The multi-million-dollar casino heist is impossible—it can’t be done. That’s what makes it irresistible to a legendary robber facing the rest of his life in prison for his “Final Score.”
An ambitious, hard-working college-bound teenager has a side job delivering illegal booze to “The Sunday List” until a crooked cop, a seductive customer, and a fake guru threaten to end his dreams.
Two wise guys tell each other a “True Story” over breakfast at a diner. It’s all bullshit and laughs until someone else has to pick up the check.
An otherwise honest patrolman has to make an excruciating choice between his loyalty to the job and his love for a ne’er-do-well cousin in “The North Wing.”Â
The entitled, substance-addicted movie star that surfer/PI Boone Daniels and his crew are hired to babysit in “The Lunch Break” is a problem. She also has a problem—someone wants her dead.
Finally, the one terrible, momentary mistake that a devoted family man makes sends him to prison and on a “Collision” course between the man he wants to be and the killer he’s forced to become to survive.
Release Date: Jan 27, 2026
Publisher: HarperCollins
Imprint: William Morrow
Price: $14.99
The Final Score is the first book by Don WInslow that I’ve read. I think people who are already fans of Winslow will love it and it’s also a perfect introduction to the author for new readers. This crime fiction book consists of six short stories/novellas with different characters and settings. They are all different, but all are very good. They range from serious, funny, touching, and bittersweet with vivid, memorable characters.
The Final Score is also the name of the first story in the book. It’s a heist story about John Highland, an older robber wanting to do one last job. This hard-boiled story was suspenseful, twisty, and surprisingly heartwarming.
I found the North Wing to be sad and a little depressing. Doug Pritchett is a kind-hearted, honest cop who has to decide between remaining loyal to his job or crossing a line to help a cousin who also seems to be in trouble. The title comes from a certain area of a prison in which certain prisoners are “protected”.
Another story, Collision, looks like it will be another depressing story, but ends on a hopeful note. Brad McAlister has everything going for him, but one drunken mistake upends his life and could cost him his wife and child. It’s a complex, well-written story.
My favorite three stories also contain crimes, but are lighter in tone and/or more upbeat. The Sunday List is about a high school student who has an unusual way of earning money to save for college – he delivers alcohol on Sunday (which was illegal) to special customers of the local Rhode Island liquor store. The story has a surprising twist that I really enjoyed.
I found True Story to be really entertaining. It’s a conversation at a diner between two mobsters. They go off on tangents as they’re talking, but their conversation eventually comes full circle to finish the rest of the “true story.”
The Lunch Break is my overall favorite of the collection. It features surfer/PI Boone Daniels (who has his own series) called in on a case to watch over a difficult actress who is being threatened. The mystery is interesting, the story is entertaining, and a couple of the characters show welcome and surprising growth by the end. Although I’ve given this book a rating of 4.5 stars as a whole, The Lunch Break is a five-star story for me.
~ Christine
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