Part-time environmentalist and philanthropist Ben and his ex-mercenary buddy Chon run an independent Laguna Beach–based marijuana operation, reaping significant profits from an established clientele. But they may have come up against something that they can't handle—the Mexican Baja Cartel wants in, and saying no is unacceptable. When they refuse to back down, the cartel kidnaps Ophelia, the boys' playmate and confidante. O's abduction sets off a dizzying array of ingenious negotiations and gripping plot twists that will captivate listeners eager to learn the costs of freedom and the price of an amazing high.
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"Savages, to use the word coined by the author, has "baditude" - that is, a bad attitude. In the best possible sense. This is So Cal, sun drenched, neo-noir at its finest. Three pot growers get mixed up with a Mexican drug cartel. Carnage ensues. Heavily stylized and jargon heavey, it never takes its foot off the gas and barrels through its savagery at 110 MPH. It loses one star for a rushed ending."
— Merril (4 out of 5 stars)
“Narrator Michael Kramer’s performance is perfect for the story, which delivers a gritty portrait of the border drug trade of Laguna, California. His narration engages listeners in the nonstop action and depicts credible characters on all sides of the drug wars. Savages is an audio experience that lives up to its name. Winner of the AudioFile Earphones Award.”
— AudioFile“A revelation…Every bit as savage as its title…This is Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid on autoload.”
— Stephen King, #1 New York Times bestselling author“Winslow’s marvelous, adrenaline-juiced roller coaster of a novel…is both a departure and a culmination, pyrotechnic braggadocio and deep meditation on contemporary American culture.”
— Los Angeles TimesSavages is full of wild-card moves.... Its wisecracks are so sharp, its characters so mega-cool and its storytelling so ferocious...thanks especially to Mr. Winslow's no-prisoners sense of humor.
— Janet Maslin, The New York Times" totally dug this one. crazy intense story, but written with chill, nonchalant Laguna flow. "
— Alyssa, 2/14/2014" Best novel I have read in three years. Period. The last 50 pages should be enshrined in some kind of Fiction Hall of Fame. "
— Karl, 2/10/2014" What dilutes the story are the weak characters. I never liked O. I didn't care if she lived or died. I never bought into the connection between Chon, Ben, and O so I found the ending puzzling. I should have skipped the book and watched the movie. At least that would have been over in 90 minutes and been more entertaining. "
— Christa, 1/16/2014" Someone who likes books about drug dealers and violent crime and stuff will probably be all about this book, but it was not for me. "
— Kate, 1/8/2014" LOVED IT. reminded me of alex garland/the beach. i also really loved the SoCal slang and the super-short sections. stoked to read the prequel. (i also prettymuch love any/every story abt one women and two men. look idk.) "
— Leesa, 12/31/2013" Quick read nothing earthshaking. Take a weekend to read this and then read the far superior Power of the Dog "
— Ben, 12/4/2013" Quite raw, but I really enjoyed this read. "
— Shannon, 11/25/2013" An incredibly cool, hip style of writing. Hands down, best opening chapter ever! "
— Richard, 11/20/2013" A fast read and thoroughly engrossing. "
— Rachel, 11/11/2013" The movie looked kinda silly but this was actually really good. Sort of a light read on a dark topic. "
— Ari, 10/18/2013" Loved it. Kind of a unique writing style but was a great read. "
— Kevin, 9/17/2013" 3 1/2 stars. This is a fun, summer read. I read Dawn Patrol last summer and enjoyed it as well. Don Winslow writes a fast moving and entertaining read. "
— Shanna, 7/8/2013" I actually quite enjoyed this book, despite the writing style (which would normally annoy me) and the extreme situations, it was actually quite entertaining. Good pace, easy to read, characters you cared about. "
— Naomi, 5/8/2013" Awful. It is so lingo-y and brash. It felt completely hollow, like the words were purely there for shock value. "
— Justine, 4/18/2013" This book is absolutely beautiful. The way it was written, jumpy all over the damn place, is perfect. The characters all have flow and meaning. I loved it. I'm going to have to go out and read the rest of his books, in the hopes of finding a few more fictional people I love in this world :) "
— Mabel, 3/10/2013" Different kind of writing. Fast paced, very hard to put down. Hard to get into at first but then very hard to put down! "
— Marie-renee, 2/12/2013" Quick read. Some funny dialogue. A bit graphic. Dare I say, a little savage. "
— Colt, 1/13/2013" WOW REALLY GOOD.O is so lucky to have Ben and Chon "
— Jennifer, 9/12/2012" Love it and found out there is a movie ;) "
— AZLB, 11/15/2011" Liked this book, but violent for me. Can't imagine the movie scenes. Enjoyed the main characters dynamics. "
— Dawn, 6/15/2011" More potential as a film (coming soon from Oliver Stone) "
— Al, 5/18/2011" The California-Mexican border is a war zone, and there is no reporter more vivid than Winslow. "
— Laurie, 5/17/2011" Brutal fun. I'm, starting ont he rest of the Don Winslow canon now. "
— Donna, 5/14/2011" Hands down, one of the best novels I've read this year! From the first chapter - all of two words - till the last page, you won't stop marveling at what Don Winslow has done with this book. If you like saying "Holy crap!" every few pages, this book is for you. "
— Joel, 5/3/2011" Just fantastic, was so sad when it ended. "
— Kate, 4/29/2011" One of the best audio books I have ever heard. The narrator is an absolute talent. Keeps you suspended in tension and wit! "
— Pranjal, 4/15/2011" Winslow tries very hard to be James Ellroy, but he can't quite get there all the way. I'm okay with that; there needs to be more people copying Ellroy than, say, James Patterson. "
— Thomas, 4/12/2011" <br/>Savagely violent, more like it. <br/> <br/>Good stuff. "
— Frank, 4/7/2011" Just catching up with Winslow, which is kind of embarassing. This is a great crime thriller. Terrific characters, lightning-fast plot, violent and funny. Hints of Ellroy, who blurbs, to the writing styel. Oliver Stone is doing the film adaptation. Could be killer if he casts it right. <br/> "
— Steve, 4/6/2011Don Winslow is the author of twenty-four acclaimed, award-winning international bestsellers, including six New York Times bestsellers (Savages, The Kings of Cool, The Cartel, The Force, The Border, and City on Fire). Savages was made into a feature film by three-time Oscar-winning writer-director Oliver Stone and a screenplay by Shane Salerno, Winslow, and Stone. Winslow’s epic Cartel trilogy has been adapted for TV and will appear as a weekly series on FX in 2023. The Force is soon to be a major motion picture from 20th Century Studios starring Matt Damon with James Mangold directing from a Scott Frank screenplay. Additional Winslow books are currently in development at Netflix, Warner Brothers, Sony, and Working Title and he has recently written a series of acclaimed short stories for Audible narrated by four-time Oscar nominee Ed Harris.
Michael Kramer is an AudioFile Earphones Award winner, a finalist for the prestigious Audie Award for Best Narration, and recipient of a Publishers Weekly Listen-Up Award. He is also an actor and director in the Washington, DC, area, where he is active in the area’s theater scene and has appeared in productions at the Shakespeare Theatre, the Kennedy Center, and Theater J.