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166th out of 525 books
—
310 voters
The Death and Life of Bobby Z
by
Don Winslow
From the bestselling author of Savages (now an Oliver Stone film).
When Tim Kearney, a small-time criminal, slits the throat of a Hell's Angel and draws a life sentence in a prison full of gang members, he knows he’s pretty much a dead man. That’s until the DEA makes Kearney an offer: impersonate the late, legendary dope smuggler Bobby Z so that the agency can trade him fo...more
When Tim Kearney, a small-time criminal, slits the throat of a Hell's Angel and draws a life sentence in a prison full of gang members, he knows he’s pretty much a dead man. That’s until the DEA makes Kearney an offer: impersonate the late, legendary dope smuggler Bobby Z so that the agency can trade him fo...more
Paperback, 259 pages
Published
September 12th 2006
by Vintage
(first published March 6th 1997)
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Tim Kearney is a three time loser looking at the prospect of life in the California prison system or a shank in the back when a bright spark at the DEA realizes that he looks an awful lot like the recently deceased enigmatic drug kingpin called Bobby Z. The feds make a deal, they will release Kearney and then trade him in the guise of Bobby Z. to Mexican drug lords who don't know the truth about the real Z. If all this sounds a little too preposterous to make a good story, it gets even wilder wh...more
This was the 2nd book I've read by Don Winslow and I'm already thinking about what book of his to read next! His books are just so much fun to read, with crazy plots, wild characters, lots of action, suspense and violence, but with just enough humor to make light of the "heavy" and the "dark".
In this story, a small town criminal, Tim Kearney, gets a life sentence for slitting the throat of a Hell's Angel, while in jail. The DEA makes Tim an offer to impersonate a well known drug smuggler, known...more
In this story, a small town criminal, Tim Kearney, gets a life sentence for slitting the throat of a Hell's Angel, while in jail. The DEA makes Tim an offer to impersonate a well known drug smuggler, known...more
What an entertaining book! Its hero is a former Marine, a three-strike convict, and a total loser, Tim Kearney, who hasn’t ever been able to commit a crime without messing up (to use a nice word). When a DEA agent gives him a chance of avoiding life in prison (or rather death in prison as Hell’s Angels are bent on killing Tim) by impersonating a dead legendary surfer (and pot distributor), Bobby Z, Tim jumps at the opportunity. But soon hundreds of people want to kill him for various reasons and...more
After reading Windslow's Dawn Patrol and Savages, anything that this author writes has my attention. It was written in 97 and probably was at a earlier period in his career. Definitely a fun read, but not quite up to the realism of the former two books mentioned.
The plot device is a familiar rehash of a three time loser in prison who is offered his freedom to impersonate a big time drug dealer who has supposedly died. The dialogue is filled with the right blend of racism and street sense to mak...more
The plot device is a familiar rehash of a three time loser in prison who is offered his freedom to impersonate a big time drug dealer who has supposedly died. The dialogue is filled with the right blend of racism and street sense to mak...more
Jul 23, 2012
Mark Louderback
added it
This was really a good book. I had the author recommended to me by Mark Greaney of Grey Man fame. He mentioned that Don had written Savages — so I checked my library to see what book we had.
(spoiler) What I liked about Bobby Z was the Loser Gone Good element. It just cheers my heart to see someone turn their life around — and even more-so to see them turn it around because of the love of a child. Perhaps some would see this as a bit hard to believe — but I think the author laid in a pretty good...more
(spoiler) What I liked about Bobby Z was the Loser Gone Good element. It just cheers my heart to see someone turn their life around — and even more-so to see them turn it around because of the love of a child. Perhaps some would see this as a bit hard to believe — but I think the author laid in a pretty good...more
This is a fun, hilarious, adrenaline paced, and totally unpredictable page-turner. Winslow has created a wholly unique and lovable convict, Tim Kearney. Tim is a loser with a lifetime of bad luck and low self-esteem, but he also has the deadly skills of an ex-marine and possesses a solid core of decency. Pulled out of prison to imitate the legendary and elusive Orange County drug dealer Bobby Z for a hostage exchange between the DEA and Mexican drug dealers, Tim manages to survive numerous attem...more
A book in the style of Carl Hiassen. A thriller set in southern California, San Diego, Orange County Beaches, the desert. Tim Kearney is a loser who has committed his third strike and is on the way to prison for the rest of his life. Fortuitously for him, he looks like a drug dealer (Bobby Z.) that has just died in custody. A Mexican drug lord wants to swap the look-alike for a DEA agent that he has in custody. The DEA picks out Kearney to play the part of Bobby Z and exchanges him. Unfortunatel...more
I really like reading Winslow's books. They are tons of fun and have great twists and turns. However, this is his second book where I am not at all sold on the characters motivation. This book is about a guy who has just murdered a Hell's Angel big shot in jail so the DEA gives him this very sketchy offer to switch places with a dead guy. He was beat by his dad growing up and spent most of his life in jail or in the marines, but when he has a chance to escape from it all, he goes back for a kid...more
A fun, fizzy thriller that starts off at a gallop and rarely lets up the pace. Tim Kearney, a decorated Marine with a serious impulse control problem, is serving some serious prison time when he kills a biker who'd threatened him. Now he's facing certain death inside prison from the biker's pals. So a DEA agent offers him a deal: Impersonate a legendary drug dealer whom he resembles, enabling the DEA to trade him to a Mexican drug lord in exchange for a captured DEA agent. After that he's free t...more
Terrific thriller. Three time loser Tim Kearny is offered a choice, go back to the prison yard where the Hell's Angels will kill him for not joining their Aryan Nation, or get sprung and pose as the legendary surfer/marijuana importer Bobby Z. He takes door number two and starts accumulating Bobby's enemies, his ex-girlfriend and a kid who thinks he's his dad. The action is rampant, the climax is huge, Tim and the boy are great characters with a neat bond, but the real draw in this book is the s...more
This is such a cinematic book I can't believe this hasn't hit the multiplexes yet. With its plot centering on a lowlife discovering the joys of domestic life complete with cute kid via an extravagant series of over-the-top action sequences, it's the stuff of crappy action movies.
Yet this doesn't keep it from being good. Winslow's a great writer and he steers clear of sentimental slop. The kid's cute, not cloying, the protagaonist a nice, unabashed loser, and the love interest totally underplayed...more
Yet this doesn't keep it from being good. Winslow's a great writer and he steers clear of sentimental slop. The kid's cute, not cloying, the protagaonist a nice, unabashed loser, and the love interest totally underplayed...more
Pues la historia tampoco es una cosa del otro mundo: el típico antihéroe, un convicto con poco seso y mala suerte, que tiene que hacerse pasar por un traficante de drogas en una operación de la DEA, y que se embarca en una serie de persecuciones con un niño a su cargo :p Luego resulta que no tiene tan poco seso como cree, y además es un cacho de pan, y mejor padre.
El caso es que el autor lo cuenta de una manera trepidante, divertida y entretenida. De hecho, podría ser el guión de una peli de Tar...more
El caso es que el autor lo cuenta de una manera trepidante, divertida y entretenida. De hecho, podría ser el guión de una peli de Tar...more
It was nice to see that Winslow can write without all chill-bro dudeness that worked so well in the Dawn Patrol books and went so terribly wrong in Savages. There are still some 'like, totally rad' Winslowisms, but he strikes a nice balance in Bobby Z. I really dug it, but I might just be a sucker for the touching Tim/Kit relationship. Winslow is very good at creating characters that you really care about, which helps make memorable stories out of yarns that would otherwise be too light and thro...more
Big, goofy fun. Silly and violent. This book hits the ground running and never lets up. To the point of complete and utter ridiculousness, but still a stunning achievement in terms of just pace.
I'm sure if I looked at the blurbs on the back, they would include such words as: "adrenalin" or "whiplash" or "non-stop thrill ride". All of which describe the story.
Ask me in a couple of weeks, and I'll probably remember the smile on my face as I read the book more than the book itself. But I will remem...more
I'm sure if I looked at the blurbs on the back, they would include such words as: "adrenalin" or "whiplash" or "non-stop thrill ride". All of which describe the story.
Ask me in a couple of weeks, and I'll probably remember the smile on my face as I read the book more than the book itself. But I will remem...more
1 like · like · see review
Losers don't get dreams, losers have to settle for real life
And Tim Kearney is your quintessential loser in Don Winslow's relentless, fast-paced noir thriller.
Bobby Z is a Laguna Beach legend; surfer, drug dealer, all round cool guy and as it happens has a doppelganger in three time felon and dishonourably discharged marine Tim Kearney. DEA agents want to utilise Kearney's looks to fool a Mexican drug cartel but nothing goes to plan for anyone in the ensuing cross country flight/blood bath.
With...more
And Tim Kearney is your quintessential loser in Don Winslow's relentless, fast-paced noir thriller.
Bobby Z is a Laguna Beach legend; surfer, drug dealer, all round cool guy and as it happens has a doppelganger in three time felon and dishonourably discharged marine Tim Kearney. DEA agents want to utilise Kearney's looks to fool a Mexican drug cartel but nothing goes to plan for anyone in the ensuing cross country flight/blood bath.
With...more
10 likes · like · see review
Bobby Z, a legend of drug dealing West Coast cool, dies suddenly leaving behind a trail of broken lives and missing pieces, one of which involves a Mexican drug lord and a Federal agent taken hostage. This is the cue for Tim Kearney, lookalike to Bobby Z, to step in and work for the Federal government to get back the agent from the drug lord. Only it's not that simple. Kearney is a three time loser, busted thrice for breaking and entering - can he pull of the Prince/Pauper transformation and tri...more
Oct 25, 2008
LJ
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
california,
contemporary_post_1945,
male_author,
mexico,
mystery,
police_procedural,
suspense
THE DEATH AND LIFE OF BOBBY Z - Ex
Winslow, Don - standalone
When Tim Kearney, a small-time criminal, slits the throat of a Hell's Angel and draws a life sentence in a prison full of gang members, he knows he’s pretty much a dead man. That’s until the DEA makes Kearney an offer: impersonate the late, legendary dope smuggler Bobby Z so that the agency can trade him for one of their own, who was captured by a Mexican drug kingpin. Knowing his chances of survival are a little better than in prison, K...more
Winslow, Don - standalone
When Tim Kearney, a small-time criminal, slits the throat of a Hell's Angel and draws a life sentence in a prison full of gang members, he knows he’s pretty much a dead man. That’s until the DEA makes Kearney an offer: impersonate the late, legendary dope smuggler Bobby Z so that the agency can trade him for one of their own, who was captured by a Mexican drug kingpin. Knowing his chances of survival are a little better than in prison, K...more
What a fun hysterical ride this book was! I'm a big fan of Don Winslow although am jumping on the bandwagon kind of late. My first Winslow was "California Fire and Life" earlier this year and I pledged to be a Winslow fan from that point on. His style is playful, twisted, and wickedly funny. It's like surfer dude meets Elmore Leonard. You feel like you're inside the head of every character, especially Tim Kearney, the hero. The action is nonstop and probably the fastest read I've had in a while....more
I had never heard of Don Winslow until a few weeks ago when the spine of "Kings of Cool" caught my eye. It sounded good and like one of the types of books I enjoy reading the most. A crime novel with lots of twists, turns, and great surprises. I'm now reading my 4th book by him. He has excellent character develop skills - I can picture the main ones easily. Don also knows how to start a book with something awesome which leads me to definitely read the entire book. He's one of my favorite authors...more
My third Don Winslow book, and I'm three-for-three for enjoyment! Another quick and exciting read! Tim Kearney gets a chance to get out of jail if he becomes the legend, Bobby Z. He agrees, and all hell breaks loose! Everyone is out to kill him, he fall in love, and he discovers "he" has a kid! Bikers, drug dealers, and the DEA will stop at nothing to kill him, and he'll stop at nothing to keep the woman and kid in his life! And the end? Well, it's fireworks man!
This wasn't my favorite Winslow book... one of the things that I have enjoyed about his other books is that the plot is generally very tight with few or any plot holes. I was going to give this 2 stars but one of the major plot holes was patched up toward the end, though it was left open for way too long and if this had been my first Winslow book I probably would have rolled my eyes and put the book down toward the beginning.
The surf-guy narrative style that he uses in many of his books was way...more
The surf-guy narrative style that he uses in many of his books was way...more
Fast paced and interesting. Good characters that you like and characters that you can't decide if you like or hate. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and liked the writing style of the author. Very difficult to put down at times. Would have enjoyed a little more of a conclusion, however, abrupt endings tends to be the authors style. Must go back to the library for another book. Best of Don Winslow that I have read, so far.
When I started the book, I thought it would be too hard-boiled, but Don Winslow softened it up quite a bit, making the main character Tim / Bobby Z much more simpatico. By the end, I wanted to read another Bobby Z story. The plot is definitely one big chase scene and only a touch of mystery, but the chase is definitely exciting. And the blood and guts - well, let's just say it seems really fair.
A three time loser named Tim Kearney is recruited to play the role of a dead drug dealer/legend, Bobby Z in an attempt to trade for a federal agent, but things get very messy when Tim gets involved with a beautiful woman and Bobby's son. In an incredulous metamorphosis, Tim becomes principled and helps rescue the boy and girl when big trouble ensues (in the form of a Mexican drug lord.)
After moving to San Diego County, I read every novel by Don Winslow that I could find in print. Surf, dope dealing, the border, local culture... it's all here, including the best place in La Jolla near the beach for a good hamburger.I enjoy good thrillers and these books certainly filled the bill.
Els llibres de Winslow són diferents, originals i frescos, però cal saber dosificar-los i deixar espai entre un i l'altre. Si no, la sensació que es té és de reiteració de personatges, diàlegs i reflexions de carrer escrites sobre la marxa i sense repassar.
Això no treu que sigui una lectura entretinguda i ràpida.
Això no treu que sigui una lectura entretinguda i ràpida.
Loved every word of this book! Loved the story and adored Tim Kearney! The plot was so well thought out and took me on a non-stop thrill ride! I couldn't wait to get to the end to find out what happens, but at the same time, I didn't want it ever to end! Can't wait to read more by Don Winslow.
action was great..the part with him escaping on his motorcycle. was great..pretty violent at the prison to open up. but then the love story and the little boy give this criminal a second chance after he messed his up...doesnt that speak of God?
It lacks the excellent, and often hilarious, prose of his later novels, and it's far from Winslow's best. But Winslow remains one of the most badass crime writers around and the novel has enough thrilling set pieces to cover up the slightly unbelievable plot.
Perfect summer read! Fast paced - with like able characters. My only complaint is Tim Keatney was described as a 3 time loser. But later he was explained to have been a decorated marine with skils. A bit contradictory.
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Don Winslow was born in New York City but raised in South Kingstown, Rhode Island. At various times an actor, director, movie theater manager, safari guide and private investigator, Don has done many things on his way to being a novelist.
His first novel, A Cool Breeze On The Underground, was nominated for an Edgar, and a later book, California Fire and Life, received the Shamus Award. The Death An...more
More about Don Winslow...
His first novel, A Cool Breeze On The Underground, was nominated for an Edgar, and a later book, California Fire and Life, received the Shamus Award. The Death An...more
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Jul 05, 2012 08:31am