Savages by Don Winslow

This was (just to use a couple action novel clichés) an action-packed, page-turner. It was a recommendation from the formerly-literate scribophobe nephew Chris. I’ve read and reported on Winslow before (The Dawn Patrol and The Power of the Dog), and this is a much better book. Like his other books, this has to do with the drug trade that spans Mexico and the U.S., and all of the characters who are involved. There is a cartel war in Baja and a struggle for control of the U.S. trade in Southern California. This one was very close to home for me, or at least my children, because one of the main protagonists is Ben, the son of two psychotherapists, who has grown up in a very liberal tradition. Ben graduated from Berkeley with a double major in agriculture and marketing. He follows his dream of making the best marijuana on the planet and selling it to a very high-end clientele. But, the real drug boys don’t like the competition. Ben is paired up with a volleyball buddy from Laguna, a former SEAL, who is now using his talents to keep their operation safe. But, the whole matter escalates out of control. They are both doing the same girl, Ophelia, otherwise known as O, which surely stands for orgasm, something she is very talented at achieving. The boys are satisfied with this arrangement and don’t need to fight for that territory. O’s mother is Paqu, passive-aggressive queen of the universe, really, a queen ditz. One of the lines from O as she prepares to go off on a shopping spree in Newport, “I don’t adore myself, so I adorn myself.” As Ben gets up to speed with the deaths that are happening around him and shakes off his previously nonviolent stance, the author writes, “Now Ben. Find your inner Taliban.” The writing is staccato-like, creative, fun. The ending is not what I expected, but it made sense. I read it in two sittings, and will now spend some time looking at Winslow’s website to choose my next book.