The Power of the Dog

By: Don Winslow

Narrated by: Ray Porter

Length: 20 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's summary

This explosive novel of the drug trade takes you deep inside a world riddled with corruption, betrayal, and bloody revenge.

Art Montana is an obsessive DEA agent. The Barrera brothers are heirs to a drug empire. Nora Hayden is a jaded teenager who becomes a high-class hooker. Father Parada is a powerful and incorruptible Catholic priest. Callan is an Irish kid from Hell's Kitchen who grows up to be a merciless hit man. All of them are trapped in the world of the Mexican drug Federación.

From the streets of New York City to Mexico City and Tijuana to the jungles of Central America, this is the war on drugs like you've never seen it.

©2005 Don Winslow (P)2008 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"A pit bull of a book. Once unleashed, this thriller...charges and attacks without mercy, shredding anyone in its path....A well-tuned plot, driving rhythm, intelligence and a touch of politics." ( Washington Post)

Good but The Cartel is better

The Cartel is the second book in this series but you don't need to read this one to understand it. This one is fine, but it gets a little ridiculous at times. I liked The Cartel much more.

Amazing

...I actually read this after The Cartel. It did not matter. It was actually kind of cool to have the background information. Narrator does a phenomenal job;the story is fascinating! Winslow does a superb job at intertwining literature, history, and politics without overwhelming his reader.

Informative and Well Researched

This is certainly an illuminating book with a firm rooting in realities on the ground in the US war on drugs. However, it isn't great literature and Winslow is often given to the most hackneyed tropes perpetrated my best-seller thrillers. It's best thought of as mostly reliable work of semi-non-fiction rather than an affecting work in its own right.

Power of the Dog

It was moving and the characters were memorable. The performance was exceptional. That makes it worthy of 5 stars in my book.

Fabulous

Great novel, seems well researched, and Ray Porter is incredible! Get it, you won’t be sorry!!

Felt ripped from the headlines!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes - The story felt very real. Ripped straight from today's news headlines about the murders, money, & power wielded by the Mexican drug cartels.

What other book might you compare The Power of the Dog to and why?

Very familiar feel but unable to put my finger on an exact book to compare it to.

What about Ray Porter’s performance did you like?

Loved it. Ray Porter's cadence & inflections kept the story moving & and had me anxiously awaiting what was coming next. Bravo Ray!

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No but loved it start to finish.

Any additional comments?

Instantly bought the sequel to this book "The Cartel" and can't wait to dive into it. This was my first Don Winslow novel but there will be many more.

Impressed with the research

If you could sum up The Power of the Dog in three words, what would they be?

I was very Impressed with the research conducted by the author. Although the story lagged a few times it was actually very informative regarding the Mexican Cartel, the involvement of the American Government and American Organized Crime.
Personally, I have always thought that Marijuana should be legalized and every time a border guard is killed stopping the flow of it, it is an unneccesary sacrifice of a good person. A true tragedy.
Where hard drugs are concerned it gets murky.........
Good Read-Good Performance.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

no

Well Done

The plot and the characters and the futility of the war on drugs are all familiar which means that the author had to bring his A game and boy does he. At times this reads like Narco Game of Thrones Razor wit, good narrator make this a ride worth taking depiste the over the top violence and body count and number of drug and mob cliches.

Great Story!!!!

Loved it, I read The Cartel first, and this was the great prequel to that book. Great character development.

Powerful

Where does The Power of the Dog rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Top 20% definitely. This is not the kind of book I like, but it was so powerful and so well done that it won be over.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Yes, definitely. There is so much violence, so much intensity.

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

To be honest, I listened to a book performed by Ray Porter, and the narration was so good that I did a search for him, which is how I found this book. Superb.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I was captivated by the storyline.