I have been pretty sick, mostly unable to focus on even simple audiobooks let alone anything in text format or anything with depth. This book was a good choice under the circumstances. Simple as it is it still took me a week to listen to. Slowly but surely I made it to the end. This was Don Winslow's first book. You can see the beginnings of the talented writer to come, but there is also a lot here that feels contrived and/or borrowed from other crime dramas, (and IMO many of the crime dramas borrowed from were not great to start.) We do get the beginnings of a good detective character so that is a positive thing. This is for the Winslow completists. ( )

Neal Carey no es un detective privado común. A los once años era un mocoso que hacía lo que podía para salir adelante en las calles de Nueva York y que se habría convertido en un delincuente sino hubiera sido por Joe Graham, un experimentado detective manco que le enseñó un par de trucos de la profesión y lo puso bajo la protección del Banco, una hermética institución de Nueva Inglaterra especializada en solucionar los problemillas de sus ricos socios y que desde entonces ha corrido con los gastos de la exclusiva educación de Neal.
Han pasado los años, y ahora el Banco necesita la ayuda de Neal. Allie Chase, la hija rebelde de un destacado senador, ha desaparecido, y su padre no puede permitirse dejar cabos sueltos justo ahora que aspira a convertirse en el compañero de fórmula de Jimmy Carter. El problema es que Allie se ha escapado a Londres, y para llevarla de vuelta a casa Neal tendrá que infiltrarse en los bajos fondos de la ciudad# y conseguir salir de ahí.

Neal Carey ist eine hochinteressante Hauptfigur, leider ist die Story etwas unrealistisch und ziemlich kompliziert aufgezogen. ( )

Overall the book is good, tells an interesting story that got me to stay up later than I should have to keep reading.

The book does have multiple smaller stories within the book, and it gets confusing when going from one story to another since the author does it so quickly.

Just because this book was originally published back in 1996 doesn't mean it isn't good. In fact, sometimes it's better than current books.

This is the first book I have read by this author, and I look forward to reading the rest of the Neal Carey series then seeing what other books the author has written. ( )

Somehow Don Winslow's early books escaped me. But, I've got 'em now and A Cool Breeze is the first. It introduces Neal Carey, a detective from the other side. Neal was a nearly abandoned street kid who was 'adopted' by an agent for a kind of underground fraternity. My explanation makes not sense, I know… You really have to read it to get it. But, reading it is what I recommend anyway. Winslow has a fabulously witty voice and his plots and his characters make his books a treat. I have four more of his here on my shelf that I haven't read yet. It's like having a pot of gold. ( )