The Winter of Frankie Machine

By: Don Winslow

Narrated by: Dennis Boutsikaris

Length: 9 hrs and 7 mins

Publisher's summary

Frank Machianno is a late-middle-aged ex-surf bum who runs a bait shack on the San Diego waterfront. An affable Italian with a love of people and life, he's a stand-up businessman, devoted father, and a beloved fixture in the community.

He's also a hit man - specifically, a retired hit man. Back in the day, when he was one of the most feared members of the West Coast Mafia, he was known as Frankie Machine. Frank consigned his Mob ties to the past years ago, which is where he wants them to stay. But a favor being called in now by the local boss is one Frank can't refuse, and soon he's sucked back into the treacherous currents of his former life. Someone from the past wants him dead. He has to figure out who and why, and he has to do it fast.

©2006 Don Winslow (P)2006 Blackstone Audio Inc.

Critic reviews

"Elmore Leonard fans who have not yet discovered Winslow will be delighted by his fourth thriller....Winslow has created plausible characters and taut scenes of suspense that will keep readers turning pages." (Publishers Weekly)

loved it.

excellent storyline and character development and interaction. I looked forward to my daily driver to listen.

Fantastic....best gangster novel since Godfather

I became a fan of Winslow starting w California Fire & Light. but this just took it to a new level. Alternately action packed, suspenseful, and but gusting funny. Just like w Puzo, you begin to care about Frankie, even though you know he's a killer.

Not bad, not great.

Is there anything you would change about this book?

It was hard to keep track of some of the different characters in this book through all of the present day and flashback scenes.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

The ending of the book was fairly predictable, but a little far-fetched.

Which character – as performed by Dennis Boutsikaris – was your favorite?

The narrator did a great job with all of the characters, but my favorite was Mike Pella.

Do you think The Winter of Frankie Machine needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

No.

Any additional comments?

This book was entertaining, but a little hard to follow. It was a good summer beach book.

Don't Care Anymore

Frankie, a retired hitman for the mob, is living in a beach town, spending his days surfing with the old-timers, manning his legit businesses, and juggling his relationships with his ex-wife, his daughter who is about to start med school, and his former showgirl girlfriend. This is pretty much the first 6 chapters of the book, where little to nothing exciting happens, just background noise on Frankie's retirement years. Again, nothing happens. I've basically told you everything you need to know. This could have been covered in 20 minutes. So now you can start at Chapter 7 when the "action" starts.

I held out longer than I thought I would, hoping for more. The story eventually unravels into a plot to kill Frankie Machine. Unfortunately, much of the novel is based on frequent flashbacks of Frankie's life, loaded with a lot of unimportant details. While the audio performance is done well, the story, well, after getting halfway through the book, I found I just didn't care enough to finish it. I didn't care anymore who was out to kill Frankie and why. The slow pace and heavy-handed boring filler lost me. I don't care how Frankie goes about finding rental property or fixes his ex-wife's garbage disposal. And yet both events, along with many others similar in mundane content, took up some audio real estate far longer than needed. When things do happen, they are gritty and I'm sure important, but there is too much filler exposition here, as though Winslow was concerned with making the book longer. Not better, just longer. A lot of this information could have been covered in broader brush strokes or mentioned throughout, not in large chunks of insignificant highly detailed reflections.

Another Great Novel by Winslow

Great writing an great reading. Performance was outstanding. I didn't like the surfer angle - its kind of corny. Other than that it was a brilliant novel.

Frankie Machine!

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

This was a great book. I thoroughly enjoyed the story. I really liked the flashbacks into Frank's life to show how he became the person he is and how they played a role in the main storyline.

What does Dennis Boutsikaris bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I thought Dennis Boutsikaris read this book excellently. I enjoyed his portrayal of the characters, especially Frank. Would definitely listen to other books by him.

Any additional comments?

This is definitely worth a listen. I took a chance on it from an Audible 2 for 1 sale and am so glad I did.

A fair to. good detective mystery.

A good story that was narrated very good. It kept my interest but got a bit convoluted with too many characters .

Great crime story and who dun it

Loved the story. Exciting. The bad guy is really the good guy. Liked the look back at earlier times.

Terrific performance. Made the story come alive.

Love this book!!

Love the book!!
The narrator is amazing!!
Have listened to it many times!!
Highly recommend it!!

Another Don Winslow classic!

Don Winslow is at the top of his game in this story of Mafioso gangsters and hitmen. Sex, lust, greed with crosses and double crosses everywhere. A great story with a very talented narrator in Dennis Boutsikaris. Don’t miss this listen!