MYSTIC RIVER |
Dennis Lehane
HarperTorch
April 2003 (Paperback Release)
Suspense
ISBN: 0-380-73185-1 |
 |
In 1975, three friends - Sean Devine, Jimmy Marcus and Dave Boyle -
growing up on the streets of South Boston, played together every Saturday. One day, while
playing in the streets, a car rolls up, and two men, posing as cops, convince Dave to get
in the car. Four days. That’s how long Dave Boyle was missing. What happened to Dave
remained a secret for decades.
25 years later. Sean is a homicide detective for the State Police, Jimmy is a store owner
with mob connections, and Dave is flitting from job to job, not quite fitting in. The
three are no longer friends, haven’t been since Dave was abducted. They wave hello
when they see each other, but that’s it.
Jimmy’s 19 year-old daughter, Katie, has just been brutally murdered, and Sean is the
detective on the case, with Dave being the main suspect.
As the case progresses, Sean and his partner, Whitey Powers, are determined to find
Katie’s murderer quick, especially because Jimmy and his family are likely to try and
mete out their own justice if they get a chance.
I have never read Dennis Lehane before, but this man writes in such a way that you feel
what the characters feel. Bone deep. If it is pain, sadness or joy, you are experiencing
the same gamut of emotions as each character in the book. Specific examples are when Jimmy
is at his youngest daughter’s First Communion, or when he has to identify his
daughter Katie’s body at the morgue.
What a compelling book MYSTIC RIVER is. Each man, Sean, Dave and Jimmy is massive in his
own way. Jimmy is plagued by his daughter’s death, and a past that he can never let
go. Sean is dealing with his wife’s desertion, and the fact that he is a father, not
knowing if he’ll ever meet his daughter, and find a way to make things right with his
wife. Dave is the man with the darkest demons and secrets. No one ever found out what Dave
suffered, and the years have only made Dave’s pain worse.
Mr. Lehane is certainly an author to put on my keeper shelf and my auto-buy list. For one
thing, he grew up in the same hometown I did, Dorchester, Massachusetts, and his books all
take place there or in South Boston. I look forward to reading Mr. Lehane’s backlist,
and seeing what he has in store for the future.
MYSTIC RIVER has been made into a Hollywood film of the same title. The movie features
blockbuster actors, and is directed by one of Hollywood’s finest. This is a must-read
book, and a must-see film.Reviewed by Robin Taylor for The Road to Romance
November 2, 2003 |
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