Reviews

Gone, Baby, Gone by Dennis Lehane

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heatherbermingham's review against another edition

5.0

This book pretty much destroyed me. I've worked with a lot of neglected kids over the years so it really hit home. Lehane is definitely one of those writers who some people peg as not being particularly good because of the genre he writes in but when he's on, he is ON. Vivid characters and settings. I like all the books in this series, but this was easily my favorite. For the record, the movie based on this books is also really good.

kakistos's review against another edition

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5.0

5 depressing stars

devoftheshire's review against another edition

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5.0

This book made me want to go and hug my daughter and never ever let her out of my site. A work of fiction with so many truths throughout. People are horrible and that gets proven daily and this book spot lights what even people with good intentions do that makes them horrible. A sad, scary, story. Lehane proves again his skill.

vautelle's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

jhbandcats's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I really, really liked this and wanted to like it even more. The story is riveting - a kidnapped child, local pedophiles just out of sight but somewhere in the neighborhood, the tension of trying to be sympathetic to a zoned-out sleazy drunk who’s just lost her daughter. The two cops who work with Patrick and Angie are likable professionals, doing their best while exposed to killers and perverts who do horrible things to children.

This is the fourth in the series so I was unclear about relationships that were based on incidents in the past, especially Patrick’s friendship with Bubba, a truly dangerous man. I am now going to start at the beginning of the series to see if I can then get more out of this book.

My major complaint is a complete personality change in one of the characters. It seemed to happen within the course of a few pages, and, given the confines of the story, it didn’t seem at all realistic.

Lehane’s writing is gripping, compelling, and vivid. This is the kind of book where you keep saying, “Okay, just one more chapter and then I’ll go to bed….”

Content Warnings

paulataua's review against another edition

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4.0

I saw the movie five or ten years ago and it left a deep impression. The book was equally affecting. “Gone, Baby, Gone" leads you deep into the Boston underworld as Kenzie and Gennaro follow the leads in the case of a missing 4 year old. It is action packed, but it is the spaces in between the action and the disturbing ending that rock your sensibility. It’s a treatise on morality which leaves you questioning those values you held most sacred.