"The Other California: A Don Winslow Primer" by Keith Rawson in LitReactor

When you think crime fiction and California, the first city to jump to mind is Los Angeles. L.A. is a staple: Chandler, McDonald, Wambaugh, Connelly, Ellroy, and Parker are among just a few to base their greatest creations out of the City Of Angels. ... But what about the rest of California? Drive south down the coast, and suddenly the greasy brown haze of Los Angeles gives way to pristine coastlines, comfortable suburbs, and multi-million dollar homes nestled away in deep canyons. ... This pristine air-conditioned nightmare is the playground for one of America’s best (If not the best, but that’s the kind of thing that’ll have to be settled between Winslow and James Ellroy in a knife fight) crime novelists, Don Winslow. Read piece here.