City of Dreams

by Don Winslow

First published 2023

Danny Ryan arrives in California as a beaten man. The East Coast mob war has left him with nothing but enemies, a small son, an aging father, and a handful of loyal soldiers. He wants peace in Hollywood, but the FBI finds him first. They offer Danny a deal that could either make him rich or get him killed. When Hollywood producers start filming his life story, Danny sees opportunity. He demands his cut and begins rebuilding his criminal operation from scratch. Then he meets a movie star with secrets as dark as his own. Their romance pulls them into danger that threatens everything Danny has fought to protect. Now he must battle for survival in a city that creates dreams and destroys them with equal fury. The story spans from Rhode Island's coastline to California's harsh deserts, from Washington's political machinery to Hollywood's glittering studios, where Danny discovers that the biggest criminals wear suits and the real money flows through legal channels.

Genres: fiction, mystery, crime, thriller

Vibes: dark, fast-paced, suspenseful

Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, fish-out-of-water

Setting: California, Hollywood, Rhode Island

Period: 21st-century

352 pages · Hardcover · William Morrow

Content warnings: violence

More by Don Winslow

Readers who liked City of Dreams also liked

View on Siftivo