If you're expecting another MYSTIC RIVER, think again. This is genre fiction, a hard-boiled mystery/thriller in the tradition of Robert Parker. PRAYERS FOR RAIN is also the fifth in a series with the recurring characters Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro.
At the beginning private detective Kenzie helps Karen Nichols discourage a stalker. Six months later, she's dead, having jumped from the top of Boston's Custom House. Several weeks before she'd died, Kenzie had neglected to return her phone call, and he feels guilty. He can't believe the same girl (A fifties type with the personality of a Barbie Doll) had become a drug-addicted prostitute.
I always like to reread the blurbs when I finish with a novel, just to see if the reviewers actually read the novel. One mentions the "wonderfully rounded characters." Bubba Rogowski, a former special forces operative, is about as rounded as Rambo, and Angela and Patrick aren't much better. They're former partners at the beginning (she's working for a security company), but it doesn't take much foresight to know they'll be back together shortly. The dialogue also bothered me quite a bit; it's supposed to be snappy, but Lehane doesn't know when to quit, and the characters all have the same voice (Lehane's).
There are some pretty good fight scenes in the beginning, but I was disappointed by the climax. One thing about series novels: you always know nothing too bad is going to happen to the main character. We also have, count them, three villains. Lehane had me really hating Cody Falk, the original stalker, but he's soon replaced by Karen's step brother and then by this postal clerk who seems to be impersonating the step brother.
I was really amazed at the difference between this novel and MYSTIC RIVER, which is darn near perfect. At first I thought this might be an early work, but Lehane actually wrote A DRINK BEFORE THE WAR, DARKNESS TAKE MY HAND, SACRED, and GONE, BABY, GONE before this one, so I guess you have to blame it on the genre.

PRAYERS FOR RAIN Dennis LeHane Harper Torch - May 2000 ISBN: 0380730367 Buy a Copy

Karen Nichols is a very pretty young lady who has a problem with a stalker, so she turns to Boston P.I. Patrick Kenzie to solve her problem. Kenzie and his sociopathic sidekick and guardian angel, Bubba Ragowski, solve Karen's problem very quickly and he figures that he has heard the end of Karen Nichols. But six months later he hears that she has jumped naked off the observation deck of Boston's Custom House and that she was drugged up when she jumped. The fact that this did not fit in with his impression of Karen and that she had called him shortly before her death and he never returned her call made Kenzie feel compelled to look into what went wrong in the last few months of her life. With the help of Bubba and Angie Gennaro, they uncover that Karen was into drugs, prostitution, had some dreadful family secrets, and a madman that knows how to manipulate the minds and lives of his victims until suicide was a welcome relief. As the plot twists through layers of old deceit and current corruption, the victims multiply while the killer remains elusive, protected by the terror he inspires.

Prayers For Rain is well written with dialogue that is gritty and true to life. The scenes are so vivid that the hair on the back of your neck will stand straight on end--a real page-turner from the beginning to the outstanding ending. This book has graphic violence and the darkest of dark humor. The villain in this book is one of the slipperiest and most evil characters you will ever read about.

Pam Stone

In the last 30 day I've read all five of Lehane' Kinzie/Gennaro books, finishing Prayers for Rain last night. Lehane has created a terrific franchise in the mystery/thriller arena with his realistic and (more importantly) entertaining pair of detectives. You like these people he's created and believe their motives for what they choose to do as they trek through the plot. Clearly I've found a lot of compelling entertainment in these stories.

The first book in the series, A Drink Before the War, really sucked me in, being in the same vein as the Elvis Cole series by Robert Crais which I also recommend. Both series are consistently well-written, a clear step (or two) above pop/trash/beach fiction, funny, intelligent stories where the plot make sense, and the characters seem frighteningly real. It turned out that the first Kinzie/Gennaro yarn was the lightest. Each one after has ratcheted up the twists and turns, but kept the personality of the characters growing and building. The stories definitely got blacker and bleaker in the depraved actions of the bad guys. By Prayers for Rain, the villain is a hardcore-fulltime psychopath, and Patrick and Angie are a-little-further-than-borderline vigilantes.

After racing through five of the books in so short a period, I am struck with a sense of vulnerability. If some bad dude makes it their career to mess with you, and if they have no normal limits to their behavior, you're just screwed. How can a normal, follow the rules type of citizen even comprehend the introduction of aggression and violence into their regular lives? Unless you have friends to help you out like Kenzie and Gennaro you might as well move out of the country and hope you're never found. Read these, you'll like them.

I read the first four Dennis Lehane books this summer (in about 3 weeks!) and have really enjoyed them. I've read all the great private-eye series--Hammet, Chandler, Ross MacDonald, Robert B. Parker--and I think Lehane is really a fresh talent. His characters are occasionally reminiscent of Spenser and company, but not so much that it's distracting. What really distinguishes Lehane, in my view, is his outstanding plots. All the books I've read are very solid mysteries and his detectives, Patrick and Angie, get very involved in solving the mystery, rather than just following an investigation. I chose this one to review because it's an excellent jumping-on point for new readers. It is a truly nerve-tingling, gripping read that manages to make the whole serial-killer milieu fresh. This is the work of a very talented writer who is undoubtedly going to rank with the giants of the PI field.

If you like to read mysteries, you would be hard-pressed not to love Lehane's Patrick and Angie combination. These two characters are so alive on the pages that you feel like you're with them every step of the way. This book is Lehane's usual page turner filled with the lowlifes of the world. As Angie says in the book, "I'm tired of dealing with psychotics and deadbeats and scumbags and liars on a continual basis. I'm starting to think that's all there is in the world." This is the crux of Lehane's writing. He writes about people who embrace evil and enjoy the pain of others (this also taken from the book). Patrick actually falls in love in this episode. My feeling is that Dennis Lehane is an absolute standout in this genre.

Dennis Lehane has done something here no mystery writer has done in a long, long time. He scared the hell out of me! I enjoyed his first book ("A Drink Before the War") very much, and was looking forward to reading this, his second. I got more than I bargained for in almost every sense of the word. An intricate, complex plot, which amazingly ties up logically at the very end. Twists and turns to surprise even the most jaded mystery buff, who is sure s/he can always see them coming. Not this time, you can't! You might figure out one or two, but don't get smug. Lehane will take your perceptions, turn them upside down, and just when you think you've got your feet on the ground, he'll do it again. I should have read this one in broad daylight. It is most aptly titled: darkness takes the hand of the reader and leads us all into a labyrinth of corruption, terror and revenge.

I read a lot of books, and Lehane's Kenzie/Gennaro series have earned my ultimate accolade: I'm not waiting for his titles to come out in paperback! The hard cover first editions of his first two novels are already selling for $50; two weeks ago, they were selling for $35. He has joined the ranks of the very best, and the collectors are valuing him accordingly.

There are many impressive and likeable things about this debut novel. The writing is terrific, particularly the dialogue and Patrick's inner reflections. There's lots of cynical wit - both dry and humorous. Lehane makes Patrick a character who the reader cares about - and one that you want to follow into further books in the series. Likewise, the plot of Boston gang warfare intermingled with Massachuesetts state politics works pretty well. Lehane also does a terrific job of conveying the atmosphere of many aspects of summertime Boston - most of which are never seen by tourists.

Still, I'm debating if I'll continue reading this series as a matter of my personal taste. Foremost, this is very gritty, hard-boiled stuff and I found it pretty depressing. Also, I really struggled with the character of Patrick's partner Angie. I found it hard to empathize with her abusive relationship with her husband. She also plays second fiddle to Patrick in a way that left me cold.

Bottom-line: A top-notch read for fans of the hard-boiled school of mysteries. Those of us with more of a taste for cozy mysteries should read with caution.

This book was the first one I had read by Dennis Lehane, and it is no wonder that this novel won the Shamus Award for Best First Novel. All the praise that Lehane receives is warranted. "A Drink Before the War" features the PI team of Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro who work in Boston. Two senators ask them to find Jenna Angeline, a cleaning woman, who they believe stole some sensitive documents from one seantor's office. They find her, but things don't end there. Gang warfare breaks out, and Kenzie and Gennaro are in grave danger themselves. All the main characters in this book are well-drawn, and the depiction of Boston is right on target. I can hardly wait to read all of the Kenzie-Gennaro books by this very talented author. This one is highly recommended.

I don't give five stars easily -- to anything. If the rating system had 1/2 stars, I might have chosen 4 1/2, but that still would have made A Drink Before the War a great read. The first 100 pages had me scratching my head, wondering what all the fuss has been about Dennis Lehane. I read the book on a recommendation from a pal whose tastes I trust, and I wasn't getting this one. Then...everything changed. Lead character Patrick Kenzie's PI wise-cracking was getting on my nerves. Angie Gennaro's role as his PI partner and domestic punching bag was getting on my nerves. Lehane's tendency to put Kenzie on a soapbox doing riffs on race and politics was getting on my nerves. Then, the "schtick" gave way to a compelling and fast-moving story, with action and intelligence and a plot that I wouldn't have figured out for the world, and I'm good at it. The full body of the story made up for what I felt was a weak start off and came to a shuddering end that left me reeling. All was forgiven. There's no way that I could give this book less than a top rating. Dennis Lehane is on his way to being one of the masters, if only he would tone down the "schtick".

Okay..okay..I'll admit it; I LOVE Patrick and Angela, the detectives from Lehane's first 5 books. Reading each one as it came out was a pure pleasure. It was great when I would see a new book by Lehane, because I kind of felt that Pat and Angela were like friends that I could not WAIT to catch up with. ALL the characters in ALL 5 books were terrific. Even the minor characters were great. I always thought that people like Bubba, and Pat's attorney would be great MAIN characters for a new book.

So, when I heard that his new book, "Mystic River," was NOT going to feature my two favorite detectives, I thought "Okay. That's great. Let's meet some NEW people!" And I gotta tell you, I wouldn't want to know ANY of these people. Lehane has written a book peopled with the most miserable, unhappy, and in more than one case, sick bunch of characters you're likely to meet this side of Elmore Leonard. Wait... Elmore Leonard's characters are at least AMUSING! That's one of the things I loved about his other books. They were FUNNY! You read all the time reviews or blurbs that say "a wise-cracking" detective. Well, in Lehane's case, they were ACTUALLY funny. I laughed out loud. As I said, they were people I would LOVE to know in real life. The plot of this new book is about suffering, as far as I can tell. It's about the murder of a teenage girl, a man who can't seem to get past sexual abuse that occured when he was young, a nasty cop who thinks nothing of framing a suspect he belives is guilty, a cop who sits by the phone waiting for his ex-wife to call him, and when she does stays silent and lets him pour his heart out to her without saying a word. NOT a happy bunch. Well..enough about the plot. If you are new to the books of Dennis Lehane, DON'T START HERE! Start with "Darkness Take My Hand," or the first one, "A Drink Before the War." I hope that Mr. Lehane has gotten this "side-track" out of his system, and can quickly get back to writing the characters he writes best. Don't get me wrong; I can practically hear all you hardcore fans (of which i would consider myself) RACING to hit that "not helpful" button. belive me, I LOVE Dennis Lehane. I am a HUGE fan. I waited for 6 hours to meet him at a bookstore in a Chicago suburb, only to have him not make it due to a snowstorm. Bitter? NOT AT ALL! It's just that this nook makes me want to take a shower. Perhaps now I'll go back and reread "Sacred," my all-time FAVORITE Lehane book.

This is the first book I've read by Dennis Lehane and given my research into reviews of his other books, I feel certain it won't be my last. MYSTIC RIVER was recommended to me by a bookseller as a 'real life mystery.' An accurate description indeed.

Without having the benefit of perusing his other offerings, its difficult for me to know whether his story cadence and sentence structure is the same from book-to-book. Regardless, his style may take some readers by surprise. He has a tendency to utilize fragmented sentences in a noir style to accentuate a scene or description of a character. Slang and geographic innuendo is also used quite well in this book.

In MYSTIC RIVER, Lehane sets the stage for the main characters and allows the reader to 'grow up' with them into adulthood. This lays the foundation for the main theme and the ultimate backdrop of intense intrigue. Lehane does an outstanding job of keeping the clues close to the vest throughout the story so as not to give away the answer to our mystery. Further, he will lead the reader down a path of ostensible righteousness only to foil the answer with the next chapter. This methodology keeps the reader turning pages; something any good author should strive for.

The setting for the story is working-class Boston. To give proper affect to the geography, the aforementioned speech patterns can only be described as ethnic slang (Irish/Italian perhaps). The story begins by introducing three childhood friends, Sean Devine, Jimmy Marcus, and Dave Boyle. (Lehane describes the socioeconomic situations relative to each character in great detail, which plays a role in our mystery.) The three are "fighting" (as kids do) in the street when a strange car rolls up and two men, claiming to be cops, take Dave into "custody." After the car drives off, Sean and Jimmy are totally freaked out and become worried about what might happen to Dave. Four days later, Dave reappears after having escaped from the "cops." Well, as one might imagine, these weren't cops. Dave is now emotionally scarred and grows up with external and internal battles associated with his four-day absence.

Twenty-five years pass and Lehane presents Sean as a state homicide detective, Jimmy as an ex-con turned heart-of-gold businessman, and Dave as a transient worker but with a loving wife and son. The story takes on weight when Katie, Jimmy's oldest daughter, is found brutally murdered and Sean, who has been estranged from Jimmy for literally twenty years, is assigned the task of finding Katie's killer. This provides the impetus of drawing the three former friends back together.

Sean's investigation provides the fodder for conflict with Jimmy and ultimately, Dave. Jimmy, an ex-gangster in his own right, has his own idea of how justice should be doled out and Dave must explain to his wife (who happens to be the cousin of Jimmy's wife) why he came home the night of the murder covered in blood.

Lehane has an excellent knack for stretching the story just enough to make it a bit nerve-wracking. An outstanding quality to be sure for a mystery writer. The amazing conundrum for me was as I felt I was being stretched out in certain spots, the pages were flying by.

I won't go into the climax except to say that this is perhaps the only weak part of the book. Not weak from the standpoint of easy clues and obvious killer(s) but weak from a credibility point-of-view (i.e. is this really possible?). This fact is the only reason this book did not receive 5 stars. Definitely worth the read.

How does one cope with one's inner demons? This is the central theme of Mystic River.

I picked this book up because I'd heard great things about Dennis Lehane, and also that Clint Eastwood has just made a movie of this novel starring Sean Penn playing the character of Jimmy. In fact, he's being tipped to win the Oscar for Best Actor next year for his role in this film. What a slick and well-oiled piece of writing this is. I think that the characterizations of the three main protagonists - Jimmy, Sean and Dave - are just "spot-on." Lehane really takes us into the psyches of these men and shows us their strengths and insecurities. When Dave gets into that car with those men, Lehane is showing that just one mistake, just one wrong move, and just one lapse of judgment can have such far reaching consequences. His writing is just gorgeously fluid and roles across the page - such accomplished command of the language! The story is generally very tightly plotted, and moves along at a brisk pace.

There are lots of universal themes at work here - love, loyalty, betrayal, small town life, family relationships and the criminal justice system, and I see this book as far more than just a slick mystery thriller. The story is all about the ties that bind men and the expected loyalties that come with these ties.

I'm looking forward to the movie, and I'm also looking forward to reading more of Lehane's work. Good stuff!

Michael

I read Lehane's first two books and enjoyed them immensely. But Sacred was so bad that I am very angry that I wasted several hours reading it. The plot seemed to be an afterthought to the smart-aleck, wisecracking dialog of Kenzie. I was also turned off by the condescending put-downs of Florida. Lehane's provincial adoration of Boston detracts from his stories.

"Sacred" is a book that moves along at a satisfyingly quick pace. Even if you get tired of a few improbable action sequences and somewhat cheesy dialogue, there's enough going on in the novel to keep you from putting it down. A constantly twisting storyline as well as a real chemistry between the main characters Patrick and Angie distract the reader from the few faults in the novel. Also, LeHane doesn't depend on his previous "A Drink Before the War" or "Darkness Take My Hand" to explain the backgrounds of either character. A complete novice to his books will have no problem following along, as each of their prior escapades is summarized efficiently in the pages of "Sacred". In the end, you are left with a quick read that leaves you craving for more.

I thought it would be impossible for Lehane to surpass his work in A Drink Before Dying and Darkness, Take My Hand, but he proved up to the challeng! Sacred is probably his best yet. Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro are the best duo in the Mystery/Crime business, with the flair and humor of Elvis Cole and Spencer and the toughness of Scudder and McGee. This one starts off with a bang and never let's up. When Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro are kidnapped in the first 5 pages, (by the good guys (?), you know you're in for a thrill. Throw in the not so subtle romantic and sexual tension between the two detectives, and you have an all night read. I read this in one sitting! And, always the acid test for a good book, I was sorry to see it end. Lehane has great dialogue, even better characters and makes even the unreal scenes feel real. Don't wait for the paperback, buy this one now. If you can't, call me and I'll LEND you mine. This book is that good

Fear, obsession, paranoia...Dennis Lehane's "Shutter Island" is the stuff nightmares are made of. It is noir psychological suspense at its finest.

An isolated island, a raging hurricane, a locked room, secret codes, a mental hospital, rumors of mysterious medical experiments frame the story.

It is a scary, deceptive, disorienting, complex story grounded in the reality of the times...cold war USA in 1954 ("I like Ike").

Mr. Lehane weaves many threads throughout the unpredictable plot. The set up is thorough and the characters are fully developed. The twists and turns play havoc with your mind.

The unexpected is the norm...a couple of times I was able to figure something out a page and a half before it was revealed, but that was rare. The ending is unguessable.

Immediately upon finishing, I reread the prolog and final chapter...and will read this book again. I have not been so dumbfounded by an ending since William Diehl's "Primal Fear."

"Shutter Island" is etched in my memory.

Dennis Lehane has another hit on his hands with "Shutter Island." I read this novel in one sitting because I got hooked right from the first page.

U.S. Marshall Teddy Daniels and his partner Chuck Aule are sent to Ashecliffe Hospital for the Criminally Insane to find escaped patient Rachael Solando, who is a murderess. They run into problems, however, like the hurricane that hits the island their first night there and they begin to find that a lot of strange things are going on in the hospital as well. However, nothing is as it seems at Ashecliffe, and that made the story even more intriguing. As a result, I found I had to keep reading to find out the real truth while also trying to figure out how it will end. My advice to anyone who chooses to read this novel is to NOT try to figure out the ending because the odds are that you won't.

I really loved this story and highly recommend it to anyone who is a fan of thrillers. Add it to your MUST READ list today!

Shutter Island sits off the coast of Boston and is home to Ashcliffe Hospital for the criminally insane. Teddy Daniels, U.S. Marshall, and his partner, Chuck Aule, arrive on the island to help in the search of a missing patient. What actually goes on at Ashcliffe? Unconventional psychiatric treatments? It's difficult to review this book without giving too much away. Several other reviewers have said they were unprepared for the shocking ending. So I prepared myself by paying close attention to all the clues. But it wasn't enough. As I finished this book, sitting in a well air conditioned room, I actually broke out in a sweat. That has never happened to me before. What a stunner! Some reviewers have said they thought Lehane's previous novel, Mystic River, was better. I just can't imagine that. So, I'll put Mystic River on my must-read list. It's going to take me awhile to get over Shutter Island, though.

Going through a mid-life crisis, Mike Markov decides to leave his spouse for a younger woman, who happens to work in their company, which happens to be thebiggest employer in the Reno area. When Mike tells his wife Linda that he is filing for divorce, she hires Tahoe attorney Nina O'Reilly to insure she gets half of their multi-million dollar business empire. Mike, in turn, brings in his own top gun, slick lawyer Jeffrey Riesner.

Feeling as if she is not ready for the big leagues that Jeffrey swims in, Nina asks Winston Reynolds to assist her. Ultimately, the case goes to court where Nina and her cohorts find twists and turns, some caused by her own client. Still, the intrepid Nina and her crack staff give their client the best representation an attorney can provide.

BREACH OF PROMISE is a fabulous legal thriller because of the adept writing of Perri O'Shaughnessy to microscopically look at a male's mid-life crisis from various perspectives without placing blame. Though the story line bogs down a bit during the jury deliberations, the overall plot is action-packed and fast-paced with numerous twists. Still, this series is made great by the eccentric characters (Nina, her assistant Sandy, and her lover Paul) who bring real personalities to a sub-genre normally populated by Herculean individuals. This gripping novel and Ms. O'Shaughnessy's previous tales (see OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE, etc.) are all fun to read because the morality is not so clear cut.

Harriet Klausner

When intrepid Tahoe lawyer Nina Reilly takes on a palimony suit, even she cannot imagine the twists and turns that may well determine both her own Fate and that of her client, Lindy Markov. With the prospect of netting huge profits warring against her fierce sense of morality, Nina faces an uphill battle against her arch-rival - defense attorney, Jeffrey Riesner - in a case that could literally make or break her.

A page-turner from start to finish, BREACH OF PROMISE shines as O'Shaughnessy's best mystery to date. As in the three earlier novels, O'Shaughnessy skillfully weaves together a fast-paced, multi-layered plot that never feels forced or contrived. With enough intrigue and surprise to keep any reader guessing, BREACH OF PROMISE cuts to the heart of the basic dichotomy between men and women without bogging down in sentiment or cliché.

Surrounded by a fascinating cast of characters, all wonderfully distinctive and deftly drawn, Nina Reilly remains refreshingly appealing and real. Both tough and vulnerable, she soldiers on through triumph and adversity alike without ever surrendering her values to expedience. And her droll self-deprecations, her wariness of commitment, and her insecurities about parenthood only render her all the more endearing.

A wonderful story and a compelling mystery, BREACH OF PROMISE should be on everyone's summer reading list.

As a first time reader of Nina O'Reilly, I had a hard time putting this book down. Also, as a former resident and casino worker in Lake Tahoe I enjoyed the references to real places. I found her characters to be well-written and while I didn't like them all, I felt that I knew them personally. The story and plot lines were interesting, and I didn't figure out whodunit until the end. I intend to go back and read the previous Nina O'Reilly books now!