Reviews tagging 'Child death'

Gone, Baby, Gone by Dennis Lehane

5 reviews

monicaa_d's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

4.0

I can't remember how this got onto my TBR, but have been trying to read some of the books that have been on there for longer, so I borrowed this when I saw it. I didn't remember what I'd heard about it and just knew it was some sort of mystery involving a missing kid. This was probably the most disturbing book I've read- horror and thriller can do their best, but nothing is as gut-wrenching as the elements of this story that could have been pulled from a news article.
The main story was engaging, twisty, and heartbreaking, but

the section around the 3/4 mark involving the missing boy and the torture that he was subjected to was the most horrible thing I could imagine reading. I know this was a catalyst and important to the plot, and that it was probably important to the author to reflect a reality that's hard to think about, but it was so hard to get through due to the nature of it.

Overall, I think the author did a good job of balancing mystery, action, and well-rounded characters (I know this is part of a series following the PIs, but having never read any of the other books I still felt like they were three-dimensional) and managed not to shy away from the horrors of humanity while still offering an almost satisfying, if bittersweet, conclusion. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Gore, Murder, Body horror, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Alcoholism, Kidnapping, Addiction, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Abandonment, Grief, Trafficking, Violence, Child abuse, Child death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, and Rape

suneaters's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.75

Nobody in this book talks like a human being.  

I was also rooting for the kidnappings. Helen you suck so bad.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping, Pedophilia, Child abuse, Child death, and Gun violence

Moderate: Racism, Rape, Sexism, and Violence

Minor: Cursing and Racial slurs

jhbandcats's review

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….”

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Police brutality, Torture, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Gore, Grief, Murder, Pedophilia, Sexual harassment, Abandonment, Alcohol, Blood, Drug use, and Violence

julie_sapienza's review against another edition

dark sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Trafficking, Abandonment, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gun violence, Pedophilia, Kidnapping, Police brutality, Torture, and Violence

cdcsmith's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense

3.0

 I'm not sure about this one. Too many kid things to sort out. Well written, but man, this was a tough read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse and Child death