Tag: Dennis Lehane

Blurb Book Review: Sacred by Dennis Lehane (spoilers ahead)

~ Robin James ~ Leave a comment

Cover image from Goodreads.com

Kenzie and Gennaro accept a new client: a rich man who’s dying and wants to find his daughter. Kenzie’s mentor was looking for her, but now he’s gone missing too. The two detectives, flush with upfront cash, hunt for the daughter and uncover a cult in the process.

This is the third Kenzie and Gennaro novel.

I felt like this novel was clunkier than the past two. The characters are taking shape and the world is filling out nicely, but while reading I was constantly reminded that this book is a product of its time.

Published in 1997, the novel features beautiful women. One so beautiful that every man is blinded by her. Kenzie, of course, finds Gennaro more beautiful. All the women featured were described by their beauty, actually. The reader is reminded fairly often about Gennaro’s beauty and what effect her stunning looks have on Kenzie. Honestly, it was tiresome.

For that matter, so was the sardonic banter between characters. I didn’t feel like any character grew during the novel and that most of them had something sarcastic to say. After a while I just wanted some genuine emotion.

But what was most bothersome was when Gennaro stuck her tongue out at Kenzie as a mock fight. How infantilizing.

I’ll keep up with reading the whole series of Kenzie and Gennaro books, though. I remember the later ones were really good. Of course now I’m wondering if the novels will hold up to my memory.

Blurb Book Review: Darkness, Take My Hand by Dennis Lehane (spoilers ahead)

~ Robin James ~ Leave a comment

Cover image from Goodreads.com

Kenzie and Gennaro are hired by a woman to watch her adult son. A photo of him was taken and he told her he’s being stalked by someone. While Kenzie and Gennaro can’t find any evidence of foul play, someone starts targeting the people Kenzie loves and some dark secrets about his family come to light.

This is the second novel in the Kenzie and Gennaro series and it’s better than the first one. The author develops the characters well in this novel. Gennaro’s husband Phil is shown trying to be a better person by quitting drinking and the childhood friendship of Phil and Kenzie feels robust and nostalgic. The relationship between Kenzie and Gennaro deepens as well, almost to the point of restarting a sexual ember.

Honestly, I would prefer not to have the will-they-won’t-they between the male and female lead characters. I find this tiresome and worn out. Having said that, this novel was written in 1996, so it’s kind of expected.

Overall, this novel is a giant step forward from the first book in the series. The author does a better job of setting the scene here, keeps the reader engaged by giving reminders of how the clues stacked up, and rounds the characters out well. I’m looking forward to reading the third in the series.

Blurb Book Review: A Drink Before the War by Dennis Lehane (spoilers ahead)

~ Robin James ~ Leave a comment

Cover image from Goodreads.com

I have never seen the n-word so much in my entire life.

This novel was written in 1994 and I tried to keep that in mind while reading. I’d chosen this book because it’s the first in the Kenzie & Gennaro series by the author. I’d read a few in the series and figured it might be good to start from the beginning so I can get a full view of the timeline, character development, and callbacks.

I do enjoy this author. I loved Mystic River, Gone, Baby, Gone, and Small Mercies. These are all later works though. This earlier novel showed the author’s roughness in writing.

Firstly, the female lead, Gennaro, has only two main characteristics: she’s beautiful and in an abusive relationship. The male lead, Kenzie, often comments on her looks which got old really fast. There’s not a lot of character development there, except that she beats the crap out of her husband at the end.

Secondly, the novel felt like the author’s commentary on gang war in south Boston and came across as heavy-handed. Sure, it’s part of the plot that one gang leader is featured in photographs in an indelicate state along with a senator, but after a while I wanted to skim through the political commentary and get back to the detective work.

Thirdly, race was featured as ‘some Black people are good and some white people are bad’, which, reading through today’s eyes, felt very stereotypical. The gangs involved were all Black, which didn’t help matters. But again, this was written in 1994 so the nuance I’d expect today was nonexistent back then.

Overall, the story moved slowly, there was little character development, and I was tired of the n-word after the first instance of it. I’d recommend sticking to the author’s more recent work.

Blurb Book Review: Small Mercies by Dennis Lehane (spoilers ahead)

~ Robin James ~ Leave a comment

Cover image from Goodreads.com

This novel is an unflinching dive into racism and vengeance in 1974 South Boston, just before the schools became desegregated.

Mary Pat’s daughter Jules is one of the white students from South Boston that will be bussed to the black school for her senior year. One night shortly before school starts, Jules goes out with friends and never comes home.

That same night, Auggie Williamson, a young Black man, is found dead in South Boston under mysterious circumstances.

While the two events seem unconnected at first, the author weaves them together expertly and immerses the reader in South Boston; a world where the neighbourhood is run by a crime family and loyalty is rewarded with being left alone, a world where the good and bad guys are not so clear cut.

Mary Pat investigates her daughter’s disappearance only to learn some horrible truths about Jules. She powers on, seeking vengeance, while beginning to question her own role in sowing seeds of hate.

As I read, I felt teleported into this world and all it’s grittiness and hatred, with hard-luck, low income residents. Not once did the narrative waver, not once did it shy away from the ugliness of racism, hate, and vengeance.

The novel is hard to stomach, hard to admit that this is our past, but brilliantly written all the same.

Trigger warning: the n-word appears often and while the context felt appropriate, readers may be offended.