Rating: 
Summary: Great Read
Review: This was the first LeHane book I read. After reading this one I went and bought his first 2. This book isn't part of the series of first few he wrote. This book more than holds your attention. A few twists and turns, a keep you on the edge of your seat book with an ending that you don't expect. I first heard about Dennis Lehand being interviewed on a Boston Sports Talk Radio morning show. The 2 hosts could not say enough good things about him or the book. So I went and bought it and totally agree with them. The last interview they had with him (Mid Sept 2002) he was talking about this book being in the works of becoming a movie. I can't see how a 2 hour movie would do this book justice. Then again not many movies do. I wish him the best of luck with it and I will go see the movie version. Read this book. You wont be disappointed.
Rating: 
Summary: Beyond Mystery Novel, more in the realm of literature
Review: I have a read a few of Mr. Lehane's Kenzie/Gennaro stories and as far as that genre is concerned they are above average, but certainly not exceptional in my opinion. That is why I was a bit hesitant to pick up this novel at first, because I thought it was a continuation of this series. To my utter delight, it was not. Mr. Lehane has out done himself in this novel, he becomes an excellent storyteller. It isn't just a mystery, the characters come alive. They are not just on a printed page, Mr. Lehane fleshes them out. They are complicated like all human beings are, they have pasts. They all have done things or things have been done to them that they are not proud of or want to talk about. They are very human. You can feel them, hear them and almost see them. I found myself gasping and talking out loud to the pages of the book. The story actually gripped me, yes I could not put it down. I felt Jimmy's pain for the loss of his daughter. I felt Brendan Harris' pain. I was so mad at Dave Boyle and could not understand how he could do what I thought he did and still want to be around Jimmy and show grief for the loss of Katie. I could go on and on. The bottom line for me is Mr. Lehane has written an excellent novel and I hope he continues in this vein. Maybe he should stop the Kenzie/Gennaro series and have different characters with every new novel. Or at least take a break every once in a while and give us something different like "Mystic River"
Rating:
Summary: One of the best contemporary crime novelists
Review: I'm a devoted fan of classic noir (Chandler, Hammett, Woolrich, etc.) and while most contemporary crime novelists pale in comparison (Janet Evanovich, John Sandford), a few stand out from the crowd, and Dennis Lehane is among a small group of contemporary writers that I've become devoted to - after reading only this one novel. If you enjoy the dark characters of Michael Connelly but yearn for a more literary writer, the grittiness of Vacchs but want something with people that you recognize, or the claustrophoia of James Ellroy but want something contemporary (and easier to follow), Lehane is for you. Unlike a lot of the other reviewers here, I didn't come in with expectations, or wanting a continuation of his PI series (Patrick Kenzie/Angela Gennaro). Mystic River was the first Dennis Lehane novel that I read - and now I'll go read everything else he's written. This is a dark, dark book about people struggling on the brink - the brink of bankruptcy, the brink of prison time, the brink of psychosis, but mostly the brink of violence. They live marginal lives in the Charlestown/ Medford/ Somerville/ Winthrop/ East Boston area north of Boston (around the Mystic River, under the shadows of the airplanes overhead), and nobody has any real hope of escaping from their lives. The storyline, described well in the other reviews here, is more about the inescapable destiny of birthplace and birth class, and the entanglement of characters trapped in lives with outcomes that were determined before they were born. As sad and as sudden as the violence in the book is, with the setting that Lehane has created there's something inevitable about it. By the time the murder of a young woman occurs, you're 1/3 of the way through the book and you have a dread feeling that, although you don't know the details, you know it's going to turn out bad for EVERYONE involved. But you could say the exact same thing about the overall lives of these characters - the details of their futures are unknown, but they're all going to end badly. I highly recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: Could Not Put This One Down
Review: After watching my husband fly through this book without putting it down, I knew I had to read it. I am so glad that I did! If you are looking for a suspense thriller with compelling characters and a plot that thickens with every turned page, read this book. First of all, the character development in this book was amazing. Even though most of the towns in this book were fictionalized, having grown up in Massachusetts, I could hear the accents as I read the dialogue. Additionally, I found myself going through such rollercoasters of feelings for each of the people in the story. Primarily, this book is a murder mystery. It circles around three men who grew up together and were friends until an unspeakable incident pulled them apart. The three choose very different paths, one an ex-con who owns a convenience store, one a detective, and the other a middle class business man. They are brought back together when they are older, two of them through marriage, and the third, because he is the detective investigating the murder of one of their daughters. I cannot say much more without giving it all away, but let me just say this book will leave your head spinning until the bitter end. One minute you will be rooting for someone, the next you will be convinced they are guilty of murder. If you are in the mood for a cannot put down suspenseful book, this is it. From characters that jump of the page to finely woven plots that keep you turning the pages, this book will have you hooked.
Rating:
Summary: A MASTERPIECE OF LITERARY FICTION!!!
Review: Dennis Lehane's newest novel, MYSTIC RIVER, is the story of Sean Devine, Jimmy Marcus and Dave Boyle-three men who grew up in the Flats around Boston and were once childhood friends. Everything changed for them the day eleven-year-old Dave Boyle was taken off the street by two men who claimed to be cops and disappeared for four very long days. The young boy finally escaped from his sexual predators, but was never the same again, nor was he ever viewed the same by those who knew him. Twenty-five years later, the oldest daughter (Katie) of Jimmy Marcus is found murdered in a park and because of circumstantial evidence, Dave Boyle is now the prime suspect. Investigating the homicide is Sean Devine, and he's determined to right the wrong that was done to his old friend's family, even if it means taking down another friend from his past. All three men will be drawn together to enact a drama with life and death at the center of its core, and they will learn a deeper meaning to the words friendship, trust and betrayal before the truth of Katie's death is revealed. No one will walk away unscathed by this tragedy. MYSTIC RIVER is a dark journey into the hidden demons of humanity. Written with a sharp poignancy that cuts through the surface masks wore by everyone, this novel draws the reader into a spinning vortex of lies and deceit that leaves a profound sense of inner lost. Mr. Lehane brings truth and clarity to his characters in a way that allows the reader to acknowledge the fact that they are but a reflection of who we are as human beings, filled with both good and evil. The reader will also experience the strengths and weaknesses of marriage and how love itself can act as a form of betrayal to those closest to us. Thought provoking, suspenseful, and utterly engaging, this book demonstrates the sheer quality of Dennis Lehane's skill as a writer and clearly marks him as one of today's top authors. MYSTIC RIVER will not only entertain, but will also challenge the reader to take a more in-depth look at their own life. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!
Rating:
Summary: NO MYSTERY HERE!!!! LEHANE IS THE GREATEST!!!!
Review: There are authors and then there are GREAT authors. MYSTIC RIVER just proves that Dennis Lehane has risen to the "great author" category. I'm familiar with Lehane's work having already read four books in his Patrick and Angie series. But nothing, and I mean nothing, prepared me for the greatness of MYSTIC RIVER. Everything in this book is real -- so real that you actually feel like you're living in the "Flats" even though you've never set foot anywhere near that part of the United States. Perhaps growing up in Brooklyn enabled me to relate to the people living on the so-called "opposite side of the tracks" because I was friends with many of them. Every city has this section. Those who live in it want to get out and those who live outside of it would like, in some small way, to be a part of it. It's a place where the residents look out for their own, sometimes having to take justice into their own hands to see that it is properly served. We meet the three main characters, Sean Devine, Jimmy Marcus and Dave Boyle, when they are young boys playing together in the streets. When we meet them again, they are grown men -- one a homicide detective, one an ex-con who has lived the straight life for fifteen years and one a husband and father plagued by demons. Lehane explores the "what if" scenario by reminding us that "if" it had rained in Dallas on that fateful day, Kennedy would not have been in a convertible. The big "what if" in this book centers around an occurrence that happened when the boys were not yet twelve years old and one of them was taken away in a car by pedophiles posing as cops. The big "what if" was how life would have been for the other two had they also gotten into the car. The bigger "what if", however, is how different this story might have been if NONE of them had gotten into the car. Because the boy who left in the car that day is not the same boy who returns four days later having escaped from his captors. As a result of this incident, all three boys will carry around the demons of that day into manhood until the tragic death of one of their daughters will bring the three of them face-to-face again. I'm going to go out on a limb and state that this is one of the finest books I've ever read. While there's a mystery going on, and it certainly is a page-turner, it is so much more. It is a journey into the psyches of all the characters so neatly drawn out by Lehane and so knowingly admired by the reader. You can understand each and every movement; each and every motivation. While you might not always agree with their choices, you can see that they are real and not something contrived by the author. I just can't imagine anyone not liking this book and, while I long for another Patrick and Angie episode, I am content to read whatever this author writes. As long as he keeps writing, I'll keep reading.
Rating:
Summary: Mystic River
Review: In his fifth novel, and his first not involving P.I. Patrick Kenzie (Prayers for Rain), Lehane once again proves himself nonpareil in writing about the dark side of the human character. Sean Devine, Jimmy Marcus, and Dave Boyle are childhood friends until Dave's abduction by, and subsequent escape from, a couple of child molesters. Twenty-five years later, having grown apart, they are thrown together again by the murder of Jimmy's daughter, Katie. Jimmy is the grieving father out for vengeance, Sean the investigating officer, and Dave a possible suspect. The investigation forces each man to face his past and to examine the paths they have followed since the fateful day when Dave was abducted. What separates Lehane's work from standard noir fare is his ability to endow his characters with such complexity that the reader may understand their actions, even while not necessarily agreeing with them. He has crafted another winner this time around, one certain to move quickly off public library shelves.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Summer Read
Review: Growing up outside Boston, I know these characters, we all know these characters. It was an easy read that kept me riveted. I'm looking forward to reading many more of his books, if they are anything like this.
Rating:
Summary: Lehane does it again
Review: In this book, Lehane takes a break from his fantastic Kenzie/Gennaro private eye series to tell a standalone story about three childhood friends and the crime that draws them back together after twenty-five years. Three pre-teen boys who are loosely friends are deeply affected when one of them is kidnaped by two men posing as cops. For the two non-victims, there is always doubt that they could have done more...for the victim, although he gets away, he bears emotional scars that never completely go away. Twenty-five years later, they are in their mid-thirties and they are all linked to a crime: one is the father of the victim, another is investigating the crime and the third appears to be the prime suspect. The story alternates between the three characters (and some related characters) as the crime and subsequent mystery unfold. Although a whodunit, this book goes beyond the mystery to examine how the events of childhood - the type of parents you have, the economic class you fit into and the random crimes that afflict us all - shape our adult lives and are difficult to escape. The riddle of who the killer is serves as the vehicle to look at these characters and try and understand their lives. Lehane once again shows he is one of the top writers in the mystery field. His writing is sharp and often intense and his characters are compelling. Lehane has the talent to go beyond the genre, however, and this will be a good read for anyone who enjoys fiction, not just mystery fans.
Rating:
Summary: 5 stars is not enough
Review: Fantastic book!!I LOVE to read and I have read alot of novels.I have alot on my book shelves waiting to be read but I also love finding new authors or really good books.This was one that I will recommend to my friends that like to read something more complex.Quite often novels you forget about them once you're done reading them but there is a few that kind of stay on your list to talk about to other book fanatics.This for me was one of those novels.It has everything and deals with a lot of life issues .There is love, tragedy, lies, deceit, murder-you name it.The storyline is complex and the characters well developed.I felt for all of them even though I didn't always agree with what they were doing-I could understand what drove them to do what they did.I wish I could find more books like this.I'll just have to keep hunting.But in the mean time I highly recommend this book .It's what I would call a masterpiece.
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