The Force: A Novel Hardcover – June 20, 2017

I am completely puzzled as to why this book received good editorial comments. This is a book filled with, at best, dated ideas/myths/stories about policing. Every cliche in the world shows up, from the troubled corrupt white cop with the black girlfriend who happens to be a junkie. To the "prince of the city" idea where corrupt cops are somehow, somewhere deep in their tortured soul benevolt and care about the community.This book is, just simply, crap. I am 40 year police professional who ran IA in a major US police department. I have investigated, arrested, fired, jailed corrupt cops for years. There are good books, fiction and non, on this topic. This is not one.

Well, if 60 publications voted "The Force" one of the best books of the year, surely I will enjoy it, right? I like police stories, criminal novels, private eyes. So I began reading expecting to enjoy the ride. At first I thought of the writing and dialogue as "gritty" and "realistic" but it quickly wore me down. The coarse, language and gross vignettes didn't aspire to any higher artistic purpose or advance the narrative in any particularly interesting way. So I quit. The book is quite squalid in tone and Gadarene in destination. Do yourself a favor and read something more elevated in tone and purpose. This one is not fun.

I've read cop novels, from the patently ass kissing to vigilante but always on the right side types, and organized crime novels that reveal a dirty vulgar and equally criminal underside to the institution society created to protect themselves, only to be victimized by law enforcement types from Feds, including DEA, FBI, Border Patrol, all levels of metro and rural, etc. However, Don Winslow's "The Force" is so in depth, so revealing that you know it rings of truth even though it's a novel. I am so impressed by his brilliant writing, as I was with "Power of the Dog" and "The Cartel", that I couldn't help but wonder if he may attract some serious flak from those too close to the real thing. Books like this, and a huge seller at that, are projects of bravery in themselves. I genuinely believe Winslow could have been at some personal risk although it would look horrible for anybody in "Da Force" to do anything. It's that believable, terrifying and thorough. The story basically is about Denny Malone, a good/bad cop who fights fire and crime with the same. He and his loyal crew are sincere in their outrage at drug dealers, gang bangers and other low lives who rob, rape and murder innocent people. They are equally pissed off about the drug situation, guns on the streets, affiliation with the Mafia and other organized crime units. However, to get anything done in a force and an NYPD that's corrupted right down to the toilets in the holding cells, with anybody who's anybody seemingly wetting their proverbial beak somewhere, including Internal Affairs, the Police Commissioner, city government, lawyers and feds alike, methods are not exactly by the book to attain their objectives. Collusion with a Mafia capo, protecting one major league heroin dealer while trying to destroy the other, and two separate squads taking sides in that issue, accepting bribes, paying bribes, dealing themselves - all in a day's work until an incident where things get carried away and start dominos tumbling that can fall on damn near everybody even remotely close to the NYPD, its informants, or criminals who are tied in as tight to the cops as the real ones are. The ride is fast, very rough, extremely violent at times, and heartbreaking. In an amazing world of screwing everybody over for personal gain, nobody is hated more than a rat, because it's those types who push that first domino down. The contradictions, the dangers, personal tragedies are all here, and it's a jaw dropping expose. Winslow's writing is first rate - he may be the finest author of his style in the nation. He leaves you at books' end pondering the story, asking questions, and wanting to read more of his stuff. I am totally enamored with his work, and I consider him and Ace Atkins to be the best crime/thriller authors out there. For those who want books that mirror the real deal, sometimes too close for comfort, you can't beat "The Force" and I'll wager all his other books are just as great, which I am in the process of finding out.

There were a lot of raves about this book posted on Amazon. Words like ‘triumph,’ ‘scorcher,’ ‘riveting and scary,’ ‘epic,’ ‘daring and explosive,’ and ‘brilliant’ fill the reviews.I won’t be adding to them. Instead, I’ll warn you that if you’re look for a police procedural or whodunit, you won’t find it here. If, on the other hand, you’re looking for a book that glorifies corrupt police, this novel should be right up your alley.I’d rate this book ½ star (hated it) if I could.I didn’t like Dennis Malone, Winslow’s main character – one of my key criteria for liking a novel. I not only didn’t like him, I loathed him. One place in the book, an attorney describes him as ‘a criminal who takes bribes from other criminals.’ She wouldn’t have been wrong. And she could have added ‘and pays bribes to other criminals’ and been even more accurate.Malone is a rogue, a renegade, a vigilante, breaking the laws he swore to uphold left, right, and sideways to achieve his own ends, all the while popping Dexedrine tablets like breath mints. He takes down drug dealers, which is good, but keeps a healthy chunk of the drugs he confiscates to sell to other dealers and spreads the money he finds among the members of his team.Another reviewer called The Force ‘A big fat book of fast-moving fiction.’ At least he got the ‘fat’ part right. At almost 500 pages, this book is indeed fat. Fast-moving is another story. It shuffles along like a junkie on the nod with occasional pauses for backstories and asides that stop the glacial pace of the main plot.And after slogging through half of this ode to venal criminality, I’ve had all I can take. The Force goes on my ‘Could Not Finish’ list, and Don Winslow goes on my ‘Do Not Read’ list.

If you haven't read Winslow before, I envy the reading treasure you've just stumbled on.And THE FORCE, a stand alone, is a perfect way to introduce yourself.Power of the Dog and it's sequel The Cartel are masterful, epic pieces. They pull us through the deep, dark, blood filled trenches of the dope wars, of which Winslow is very knowledgeable of. With The Force, Winslow pulls us again through the deep, dark, blood filled trenches of New York City where the corruption flows down from the highest corridors of power.Winslow writes Winslow novels, much like Ellroy writes his own. His prose is snarky, stylish, creative, experimental with cinematic visualisation. He's also adept at condensing complicated plots that most authors would have stretched over a series into a 500 page beast. It also brought to mind throughout outstanding movies such as Prince of the City, French Connection and Serpico and the documentary Precinct Seven Five. Apparently the script is in the hands of the legendary David Mamet and to be directed by James Mangold who recently made the fantastic Logan movie. Exciting stuff!I finished the book with the high relief of a perfect fix. Like the Catholics wait for Jesus I've been hoping and praying for a corrupt-cop novel version of the TV show The Shield for a loooong time. Are the main characters lovable nice guys? No, but I couldn't wait to get back to them whenever I put the book down. They are very complicated, realistically drawn out characters where Winslow doesn't justify or vilify their behaviours, he just lets them live and breathe on the page. Treats us readers like the adults we either are or should be without spoon feeding.I rarely use the term Shakespearean, but it really is in terms of story, character and tragedy. We are shown the police culture, the faults in the systems, their interaction with the communities good and tragic, the corruption that plagues them. You become invested in those who populate his writing, you want them to get through the various trials and tribulations. Whether they do or not is for you to find out.Winslow, like he did with his other novels, has interviewed and made connections to many real individuals who operate on both sides of the law to better season his works with authenticity. And it tells. It's powerful stuff. The first few page are densely filled with the names of police officers who have lost their lives on these dangerous streets. It opens up the doors to a world we otherwise have no access to.The lingo, cop-speak, insider information is juicy and extremely moreish, leaving me wanting to know more of their experiences such as testilying, how 9/11 saved the mob, the upside of the EMT not taking a Hippocratic oath, rules for note-taking on the job, planning crimes so they cross as many precinct boundaries as possible to increase the likelihood of a snafu, tribes within the police force, how to handle CIs... on and on it goes and it's all fascinating.If you are like myself and have had a career in law enforcement, prisons, armed forces, then you'll know how story telling in all of its forms from various experiences throughout careers is non stop and always colourful. It's the same here with The Force where you feel Winslow, in his almost conversational style of writing, has bumped elbows with you at the bar and he's got a doozy of a story for you.The humour is dark and laugh out loud at times. The violence is not gratuitous, but strongly stated and well written. The city itself is a living breathing entity within this book. I've never been to New York, but the interesting locations and stores and bars etc. I couldn't get enough, evoking powerful images in my mind.If you're not used to reading gritty, hard-boiled, noir crime novels then consider these before entering. I sincerely hope you do though, you'd be missing out on a stone cold classic in crime writing and an exceptional novel by any standard.

To suggest that this is a powerful novel that will become a classic is a massive understatement. It is a classic novel and it’s such a powerful read that the words burn off the page. It’s one of the best books I’ve ever read. It is superb. It really is.If only there were a ten star rating. This book deserves them all.This is a work of fiction and I appreciated it as such.The protagonist is Detective First Grade Dennis John Malone. Known to his friends as ‘Denny’. A veteran sergeant in the NYPD’s most elite unit. Son of a cop. Of Irish descent and is known as ‘The King of The Task Force’ or ‘Da Force’ as the Manhattan North Special Task Force is known colloquially.Malone considers himself to be a good cop. It’s all he ever wanted to be. He loves The Job and the people he has sworn to protect and serve. A cop who is loyal to the fellow members of his team. His brother cops. Closer than family. Loyal to each other. They have each other’s backs. Would die for each other. They’re known as the ‘Hero cops’, that’s the title applied to them each time in the media if they have a successful drug busts or weapons hauls.It’s post 9/11 and Denny lost his young firefighter brother in the terrorist attack that destroyed the lives of so many and changed New York, America and the rest of the world forever.Denny Malone is a kind Robin Hood of the Hero Cops in a den of very nasty thieves. He hands out turkeys at Christmas time in the poorer areas known as The Projects. People fear and respect him. His area is the Kingdom Of Malone. The Hero Cops have standards. They want to take the guns of their streets. Guns kill too many good citizens. Guns kill cops. They hate them. They hate drugs too and spend far too much time on duty dealing with the effects of drugs in one way or another.The Job and the brotherhood of fellow cops is their life and as members of Da Force are treated like royalty. They eat in the best establishments and are on nodding terms with wise guy members of The Mob. Recognised admired and respected wherever they go. They are the untouchables. Or are they?Denny Malone is a dirty cop and so are his fellow officers, the other ‘brothers’ in the team. They’re not the only ones though.Corruption is rampant throughout the justice system, lawyers, judges, city officials. Everyone has a price and can be bought it seems.The intentions of Malone and his fellow Task Force team members are honourable. They need money to put by for their kid’s college fees. Insurance that if one of them is killed on the job, their wives and families will be taken care of by the others in their elite corps. There is no going back once they start.They’ve seen too much. Been through too much. They’re damaged by the job.The story starts off with Malone in an FBI correctional centre and this book is about his journey to that fate and if indeed it is the end of his career. It’s not an easy story. It’s often sad and heartbreaking.I could hardly read the last part because of the tears in my eyes.There is good and there is evil. There are different levels of good and evil. Who is good and who is evil?Now that’s all you’ll get from me. I can’t reveal any more of this story without giving away spoilers. You can’t make me tell. I’ll plead the fifth. I don’t know anything about anything.Read the book to find out the whole story. You’ll be very glad that you did.

Well, I guess with all those high ratings I must be missing the point. The Force is about "Da Force", an supposedly elite section of the NYPD and in particular a cop called Malone. These are bent cops with twisted morals who try to justify their actions to anyone gullible enough to listen. Nothing much happens in the novel, there's a lot of talking, monologue and exposition, without ever really getting anywhere. Winslow's writing style is a sort of matey streetwise slang trying to be gangsta and soon becomes tedious. The blurb made The Force sound great and it's obviously a popular book but it did nothing for me.

If you don't want to read this review, take it from me, buy the book, you won't be disappointed. It's awesome.If you do read this review, you're probably undecided after seeing a few 'it's ok' written. I hesitated, not wanting to be let down after the epic, brutal education of Power of the Dog and The Cartel, and I wasn't. It's different, but no less forensic. Mr Winslow is a written method actor. And once again, the scope of the book is huge and feels alive.The story does not go where you think it will. And if you like playing detective, there are some cute hints and clues that make you feel like a detective when / if you spot them.If you need a final reason to read the book, do it just to find out how the character 'Oh No Henry' got his name.Believe me, you'll want to know.

Another fantastic book from my favourite author. Yet again Don transports you to the heart of the world Denny inhabits.The level of detail is fantastic and you find yourself rooting for the main character, flaws and all.This isn't my favourite book by Don Winslow but that doesn't take away from the fact that this book draws you into a corrupt world and makes you question, think and judge the characters by the measure of your own moral compass.If this is your 1st foray into the world of Winslow (have you been living in a cave?!?!) then I highly recommend searching out his whole back catalogue especially The Power of the dog (my favourite book - I must've read it 20 times)Also Savages, the winter of Frankie Machine and the Cartel.I have never read one of his books that wasn't at least a 3.5 out of 5 and he has 4 of my top 5 favourite books of all time.I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.