City in Ruins

Winslow (City of Dreams) concludes his Danny Ryan trilogy—and his career as a novelist—with an addictive finale that charts the Rhode Island mobster turned Las Vegas casino mogul’s turbulent business dealings and deadly feuds. In 1997, Ryan has relocated from California to Sin City, using millions of dollars of stolen cartel money to buy his way into the thriving Tara Group corporation. As director of hotel operations, Ryan owns two leading properties on the Strip, with ambitions to build a third: his elegant dream hotel, Il Sogno. When Ryan’s chief rival, Vernon Winegard, bids on a crumbling 1950s relic in a prime location for Il Sogno, Ryan slyly undermines the sale, blocking Vernon’s plans to dominate the Strip. Retaliatory moves from Vernon, together with FBI subdirector Regina Moneta’s relentless efforts to get revenge on Ryan for his role in the death of her lover 10 years earlier, soon demolish his hotelier dreams and turn his days into a gory fight for survival. Bolstered by careful plotting and meticulous attention to character, Winslow’s ambitious narrative culminates with an exhilarating climax that beautifully wraps up the series’ many plot threads. It’s a fitting swan song from a giant of crime fiction. Agent: Shane Salerno, Story Factory. (Apr.)