Rating: 
Summary: A GREAT read!
Review: Three eleven-year old friends are changed forever by an incident that happens to one of the boys, David Boyle. They are also undeniably shaped by how they grew up-David and Jimmy on the rough side of town, plagued by poverty, and Sean who grew up in a more financially stable middle-class part of town. Fast forward to the here and now-Jimmy's teen-age daughter is brutally murdered, and it seems that David might have done it. Sean, now an officer of the law, is one of the investigators. He doesn't really think David did it, but he has some doubts. The author does a good job with dialogue, and the town settings, and character details, are just right. It's a quick read, and the ending will surprise you. It is just so unexpected--it almost feels like a gut-punch. So, bottom line, if you like a well-written whodunit with an ending that will definitely surpise you, this is your book. I'm going to check out some of Dennis Lehane's other books. Highly recommended!
Rating:
Summary: A Definite Must-Read!
Review: Wow, what an amazing book! So good from beginning to end, I wasn't bored once...I devoured it in no time! The story just wrenched my heart at every twist and turn, but I didn't see that ending coming. It's just perfectly written in all ways. I almost don't want to see the movie now, I'm unsure if it will match up against the book. I highly recommend this book...it just must be read!
Rating:
Summary: well worth the time
Review: The story of three young boys and what happens to them in life. It shouldn't give anything away to know that something bad happens to one of the boys as a child and I really liked the way Lehane dealt with this issue. He provides a haunting scene without the graphic minute-by-minute writing that most recent novels seem to include. You never knew where the characters were going to lead you. I applaud the author for this rare gift of great storytelling that covers issues of family, retribution, friendship, loyalty, love, betrayal - bascially, life. A nice take on master of one's fate theory. I recommend reading this Lehane novel first before going on to other works (most of them are a series containing a dectective duo).
Rating:
Summary: Great characters! Gripping tale!
Review: I just finished this fantastic book and I feel like I know the characters...although, I'm not sure I really want to. This is a dark story and a bit of a downer, but haunting and fascinating. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: A feast for the senses
Review: The writing in this book was just amazing. The descriptions were so vivid, so real, that you could smell and taste them. Writing like this doesn't come along every day. The character of Jimmy was by far my favorite, though all were well-drawn and believable. This is a wonderful slice of life and a well-paced novel. Highly recommended along with McCrae's Bark of the Dogwood.
Rating: 
Summary: Good, but a bit of a downer ...
Review: First of I must say that I've never seen the film - I was drawn to read this book - and indeed anything Dennis Lehane had written - by having read his wonderful novel 'Shutter Island'. This book didn't grip me in quite the same way but it was still an enthralling read. The biggest problem I had is the whole thing is so depressing - there is the sense of a tragic fate hanging over the characters' heads, the sense that they are already doomed by the class and the neighbourhood they are born into. The identity of the killer was pretty easy to guess - all the evidence is there once you get on the right track but that isn't the real climax of the book, so in a way it doesn't matter. I would certainly recommend it but with the warning that is very much a downer - don't read it if you are feeling seriously depressed!
Rating:
Summary: Can't put it down
Review: This book was amazing. From the beginning to the end, I couldn't put it down until I had finished it. I wanted to read the book before I see the movie. I am sure the movie will disappoint me. The development of the characters, the way Lehane describes what they have been through, you actually feel sorry for Jimmy, and wish you could help Dave. Overall, this book is a must read.
Rating:
Summary: Sucks you in
Review: I can't think of a better way to spend a weekend then curling up with this book. It sucks you right in and makes you want to read the whole thing in one sitting. Sure, the prose gets a little histrionic at times but it's easily overlooked. And yes, the big "coincidence" is a little hard to swallow as well as the assertion that those molested all become molesters, but that's easily forgiven.
I especially enjoyed the exploration of different marital and family relationships and the poignant portrayal of the haves vs. the have-nots. As far as the characters go, I defy anyone to not love the Savages. The importance of each wife's supporting role is particularly brilliant. I also love Jimmy's character and the final emotionless acceptance of his true nature.
All in all a dang good read!
Rating:
Summary: Clever and heart-wrenching
Review: Few authors are as capable as Lehane. Possessing stellar technical skills and a grand story-telling vision, he's put together something special with _Mystic River_. Dave, Jimmy and Sean are three Boston kids bound together by a single event: the abduction of Dave by sexual predators posing as cops. Fast forward to the present; Dave is married and struggling with marginal employment; Jimmy is an ex-con trying to make it as a citizen with his ownership of a corner market; and Sean is a homicide detective. The three find their lives brought together and -- simultaneously -- torn asunder by the abduction and murder of Jimmy's oldest child Katie. A beautiful, vivacious 19 year old, Katie has been shot and viciously beaten after her attacker chased her into a nearby park. In the wake of the murder, none of the three former playmates will ever be the same. Lehane has beautiful writing ability, as evidenced by this single sentence describing a neighborhood party. "Some of the guys who ran the card game in the back of the Pork Chop Brothers' store brought out a folding table and a small grill, and pretty soon someone else carted out some coolers filled with Schlitz and Narragansett, and the air turned fat with the smell of grilled hot dogs and Italian sausage, the wafting, smoky, charred smell and the whiff of open beer cans making Jimmy think of Fenway Park and summer Sundays and that tight joy you got in your chest when the adults kicked back and acted more like kids, everyone laughing, everyone looking younger and lighter and happy to be around each other." Aside from a couple of necessary contrivances that tighten up the story, there is little to criticize. Lehane is one of a select few who are completely at the top of the writing game.
Rating: 
Summary: Tedious, unrealistic prose
Review: I could have liked the book if the prose wasn't so overdrawn. The characters are blue collar but the prose doesn't fit. For example, Jimmy is sitting alone on his front porch of his three decker the night his daughter was found murdered. The night was quiet. This is the way Lehane draws Jimmy's perception of the night: "The noise that normally ruled the daytime wasn't gone, it was merely sucked up, as if into a pair of lungs, and then held, waiting to be expelled. He trusted that hush, warmed to it, because it promised the return of the noise, even as it held it captive. Jimmy couldn't imagine living somewhere rural,..." Does this fit the character and the situation? It just gets in the way at best or undermines the reality of the character at worst. As a result, the characters weren't real to me. When that happens it's hard to get involved with the book. I ended up skimming most of it. If the movie removes this pretentiousness, it could be much better than the book.
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