Don Winslow Books

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Don Winslow is an American author that writes crime and mystery novels most of which are set in California. Don’s most popular creation is Neal Carey, a private investigator.

Don Winslow was born in 1953 in New York City to a sailor and a librarian. Growing up in a coastal Rhode Island town, Winslow always loved reading. Later on, he realized that he could also tell stories.

A student of the University of Nebraska from where he earned his African Studies Degree, Winslow’s love for Africa was birthed when he visited Southern African, gaining an attachment to the continent.

The author did a lot of traveling in those years, finding his way to Idaho, California and even Montana. By the time he went back to New York, Winslow had decided that he would write for a living. Things grew a little complicated when the author found himself managing a Movie Theater.

And even after departing that gig, the author wandered further, taking up his private investigator hat and pursuing the trade in Times Square. Winslow only seemed to find stability when he went back to school to pursue a Master’s Degree in Military Fiction.

However, his plans to go into the Foreign Service did not come to fruition. Instead, Don Winslow started to lead expeditions all over the world, traversing, Africa, Asia, and Europe, not to mention the United States.

It was while he was bouncing all over the world that the author produced A Cool Breeze on the Underground in 1991, his first novel. The novel didn’t avail the financial stability Winslow was looking for and he was forced to go back to private investigative work, a decision that saw him live in hotels and motels for three years with his family while his popularity as an author grew.

It wasn’t until one of the author’s books received a movie adaptation that he finally settled down in California and became a full-time writer.

Don Winslow Awards

Don Winslow has won numerous literary awards during his long writing career, this including the Ian Fleming Steel Dagger Award, the RBA International Prize, the Maltese Falcon Award and the Shamus Award.

Winslow has also been a finalist for the Dilys Award, Barry Prize, the Steel Dagger Award, the Gold Dagger Award and the Edgar Award to mention but a few.

Don Winslow Books into Movies

Don Winslow has had the pleasure of seeing his books become live-action film adaptations, this including:

Savages: This movie, which was directed by Oliver Stone and starred Aaron Johnson, Taylor Kitsch and Blake Lively follows the exploits of two marijuana growers who elicit the attention of a dangerous cartel. The movie was released in 2012.

The Death and Life of Bobby Z: This movie, which was directed by John Herzfeld and starred Paul Walker and Laurence Fishburne, follows a convict who is hired by the DEA to impersonate a dead drug dealer. The movie was released in 2007.

Various other Don Winslow novels are in the process of being adapted into films.

Best Don Winslow Books

Don Winslow had a hard time finding his footing in the publishing arena; but he has since become an established name in the crime and mystery genres, with some of the best books from the author including:

The Cartel: Adan Barrera was on top of the world as the head of El Federacion, the most dangerous Cartel in the world. But then Art Keller came into the picture and destroyed everything Barrera had built. The blood feud with Barrera, the man that violently killed his partner, cost Art everything.

The DEA Agent lost his girl and the idyllic life he desired.

When Barrera leaves prison, he is determined to rebuild his broken empire. Art Keller has no intention of letting Barrera spend another day alive. So he launches a one-man mission designed to take Barrera down once and for all, a goal that takes ten years of Art’s life in a battle set against Mexico’s raging drug war. Art’s desire for revenge forces him to take ruthless measures to stop Barrera.

The Power of the Dog: This Don Winslow novel takes place ten years before the events of The Cartel. The book follows a diverse cast of characters. They include an Irish boy turned ruthless hit man, a jaded teenager that takes to prostitution and an obsessive DEA agent, not to mention the Barrera brothers who are looking to inherit a drug empire.

All these characters are playing out their respective lives within the confines of Mexico’s drug federacion.

When Does The Next Don Winslow book come out?

The next book by Don Winslow is The Final Score and will be released on September, 16th 2025. It is the newest book in the Don Winslow Short Story Collections.

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