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  • The Force

  • By: Don Winslow
  • Narrated by: Dion Graham
  • Length: 13 hrs and 26 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (350 ratings)

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The Force cover art

The Force

By: Don Winslow
Narrated by: Dion Graham
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Summary

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Cartel – winner of the Ian Fleming Steel Dagger Award for Best Thriller of the Year – comes The Force, a cinematic epic as explosive, powerful, and unforgettable as The Wire.

Everyone can be bought. At the right price…

Detective sergeant Denny Malone leads an elite unit to fight gangs, drugs and guns in New York. For eighteen years he’s been on the front lines, doing whatever it takes to survive in a city built by ambition and corruption, where no one is clean.

What only a few know is that Denny Malone himself is dirty: he and his partners have stolen millions of dollars in drugs and cash. Now he’s caught in a trap and being squeezed by the FBI, and he must walk a thin line of betrayal, while the city teeters on the brink of a racial conflagration that could destroy them all.

Don Winslow’s latest novel is a haunting story of greed and violence, inequality and race, and a searing portrait of a city on the edge of an abyss. Full of shocking twists, this is a morally complex and riveting dissection of the controversial issues confronting society today.

©2017 Samburu, Inc (P)2017 Recorded Books

Critic reviews

‘There won’t be a better cop novel this year than The Force by Don Winslow. Not next year, or the year after that, either’ Linwood Barclay

‘Intensely human in its tragic details, positively Shakespearian in its epic sweep – probably the best cop novel ever written’ Lee Child

‘This stands out by a mile … fresher, faster, funnier and truer … bursting with life, lousy with death, it is because it tells the truth, in all its ugliness, that this novel is so exhilarating’ Daily Telegraph

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What listeners say about The Force

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Bleak but riveting

Outstanding story of dirty cops and how far corruption is embedded in the force on all levels. The destination of the novel is obvious and nothing new but its a journey worth buying a ticket for. Recommended

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Brilliant Cop Story

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes - definitely. This is Don Winslow on top form. I've read hundreds of cop books and this is head and shoulders above all of them.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Force?

The big reveal with Malone.

What does Dion Graham bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

A pitch perfect reading voice that is perfect for this novel. Like gravel rolling around in syrup. He is excellent with all aspects of storytelling and particularly great on characterisation.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Both - laugh out loud in places and heartbreaking too.

Any additional comments?

Listen to this if you love great cop fiction and great fiction in general because this is a novel for the ages. Don Winslow has written a tremendous NYPD novel that is gritty and authentic with all the elements I love - like George Pelecanos on steroids!

The best thing since 'The Wire' and 'The Sopranos'.

I can't wait for the movie but I would actually prefer it to get the HBO treatment over an extended TV series so as to bring the entire novel to the screen.

What I'd love is for Audible to produce an English Language version of 'The Cartel'.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Phew.

Best book and narrator I've listened to yet. A rollercoaster that doesn't disappoint. Highly recommended

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Gripping all the way through.

a very well written and read novel. enough so I'm going to be searching for more titles from the reader and author

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Gritty like the Wire in audio

I loved the narrator style and how the story was told, was quite captivating.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Thrill ride from start to finish

Exellent writer, great narrator, they need more Don Winslow books on here. Hes up there with James Ellroy amongst the greats.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Gritty, realistic portrayal of modern life

This really is a tour de force novel with lots of twists and turns. Absolutely compelling listening.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Love all Dan's books

The main character Danny is great, you don't know if you should love him or hate him. Definitely need some down time to let it sink in from chapter to chapter.
Enjoy the journey.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

wow

best book I've ever read. like modern day Shakespeare. very very good. and best narration I have heard

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Excellent book, well read

Very well narrated, this excellent story kept me interested throughout, with a well structured tempo. Sometimes the story goes where you'd expect, but not often.

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1 person found this helpful