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Content snapshot
Flag an inaccuracy →What's in this book, at a glance — five things readers want to know before they start.
Violence
Very heavy
Cartel violence — executions, torture, graphic killings
Language
A lot
Strong throughout; Winslow's clipped, staccato style
Sexual Content
A lot
O's relationships with both Ben and Chon; some explicit content
Substance Use
A lot
Marijuana is the business; the novel is saturated with drug culture
Emotional Intensity
A lot
The cartel's brutal escalation; O's captivity; the moral vacancy of the protagonists who are also the heroes
What this book is about
Chon and Ben are two best friends in Laguna Beach who grow the world's finest marijuana and share a girlfriend named Ophelia. When the Baja Cartel demands they either surrender their business or become part of it, they refuse. The cartel kidnaps O. Chon and Ben do what they have to do to get her back. Don Winslow's thriller is a stylish, amoral California noir about friendship, love, and the brutality beneath the sunshine.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
Cartel violence — executions and torture; graphic
Explicit sexual content
Drug culture throughout — marijuana business as the premise
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