City in Ruins

By: Don Winslow

Narrated by: Ari Fliakos

*A Times thriller of the year*

Following City on Fire and City of Dreams, City in Ruins is the explosive, utterly gripping conclusion to New York Times bestselling author Don Winslow’s epic, genre-defining crime trilogy and the final book of Winslow's extraordinary career.

'A gangland trilogy to equal THE GODFATHER. If you like SCARFACE and GOODFELLAS, this is where it's at.' STEPHEN KING

Sometimes you have to become what you hate to protect what you love.

Danny Ryan is rich. Beyond his wildest dreams rich.

The former dock worker, Irish mob soldier and fugitive from the law is now a respected businessman – a Las Vegas casino mogul and billionaire silent partner in a group that owns two lavish hotels. Finally, Danny has it all: a beautiful house, a child he adores, a woman he might even fall in love with.

Life is good. But then Danny reaches too far.

When he tries to buy an old hotel on a prime piece of real estate with plans to build his dream resort, he triggers a war against Las Vegas power brokers, a powerful FBI agent bent on revenge and a rival casino owner with dark connections of his own.

Danny thought he had buried his past, but now it reaches up to him from the grave to pull him down. Old enemies surface, and when they come for Danny they vow to take everything – not only his empire, not just his life, but all that he holds dear, including his son.

To save his life and everything he loves, Danny must become the ruthless fighter he once was – and never wanted to be again.

Ranging from the gritty back rooms of Providence, RI to the power corridors of Washington, DC and Wall Street to the golden casinos of Las Vegas, City in Ruins is an epic crime novel of love and hate, ambition and desperation, vengeance and compassion.

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Critic reviews

'All of Winslow's books are well plotted, gritty and often disturbingly violent. This is a mob story rival to The Godfather. There can be no higher price.' The Tablet

'This last instalment of Winslow’s magnificent trilogy about the life and struggles of Irish mobster Danny Ryan from Rhode Island brings his story to a juddering, unforgettable conclusion … If this truly is his last hurrah, it is a fitting tribute to his exceptional skill and talent.’ Daily Mail

'This slick tale of turf wars, revenge and ghosts from the past is the final book in the superb Ryan and up there with Winslow's brilliant Cartel books' The Sun, PICK OF THE WEEK

‘The plotting and scene-writing are every bit as sharp and painstaking as in his majestic Cartel series. And far from being exhausted, the soon-to-be retired author has energy to spare on subplots, including an interwoven murder trial that could easily be a freestanding novella. Other senior crime writers will be cursing him because they will have to match this standard when they take their final bows.’ The Times, Pick of the Month & Best Thriller of 2024

'With ‘City in Ruins,’ Winslow wraps up a spectacular crime fiction trilogy: a sweeping story that morphs and expands over time.' Washington Post

'City in Ruins is Don Winslow showing the rest of us how it’s done. Nobody does it better. The novel builds and builds, the drama, the suspense, our feelings for the central characters – and then everything comes together. Actually, everything explodes. It’s a beautiful, artful thing. Winslow has saved the best for last.' James Patterson

'With his compelling characters, his vivid prose, and his exploration of universal themes, Winslow has produced a masterpiece of modern crime fiction' UK Times

DW is one of the best to ever do it.

Hard to say that I was happy to finish this listen, only because it might be DW’s last. This is an awesome novel in a really great trilogy of stories. Really enjoyed it!

Brilliant!

The tone, colour and shape of a full life told over three books with perfect balances of detail and wit. And never too much.

A voice performance which seems to capture Winslow’s intentions.