Deborah Koki

I enjoy the gritty realism of Dennis Lehane novels, and this one was no different. I think this is one of his better books. I could not put it down. The main character, Mary Pat Fennessy, is a powerhouse and unlike any woman he has written before. She is uncompromising in her quest to find out what happened to her daughter and this takes her into the seedy world of the mob where violence rules. In the beginning you worry what will happen to her, until you find out that she is more than capable of handling herself. All this takes place in Boston during the 1974 desegregation of public schools by busing and because of this, all the racism, ignorance and hate of the time comes to a fever pitch. Some people will be turned off by the violence and language, but Lehane is accurately describing what racism was like back then. People who think he is over exaggerating should look at the rampant racism going on in our country today. We have not come that far unfortunately. I heard this might be Lehane’s last novel because he is focusing on writing for tv now. This would be a shame for the literary world but I’m hoping he can elevate the writing on some tv shows. In any case, I wish he will write the screenplay of this book to be made into a movie. I think Charlize Theron would be perfect for this role.