• The Dawn Patrol

  • By: Don Winslow
  • Narrated by: Ray Porter
  • Length: 9 hrs and 37 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (3,290 ratings)

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The Dawn Patrol  By  cover art

The Dawn Patrol

By: Don Winslow
Narrated by: Ray Porter
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Publisher's summary

Every morning, Boone Daniels is out with the Dawn Patrol: four men and one woman as single-minded about surfing as he is, or nearly. They have real jobs; Boone works as a P.I. just enough to keep himself in fish tacos and in the water.

But Boone is also obsessed with the unsolved case of a young girl named Rain who was abducted while he was with the San Diego police. He blames himself, just as almost everyone in the department did, for not being able to save her.

Unexpectedly, he finds himself with the chance to make amends, and this new investigation gives him a wilder ride than any he's ever imagined.

©2008 Don Winslow (P)2008 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"[A] terrific thriller....Winslow keeps raising the stakes, as well as the waves, for all involved." ( Publishers Weekly)

Featured Article: The Best Audiobooks About Surfing

Massive waves, breathtaking beauty, precious wildlife, extreme athleticism, spiritual allure— these are just a few of the things that draw people from all over the world to the ocean. For some, surfing is about adrenaline and adventure; for others, it can be a way to heal and connect with nature. Surfing audiobooks, both fiction and nonfiction, reflect this variety of perspectives, experiences, and philosophies. Find a list of the best surfing audiobooks, perfect for surfers, diehard surfing fans, ocean lovers, and even avid audiobook listeners looking for an exciting beach listen or an engaging nonfiction title.

What listeners say about The Dawn Patrol

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1,816
  • 4 Stars
    1,019
  • 3 Stars
    348
  • 2 Stars
    62
  • 1 Stars
    45
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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    2,109
  • 4 Stars
    618
  • 3 Stars
    161
  • 2 Stars
    38
  • 1 Stars
    21
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1,567
  • 4 Stars
    913
  • 3 Stars
    340
  • 2 Stars
    75
  • 1 Stars
    39

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Dawn Patrol

This was a great story that would not let me sleep without finishing. The surfing is a great back drop with interesting characters. The story is a little dark but believeable. I hope to see more adventures of the Dawn Patrol.

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12 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Disappointed...

The Winter of Frankie Machine, also written by Don Winslow, is absolutely brilliant on every level. This book, written after Frankie Machine, is so much worse that I can't believe it came from the same creative mind. It's like Frankie Machine was written on a computer and Dawn Patrol with a crayon. Not sure what happened on this book, but it came out very cheesy. I suspect someone told Don Winslow to write something more mainstream. Or maybe less effort went into it. Whatever the case, it's really hard to think the same guy who wrote Frankie Machine wrote this. That said, the reviews on other Don Winslow books (fire and life, the cartel) have me confident that Winslow is still writing great stuff. So I'll be going back for more of his work. But this particular book is pretty lame. My $.02.

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Don Winslow, Mackin' Epic

I came upon Winslow by accident. Wow, what a great author. This guy delivers and just when you think you have things figured out, a rogue wave comes in and knocks you off your feet.
I'm not a surfer, and you won;t have to be one to enjoy Dawn Patrol or it's sequel, Gentleman's Hour. But you will enjoy this story.
I'm a big fan of Michael Connelly amd Joe Wambaugh, but Don Winslow is at the top of his game and I'm happy to be along for the ride.

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Disappointed

Disappointing all the way around! Storyline seemed unimaginative and boring. Language offensive. Sorry but cant recommend.
Maybe just not my type book. But love true mysteries!

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Not his best but....Ray Porter helped things

What did you like best about The Dawn Patrol? What did you like least?

At this point I've read many Don WInslow books and have enjoyed them all with various degrees of fulfillment. I'm very familiar with his formula, which I look forward to, however, this one was hard to get thru. The characters were there, but they weren't as developed as they usually are. The surfer backdrop sometimes got in the way and not because it was about surfing. I actually enjoy this part of Don. For some reason it felt more like he was daydreaming about a time gone past. Things just didn't tie together like they usually do. He would go off on a tangent and then pop back to the matter at hand, bringing nothing back with him that helped the story.There really should have been about 3 or 4 characters. In the end that's what it felt like.The best part, was the interaction between Boone and Petra.

Would you recommend The Dawn Patrol to your friends? Why or why not?

Probably not, for the reasons already stated.

Have you listened to any of Ray Porter’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Yes. It was typical and by typical I mean amazing.

Was The Dawn Patrol worth the listening time?

Unfortunately, I'd have to say no. LIke I said I've listened to many books by Don, roughly 7, and this one just didn't do it.

Any additional comments?

Don is still a favorite and I guess at some point the perfect Don listening streak had to end.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A great story

Oh man I really enjoyed ‘Dawn Patrol’. It has a great plot along with some great character. The author does a wonderful job of building the relationships between the dawn patrol and giving the listener enough background on both the characters and the culture to make them invested in both. He also does a wonderful job with the descriptions of the scenery and action which really makes you feel as if you’re in the middle of pacific beach. Now listening all of this you would think that its lacking for action but no, it does a great job with balancing the narrative and giving the listener a lot of action making it feel like it’s always moving forward. The only thing that was a bit strange was the author seems to slip in an out of taking the story from Boone’s point of view to a third person point of view while in the same scene a couple of times. I’m actually surprised I picked up on it and it didn’t take away from the story at all but I could see it driving an english teacher mad. Any ways I can’t say enough about how great I thought this book was and I highly recommend this to anyone who loves the beach and thrillers.

Ray Porter does a wonderful job with all of the characters as always. He really brings the book to life.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Dumb and Disgusting

The plot is silly and the characters are immature, adolescent, and ridiculous. Feeling guilty for NOT indulging in illegal police brutality is NOT admirable. There may be a "real" surfer culture as created in the book but who cares? The author created a world that might appeal to middle school boys but is sadly lacking for adults. Skip the book. Not worth any time or money.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

One of the best books I've EVER read!

If you could sum up The Dawn Patrol in three words, what would they be?

Totally awesome book!

What did you like best about this story?

The way things were described. Oh my gosh, you feel like you are there and can completely understand what is going on and the feelings that are being portrayed.

Which character – as performed by Ray Porter – was your favorite?

Maybe Hang 12.
But honestly I am a huge fan of Dick Hill and Ray Porter ALMOST blew him out of the water. He was possibly the best narrator I have heard! So,so good.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Well of course the end had me on pins and needles, which I love. But waiting to see if Sunny Day would make it (although she had to!) was maybe the part that I couldn't wait to hear.

Any additional comments?

I am an avid reader or listener as it turns out. I have my top five or six books that I absolutely love. I have been counting them up since I was about 13 and now I'm pushing 50.This books just moved into the top group! I was amazed at the way things were described and how much a part of this book I felt.
I have never reviewed a book and never thought I would but I had to with this one.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Love story, love reader, love writing

Excellent all the way around. Gives San Diego something to be proud of.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

What he said

Brian the previous reviewer said exactly what I wanted to say. I too lived in San Diego (La Jolla) and all these place names resonate with me. The story is great and Ray Porter does just an excellent job. On the the "Machine"!

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4 people found this helpful