Crime novelist Don Winslow is the best-selling author of the Cartel trilogy and Savages. His new novel, City of Dreams — book two in a planned trilogy — chronicles the aftermath of a bloody war between rival New England criminal empires.
The Long Goodbye by Raymond Chandler (1953)
If there was ever a better private eye novel written than this one ... well, there never has been. Raymond Chandler defined the noir hero for us: "Down these mean streets a man must go who is not himself mean." I have that quote taped to my desk. It has guided me for many a protagonist, including Danny Ryan in my current trilogy. Buy it here.
The Road Home by Jim Harrison (1998)
Perhaps the most underrated American novel, it belongs on a shelf with Fitzgerald, Faulkner, Hemingway, and Twain. It's the story of a family on the plains of western Nebraska, its relationship with Native Americans, and its struggles to come to grips with history. Complex, beautiful, and powerful. Buy it here.
The Friends of Eddie Coyle by George V. Higgins (1970)
Maybe the best crime novel ever written, certainly one of the most realistic. This story of a small-time New England criminal takes on the proportions of an epic tragedy. The setting is real, the characters are real, the dialogue is superb and memorable, and it's one of the rare great novels also made into a great film. Buy it here.
Middlemarch by George Eliot (1871)
I reread Eliot's classic while writing my own trilogy because I wanted to study how the greats handled large themes and multiple characters over the course of years. What Eliot does, maybe better than anyone, is to observe her characters with both keen, unyielding perception and also with compassion. Buy it here.
Nobody's Fool by Richard Russo (1993)
Another writer who belongs in the American pantheon. His writing flows like the rivers that often run through his fictional towns. Russo captures small-town life perfectly, without ever resorting to stereotypes or calling attention to his wonderful way with words. Buy it here.
When the Sacred Ginmill Closes by Lawrence Block (1986)
Lawrence Block has been such an influence on my work. Such a stylist, such a gritty poet. And what a first line: "The windows at Morrissey's were painted black." I once sat next to Block at a book event for two hours and was too much in awe to speak to him. And I'm still in awe. Buy it here.
This article was first published in the latest issue of The Week magazine. If you want to read more like it, you can try six risk-free issues of the magazine here.
