City on Fire by Don Winslow

March 16, 2025

City on Fire by Don Winslow

Danny Ryan is a small-time gangster working for the Irish mob in Providence, Rhode Island, working on the docks and trying to support his little family. Although there has been an uneasy truce between the Irish and the local Italian gang, their peace is shattered when one of the Irish takes the girlfriend of one of the Italians, triggering all-out war between the two factions. As he watches his friends fall, Danny finds himself reluctantly thrust into a leadership role as he tries to find a way to resolve the conflict before more deaths occur.

A modern day retelling of Homer's Iliad, like The Iliad crossed paths with Mario Puzo's The Godfather. I had to go back and make a list of the characters in the Iliad to try and match up the players who represent who (the Achilles character is not who you think it is at first but once I connected the actions, the character absolutely fit). There is even a Trojan horse of sorts. And who doesn't love a good mafia book? Themes include revenge, fate, respect, loyalty, and moral ambiguity. This is the first book of a trilogy. Another good Winslow read is California Fire & Life, a less complicated story but still a very good read. Recommended for readers who enjoyed The Godfather or Casino, especially if you are of a literary bent and are familiar with The Iliad.

Providence, Rhode Island

Hang the Moon by Jeannette Walls

February 28, 2023

Hang the Moon by Jeannette Walls

Duke Kincaid has ruled the county for as long as most people can remember. Sallie Kincaid is the Duke's daughter from his second wife Ann, who died after a violent argument with the Duke. At age 17, Sallie begins working for Duke, driving around the county collecting rents and other debts, often accepting homemade whiskey in payment. When the Duke dies suddenly, other family members take over his business interests and begin making and selling illegal liquor, transporting it to urban centers in Virginia, even though it is prohibited by law. As she observes the marriages around her, Sallie vows she will never marry and fights for her rightful place in the Duke's kingdom, while learning about the meaning of family, whether it's the one we're born with or the one we create for ourselves.

I loved Walls' memoir The Glass Castle so I was looking forward to her latest book. This is a historical novel set in rural Virginia about the early days of bootlegging during Prohibition, about tangled family relationships and women who not only survive but triumph. Fun fact: auto racing like NASCAR got its start with illegal rum runners, who would strip down their cars to the bare bones so that they could carry as much liquor as possible, and then they would soup up the engines so that the cars would go as fast as possible.

Even though the novel is set in Virginia, I kept tripping over the Tudors. The Duke's real name is Henry, he was married four times (Belle, Ann, Jane, Katherine); he divorced his first wife, killed his second wife, his third wife died, and his last wife survived him. Duke even had an affair with Ann's sister, just like Henry VIII did with Mary Boleyn, Anne's sister. After he married his third wife, he banished his second daughter to Hatfield (Elizabeth I grew up at Hatfield House); after his son Edward dies, his first daughter Mary takes over his kingdom - Mary is married to a guy named Phillip, just like Mary Tudor was; after Mary died, Sallie takes over. There is also a Seymour and a Cecil, for god's sake.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

Storing illegal hooch in the basement, just like Duke and Cecil did