In this sequel to The Dawn Patrol, surfer PI Boone Daniels takes on a case that threatens to destroy his friendship with his beach buddies. He's hired to help defend the confessed killer of Kelly Kuhio, a surfing legend and saint-like leader in the Pacific Beach community. Everyone wants the perp's head on a stick, but Boone thinks something's fishy with the eyewitness testimonies and the confession attained by Boone's cop friend, Johnny Banzai. Boone also agrees to spy on the wife of an acquaintance from the gentlemen's hour--the shift after the dawn patrol on the daily surf clock--to see whether or not she's cheating. Turns out, the cases may be related, and much deadlier than Boone anticipated.
Readers should dive in even if they're not surfing fans. Don Winslow is so skilled a writer, he could do a dissertation on dirt and make it entertaining. His style is conversational, like having someone in your living room tell you a really good story. His prose is as rhythmic as music, his dialogue crackles like fireworks, his characters are as real as your best friends. Winslow tackles serious subjects but makes you laugh before you realize you've been kicked in the heart.
And Boone's not a stereotypical, loner PI; he has great friends. Their bond is deep, making its fracture all the more painful. But that's why we root for Boone. Anyone can do the right thing when it's easy, but only a gentleman can do it when it's nearly impossible. --Elyse Dinh-McCrilllis, chief nerd and blogger at Pop Culture Nerd