I’m sure that’s not the reality but whatever the case, his ability to impart complex backstory and character descriptions in a minimum of paragraphs is incredible. It’s like he’s so on top of his game and knows what he’s saying so well that he can knock books out between beers over a lazy weekend. I find Winslow’s writing has a fluid, almost effortless feel. It also includes what for me is some fascinating detail about the logistics involved in the large-scale cultivation of hydroponic marijuana. This is depicted in terms of the changes in the drug culture and the people who inhabit it. The Kings of Cool is the kind of high-octane crime thriller you expect from Winslow, however what makes it really interesting is his attempt to paint an alternative history of Southern California. Yes, the plotline involves a group of older guys trying to shake down Ben, Chon and O. Yes, the two sets of characters from the two different periods are somehow related. Friendship gives way to paranoia and organised crime gets involved – including what for Winslow connoisseurs is a very entertaining cameo by a mafia enforcer called Frankie Machine. Interwoven into this is the story of another group of counter cultural types in Southern California back in the 60s, and the evolution of their decision to become drug traffickers, from the amateurish beginnings to the more serious consequences as the Summer of Love fades and the trade mutates into a high stakes business. The Kings of Cool looks at the three friends as they start out in the drug business in the 90s, as well as exploring their complicated histories and how they first met up. Let’s just settle on the messed up rich girl, the group’s mascot and popular culture cypher. O, the most annoying of the three is… well… I’m not really sure what she is. Chon is the muscle – he comes into his own when things get rough. Ben is an ethical slacker and the business brains behind the operation. This book is the prequel to Savages, Winslow’s story of three Southern California drug dealers whose success in selling high quality, hydroponically grown marijuana attracts the unwelcome and deadly attention of a Mexican drug cartel. However if you need a bit more than the elevator pitch, here goes.
For many people, that’s all I really need to say. That’s the Don Winslow who wrote The Power of the Dog, Satori and Savages, the last of which has been made into what, by nearly all accounts, is an excellent film by Oliver Stone. The Kings of Cool is Don Winslow’s latest book.
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