The Dawn Patrol

Mar 04, 2009

Eric_W rated it

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I've got to figure out a better way to write reviews as I read. It used to be easier when I wrote them on paper. Such is life. Anyway, now that I have finished the book, a couple of comments. I still liked it, but the plot took some turns at the end that made it much more dark. The whole ***SPOILER ALERT**** pedophile thing, I thought, wasn't necessary and seemed a little contrived as an attempt to tie everything together. Still, the book held my interest and I enjoyed the surfing culture
...moreI've got to figure out a better way to write reviews as I read. It used to be easier when I wrote them on paper. Such is life. Anyway, now that I have finished the book, a couple of comments. I still liked it, but the plot took some turns at the end that made it much more dark. The whole ***SPOILER ALERT**** pedophile thing, I thought, wasn't necessary and seemed a little contrived as an attempt to tie everything together. Still, the book held my interest and I enjoyed the surfing culture

It's a light read. Lots of humor, oddball characters, and some laugh-out-loud scenes. I have no idea what the surfer culture is like, but Winslow would appear to know what he is talking about and that's good enough for me. The clash between the guys is live for the perfect wave and the pressures of the rich wanting to live near the beach provide a nice cultural milieu for this unusual detective novel.

There's a short section where Winslow describes the founding of the Sand Diego Lifeguard service. He invented a name for the following Hawaiian. I thought I would steal the information from http://faculty.deanza.edu/donahuemary/Hi... for the quote from the real hero:

1918 from the CDC National Center for Injury Prevention and Control:

"In 1918, 13 people drowned in rip currents in a single day at San Diego’s Ocean Beach, garnering local and national news attention. Beach attendance that day was estimated at 5,000. City officials cited inadequate lifeguard protection as a cause of the tragedy, and as a result, initiated a municipal lifeguard service. The ocean conditions have changed little since then. San Diego’s local leaders view the 17 miles of oceanfront shoreline, which include Ocean Beach, as a safely managed tourist attraction due to the presence of lifeguards. Despite an average estimated annual attendance of 15 million people and over 7,000 rescues at the major lifeguarded beaches, the average number of drownings in areas under lifeguard protection is between zero and one annually."

Six cardiologists founded the American Heart Association in 1924.

When Duke Paoa Kahanamoku of Hawaii (1890 - 1968), the father of surfing, inventor of the rescue board, six time Olympic gold medalist and winner of the Olympic 100 meter race in 1912 and 1920, using a six-beat kick, with his size 13 feet, was asked who taught him the crawl stroke, he said "no one." He had been swimming a stroke he saw older natives of his island swim. He kept his records until he was 34, when 20 year old Johnny Weissmuller (who eventually set 51 world records and became Tarzan of the movies) beat him in the 1924 Paris Olympics.

Kahanamoku became the first person inducted into both the swimming and surfing halls of fame. In 1925 he rescued eight people from a overturned fishing boat, using only a surfboard. Of the 29 people on board the Thelma when it overturned in very rough seas, only 12 were rescued.

Later he said:

"In that instant my knees went to tallow, for a mountain of solid green water curled down upon the vessel. Spume geysered up in all directions, and everything was exploding water for longer than you would believe. Then, before the next mammoth breaker could blot out the view again, it was obvious that the Thelma had capsized and thrown her passengers into the boiling sea. Neither I nor my pals were thinking heroics; we were simply running -- me with a board, and the others to get their boards -- and hoping we could save lives... I hit the water hard and flat with all the forward thrust I could generate, for those bobbing heads in the water could not remain long above the surface of that churning surge. Fully clothed persons have little chance in a wild sea like that, and even the several who were clinging to the slick hull of the overturned boat could not last long under the pounding... It was some surf to try and push through! But I gave it all I had, paddling until my arms begged for mercy. I fought each towering breaker that threatened to heave me clear back onto the beach, and some of the combers almost creamed me for good... Don't ask me how I made it, for it was just one long nightmare of trying to shove through what looked like a low Niagara Falls. The prospects for picking up victims looked impossible. Arm-weary, I got into that area of screaming, gagging victims, and began grabbing at frantic hands, thrashing legs."
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May 15, 2008

brian rated it

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naw, man... the new winslow ain't nearly as FUCKING GREAT as his last two. but, shit. after the masterpiece of dementia that is Power of the Dog and the wildly enjoyable The Winter of Frankie Machine... well, you've earned a misstep. at least.

but, check it:

neil young's solo in Cinnamon Girl. it's one motherfucking note. one note! played over and over. because it's over a changing background, because the rhythm guitar and bass are changing it up, young sounds like he's do...more

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Jan 14, 2011

Kai rated it

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Shelves: surf, noir

Tim Winton - Respiro (Neri Pozza, pp. 215 € 15,50) - Don Winslow - La pattuglia dell’alba (Einaudi Stile Libero, pp. 365, € 18,50)

Tavola di legno ultrapesante, poco maneggevole ma estremamente poetica o tavola in fibra, leggera, agile ma poco lirica? La scelta dipende da come volete cavalcare l’onda naturalmente. Sta a voi decidere se infilarvi in una pipeline o avvitarvi su voi stessi e spingervi in un aerial, il maroso come rampa di lancio. Allo stesso modo sta a voi decidere se leggere Res...moreTim Winton - Respiro (Neri Pozza, pp. 215 € 15,50) - Don Winslow - La pattuglia dell’alba (Einaudi Stile Libero, pp. 365, € 18,50)

Tavola di legno ultrapesante, poco maneggevole ma estremamente poetica o tavola in fibra, leggera, agile ma poco lirica? La scelta dipende da come volete cavalcare l’onda naturalmente. Sta a voi decidere se infilarvi in una pipeline o avvitarvi su voi stessi e spingervi in un aerial, il maroso come rampa di lancio. Allo stesso modo sta a voi decidere se leggere Respiro di Tim Winton o La pattuglia dell’alba di Don Winslow mettendo sul piatto un evocativo quanto oscuro disco degli Aqua Velvets, o la versione ancor più caciarona e adrenalinica di Surfin’ bird a firma degli improbabili Bananamen.
Il surf, o meglio la mistica del surf, è il perno attorno al quale ruotano i due romanzi ed è anche l’unica cosa che hanno in comune se non fosse che riescono entrambi a invertire le proprietà delle tavole. Respiro è una poetica longboard di legno ma è in grado di compiere le manovre più ardite e spettacolari, La pattuglia dell’alba è una moderna shortboard di fibra che taglia bene le onde, ma solo in una direzione.
Tim Winton in Respiro, architetta un classico romanzo di formazione i cui personaggi hanno una tridimensionalità rara. Un paramedico arriva sulla scena di un incidente domestico in cui un ragazzino è morto soffocato in circostanze poco chiare. La vicenda mette in moto un lunghissimo flashback in cui il protagonista rivede tutta la sua adolescenza mettendo a nudo se stesso. L’intreccio dei ricordi e le rare incursioni nel presente chiariranno le cause della morte del ragazzo e la ruvidità instabile del carattere del narratore. Se il presente però è, forse volutamente, la parte meno riuscita del libro, il passato è vivido e vibrante. La storia di un’amicizia, di un amore, di una pulsione e del battesimo del surf. Pikelet ricorda le sue prime imprese sulla tavola con l’amico Loonie e con il loro mentore Sando che li spinge verso limiti sempre più invalicabili sfidando, come è naturale che sia, l’ordine costituto (i genitori e un’intera comunità di un paesino australiano) alla ricerca della libertà e della propria identità. La vita sembra solo un’eterna volata sulla spuma: coraggio, paura, crescita, sesso, fantasmi da sfidare e sentimenti profondi come l’oceano che lasceranno spazio ad altrettanti sentimenti della dimensione di una pozzanghera. Respiro è salto e ricaduta, è il momento in cui ci si solleva sul surf prima di essere travolti dal break point. Poetico ed evocativo, a parte il finale un po’ nebuloso e forzato, Il romanzo di Winton è un libro che trova nel gesto di respirare un suo intimo, delicato e struggente mantra.
La pattuglia dell’alba invece, è un noir a tinte sbarazzine, dal ritmo rapido e accattivante, che mette in scena un manipolo di personaggi sopra le righe. Un meccanismo narrativo simile al timer per cuocere le uova, lo fate scattare in avanti (il noir) per poi farle tornare indietro (le storie dei personaggi e della California del sud). Boone Daniels, il protagonista è uno scalcinato investigatore che quando sale sulla tavola è un vero dio del mare. I suoi migliori amici, e la donna che ama, sono il suo unico appiglio nella vita, la pattuglia con cui, ogni mattina cavalca l’onda. E proprio mentre la più grossa mareggiata degli ultimi decenni sta per rovesciarsi sulla costa di Pacific Beach, Boone deve risolvere un intricato caso di omicidio. Don Winslow ha il dono della scrittura scoppiettante: nel senso che fa scoppiare i cliché e li lancia in un intreccio tipico ma mai scontato.
Tra queste pagine non c’è spazio per tridimensionalità come in Respiro ma è la velocità a farla da padrona. Al contrario di Respiro qui le onde non si cavalcano per rincorrere e afferrare la vita per la coda ma semplicemente perché non si può fare altro. Insomma da un lato la tempesta è in agguato dall’altro è già passata. Da un lato lo tsunami, unico e devastante e dall’altro una serie di onde, enormi quanto divertenti. In entrambi i casi però il fondale è lì pronto a scorticare, ferire, far male. (8/9) (6/7)
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Jan 09, 2011

J rated it

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Shelves: surf, noir

Tim Winton - Respiro (Neri Pozza, pp. 215 € 15,50) - Don Winslow - La pattuglia dell’alba (Einaudi Stile Libero, pp. 365, € 18,50)

Tavola di legno ultrapesante, poco maneggevole ma estremamente poetica o tavola in fibra, leggera, agile ma poco lirica? La scelta dipende da come volete cavalcare l’onda naturalmente. Sta a voi decidere se infilarvi in una pipeline o avvitarvi su voi stessi e spingervi in un aerial, il maroso come rampa di lancio. Allo stesso modo sta a voi decidere se leggere Res...moreTim Winton - Respiro (Neri Pozza, pp. 215 € 15,50) - Don Winslow - La pattuglia dell’alba (Einaudi Stile Libero, pp. 365, € 18,50)

Tavola di legno ultrapesante, poco maneggevole ma estremamente poetica o tavola in fibra, leggera, agile ma poco lirica? La scelta dipende da come volete cavalcare l’onda naturalmente. Sta a voi decidere se infilarvi in una pipeline o avvitarvi su voi stessi e spingervi in un aerial, il maroso come rampa di lancio. Allo stesso modo sta a voi decidere se leggere Respiro di Tim Winton o La pattuglia dell’alba di Don Winslow mettendo sul piatto un evocativo quanto oscuro disco degli Aqua Velvets, o la versione ancor più caciarona e adrenalinica di Surfin’ bird a firma degli improbabili Bananamen.
Il surf, o meglio la mistica del surf, è il perno attorno al quale ruotano i due romanzi ed è anche l’unica cosa che hanno in comune se non fosse che riescono entrambi a invertire le proprietà delle tavole. Respiro è una poetica longboard di legno ma è in grado di compiere le manovre più ardite e spettacolari, La pattuglia dell’alba è una moderna shortboard di fibra che taglia bene le onde, ma solo in una direzione.
Tim Winton in Respiro, architetta un classico romanzo di formazione i cui personaggi hanno una tridimensionalità rara. Un paramedico arriva sulla scena di un incidente domestico in cui un ragazzino è morto soffocato in circostanze poco chiare. La vicenda mette in moto un lunghissimo flashback in cui il protagonista rivede tutta la sua adolescenza mettendo a nudo se stesso. L’intreccio dei ricordi e le rare incursioni nel presente chiariranno le cause della morte del ragazzo e la ruvidità instabile del carattere del narratore. Se il presente però è, forse volutamente, la parte meno riuscita del libro, il passato è vivido e vibrante. La storia di un’amicizia, di un amore, di una pulsione e del battesimo del surf. Pikelet ricorda le sue prime imprese sulla tavola con l’amico Loonie e con il loro mentore Sando che li spinge verso limiti sempre più invalicabili sfidando, come è naturale che sia, l’ordine costituto (i genitori e un’intera comunità di un paesino australiano) alla ricerca della libertà e della propria identità. La vita sembra solo un’eterna volata sulla spuma: coraggio, paura, crescita, sesso, fantasmi da sfidare e sentimenti profondi come l’oceano che lasceranno spazio ad altrettanti sentimenti della dimensione di una pozzanghera. Respiro è salto e ricaduta, è il momento in cui ci si solleva sul surf prima di essere travolti dal break point. Poetico ed evocativo, a parte il finale un po’ nebuloso e forzato, Il romanzo di Winton è un libro che trova nel gesto di respirare un suo intimo, delicato e struggente mantra.
La pattuglia dell’alba invece, è un noir a tinte sbarazzine, dal ritmo rapido e accattivante, che mette in scena un manipolo di personaggi sopra le righe. Un meccanismo narrativo simile al timer per cuocere le uova, lo fate scattare in avanti (il noir) per poi farle tornare indietro (le storie dei personaggi e della California del sud). Boone Daniels, il protagonista è uno scalcinato investigatore che quando sale sulla tavola è un vero dio del mare. I suoi migliori amici, e la donna che ama, sono il suo unico appiglio nella vita, la pattuglia con cui, ogni mattina cavalca l’onda. E proprio mentre la più grossa mareggiata degli ultimi decenni sta per rovesciarsi sulla costa di Pacific Beach, Boone deve risolvere un intricato caso di omicidio. Don Winslow ha il dono della scrittura scoppiettante: nel senso che fa scoppiare i cliché e li lancia in un intreccio tipico ma mai scontato.
Tra queste pagine non c’è spazio per tridimensionalità come in Respiro ma è la velocità a farla da padrona. Al contrario di Respiro qui le onde non si cavalcano per rincorrere e afferrare la vita per la coda ma semplicemente perché non si può fare altro. Insomma da un lato la tempesta è in agguato dall’altro è già passata. Da un lato lo tsunami, unico e devastante e dall’altro una serie di onde, enormi quanto divertenti. In entrambi i casi però il fondale è lì pronto a scorticare, ferire, far male. (8/9) (6/7)
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Mar 15, 2009

Michael rated it

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Shelves: mystery, read-in-2009, reviewed, courtroom-drama

Take the perfect climate in San Diego, add a former police officer turned PI, give him a love to surf addiction, and put in an attractive woman who wants to hire him to find and protect a star witness and you have the ingredients of this dandy mystery.

Boone Daniels is the central character. He is so good that he is, in effect, almost a characture of goodness. His heroic deeds go from saving a prisoner fro a beating by another cop, saving a young boy caught up in the surf, to persu...more

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Aug 21, 2011

Ann Collette rated it

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I don't know for sure but I guess, after the success (and the upcoming Oliver Stone film based on it) of Don Winslow's brilliant SAVAGES, Simon & Schuster decided to reissue this 2009 novel in hardcover. Winslow's staccato prose grabs you by the throat and pulls you through any of his novels -- his pacing and sense of rhythmn is second to none. But even though I couldn't put this down, I felt the various elements in the book felt dated. The book is about a surfing detective, and the descripti...more

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Jun 18, 2011

Kirk rated it

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Fun, slick, slightly cartoonish ... sorta reminds me of watching Riptide starring Perry King and Joe Penny back in the 80s (before Joe Penny went on to that great boob-tube masterpiece Jake and the Fat Man with William Conrad, who was indeed THE fat man). In other words, The Dawn Patrol is thoroughly entertaining but not really real or scary or particularly original. Winslow is first and foremost a stylist, and he's found a nice voice with the short chapters and telegraphic sentences. If I rewro...moreFun, slick, slightly cartoonish ... sorta reminds me of watching Riptide starring Perry King and Joe Penny back in the 80s (before Joe Penny went on to that great boob-tube masterpiece Jake and the Fat Man with William Conrad, who was indeed THE fat man). In other words, The Dawn Patrol is thoroughly entertaining but not really real or scary or particularly original. Winslow is first and foremost a stylist, and he's found a nice voice with the short chapters and telegraphic sentences. If I rewrote this review in his style it would be something like:

Point of view: roving.

Take a creative writing class and the pointy-heads tell you to stick with one, brah. It's the curse of Henry James. Limited omniscience. The writer isn't supposed to reveal himself as the hand of God. Better identifying with characters, too. More deep interiority.

Only those limitations feel limiting. What good is a rule if you can't break it once in a while. Don Winslow is a surfer. Surfing is all about riding the wave, not trying to control it. Take the POV where it takes you, brah.

Point of view: freedom.

The mystery itself seems almost perfunctory, though it takes a few nice turns and the woman you figure for a patsy is ... well, read it yourself. Extra props for the chick surfer Sunny. I love me a surfer girl any day. And I like the multicultural sweep, if that doesn't sound too PC. Slight demerits for such cliches as the stripper, the strip club, the strip club owner, the plastic surgeon whose clientele consists entirely of strippers, etc. Our collective American fascination with strippers should have run out when Lindsey Lohan played one.

If this review sounds negative or even ambivalent, it's not. Dawn Patrol was a nice break from the angsty noir I usually wallow in. And I loved the way the history of surf culture is weaved into the narrative. The favorite chapter, in fact, nicely encapsulates the commercialization of surfin usa as measured by the changes along the Pacific Coast Highway. Especially the line about how Boone Daniels, riffing on the old Ethics 101 question about strangling Adolph Hitler in the crib, would bash in Brian Wilson's baby head if it meant preventing the Californication of California culture. Good one, brudda.

I recommend this book be reread alongside Inherent Vice---they make nice companion pieces.(less)

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Feb 05, 2011

Don rated it

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Winslow can't seem to make up his mind whether he wants to write a taut, suspenseful mystery/thriller or a colorful, casual guide to the San Diego surfing scene. Ostensibly a detective novel about a part-time private investigator/part-time surfer hired by a local law firm to find and protect a missing witness in an insurance matter, for most of the book the plot advances only in brief,sporadic bursts. The author spends most of his energy describing the main character and his group of surfer bu...moreWinslow can't seem to make up his mind whether he wants to write a taut, suspenseful mystery/thriller or a colorful, casual guide to the San Diego surfing scene. Ostensibly a detective novel about a part-time private investigator/part-time surfer hired by a local law firm to find and protect a missing witness in an insurance matter, for most of the book the plot advances only in brief,sporadic bursts. The author spends most of his energy describing the main character and his group of surfer buddies (the "Dawn Patrol" of the title) and their relationships with each other.

AS the book comes to its end, the plot accelerates, grabbing my attention more than earlier, but it never really becomes compelling. Part of the reason for this is that Winslow inserts a whole bunch of complications right near the end, too late, in my view, to make it work.

The other part of the problem with the mystery/detective aspect of this novel (as opposed to the travel guide aspect) is that there is no real heart of darkness at the core of the book. Really memorable books in this genre (and I'm thinking of James Lee Burke, Jonathan Kellerman, etc.) offer up a villain or villains who are truly evil; they become struggles between good and evil. Perhaps this comes across as overblown from time to time, but it does lead to a more memorable and affecting read. Winslow's bad guys just seem kind of ordinary, even though the crimes involved are really evil. Winslow's bad guys should be, but aren't, particularly interesting, and for me that's a real problem here.

My other problem with this novel is that Winslow frequently digresses with fairly lengthy "back story" segments--backgrounds for the different members of the Dawn Patrol and other characters, the history of surfing, background on different parts of the San Diego area, etc. For a novel like this, you certainly need some of this material, but particularly in the first half of the book these digressions seemed to me to slow the momentum down. I should also add that, although this book seems ripe for a sequel, Winslow seems to have held nothing back in terms of back stories on the main characters, so he won't have much material of this sort left to include in a follow-up.(less)

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Aug 02, 2010

Jake rated it

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Look, this is about a surfing detective. The whole 'brah' culture is normally something I avoid like anal parasites, and the copy I bought had 'Great beach read!' plastered all over it. Two fucking strikes, right out the box. But Winslow came pretty highly recommended, and this story is set in San Diego, which I've recently come to love. So.

It took me a while to get into this, because early on, it really read like a 'first novel.' I know Winslow's been around a while, but it seemed l...more

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Feb 08, 2009

Kathleen Hagen added it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2009-audio-books, 2009-mysteries

The Dawn Patrol, by Don Winslow, a-minus, narrated by RayPorter, produced by BlackstoneAudio, downloaded from audible.com.

This is a much lighter book in some ways than Winslow’s usual fare. Here we have a bunch of men, and one woman, some of the men are policemen, some are crooks, the woman-I’m not sure what she was-but what they all have in common is that they get up at dawn and surf the waves. They meet every morning to surf the waves. They have each other’s backs in case someo...more

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Aug 31, 2008

Jeffrey rated it

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Shelves: mystery, read-in-2008

light breezy surfer mystery with nasty crime at its center but its impossible to read this book without having fun with it. Fast one day read. Perfect summer crime book

Don Winslow's the real deal and his books are just too good to read. This one with the California beach surfer culture and beach lifestyle has a likeable surfer detective at its core and is altogether different than the standard detective fare.

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Jul 25, 2011

Larry Hoffer added it · review of another edition

Every time I read one of Don Winslow's books I am reminded what a fantastic writer he is. Although the genre his books probably best fall into is thriller-ish, every one of his books is more than meets the eye. And this one was absolutely terrific.

The Dawn Patrol refers to a tight-knit group of surfing friends, four men and one woman, who worship the surf at several San Diego beaches. Boone Daniels is a former cop-turned-sometime-PI who is hired by an uptight lawyer to find a stripper who is ...more

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Mar 08, 2011

Jaron rated it

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I picked this book up because I had read Winslow's "Cool Breeze on the Underground" years ago and really enjoyed it. I also wanted to read something fairly undemanding -- I was in the mood for a good action adventure novel. Well, I didn't get exactly what I was looking for...

...First, there was 150 pages of slow-moving, backstory-heavy writing. It wasn't compelling, the surf-guy narrator was tough to get used to, and I was tempted several times to put it down. If I hadn't e...more

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Mar 04, 2011

Deb rated it

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Shelves: suspense

This suspense tale has as it's strength the way it captures the surfing culture. Boone Daniels has always been a surfer. He was also once a police officer but quit after he failed to rescue a kidnapped child. Now he does PI work--but only enough to keep him fed and out on the waves. His latest case has an uptight insurance lawyer following him around to places he never expected to go. Will he be able to solve it in time to catch the killer waves that are expected to hit the coast? [return]The su...more

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Feb 06, 2012

Sdluvingit rated it

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I discovered Don Winslow when he produced the sequel to Shibumi, Satori. This was one my top reads of last year. So when I heard that he had done some detective novels set in the San Diego surf culture I decided to try one. The Dawn Patrol was excellent; full of SD history, surfer slang/lore, characters(in every sense of the word), humor, and a good story. I picked up my, now, favorite saying, "Everything is better on a tortilla" from the main character. If you like PI stories and woul...more

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Dec 30, 2009

Debbie rated it

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This was an interesting story about surfing, the seamier sides of life, San Diego and how people grow when their integrity is tested.

While I am not a surfer, I did enjoy the analogies of riding the waves to life's journey. Waiting for the big one to come in kept the story moving. Lots a character development especially of the dawn patrol members. Had requisite twists and turns, plus a pretty happy ending (only the bad guys die or get punished).

What was most fun about...more

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Jun 23, 2009

Patricia rated it

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Boone Daniels, Johnny Banzai, Sonny Day, Dave the Love God, High Tide, and Hang Twelve are surfers. The group makes up The Dawn Patrol. The Dawn Patrol is all about surfing, friendship, and just generally having a good time. A stranger might think this group has nothing on their minds except a good time. This is very far from the truth, as the reader will discover when turning the pages of The Dawn Patrol

Every member of the Dawn Patrol has a regular job and personal goals. Boone...more

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Jul 27, 2011

Iain McNab added it · review of another edition

Pretty decent private dick story set among the surfer dudes of San Diego. It doesn't hit the heights suggested by some of the recommendations plastered over the cover (Ellroy seems to think Winslow is a genius) but it's an involving enough plot, pretty well written and you pick up a lot of surferspeak and Buddhist/New Age psychobabble - which the author may have been sending up, but I suspect not :-) - along with the elegiac stuff about the 'golden age' of surfing. I rate Kem Nunn much better ...more

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May 18, 2010

Kae Cheatham rated it

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Recommends it for: mystery readers and anyone who like a well crafted story

Shelves: mystery

It always happens with a book that grabs me. I start reading and can't put it down—stay up late, read read read, and then I realize I have only 45 or so pages remaining, and I slow Way down. I don't want the book to end; I don't want to stop being with these characters; and sometimes I'm fearful of the outcome.
It happened to me with The Dawn Patrol.
I was immediately taken in by the tone and style of writing. The mystery begins on page one. You read an eerie scene that makes you won...moreIt always happens with a book that grabs me. I start reading and can't put it down—stay up late, read read read, and then I realize I have only 45 or so pages remaining, and I slow Way down. I don't want the book to end; I don't want to stop being with these characters; and sometimes I'm fearful of the outcome.
It happened to me with The Dawn Patrol.
I was immediately taken in by the tone and style of writing. The mystery begins on page one. You read an eerie scene that makes you wonder where I fits into the story. Then you meet protagonist Boone Daniels (surfer extraordinaire who lives by the rhythms of the ocean) and his morning-surfer friends. To subsidize his ocean living, Boone, a former policeman, is a registered PI, taking jobs only when he needs the funds. The start of this novel has him in that position, and the job he takes challenges more than his PI skills.
It seems a simple case of getting a witness to the trial on an insurance-fraud case; but within hours Boone realizes there's a lot more involved. The opening scene remains there, haunting, occasionally revisited as the intricacies and gripping realities of the story keep Boone and the reader on edge. Boone must also face truths he had been avoiding about himself and way of life.
With believable dialogue and precise character development, Winslow, in storyteller fashion, also pops in interesting pieces of So. California and surfer history. At the start I found these annoying, not wanting to be away from the story; but by the end, I realized it all meshed, was important to the total understanding of what was going on. The characters are strong: adult, children, men and women. I appreciate stories that show a total community and don't withdraw to one or two people who seem isolated. Boone is the main protagonist, but the reader gets to know and appreciate all of his friends, lovers, and adversaries.
I often shy away from urban-set stories, but The Dawn Patrol captured me with the writing, and mesmeric details of the ocean and those who live with it. Richly crafted.
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Jul 23, 2009

Darrell Reimer rated it

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It took some head-scratchin' for me to figure out why I didn't much enjoy this super-competently-written thriller, but it boils down to character. The Dawn Patrol are a group of San Diego surfers who all qualify as Beautiful People. Granted, none of them are rich, but they're definitely the Cool Clique: not a loser among them. When it comes to thrillers, especially surfer-thrillers (see Tapping The Source, by Kem Nunn) I most willingly swallow the hook when there's a genuinely revolting sad-sack...more

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Aug 25, 2008

Gary rated it

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Break out your Surfbonics-to-English Dictionary and chill with Don Winslow in "Dawn Patrol", a slick novel of SoCal's surf culture cleverly wrapped in an engaging mystery.

Boone Daniels is the ultimate California surfer stereotype: lean and athletic, laid back, unflappable, and not ready to let trivial "civilian" interests like job, family, or typical responsibilities associated with adulthood interfere with mother ocean and the perfect wave. With his colorful "...moreBreak out your Surfbonics-to-English Dictionary and chill with Don Winslow in "Dawn Patrol", a slick novel of SoCal's surf culture cleverly wrapped in an engaging mystery.

Boone Daniels is the ultimate California surfer stereotype: lean and athletic, laid back, unflappable, and not ready to let trivial "civilian" interests like job, family, or typical responsibilities associated with adulthood interfere with mother ocean and the perfect wave. With his colorful "dawn patrol" posse of Dave "the God to Women", kid "Hang Twelve", the massive Samoan "High Tide", San Diego cop Johnny Banzai, and his female alter ego and sometimes sex partner Sunny Day, Boone and the crew are in the surf each morning at daybreak passing time - like compiling lists of the best things in life - while waiting for the next big ride. Boone is a former SDPD cop himself with some demons of his own lurking beneath his chill exterior - now a private investigator of sorts, content with working enough to only keep him in adequately stocked in fish tacos and board wax. When the foxy but uptight aspiring lawyer Petra shows up with an insurance company gig, Boone is conflicted: he could use the "jangle", but an underwater disturbance in the Aleutians is sending a freight train of monster waves to the Southern Cal coast unlike anything that's been seen in decades, and certainly not an event that a hardcore surfer like Boone would even consider missing. But Petra is persistent, not to mention alluring in an annoyingly buttoned down way, and Boone agrees to find the stripper pivotal in catching San Diego's sex sleaze king in an insurance scam.

Nobody can capture Southern California's beaches and bimbos better than the talented Don Winslow, and "Dawn Patrol" is a terrific example of the artist at his most righteous. Winslow's seemingly mismatched cast of characters is brilliant - he captures a credible cast in staccato chapters shredding across the pages in dialog that is authentic, witty and cynically funny - all of Carl Hiaasen's black humor, but where Hiaasen has a tendency to dis his denizens of south Florida, Winslow's playful barbs reflects a deep and sincere passion for those still carrying the torch of the original California surfing subculture. Indeed, the Boone/Winslow chapter which detours down Route 101, the famous Pacific Coast Highway, is a short, poignant, and illuminating slice of American culture too often capsulized only in the 60's music of the Beach Boys.

But aside from surfing and surfer culture, "Dawn Patrol" is a serious and thoughtful crime novel, and at a deeper level, an insightful coming of age story - albeit an atypically late passage from adolescence to adulthood. As a second "dawn patrol" emerges, the story takes a despicably sinister turn, and while the climax is mostly predictable, it takes nothing away from a engaging storyline. But make no mistake: the plot is secondarly here, as Winslow's real stars are his characters and their banter, set against a vivid and authoritative SoCal backdrop. Winslow is the real deal, and if you haven't got to know him yet, this is a great place to start. If you do, I'm sure you'll be back for "California Fire and Life", "The Winter of Franky Machine", "The Death and Life of Bobby Z", and Winslow's epic masterpiece, "The Power of the Dog."

So great stuff, Mr. Winslow - keep 'em coming. And for those of you - like me - bummed with Lee Child's disappointing "Nothing to Lose", you'll find some instant redemption right here.(less)

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Jul 17, 2008

Matt rated it

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I read this book because I heard it was kind of like that movie Point Break. Yeah, it has surfers and it's a crime drama, but with Winslow, this hard-boiled crime novel has much more to offer. What I love about Winslow's writing, especially with California Fire and Life, is that he takes a topic that is not familiar to most readers and bases a crime story around it. I loved the characters, even though they were a little bit stereotypical of the surfer dudes of California. The dialogue he uses wi...more

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Jun 01, 2008

Dave rated it

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I remember the first time I read Dennis Lehane (A Drink Before the War), Robert B. Parker (WALKING SHADOW), and Ross MacDonald (The Drowning Pool). All of those books just sucked me in with voice and character.

It's all about character, isn't it?

People say that everything's been done in the PI novel already, and ultimately, that's probably true. But in Don Winslow's latest novel, THE DAWN PATROL, he gave me the same feeling I got when reading the author's listed above. I w...more

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Sep 14, 2010

Robert rated it

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It is EXTREMELY rare that I read three books by anyone. don Winslow has made it into that lonely category. The first two (Power of the Dog and Death and Life of Bobby Z) really got me teetering to thinking Winslow is a great writer. Dawn Patrol sealed the deal. Fabulous story, great setting and history, believable connections, "I never guessed it" twists and a satisfying ending all make a really fun read.

Highly recommended!

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Sep 21, 2008

Elyse rated it

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I've never surfed and don't know the first thing about it. I'd heard/read strong reviews for this book but hesitated to pick it up because I thought it'd be all about surfers and surf culture, not something I'm particularly interested in. I don't even particularly like Beach Boys music.

Imagine my surprise when I ended loving this book. I mean, love to the point I'm getting in others' faces and telling them to read it.

Yes, this books contains a lot of surfing (Winslow's n...more

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Oct 24, 2011

Nigel rated it

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Fantastic PI novel which definitively propels Winslow, after Power of the Dog and Winter of Frankie Machine into the must-read pile. Boone Daniels is a burnt out ex-cop who finds solace and escape with a small surfing clique who meet every morning, funding his lifestyle with occasional PI jobs. Hired to find a missing stripper, he soon finds his whole world threatened, not to mention his life.
Written in clipped sentences, like a more lyirical and laid back James Ellroy, Winslow's style s...more

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Jul 29, 2009

Liz rated it

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Dude....awesome. Anyone from San Diego will adore this book. Boone Daniels, SDPD turned PI, lives in the last cottage on Crystal Pier. It's a coming of age story for 30 year-old pals who surf in PB every morning. A series of events, including a killer once in 20 year high surf, make each of them examine their lives. But in the end, everything tastes better on a tortilla. So San Diegans, the Sundowner, local hangout, you think it's the Beachcomer?

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Jan 06, 2009

Kay rated it

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Not a surfer--don't plan to be. That said, this is a great mystery/ surfing culture book. The main character Boone Daniels is likeable surfer detective at its core and is altogether different than the standard detective fare. It is laugh-out-loud funny at time, a great PI/ who done it, with a dash of romance.
I've done a lot worse with choice of books.

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Aug 10, 2011

Toniapolis added it · review of another edition

I haven't read a lot of crime novels so I can't make comparisons to other novels. The murder case is not very thrilling, you know who's responsible. The characters are cool but not too rounded unfortunately. I enjoyed the San Diego surfer setting though. And it had funny dialogs and some wise phrases.All in all it was a good read.

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Dec 24, 2010

Mike rated it

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Shelves: fiction, crime-thriller

Don Winslow is a great writer I'm glad I stumbled onto. Just reading a short bio of his adventurous life was cool. Writes like an Elmore Leonard protege. Main character is the laid back P.I. Boone Daniels, in San Diego working a case involving a dead stripper, but he'd rather be surfing. First in a series that I'll follow. Page turner.

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The Dawn Patrol (Boone Daniels #1)

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