Savages

by Don Winslow

Overview

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Cartel, The Force, and The Border

A New York Times, Entertainment Weekly, and Chicago Sun-Times Favorite Book of the Year

“A revelation...This is Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid on autoload.” —Stephen King, Entertainment Weekly

“Startling...Stylish...Mega-cool.” —Janet Maslin, The New York Times

Ben, Chon, and O are twentysomething best friends living the dream in Southern California. Together they have made a small fortune producing premium grade marijuana, a product so potent that the Mexican Baja Cartel demands a cut. When Ben and Chon refuse to back down, the cartel kidnaps O, igniting a dizzying array of high-octane negotiations and stunning plot twists as they risk everything to free her. The result is a provocative, sexy, and darkly engrossing thrill ride, an ultracontemporary love story that will leave you breathless.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781439183373
Publisher:	Simon & Schuster
Publication date:	03/15/2011
Pages:	320
Sales rank:	55,219
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.30(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Don Winslow is the acclaimed New York Times bestselling author of twenty-one novels, including City on Fire, The Force, The Cartel, The Kings of Cool, Savages, The Gentlemen’s Hour, The Dawn Patrol, The Winter of Frankie Machine, The Power of the Dog, and The Border. He lives in Southern California. To learn more, follow Don on Twitter @DonWinslow or visit DonWinslow.com.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"Savages is full of wild-card moves.... Its wisecracks are so sharp, its characters so mega-cool and its storytelling so ferocious...thanks especially to Mr. Winslow's no-prisoners sense of humor." —-Janet Maslin, The New York Times

Editorial Reviews

A revelation . . . Every bit as savage as its title . . . This is Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid on autoload.” —Stephen King, Entertainment Weekly

"Savages will jolt Mr. Winslow into a different league...[his] most boisterously stylish crime book, his gutsiest and most startling bid for attention....full of wild-card moves....its wisecracks are so sharp, its characters so mega-cool and its storytelling so ferocious that the risks pay off, thanks especially to Mr. Winslow's no-prisoners sense of humor....The Winslow effect is to fuse the grave and the playful, the body blow and the joke, the nightmare and the pipe dream." —Janet Maslin, The New York Times

“Winslow’s marvelous, adrenaline-juiced roller coaster of a novel . . . is both a departure and a culmination, pyrotechnic braggadocio and deep meditation on contemporary American culture.”
—Sarah Weinman, Los Angeles Times

“Savages is Don Winslow’s best book yet—a wickedly funny and smart novel, with a ripped-from-the-headlines story that gets your pulse racing as the action unfolds. Razor-sharp plot twists, a cast of ruthless antiheroes, and of course, Winslow’s superb, adrenaline-fueled prose make this scorching, drug-infused thriller an addictive and entertaining read.” —Janet Evanovich

“The stakes are extreme. . . . This is the story of love’s costs—and the acceptance of whatever that cost entails.” —Randy Michael Signor, Chicago Sun Times

“Savages is the book of my generation . . . nothing short of revolutionary, a flash grenade into the ineffectual heart of Generation Y. . . . . solidifies Winslow’s reputation as not just one of the best crime writers working today, but one of the best writers, period. Jesus Christ, this book.” —Brendan Leonard, January Magazine

“Winslow is a brilliant stylist, unflinching in detail, and his books jab a fountain pen in the eye of anyone who can read one of his tomes and state with conviction that crime fiction isn't literature.” —Jason Pinter, The Huffington Post

“An ultra-lean, stoner thriller….It packs a dynamic plot, sentences dripping with &‘grave;baditude'' and a singular way with language….Winslow's writing has the vigor of action painting….[his] command of vernacular is fabulous, his eye for detail sharp….Winslow's insights into drug wars are provocative, his descriptions of marijuana tantalizing.” —Carlo Wolff, The Boston Globe

“A spellbinding, tour de force that is utterly impossible to put down. Savages is, bar none, the finest novel I have read in years.” —Christopher Reich

From the Publisher

Savages will jolt Mr. Winslow into a different league….[his]most boisterously stylish crime book, his gutsiest and most startling bid for attention….full of wild-card moves….its wisecracks are so sharp, its characters so mega-cool and its storytelling so ferocious that the risks pay off, thanks especially to Mr. Winslow's no-prisoners sense of humor….The Winslow effect is to fuse the grave and the playful, the body blow and the joke, the nightmare and the pipe dream.
—The New York Times

Janet Maslin

Interpreting Winslow's two Southern California beach-bum marijuana dealers--thoughtful philanthropist-environmentalist Ben and his ex-navy SEAL pal Chon--narrator Michael Kramer develops a laid-back, unruffled persona for the former and a harder-edge, restless attitude for the latter. He even manages an acceptably feminine, spacey voice for their mutual girlfriend, Ophelia. Kramer focuses on keeping a moderately fast pace for the trio's witty dialogue, but when the Baja Mexico drug cartel led by its beautiful but vulnerable leader, Elena, demands a piece of their action, things speed up. And when the cartel kidnaps Ophelia and demands a million-dollar ransom, Kramer barely breathes in following the twists and turns devised by Winslow's antiheroes, and matches the novel's mood as it turns from wittily hip to dark and disturbingly violent. A Simon & Schuster hardcover (Reviews, May 31). (July)

Publishers Weekly

When marijuana growers Ben and Chon become known to a ruthless Mexican drug cartel for their exceptional product and their impressive customer base, a courtship begins to lure them to join forces with the cartel. When they refuse, things go bad real fast. Ophelia, their shared love interest, is kidnapped for a million-dollar ransom, and the two propose a dangerous trade to get her back. Narrator Michael Kramer's performance is perfect for the story, which delivers a gritty portrait of the border drug trade of Laguna, California. His narration engages listeners in the nonstop action and depicts credible characters on all sides of the drug wars. SAVAGES is an audio experience that lives up to its name. J.R.G. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award, 2013 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine

SEPTEMBER 2010 - AudioFile