Quick read. Not always very realistic but I liked the over the top story. ( )

Frank es un hombre tranquilo. Tiene 62 años, vive retirado en la costa de San Diego y es todo un caballero. Le gusta dejar reposar el café durante cuatro minutos exactamente, los cuales emplea en vestirse; el bocadillo que prepara con una fina lámina de mantequilla todas las mañanas tiene que envolverse en una servilleta de hilo para que no se enfríe; tiene un par de abonos para la ópera, a la que acude con su novia, Donna; posteriormente la invita a cenar no en cualquier restaurante; si hija, Jill, es una prometedora estudiante de Medicina en UCLA. Frank siempre está dispuesto a ayudar a todos y a dar un buen consejo... hasta que, claro, le tocan la familia. Entonces no querrás haberle conocido ni haberte cruzado jamás con él, ni saber por qué en el mundo de la mafia se le conocía como Frankie, la máquina, una auténtica leyenda...

Ein Mafia-Killer im Ruhestand, der plötzlich Opfer eines Komplotts wird und seine Rente unfreiwillig "beendet". ( )

4, probably 4.5 stars. Frank Machianno owns several small businesses, including a bait shop on San Diego’s Ocean Beach Pier, he sells fresh fish to local restaurants, and has a linen delivery service. He is also a local fixture, keeping the peace and surfing with the old geezers. Sounds dull, right? When an old friend calls in a favor to help negotiate peace with some local mob guys, we find out that he is actually Frankie Machine, a former hitman. And, someone wants Frankie put in the dirt. Winslow is a master at this stuff, and we see Frankie trying to figure out who wants him dead after all these years of simple, honest living and why. Happily for him, his skills have not waned as there are several stone cold killers after him. Good ending too. ( )

Digital audiobook performed by Dennis Boutsikaris.
4****

From the book jacket: Frank Machianno is a late-middle-aged ex-surf bum who runs a bait shack on the San Diego waterfront when he’s not juggling any of his other three part-time jobs or trying to get a quick set in on his longboard. He’s a stand-up businessman, a devoted father to his daughter, and a beloved fixture in the community. Frank’s also a hit man. Specifically: a retired hit man, once known as Frankie Machine. Years ago Frank consigned his Mob ties to the past, which is where he wants them to stay. But a favor being called in now by the local boss is one Frank can’t refuse, and soon he’s sucked back into his former life. Someone from the past wants him dead. He has to figure out who, and why, and he has to do it fast.

My reactions:
Wow, what a ride! The action is fast and furious, and deadly. Frankie is really on his own, with no one to trust. And the reader is pretty much on her own as well. There are more potential suspects than Carter has pills. Frank is a consummate professional, however, and he’s no fool. He may have left his Mob life behind, but he never gave up certain safety measures. He knows how to watch his back, and how to make sure he gets the opposition before they get him. The action is non-stop and there are surprises right up to the ending.

This is the first book by Winslow that I’ve read. It won’t be the last.

Dennis Boutsikaris does a marvelous job of narrating the audiobook. He has a gift for bringing these characters to life. ( )