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dantastic's review against another edition
5.0
When a former client commits suicide, Patrick Kenzie goes digging into her background to find out why. What he finds is a blackmailing stalker that anticipates his every move. Even after being reunited with Angela, can Patrick put a stop to the blackmailer's reign of terror?
Wow. After Gone Baby Gone, I assumed the Kenzie and Gennaro series would be on the decline. I'm not ashamed to admit I was wrong.
Prayers for Rain starts with Patrick at his lowest point and sees him clawing his way back to the land of the living. His case sees him reunited with Angela and spending a lot of time with Bubba Rogowski, all the while learning more than he ever wanted to know about the Nichols family.
Like all great mystery writers, Lehane showed me the way with one hand while picking my pocket with the other. For great whacks of the story, I had no idea what was going to happen next and the big twist really made me feel like a rube.
The villain of the piece was very chilling and his competence made him that much more frightening. Angie and Patrick were soon back to their old selves. I may have let a chuckle escape when they were engaged in some banter with a witness and she said "You two have a pretty act going." Bubba Rogowski showed himself to be right up there with Hawk and Joe Pike in the Bad Ass Friend hierarchy at the climax of this one.
Even though I'm giving this one a five out of five, it's not all peanut butter and honey sandwiches. After making Wesley seem like such a bad ass, the end was a little too easy. Also, it could have been longer. Other than that, I'd say this one was almost as good as Gone Baby Gone.
Wow. After Gone Baby Gone, I assumed the Kenzie and Gennaro series would be on the decline. I'm not ashamed to admit I was wrong.
Prayers for Rain starts with Patrick at his lowest point and sees him clawing his way back to the land of the living. His case sees him reunited with Angela and spending a lot of time with Bubba Rogowski, all the while learning more than he ever wanted to know about the Nichols family.
Like all great mystery writers, Lehane showed me the way with one hand while picking my pocket with the other. For great whacks of the story, I had no idea what was going to happen next and the big twist really made me feel like a rube.
The villain of the piece was very chilling and his competence made him that much more frightening. Angie and Patrick were soon back to their old selves. I may have let a chuckle escape when they were engaged in some banter with a witness and she said "You two have a pretty act going." Bubba Rogowski showed himself to be right up there with Hawk and Joe Pike in the Bad Ass Friend hierarchy at the climax of this one.
Even though I'm giving this one a five out of five, it's not all peanut butter and honey sandwiches. After making Wesley seem like such a bad ass, the end was a little too easy. Also, it could have been longer. Other than that, I'd say this one was almost as good as Gone Baby Gone.
sinikl's review against another edition
5.0
My favorite of a series which which I've been deeply engrossed. Loved "Darkness", "Gone", and "Prayers", looking forward to "Moonlight". It's pulpy, but exceptionally well executed pulp with characters (Kenzie, Gennaro, Bubba) that demand complete investment. Add in the fact that the villains in Lehane's novels are slightly(?) demented, and I'm sold. I am thoroughly and completely invested.
jeffmauch's review against another edition
4.0
Another solid effort from Lehane. I've paced myself a little reading the last couple of novels in this series because I really do enjoy them and I devour them far to quickly. Kenzie is a very lovable and relate able character, the kind of private eye with a conscience that just doesn't see to really exist, yet here he is. Usually another aspect of Lehane's novels that a love are the settings in Boston and the surrounding area, and while it does take place there, Boston doesn't seem like a title character in this novel like it usually does. Lehane seems to be taking more time to develop character relationships here and to drive the plot. It doesn't take away from the novel or anything, it's just a slightly different direction than I'm used to. This is again a gritty novel with terrible people and I loved it. How Kenzie gets mixed up in some of the events he does? I'm not quite sure, but I'm glad that he does.
nhelregel's review against another edition
5.0
*Book Club spoilers*
I really enjoyed this book! Another case of "I would never have read this if it wasn't for book club," as I don't often find myself checking out mystery/detective/thrillers from the library. But I have to say it was very entertaining, shockingly grisly at times, and kept me guessing until the end. Would recommend to anyone who isn't squeamish.
I really enjoyed this book! Another case of "I would never have read this if it wasn't for book club," as I don't often find myself checking out mystery/detective/thrillers from the library. But I have to say it was very entertaining, shockingly grisly at times, and kept me guessing until the end. Would recommend to anyone who isn't squeamish.
surlamer7803's review against another edition
4.0
a fun and fast paced PI mystery, well written and engaging
daisyknox's review against another edition
5.0
I absolutely love this story, for so many reasons, not the least of which is because it’s the first of the series that I read. Yes, it’s book five but I had no clue at the time. Prayers For Rain introduced me to Lehane as an author more than a decade ago and he remains a favorite still today.
Time has passed since the events in Gone, Baby, Gone and the Patrick Kenzie we meet isn’t the one we know and love, he’s a shell of that man. He and Angie split up because of the way the Amanda McCready case ended. She’s gone to work for a corporate security outfit and he works alone but no longer seems to have the stomach for this work.
Patrick learns that a former client committed suicide and he’s wracked with guilt when he remembers that he neglected to return her call weeks ago. Karen Nichols was a sweet young lady with a seemingly perfect life and a seemingly minor problem for him to solve, so her death is shocking. Patrick wonders what drove poor Karen to her death and learns that her picturesque life fell apart almost instantly after their last contact.
Those around him question Patrick’s need to understand Karen’s decline and the bent of vigilantism he shows in the quest. But his instincts prove to be correct when he discovers Karen Nichols was driven to suicide by an unknown enemy. Someone carefully orchestrated the destruction of every aspect of her life in rapid succession, leaving her homeless, penniless and alone after even causing her family to turn their backs.
Her story is so compelling, it provides the leverage needed to finally entice Angie back to their partnership. Bubba plays his biggest role yet and shines as always, bringing humor and a few surprises. It doesn’t take long for Karen’s tormentor to notice Patrick and focus on him, so once again, our MC’s become prey.
This story, although still dealing with some heavy subject matter at certain points, is far lighter and funnier than the darkest of the series, so it’s a nice breath of fresh air. Showing the passage of time and how their lives have changed was a nice touch and somewhat surprising, considering how the series kept ripping out my heart and stomping all over it.
I’d dare say that the ending to this story is the gritty series’ own version of happily ever after, which was a lovely surprise.
Time has passed since the events in Gone, Baby, Gone and the Patrick Kenzie we meet isn’t the one we know and love, he’s a shell of that man. He and Angie split up because of the way the Amanda McCready case ended. She’s gone to work for a corporate security outfit and he works alone but no longer seems to have the stomach for this work.
Patrick learns that a former client committed suicide and he’s wracked with guilt when he remembers that he neglected to return her call weeks ago. Karen Nichols was a sweet young lady with a seemingly perfect life and a seemingly minor problem for him to solve, so her death is shocking. Patrick wonders what drove poor Karen to her death and learns that her picturesque life fell apart almost instantly after their last contact.
Those around him question Patrick’s need to understand Karen’s decline and the bent of vigilantism he shows in the quest. But his instincts prove to be correct when he discovers Karen Nichols was driven to suicide by an unknown enemy. Someone carefully orchestrated the destruction of every aspect of her life in rapid succession, leaving her homeless, penniless and alone after even causing her family to turn their backs.
Her story is so compelling, it provides the leverage needed to finally entice Angie back to their partnership. Bubba plays his biggest role yet and shines as always, bringing humor and a few surprises. It doesn’t take long for Karen’s tormentor to notice Patrick and focus on him, so once again, our MC’s become prey.
This story, although still dealing with some heavy subject matter at certain points, is far lighter and funnier than the darkest of the series, so it’s a nice breath of fresh air. Showing the passage of time and how their lives have changed was a nice touch and somewhat surprising, considering how the series kept ripping out my heart and stomping all over it.
I’d dare say that the ending to this story is the gritty series’ own version of happily ever after, which was a lovely surprise.
skychaos's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-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? No
3.25
It reads extremely slow for the first half of the book.
bradley_vincent's review against another edition
5.0
Another great and possibly, greatest entry into one of my favorite series.
bryce_is_a_librarian's review against another edition
4.0
And so we come to the end... I'm going to miss Kenzie and Gennaro I've been putting off this book for awhile, but well I had a train to ride and it was just staring at me.
Prayer's For Rain isn't their best outing but you can't say the crew doesn't go out with a bang.
Say this for Lehane he writes a good villain. He creates antagonists that you don't want to so much see beaten, as destroyed utterly. A good Lehane villain simply angrys up the blood in a real primal way.
So color me surprised that Lehane drops the ball just a little bit. The first two thirds of the novel are terrifying. Whether manipulating third parties into doing his dirty work, destroying the innocent for the fun of it, or leading poor Kenzie on a literal game of cat and mouse. The character is a formidable and terrifying oppenent, and that's before it's revealed he knows Kung Fu.
But then a strange thing happens in the home stretch when he suddenly turns into a total pussy once a bit of his mysteries taken away. Then his master plan is revealed and it's the definition of underwhelming (Imagine someone ransoming Los Angeles with an A-Bomb so he can get a free stick of chewing gum) Then there's the thunderingly obvious, utterly annoying "twist". It's frustrating because what you have is a five star book for most of it's page count, which completely fumbles in the home stretch.
Still the gang's all here which is always fun to see. And even if this is the last book about my favorite pair of Boston mugs, at least Lehane has left them in a pretty good place.
Prayer's For Rain isn't their best outing but you can't say the crew doesn't go out with a bang.
Say this for Lehane he writes a good villain. He creates antagonists that you don't want to so much see beaten, as destroyed utterly. A good Lehane villain simply angrys up the blood in a real primal way.
So color me surprised that Lehane drops the ball just a little bit. The first two thirds of the novel are terrifying. Whether manipulating third parties into doing his dirty work, destroying the innocent for the fun of it, or leading poor Kenzie on a literal game of cat and mouse. The character is a formidable and terrifying oppenent, and that's before it's revealed he knows Kung Fu.
But then a strange thing happens in the home stretch when he suddenly turns into a total pussy once a bit of his mysteries taken away. Then his master plan is revealed and it's the definition of underwhelming (Imagine someone ransoming Los Angeles with an A-Bomb so he can get a free stick of chewing gum) Then there's the thunderingly obvious, utterly annoying "twist". It's frustrating because what you have is a five star book for most of it's page count, which completely fumbles in the home stretch.
Still the gang's all here which is always fun to see. And even if this is the last book about my favorite pair of Boston mugs, at least Lehane has left them in a pretty good place.