by Dennis Lehane
Violence erupts in the working-class neighborhoods north
of Boston, and three men
estranged from an incident that occurred in their childhood are drawn
inexorably
together in this tense, dark thriller.
Reviewed by: Lynne Quido
About Lynne Quido
Dennis Lehane is best known for his series of police procedurals set in the
Boston area. Leading characters Kenzie and Gennaro, two private
investigators that have a complex relationship, are two of my favorites in
the mystery genre. Lehane's departure from the duo was released in 2001
departed somewhat from his mainstream, but remained faithfully close to
Beantown.
It is also available in paperback.
Set in a blue-collar neighborhood, "Mystic River" is written in a classic
noir fashion with terse, fragmented sentences that move with the pace of the
events. Sean, Dave and Jimmy grew up in the tough part of town as friends
until Dave was abducted for four days by men that the boys believed were
"cops". Twenty-five years later, the events of those four days have
generated a wide gulf between the former friends, and they've followed very
different paths in life. Sean's a cop, Jimmy's an ex-con with the
proverbial "heart of gold" and Dave holds "on and off" jobs; but is blessed
with a successful relationship with wife and son. The men are drawn
together against their wills when Jimmy's oldest, Katie, is murdered and the
case is assigned to Sean.
There are no easy clues, no obvious killers, no way for the sins of the past
not to be revisited in the lives of those present. In particular, Jimmy and
his wife, Annabeth Marcus, seem to capable of walking off the pages of the
novel to become two people caught in unexpected tragedy, who might very well
be your own neighbors. Lehane does not shy away from violence, and this
makes his novels a little too lurid for some. However, with the violence,
you also get an author who is skilled at weaving the past and present.
Lehane demonstrates how the events of childhood, and the shaping that occurs
based on your childhood environment, ultimately set the course you follow
for your whole life.
It's a stark story of lives wrapped together in such a way that a collision
is unavoidable. Although the same suspense that follows his regular series
is present, I believe that the author has gone above and beyond the genre in
both characterization and plot motivation. When you've finished, you'll be
breathless, and "Mystic River" will be firmly entrenched in your favorites.
Read "Mystic River" and get ready for "Shutter Island", Lehane's new
offering that will be available in May, 2003!
Click here to buy this book, or read more about it at Amazon.com: Mystic River
Copyright © by Lynne Quido, 2003
Reviewed by Lynne Quido:
-- The Whore's Child: And Other Stories - by Richard Russo
-- The Murder Book - by Jonathan Kellerman
-- Tuesdays with Morrie - by Mitch Albom
-- Girls' Poker Night - by Jill A. Davis
-- Dead Midnight - by Marcia Muller
-- The Jesus Thief - by J. R. Lankford
-- The Prettiest Feathers - by John Philpin, Patricia Sierra
-- Wherever You Go, There You Are - by Jon Kabat-Zinn
-- Demolition Angel - by Robert Crais
-- The Eight - by Katherine Neville
-- Mystic Rivert - by Dennis Lehane
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