The power of the dog
by Don Winslow · first published 2006
71% recommend29% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Gritty crime epic about the decades-long US-Mexico drug war, told with a large cast and vivid characters. It is a fast, immersive read, and Ray Porter's audiobook narration stands out.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
Overview: From the New York Times bestselling author of The Cartel comes an explosive novel of the drug trade that takes you deep inside a world riddled with corruption, betrayal, and bloody revenge. The prequel to The Cartel, and set about 10 years earlier, The Power of the Dog introduces a brilliant cast of characters. Art Keller is an obsessive DEA agent. The Barrera brothers are heirs to a drug empire. Nora Hayden is a jaded teenager who becomes a high-class hooker. Father Parada is a powerful and incorruptible Catholic priest. Callan is an Irish kid from Hell's kitchen who grows up
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…I've ever listened to is Ray Porter, who does a lot of books on Audible. His 14 by Peter Clines and the Fold by Peter Clines were two of my all time favorite audiobooks. Also his The Cartel and the Power of the Dog by Don Winslow were both great.
on “LibriVox: free public domain audiobooks” ↗…while doing chores around the house and while walking the dog. I used to read voraciously and never had time any more. I alternate fiction and non fiction. Some recommendations: 14 by Peter Cline, the Power of the Dog by Don Winslow, and The Like Switch by an ex-FBI agent about likability. Changed my life immensely for the better. I read about 5 books a month now.
on “This Is Your Brain on Podcasts” ↗If you haven't, I highly suggest you read Don Winslow's two books about this: The Power of the Dog and The Cartel. Both are fantastic.
on “El Chapo and the History of the Heroin Crisis” ↗When I saw the title, I had similar thoughts. imo Ray Porter is the undisputed king of audiobook narration- one needs only to listen to Ray Porter narrate The Power of the Dog by Don Winslow of 14 by Peter Clines to know he is the best! Best narrator of all time.
on “Why George Guidall Is the Undisputed King of Audiobooks” ↗…Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch. A great fantasy novel; very interesting story and characters. I liked it very much. The second one (red seas under red skies) was not as good as the first one though. - The power of the Dog by Don Winslow: A great crime/mob/narcotics story about the drug war in Mexico which is based on real facts and characters. It is a little long however I read it with great insterest. And a couple I…
on “Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?” ↗American War by Omar El-Akkad, read by Dion Graham. Not many characters but a riveting story about a plausible second American Civil War. The Power of the Dog and The Cartel by Don Winslow, read by Rob Porter. A must read just for the vast characters Porter plays, many of whom are Hispanic. An amazing feat that tells a riveting story.
on “Ash HN: What is your must-read audiobook?” ↗The Power of the Dog series by Don Winslow, read by Ray Porter. Porter is a master narrator, using different voices for the sea of characters in the trilogy that really immerses you in the story. I listened to all the books…
on “Ask HN: What are the best audiobooks you have ever listened to?” ↗…Amazing, as are all the rest. * The Tao Trilogy by Wesley Chu. Eh. First book was decent, it got tedious after that. Only finished it all because I was on a business trip with poor internet access. * The Power of the Dog, by Don Winslow. I also read the follow-up, The Cartel. Winslow researched these books for years and they are powerful indictments of the War on Drugs. They're also good fiction, but many of the characters…
on “Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?” ↗14 by Peter Clines is my all time favorite, I also love anything narrated by Ray Porter, he's the best narrator. The Power of the Dog is a great one about the Mexican drug cartels, very gripping. Ready Player One is a classic. Rob Lowe's autobiography Stories I only Tell my Friends was surprisingly good! Heft by Liz Moore was a sneaky…
on “Ask HN: Which audio books do you recommend?” ↗…into a single character or branches out a single drug lord into two or more characters. For example, Adán Barrera—the main antagonist in The Cartel—is based on one of the Arellano Felix brothers in The Power of the Dog, but then takes on Chapo Guzman's persona in The Cartel. But when you realize that a lot of what Winslow describes actually happened in real life it puts a lot of things into perspective—especially the…
on “El Chapo and the History of the Heroin Crisis” ↗…the British and Russian empire in Afghanistan. - Lonesome Dove: I love westerns, I have this whole series on the shelf, and am kind of just waiting and keeping it in my back pocket for a rainy day. - Power of the Dog series: I just know I’m going to love this. Cartel/DEA saga spanning decades. - McCloskey’s CIA series: It’s slop, and the tradecraft is dated to the point that what is happening in the field now is…
on “Ask HN: What are you reading?” ↗