Book Review: The Dawn Patrol

Reviewed By: Pat Reid - RAM

The Dawn Patrol     Amazon US TPB Amazon US HC Amazon Canada TPB Amazon Canada HC
Don Winslow
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Thriller   Private Investigator
Vintage Crime/Black Lizard, 2009, 320 Pages

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 Daniels has chased one goal for years and that is finding what happened to the girl that got away. Boone is a former police officer turned private investigator.

Petra Hall is an attorney. Petra is attractive, dedicated to her profession and a little uptight. When Petra hires Boone to help locate a stripper scheduled as a witness in an arson case Petra soon sees a picture of a lifestyle different from any she has ever known.

Boone accepts the job that he feels is really a “no-brainer” and immediately takes Petra to a motel where he expects to be able to turn over the witness to Petra, accept his fee and be on his way. The two do find a stripper at the hotel but not the one Petra is looking for and this one is dead.

As Boone and Petra continue their search for the missing witness, the reader begins to understand more and more about Boone, his friends, and his quest for the one that got away. A great story that is full of laughter, tragedy and just plain excitement by the author of one of my favorites, The Winter of Frankie Machine.

Pat Reid - RAM

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Pat Reid - RAM

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