Frank is known as the bait guy — a quiet, friendly type who works his shop. He has a daughter who just got accepted to medical school and an ex-wife who still needs him to do fix-it jobs around the house. He surfs after the morning rush hits, then spends his time doing crosswords to keep his mind sharp. Oh, and one last thing: He used to be a hitman for the local mob.
Frank Machianno — the protagonist of Don Winslow’s THE WINTER OF FRANKIE MACHINE — was running a few businesses, with the only care being how to raise the tuition for his daughter’s tuition. Then one night, he comes home and finds his former boss’ son waiting for him, needing his help, but Frank wants nothing to do with that lifestyle ever again.
The son explains it would be a favor to his father. All they need Frank for is to mediate a meeting between these upstarts and a big heavy named Vince, who Frank dealt with in the past from Detroit. Except it’s all a setup to kill one Frankie Machine. As Frank tries to figure out who’s behind it all, he reflects upon his time in the mob, from the initial approach to his first killing, from the days of the limo driving to a standoff with a strip-club king.
Winslow’s writing bristles with characters who not only feel as though they come off the page, but do everything so against those movie stereotypes of which Frankie is ashamed. The author does a phenomenal job of pacing the story, with the flashbacks placed throughout. Even though you know Frankie makes it to this point, you just get the feeling he could have been killed at any time.
It’s a thriller that truly delivers, with a fantastic ending. Winslow never goes for the cheap thrill; everything is done for a purpose: to make you actually believe a man of Frankie’s later years can pull it all off. —Bruce Grossman
“Frank butts him in the solar plexus with the blunt end of the bat, then swings the handle up in an arc and catches the man under the chin.”
