The second volume in Winslow's Danny Ryan trilogy delivers on all the promise of its predecessor, City on Fire (2021). We left Rhode Island mobster Danny on the run at the end of the first book, which brilliantly uses parallels to Homer's Iliad to portray a gang war between Italian and Irish mobs. The Homeric connection isn't as central here, but there are elements of both Aeneas and Odysseus in Danny's flight, as the defeated warrior leaves his own city on fire in search of sanctuary, embarking on a series of adventures along the way, including an unfortunate sojourn in Hollywood. Danny's stint as a movie producer blows his cover and lands him in the crosshairs of old and new enemies, leading to the kind of climactic conflagration that distinguishes Winslow's Cartel trilogy. Before that, however, the author makes time for some highly acidic satire about life in the goldfish bowl of Hollywood, but finally, this is a novel about bad men and women--"the thieves, the hustlers, the dealers, the racketeers, the killers"---trying to make room for a little goodness in their lives without endangering those they love. Like Dennis Lehane's Joe Coughlin trilogy, also about a New England gangster looking for but failing to find a separate peace, the Danny Ryan saga draws great power from its consummate portrait of a man whose unshakable humanity imperils him just as it offers the possibility of salvation. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Aided by Winslow's social-media presence, City of Dreams will join City on Fire atop most best-seller lists.

In 1988, Chris Calumbo, a lieutenant in the Providence, R.I., Italian mob, sets in motion a risky plan, in bestseller Winslow's powerful sequel to 2022's City on Fire. He brokers a deal with the Baja cartel for 40 kilos of heroin; gets his boss, Peter Moretti, and several other New England wiseguys to invest; and arranges for Danny Ryan, the Irish mob's leader, to hijack the shipment. Calumbo tips the feds, who will bust Ryan and return the dope to the Italians (minus a cut, of course). What could go wrong? Ryan, a recent widower, winds up fleeing Providence and landing in San Diego with his 18-month-old son and elderly father. Ryan and his crew spread out and work anonymous jobs, keeping their heads down until they hear that their nemesis, Moretti, has been killed. In a surreal twist of fate, Ryan ends up in Hollywood, where he finds himself investing in a movie called Providence based on the war between Italian and Irish mobs, and he falls in love with the film's beautiful, doomed starlet. This classically inspired mob story breaks no new ground, but fans of Dennis Lehane and Richard Price are sure to be well pleased. Agent: Shane Salerno, Story Factory. (Apr.)

A gangster heads to LA in this bleak sequel to City on Fire (2022). It's 1988. Recently widowed drug dealer Danny Ryan wants to "get the hell out of Rhode Island," where the victorious rival Moretti crime family wants him dead. He and a few buddies steal millions of dollars' worth of the Morettis' heroin, which he dumps into the ocean. Then they rob the gang of cold, hard cash, lots of it. But Danny won't kill anyone. "We came for the money, not a massacre, Danny thought. Tens of millions of dollars in cash to start new lives, not keep reliving the old ones." Then he and his pals head west to Tinseltown. More than anything else, he'd like to protect his young son, Ian, and raise him in a crime-free environment. Perhaps Danny's estranged mother, Madeleine, can help if he'll allow it. You'd think he'd keep a low profile, but instead he makes a series of blunders such as investing in a particular movie and boffing a famous actress. Thus, he forgets his old man's advice: "When you're on the run, you leave the skirts alone." Danny is, to play on the book's favorite profanity, effing inept. (Of course, if he does everything right there is no story, so there's that.) Instead of leaving his East Coast troubles behind, he brings them along where they metastasize into bloody violence. The story is well crafted but for a deus ex machina ending, and even that is enough of a shocker that readers may not mind. Along the way are a couple of eye-popping twists. And there are some great lines: "I thought Jesus died for my sins…" Danny muses. "Maybe my sins just maxed out Christ's credit card." And "Ned Egan has killed more guys than cholesterol." While the story can stand alone, readers might want to read City on Fire first, as it provides essential background and is the better story. There is a glimmer inside Danny Ryan suggesting he wants to become--could become--a good person if he can only survive. The story has no more violence than many other crime thrillers, but a sense of hopelessness progressively builds. Danny pisses off his enemies, has the FBI's attention, and brings heartbreak to Hollywood. He may not live to raise his 3-year-old son. Enjoyable despite a few flaws, but damn, it's dark. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.