I can say that I was less than a fan of the overall pessimism of the story. Also, I was impressed with all of the details of the story Winslow gives you-from the details of the growing process to the in-depth knowledge of the judicial and political system (or lack thereof). The Kings of Cool is a bold, enthralling story of love, lust, greed, drugs, and the fallacies of them all. Although I do not usually read many novels about crime, I was extremely and pleasantly surprised about this book. Throughout the entire book, Winslow tackles such serious topics as the drug trade, political scandals, murder, poverty, and governmental and political ideologies that are still so prevalent in today’s social climate. What I most enjoyed about the novel was its wit and intelligence. As the two stories progress, they blend together seamlessly to produce an engaging, humorous, and intriguing overarching story. Winslow introduces us to Kim, Stan, Diane, Doc, and John, and Winslow chronicles their lives from the freedom land of the 60s to the present day as hope for the idealistic revolution fades. As the plot unfolds, we are presented with another story that takes place in the drug-filled, idealistic era of revolution that was the 1960s.

Rather than kowtow to the higher-ups of the drug cartels, Ben and Chon pretend to play ball after receiving quite a strong, violent message from those who truly run the marijuana business. Fearlessly confident and brushing off the threat, Ben and Chon ignore this warning from the Mexican drug barons. Pay the hierarchies of the drug trade and continue to make a slightly lessened profit, or they can forgo the forewarning and continue to capitalize on their lucrative strain of weed.

Earning an exceptionally tantalizing profit on their product, the duo continue to expand their business that is until they are given an ultimatum. Meanwhile, O is engaged within her own journey that occasionally crosses path with the aforementioned characters. Intelligent, savvy, and dangerous, Ben and Chon quickly monopolize on the drug trade and reap the rewards of their multitudes of grow houses.

Ben and Chon engineer a unique strain of weed that prompts them to open their first grow house and mass produce their product for a profit.

The Kings of Cool focuses on the lives of Ben, Chon, and the lustfully witty O. Don Winslow’s The Kings of Cool is a bold, enthralling story of love, lust, greed, drugs, and the fallacies of them all.ĭon Winslow crafts a masterpiece of a story that weaves together the past and present lives of 8 characters in his novel The Kings of Cool, which is the prequel to his novel Savages.

Don winslow kings of cool