The Winter of Frankie Machine

I want to call this a straightforward crime story, but it's a little more sophisticated. There's a strong central character in Frank Machianno, a businessman, surfer, Dan Diego native, but with an organized crime past. Frank, 62, is straight now, and principled in his own way. But someone wants him dead, and that's where it gets complicated because there are a few reasons why and more people that could want that. So he has to figure things while being chased and doing a little chasing himself.

Winslow's characteristic rat-a-tat style isn't fully developed here but this is very well written and moves along at a perfect pace.

I can't even begin to tell you how much I enjoyed every minute immersed in the world of Frankie Machine; a great story, fine writing, plus education on how what's left of the mafia operates. In addition to that, there's plenty of humorous comments and anecdotes to humanize the action. It's a most excellent read.

Frank Machianno (Frankie Machine) is a legendary semi-retired mafioso/hit man leading a quiet life in San Diego running a bait shop and messing around in a few other very legal business ventures. He's called out of retirement, ostensibly to help mediate a dispute between mafia teams, but in reality Frank is set up to be murdered. The plan goes awry, Frankie survives, and the remainder of the book deals with his trying to dodge show more subsequent attempts on his life while figuring out who's behind the assassination attack. The character of Frankie narrates much of the book and takes us through the 'greatest hits' (get it?) of his career as he tries to determine who's pulling the strings and why.

Don Winslow's writing in 'The Winter of Frankie Machine' is first rate. His development of the character of Frank (called 'the Machine' because he's a really proficient hit man) is excellent and his ability to describe the interactions of the participants in various criminal activities paints a collection of little vignettes that pretty much tell you everything you need to know about the folks who live in the San Diego mafia's (the 'Mickey Mouse Mafia', so named due to their subservience to LA and pretty much every other outfit across the country) world. It's an unforgettable cast of characters. Winslow's also an ace with dialogue, and Frank's commentary is something I can 'hear' coming out of his mouth- to me a mark of great writing.

'The Winter of Frankie Machine' has it all: great writing, nice plot, fine characters, a little humor, some sex, and lots of violence. It's a rare thriller that will leave readers rooting for a hit man, but this is definitely one. Highly recommended! show less

Who is this guy, Don Winslow? I read his Dawn Patrol/Gentleman's Hour books and loved them but I thought maybe it was just the series that he did really well. So I tried Frankie Machine and it was fantastic as well. (view spoiler)

So many different stories within the story. So many interesting characters. Really feeling like you knew, really knew, Frankie M. And it all came together in a story I couldn't put down. I can't wait to read something else by Winslow.

Added bonus, it still retained some of the San Diego beach surf culture that I loved in his other books.

Winslow really hit his stride with this thriller. It's a story about a guy running a bait shop in Ocean Beach and a few other interests besides. Frankie is retired from the life, but of course you can't outrun your past. Before he surfed the Gentleman's Hour and became everyone's buddy, he was Frankie the Machine, a mobbed-up west coast version of Goodfellas.

This story doesn't just begin when trouble finds Frankie. It began years ago when he was a driver and hanger on for first one crime boss than another. Something has come from Frankie's past and wrapped its tentacles around him and, through a series of flashbacks, Frankie takes a trip down memory lane and the history of the west coast crime families is laid out piece by piece. show more Through internecine feuds to strip club wars and a stint in the jungles of Vietnam and shaking Nixon's hand at the Western White House, a whole history is fleshed out and connections made.

This isn't just a simple crime story, but a complex tale about what lies beneath the surface of the sun and sand of San Diego and how deep the corruption lies. Winslow is an incredibly talented writer and this is a book that is just impossible to put down. show less

Everybody wishes they could write like Raymond Chandler. Not necessarily construct Chandleresque plots, but just put together sentences the way he did : pithy, smart, oozing with character.
For my money, Don Winslow comes about as close as anyone has. Once you've added in cinematic plotting style - hidden information slowly revealed; a chopping and changing timeline; a gift for rapid character sketching - it comes as no surprise that his novels are so compelling.
To his credit, he's not afraid to write tales that have short, snappy chapters and weigh in at a "modest" 300 pages, sparing us the padding that makes up a fair number of 400+ page blockbusters.
The Winter of Frankie Machine careers headlong from start to finish, and leaves you show more hungering for more (at which point, its worth reaching for Winslow's "The Dawn Patrol"). show less

Digital audiobook performed by Dennis Boutsikaris.
4****

From the book jacket: Frank Machianno is a late-middle-aged ex-surf bum who runs a bait shack on the San Diego waterfront when he’s not juggling any of his other three part-time jobs or trying to get a quick set in on his longboard. He’s a stand-up businessman, a devoted father to his daughter, and a beloved fixture in the community. Frank’s also a hit man. Specifically: a retired hit man, once known as Frankie Machine. Years ago Frank consigned his Mob ties to the past, which is where he wants them to stay. But a favor being called in now by the local boss is one Frank can’t refuse, and soon he’s sucked back into his former life. Someone from the past wants him dead. He show more has to figure out who, and why, and he has to do it fast.

My reactions:
Wow, what a ride! The action is fast and furious, and deadly. Frankie is really on his own, with no one to trust. And the reader is pretty much on her own as well. There are more potential suspects than Carter has pills. Frank is a consummate professional, however, and he’s no fool. He may have left his Mob life behind, but he never gave up certain safety measures. He knows how to watch his back, and how to make sure he gets the opposition before they get him. The action is non-stop and there are surprises right up to the ending.

This is the first book by Winslow that I’ve read. It won’t be the last.

Dennis Boutsikaris does a marvelous job of narrating the audiobook. He has a gift for bringing these characters to life. show less

Hard-working Frank Machianno has a grown daughter, an ex-wife, a girlfriend, and a passel of surfing pals. The sixty-something Vietnam veteran runs a bait shop on Ocean Beach Pier in San Diego, supplies restaurants with linens and seafood, and regularly joins his surfing pals to catch a wave or two.

He’s also a retired hit man, known as Frankie Machine, for the Mafia.

But yesterday catches up to Frank when he’s set up and someone from his checkered past tries to kill him. Frank hatches a plan that will keep him breathing, protect his family, and remove him from the mob’s sights forever.
But, along the way. he hits a few snags . . . .

As the narrative alternates between the present day and the events of Frankie’s past, readers will show more find themselves rooting for antihero Frank. Although most will predict the ending long before reaching the final page, there’s much to appreciate in the telling of Frankie’s tale. show less