The Death and Life of Bobby Z cover art

The Death and Life of Bobby Z

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The Death and Life of Bobby Z

By: Don Winslow
Narrated by: Darrell Larson
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About this listen

 When Tim Kearney draws a license plate across the throat of a Hell's Angel, he's pretty much a dead man. It's his third crime and, according to California law, that gives him "life without the possibility of parole." Killing a Hell's Angel also makes him a dead man on any prison yard in California. That's when the DEA makes Kearney an offer: impersonate the late, legendary dope smuggler Bobby Z so that the agency can trade him to Don Huertero -- northern Mexico's drug kingpin -- for a captured DEA agent. Tim Kearney bears an uncanny resemblance to Bobby Z, and, with some training, he might be able to pass.

Or not. But, really, what choice does he have?

So, he's off to a compound in the middle of a desert that's been designed by Huertero's number-two man to look like the Arab fort in his favorite movie, Beau Jeste ("The Santa Fe thing had been done to death.") Kearney's surprised when he meets Bobby Z's old flame, Elizabeth, who was never mentioned in his training, and her son, who she claims belongs to him. It's a short vacation by the pool before Kearney's on the run from drug lords, bikers, Indians, and cops ... and the kid's along for the ride. Some of the pursuers want Bobby Z, and some want the considerably less legendary Tim K. Whether he pulls it off, whether he can keep the kid and the girl and his life, makes for a hilarious, fast-paced, and truly touching audio.©1997 Don Winslow; (P)1997 Random House Inc. Random House Audio, a division of Random House Inc. Action & Adventure Crime Thrillers Mystery Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Suspense Thriller & Suspense Crime Fiction Thriller Witty Funny

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Critic reviews

"Packs the wallop of a semiautomatic weapon."–Newsday“Fast-paced . . . full of explosive action and deliciously evil characters.”–Chicago Tribune"One of the funniest and fastest-moving novels in recent years. The action is relentless, the characters wild." –San Diego Union-Tribune

"The plot unfolds at the speed of sound. . . . As much fun as a barrel of monkeys--all of them armed." –Men's Journal
All stars
Most relevant
This was a thrilling, action-packed & darkly humours crime thriller, highly recommended for all fans of Don Winslow.

The dark humour.

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Another venture into Don Winslow's SoCal world and what a ride this one is. Smart dialogue, nicely interwoven stories and likeable protagonists. This skirts the limits of believability but with such humour it's impossible not to love the entire book from start to finish.

Hugely enjoyable adventure

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This is unlike.any other crime story. An all time loser gets roped into a crazy scheme where he is supposed to take the fall but somehow, someway, finds the luck, courage and decency to make it all the way.

An uplifting, funny, contemporary crime story

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