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Don Winslow | |
|---|---|
 Winslow in 2015 | |
| Born | (1953-10-31)October 31, 1953 (age 72) New York City, U.S. |
| Occupation | |
| Alma mater | University of Nebraska–Lincoln |
| Period | 1991–present |
| Genre | Crime fiction,mystery fiction,historical fiction |
| Notable works | Neal Carey Mysteries, The Cartel Series |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 1 |
| Website | |
| donwinslow | |
Don Winslow (born October 31, 1953) is an American author[1][2] best known for his crime novels includingSavages,The Force and the Cartel Trilogy.
Winslow was born onStaten Island.[3] He grew up inPerryville, a beach town near the village ofMatunuck, Rhode Island.[4][5][6] He credits his parents for preparing him to become a writer: his mother was a librarian and his father was anon-commissioned officer in theUnited States Navy who told stories and invited Navy friends around who told more. They inspired Winslow to become a storyteller himself.[5] He majored in African history at theUniversity of Nebraska–Lincoln.[7] Winslow later earned a master's degree in military history.[3]
After earning his master's degree, Winslow worked as an analyst for theDepartment of State in South Africa in the 1980s, before working as a safari guide in Kenya. Winslow returned to the U.S. in the late 1980s to work as aprivate investigator.[3]
While traveling between Asia, Africa, Europe and America, Winslow wrote his first novel,A Cool Breeze on the Underground, which was nominated for anEdgar Award and aShamus Award for Best First Novel.[8]
Winslow's second book,The Trail to Buddha's Mirror, continued the Neal Carey saga. He followed that up with three more Neal Carey novels,Way Down on the High Lonely, for which he was aDilys Award finalist,A Long Walk Up the Water Slide, andWhile Drowning in the Desert.
For his next novel, Winslow broke from the Neal Carey character to write the standaloneIsle of Joy, about an ex-CIA agent who is pulled back into the world of espionage, this time as the target of his former agency and the FBI.
A film and publishing deal for his novelThe Death and Life of Bobby Z, also aBarry Award finalist, for Best Novel, allowed Winslow to become a full-time writer and settle in California, the setting for many of his books.[citation needed]
Winslow co-created the NBC television seriesUC/Undercover with his friend and agentShane Salerno.[9] The series ran one season and aired 13 episodes.
Winslow then published theShamus Award finalistCalifornia Fire and Life, andLooking for a Hero.[8]
In 2005, Winslow published what would become the first book in his epic "Cartel Trilogy,"The Power of the Dog, about obsessive DEA Agent Art Keller's quest to take down anEl Chapo-esqueSinaloan cartel. The book earned rave reviews around the world and was a finalist for theBarry,Macavity,Hammett, andDilys awards.[8]
Winslow then wroteThe Winter of Frankie Machine, which garnered interest all over Hollywood and was eventually bought byParamount Pictures forRobert De Niro to star in andMartin Scorsese to direct. During the development phase, screenwriterEric Roth gave De Niro a book to read as research for the role. De Niro became so enthralled with that book –I Heard You Paint Houses – that he and Scorsese ended up adapting it intoThe Irishman. Winslow took it all in stride, even penning a humorous article onDeadline Hollywood jokingly titled “I Blame Eric Roth.”[10]
Winslow followedFrankie Machine with the first of his two Boone Daniels books,Dawn Patrol. Winslow was yet again a finalist for theBarry andDilys Awards.[8]
In 2010, Winslow publishedSavages, which was voted a top-10 book of the year byThe New York Times,Los Angeles Times,Entertainment Weekly,The Chicago Sun Times, and authorStephen King, and was aBarry,Dilys, andSteel Dagger Award finalist.[8] The rights were quickly scooped up by award-winning filmmakerOliver Stone. Winslow andShane Salerno adapted the screenplay, and the film went on to starAaron Taylor-Johnson,Taylor Kitsch,Blake Lively,Benicio del Toro,Salma Hayek, andJohn Travolta.[11]
AfterSavages, Winslow returned to the world of ultra-California cool cop-turned-PI Boone Daniels inThe Gentlemen's Hour. The book was a 2010 finalist for theGold Dagger Award.[8]
In 2011, Winslow wrote another standalone,Satori, a prequel toTrevanian's 1979 novelShibumi. Winslow again earned rave reviews from critics and colleagues alike.Satori was purchased byWarner Brothers andLeonardo DiCaprio's Appian Way for DiCaprio to produce and star.[12]
The following year, Winslow returned to the world ofSavages, writing the prequelThe Kings of Cool. Yet again, his book was aGold Dagger finalist for Best Crime Novel of the Year.[8]
2012 also saw Winslow given the Raymond Chandler Award, Italy's top lifetime achievement honor for masters of the thriller and noir literary genre. Past recipients have includedStephen King,John Le Carré,John Grisham, andElmore Leonard.
In 2015, Winslow published the second book in his Cartel Trilogy,The Cartel. The book was an international success, earning starred reviews fromPublishers Weekly,Booklist, andLibrary Journal, landing on Best Books of the Year lists for over sixty publications, includingThe New York Times,The Washington Post,The Seattle Times,Publishers Weekly,The Guardian,The Sunday Times,Daily Mail, and many others. Fellow novelistsStephen King,Michael Connelly,James Ellroy, andHarlan Coben also raved aboutThe Cartel, naming it one of Winslow's best. The book went on to win theIan Fleming Steel Dagger Award, theRBA Prize for Crime Writing, andLos Angeles Times Book Prize.[8]
For his follow up toThe Cartel, Winslow wrote another standalone,The Force, tackling corruption in the deepest recesses of theNYPD.The Force was named one of the Best Books of the Year byThe New York Times,NPR,Barnes & Noble,Publishers Weekly,The Financial Times,The Daily Mail,Booklist, andLitHub. In a seven-figure deal,Fox purchased the film rights forJames Mangold to directMatt Damon in a script adapted by award-winning screenwriterScott Frank.[13]
In 2019, Winslow published the third and final installment of his Cartel Trilogy,The Border. It was named one of the Best Books of the Year byThe Washington Post,NPR,The Guardian,The Financial Times,The New York Post,The Dallas Morning News,The Irish Times,Booklist, and many others. The film rights to the trilogy had originally been purchased by20th Century Fox but in 2019, due to the sprawling nature of the story and world therein,FX Networks acquired the rights from their sister studio to turn the novels into a TV series. Filming on the pilot is set to begin in late-2022.[14]
After concluding his Cartel Trilogy, Winslow publishedBroken, a collection of six short novellas all centered around the themes of crime, corruption, vengeance, justice, loss, and betrayal.Broken also earned starred reviews fromPublishers Weekly andKirkus Reviews.
Winslow's next novel,City on Fire, is the first book in a planned trilogy about the feuding Moretti and Murphy crime families inProvidence, Rhode Island, in the 1980s and 1990s.[15][16] The novel received critical acclaim and its screen rights were acquired by Sony to be adapted into a television series.[17]
In addition to his novels, Winslow has published numerous short stories in anthologies and magazines such asEsquire, theLos Angeles Times Magazine andPlayboy. His columns have appeared in theVanity Fair,Vulture,Huffington Post,CNN Online, and other outlets.
In April 2022, Winslow announced his retirement from writing, to focus on his political video-making and activism. HisCity on Fire sequels are his final books.[18] In 2023, he started a book club on Twitter.[19]
In January, 2026, Winslow returned to writing. His bookThe Final Score features six crime novellas.[20]
Winslow has spoken in favor ofgun control,drug legalisation and reducing incarceration rates for non-violent crimes.[21][22] In 2016, Winslow wrote anop-ed forEsquire arguing that thelegalisation of marijuana exacerbated thewar on drugs and cartel violence.[23][22] In 2017, he criticized theborder wall then-proposed byDonald Trump, saying, "You can build the biggest, best, most beautiful wall – it doesn't matter if the gates are open, and the gates are open 24/7."[22]
During the2020 presidential election, Winslow became politically active online, using his own money to championliberal causes and criticize Donald Trump and his agenda. Winslow andShane Salerno began creating political videos critical of theTrump administration for social media. On October 13, 2020, Don Winslow Films released a video critical of Trump prior to his campaign event inPennsylvania. The video featuresBruce Springsteen's song "Streets of Philadelphia" and has been viewed almost 10 million times. As of January 4, 2021, Winslow's videos had garnered over 135 million views.[24] As of April 2022, the total view count was over 250 million.[25]
Alibel lawsuit was filed against Winslow on the basis of comments Winslow made in 2020 about an Irwin County Detention Center contractor, who Winslow had claimed performed illegalhysterectomies purportedly done at the direction of Donald Trump. In 2022 a district court ruled that the libel claims could go forward.[26]
In April 2023, Winslow toldThe New Zealand Herald that he had no interest in entering politics.[19]
Winslow said he writes from 5:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. and then hikes six or seven miles before returning to work. He typically works on two books at a time, moving to the other when work on the first stalls. He said the longest he has gone without writing after a book is completed was five days. He has described writing as "an addiction".[7][27][28]
The time it takes him to write a book varies.The Death and Life of Bobby Z was written on the train betweenDana Point, California andLos Angeles, one chapter per trip.[7][5]The Power of the Dog took six years to research and write, including a trip toMexico to interview people with similar experiences as the book's characters.[29]
Winslow's career as an investigator often took him to California to look intoarson cases, as his storytelling skills helped explain cases to juries. In the mid-1990s, he moved to California with his wife, Jean, and their infant son, Thomas, and continued writing. They currently split their time betweenJulian, California,[7][27] and Rhode Island.
Winslow is an avidbird watcher.[3]
Upcoming adaptations
Winslow won the 2012Raymond Chandler Award at the Courmayeur Noir Festival. Previous winners include John le Carré, John Grisham and Michael Connelly.[56]
Awards by book: A Cool Breeze on the Underground
Way Down on the High Lonely
The Death and Life of Bobby Z
California Fire and Life
The Power of the Dog
| The Winter of Frankie Machine The Dawn Patrol
The Gentlemen's Hour
Savages
The Kings of Cool
The Cartel
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Recipients of theRBA Prize for Crime Writing | |
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