Savages-Don Winslow

Savages
Don Winslow
Simon and Schuster, Jul 13 2010, $25.00
ISBN: 9781439183366

In affluent Laguna Beach, California, Ben and Chon manage a profitable marijuana business. However, the Baja Cartel wants to expand into the Laguna Beach theater of operations and two punk Americans will not prevent them.

Ben agrees with the Mexicans’ assessment as he wants no trouble. However, former SEAL Chon, as Ophelia describes, has a “baditude” who does not mind a fight though he would also prefer a peaceful solution. The partners reject the foreign demands, but ignore the cartel until the Baja banditos go too far when they snatch O. They plan to take the war to the cartel as late night second half buffs Letterman and Leno in order to rescue O.

Don Winslow savages the American war on drugs (and immigration) with this wild bloody thriller. In between the flowing of red and profanity, celebrities and politicians are lampooned as capitalism at its oligopoly best. Mr. Winslow makes a case for more of the trade insanity of Second Amendment selling of weapons to the Mexican Cartels who sell drugs to the Americans that buys more weapons. Don’t read on a full stomach, Savages takes no prisoners.

Harriet Klausner