‘Winter of Frankie Machine’ packed with action
Three of the best novels that I read in 2008 were written by the same author, Don Winslow, who’s been writing since the late ’90s. The books are “The Dawn Patrol,” “The Winter of Frankie Machine” and “California Fire and Life.”
All three novels have a multitude of intriguing characters and especially a lead character who’s not invincible, but rather human with his good points and his bad. The ending of each book is a total surprise and extremely rewarding. The books are so good, that you immediately want to read everything that Winslow has written, which I’m in the process of doing, taking it slowly and spreading the books out so that I have something to read until his next book comes out in 2009.
If ever there was a character written especially for the actor Robert DeNiro to play, it’s the role of Frank Machianno (aka Frankie the Machine), a retired hit man for the San Diego mob who now owns a bait shop, fixes the drain under his ex-wife’s sink, pampers his mistress, and loves his daughter enough to do whatever it takes to pay her way through medical school. Life couldn’t be better for Frankie. He’s 63 and still occasionally surfs with his old friends, the women in his life are fairly happy, so he’s happy, his businesses are running good, then everything suddenly changes when he tries to do a favor for the son of a friend and is nearly killed in the process with a wire garrote around the neck.
Though Frankie has no idea why a contract has unexpectedly been taken out on him, he’s determined to stay alive long enough to find out. He quickly puts his life on hold and gets his women out of town to safety, then starts backtracking, tracing down the people who helped with the contract. He also has to stay one step ahead of the mob and its team of killers. Frankie used to be the best hit man on the West Coast. Now they’re about to find out just how damn good he really is as he starts taking out their people left and right and works his way back to the source of the contract. Frankie knows that there’s no turning back. It’s either kill or be killed, and he’s a master craftsman at what he does best.
As with “The Dawn Patrol” and “California Fire and Life,” Winslow does a truly excellent job of telling Frankie’s story through flashbacks and with meticulous writing that creates an imagery of San Diego during the last 40 years that stays with you long after the novel is finished. The character of Frankie Machianno is pure DeNiro through and through. You see him in Frankie’s actions, his dialogue, the way he thinks and the way he kills. This is a man with his own code of honor, refusing to be a rat, and always choosing to do what he thinks is right. This is certainly a character who you want to see more of, especially on the big screen. In fact, the movie now is being produced by and starring DeNiro with a release date of 2010. If DeNiro stays close to the book, this may turn out to be his best movie since “Heat.”
So, if you want a fun book to read with plenty of action and a look at the mob in Southern California, “The Winter of Frankie Machine” is the one to get. You won’t be disappointed, and you probably will find yourself hooked on Winslow’s writing just like I am.
