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4.08 AVERAGE
4.08 AVERAGE
dark
tense
medium-paced
The first half of the book was a little bit slow at times, but the second half definitely made up for it. I really enjoyed the characters, and the idea that what seems morally right from one perspective can look very different from another angle.
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Lehane spins a pretty decent plot with some interesting supporting characters. What starts out as a simple child abduction takes the reader through the underworld of drugs and prostitution in Boston, and then into a web of police corruption. He does a compelling job of writing a tale where nothing is black and white, and the moral decision is neither the right one or the easy one.
However, his two main characters (PIs) both fall very quickly into stereotypes, which makes the entire book a bit flat. Their dialogue also falls very quickly into such routine hard-boiled mystery speak that any reader that is familiar with the likes of McBain or Parker can almost write it themselves.
However, his two main characters (PIs) both fall very quickly into stereotypes, which makes the entire book a bit flat. Their dialogue also falls very quickly into such routine hard-boiled mystery speak that any reader that is familiar with the likes of McBain or Parker can almost write it themselves.
I saw and loved the movie like 4-5 years ago, and they did a fantastic job adapting this book, so unfortunately I remembered almost all of it.
That being said, this book hit me HARD. My wife and I actually got into a fairly heated argument about the ending of the movie (if you've read/seen it you can probably guess) and the book brought those feelings back to the surface. And I gotta say, now that I have a kid.... I'm not super happy about that.
I think this is quite comfortably the best of the series so far (given the ratings of the rest, I don't think that'll change, but I have hope!)
If you have no desire to read this series, do yourself a favor and watch the movie! I think about it often, even before I started reading, and so I'll be watching it myself soon, too.
That being said, this book hit me HARD. My wife and I actually got into a fairly heated argument about the ending of the movie (if you've read/seen it you can probably guess) and the book brought those feelings back to the surface. And I gotta say, now that I have a kid.... I'm not super happy about that.
I think this is quite comfortably the best of the series so far (given the ratings of the rest, I don't think that'll change, but I have hope!)
If you have no desire to read this series, do yourself a favor and watch the movie! I think about it often, even before I started reading, and so I'll be watching it myself soon, too.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Lehane is a terrific writer, but this book just didn't appeal to me all that much. Things may have gone better if I had read the previous books in the series, this isn't a genre I read very frequently, and the macho feel of the story wasn't appealing. I also wasn't impressed with the way Lehane writes his female characters. The incidental females in the story were fine, but Angela seemed like just an extension of Patrick up until the very end, I found very little reason for her to be there, aside from taking her clothes off and the like.
This book was your fairly typical missing-child whodunit and for most of the book was on track for a three-star rating. The reveal at the end bumped it up a star. Not so much because it blows your mind but more for being a unique take and for the moral questions said take evokes. I found the writing and characters to be perfectly adequate, if nothing special. Worth the read if these types of story are your bag.
***Spoilers ahead***
Essentially, it ends up being a small ring of cops that are taking kids that are found in terrible circumstances and rehoming them with good people unable to have kids otherwise. Basically, instead of an underground pedo thing, it's an underground adoption program, haha. But these cops aren't white knights in armor, they're still fairly corrupt. Willing to kill people to prevent exposure. Vigilantes, in essence.
***Spoilers ahead***
Essentially, it ends up being a small ring of cops that are taking kids that are found in terrible circumstances and rehoming them with good people unable to have kids otherwise. Basically, instead of an underground pedo thing, it's an underground adoption program, haha. But these cops aren't white knights in armor, they're still fairly corrupt. Willing to kill people to prevent exposure. Vigilantes, in essence.
Four-year-old Amanda has been missing for days when her aunt Beatrice hire private detectives Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro to assist on the search.
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated