established himself as the authority on mysteries and thrillers” (Author A.J. Tata). Steck also works full-time as a freelance editor and is building a growing community on Twitch. His debut thriller, FIELDS OF FIRE, which #1 New York Times bestselling author Jack Carr says “will leave you speechless and begging for more,” is now available. His second novel, LETHAL RANGE, comes out on August 8th. For more information, be sure to follow him on Twitter and Facebook. And to take part in free, exclusive BOOK CLUBS each month, join The Real Book Spy on Discord.