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Kenzie & Gennaro #5
Prayers for Rain
When Boston private investigator Patrick Kenzie meets Karen Nichols, she strikes him as an innocent from a protected upbringing. But six months later when Karen takes her own life, Patrick is left wondering what can change so drastically and so quickly that suicide seems the only option?
Through the final weeks of a stifling summer, and with the help of his ex-partner, Angela Gennaro, and his friend, the lethally unbalanced Bubba Rogowski, Patrick enters into psychological warfare with a brilliant sociopath who, instead of merely killing his victims, prefers to make them wish they were dead.
As the stakes grow higher and more personal, they find themselves fighting a losing battle with an enemy the law can't touch, who is always one step ahead, who is gradually discovering their weaknesses, their loves, and is determined to tear their world apart.
Prayers for Rain is another superior thriller from Dennis Lehane, the bestselling and acclaimed author of Mystic River, Shutter Island, and Gone, Baby, Gone.
375 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published May 19, 1999
About the author
Dennis Lehane
80 books13.4k followersDennis Lehane (born Aug 4th, 1966) is an American author. He has written several novels, including the New York Times bestseller Mystic River, which was later made into an Academy Award winning film, also called Mystic River, directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, and Kevin Bacon (Lehane can be briefly seen waving from a car in the parade scene at the end of the film). The novel was a finalist for the PEN/Winship Award and won the Anthony Award and the Barry Award for Best Novel, the Massachusetts Book Award in Fiction, and France's Prix Mystere de la Critique.
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April 26, 2018
Dennis Lehane - from The Boston Globe - photo by David L. Ryan
In the fifth entry in Dennis Lehane’s Kenzie & Gennaro series, Karen Nichols comes to PI Patrick Kenzie when she is being harassed by a known rapist. After Patrick succeeds in suggesting to the fellow that he would survive longer if he left her alone, the situation quiets down. Six weeks later, as he is leaving town for a vacation with fuck-buddy Vanessa, Karen calls Kenzie asking for help. Patrick decides to call her back when he returns from his trip. By then it is too late, as Karen is dead. Driven by guilt, and a conviction that there is something fishy about Karen’s death, Kenzie reunites with Angie to see what lies behind the tragedy. There is much to find, including a sociopath who is trying to extort millions from Karen’s mother and stepfather. He knows their deep, dark secret. He does his dirt by destroying people’s lives. Another wild ride for the cast, including a night-vision-goggle-equipped assault on an abandoned military medical facility in a cranberry swamp. Another in a continuing series of first-rate thrillers from Lehane. As the series continues, however, there is an increasing willingness to perform acts that are clearly outside the law. This is troubling. However, the book remains a good read.
=============================EXTRA STUFF
Links to the author’s personal, Twitter and FB pages
Other books by Lehane I have read/reviewed
The Coughlin Series
-----The Given Day
-----Live by Night
-----World Gone By
Kenzie and Gennaro
-----A Drink Before War - #1
-----Darkness, Take My Hand - #2
-----Sacred - #3
-----Gone, Baby Gone - #4
-----Moonlight Mile - #6
Read, but not Reviewed
-----Mystic River - a masterpiece
-----Shutter Island - not
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 16, 2013
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.
February 15, 2021
Actual rating : 4.5 stars
After Gone, Baby, Gone, Prayers for Rain was like a breath of fresh air.
"You wanted to play? Well, hide-and-seek is over. Let the real game begin, motherfucker."
➊ You were baffled to see how out of character and - yes - boring his behavior was in Gone, Baby, Gone? Good news, people! PATRICK IS BACK, and that's for the best. Welcome sarcastic descriptions, infuriating and hilarious comments, smartass answers!
"Twenty miles, and it took us only an hour and fifteen minutes. Welcome to Boston; we just fucking live for traffic"
I missed them so SO much, I can't even tell. Please Lehane, I think you're an amazing author, but do not spoil my favorite character. When I think that many readers only read book 4 because of the movie, it makes me sad, because Patrick isn't more than the shell of himself there.
"For a while I tried the Zen trick of ignoring them, willing my body to seem unattractive. After a few hundred bites or so, though, I thought, fuck Zen. Confucius never lived in ninety-eight percent humidity on a ninety-two-degree day. If he had, he'd have hacked off a few heads and told the emperor he was fresh out of peppy bromides until someone outfitted the palace with AC"
➋ While we're at the welcome back, I'm delighted to inform you that Angie stopped being uncommunicative and fuzzy but regained her wit and kickassery. WOOT!
➌ If you read the previous books, you know that everyone needs a little Bubba to be happy. Therefore I'm ecstatic to announce that we've got A LOT OF BUBBA here, and for our biggest pleasure he's crazier and funnier than ever : that's simple, I seem to be completely unable to stop laughing when he opens his mouth. This psycho is perf : if Patrick has my heart, Bubba for sure has my smile. SPOILER ALERT : there are scenes involving kissing :P
"Angie's with me," I said.
"No shit. Where?"
"Back Bay. We need a delivery man."
"Bomb?" He sounded excited, like a had a few lying around he needed to get rid of.
"Ah, no. Just a tape recorder."
"Oh." He sounded bored."
I already said it, but Bubba's the star of this fifth book.
➍ Do you know what I missed the most in Gone, Baby Gone? COMPLICITY. Humor. Banter. LOVE. All. The. Feels.
"There's nothing but me left there. And white sheets. White sheets and those fucking birds and it hurts, and all I can do is close my eyes and lie there and wish I didn't feel like dying."
➎ The plot is well-wrapped and completely addictive : you've been warned, you won't be able to stop before unraveling all the lies our favorite detectives are told. Hell, you can't get enough of the team finally working together again.
For more of my reviews, please visit:
May 4, 2011
Patrick and Angie have gone up against a lot of very bad people in their time as detectives. They’ve tangled with gang members, serial killers, the Irish and Italian mob, a religious cult, corrupt politicians, child molesters, and a variety of other evil sons-of-bitches. In Prayers for Rain, they meet their most sadistic and diabolical villain yet.
Angie has gone to work for another detective agency, and Patrick is operating solo. Without Angie around, he’s losing his taste for the job, though. However, he gets very interested when Karen Nichols hires him to help get a stalker off her back. Karen is the type of person who seems too nice and innocent to exist in the world. She just wants to marry her boyfriend and lead a normal life. Patrick and his personal wrecking crew Bubba manage to *ahem* 'persuade' the stalker to leave Karen alone and consider it a job well done. Karen sends Patrick a check signed with little hearts on it. Case closed.
Six months later, Patrick hears that Karen has committed suicide. He realizes that he forgot to return a call she made to him months before, and he’s shocked to hear that Karen’s life imploded after he last saw her. Her boyfriend was hit by a car and is in a coma. She lost her job and her home. He’s even more shocked to hear that Karen ended up on drugs and became a prostitute before she finally stepped off a building. Patrick can’t believe that the woman he met could fall apart so fast and starts looking into what happened. Fortunately for him, Angie is willing to come back and help out.
What they find is that Karen’s life was systematically destroyed by a mysterious figure. But why would anyone go to so much effort to crush a woman whose biggest dream was being able to afford a Toyota Camry? As Patrick and Angie try to figure out who ruined Karen’s life, they’re contacted by the man who did it. Now he’s threatening to do the same to them if they don’t back off, and he’s more than capable of making good on the threat.
Wow. It’d been several years since I’d read the Patrick & Angie novels, and I’d kind of forgotten how good Lehane was at creating creepy and effective villains as well as his knack for keeping you on the edge of your seat. I especially liked that while he never made Patrick and Angie superheroes, that they’re also not victims. If someone screws with them, they go on the offensive, and their motto is that payback is a bitch.
This one also has more of Bubba than the other books, and the big crazy bastard is in rare form here. Whether it’s using a tennis racket to negotiate with a stalker or escorting Patrick to a Mafia barbecue or schooling the detectives on the fine art of walking point in hostile territory, Bubba is always highly entertaining in a demented way. He is definately among the best of the bad-ass friends in the realm of ficional private detectives.
Now that I’ve re-read all of the P & A novels, I can not wait for the release of Moonlight Mile next month so I can find out what they’ve been up to for the last ten years.
Angie has gone to work for another detective agency, and Patrick is operating solo. Without Angie around, he’s losing his taste for the job, though. However, he gets very interested when Karen Nichols hires him to help get a stalker off her back. Karen is the type of person who seems too nice and innocent to exist in the world. She just wants to marry her boyfriend and lead a normal life. Patrick and his personal wrecking crew Bubba manage to *ahem* 'persuade' the stalker to leave Karen alone and consider it a job well done. Karen sends Patrick a check signed with little hearts on it. Case closed.
Six months later, Patrick hears that Karen has committed suicide. He realizes that he forgot to return a call she made to him months before, and he’s shocked to hear that Karen’s life imploded after he last saw her. Her boyfriend was hit by a car and is in a coma. She lost her job and her home. He’s even more shocked to hear that Karen ended up on drugs and became a prostitute before she finally stepped off a building. Patrick can’t believe that the woman he met could fall apart so fast and starts looking into what happened. Fortunately for him, Angie is willing to come back and help out.
What they find is that Karen’s life was systematically destroyed by a mysterious figure. But why would anyone go to so much effort to crush a woman whose biggest dream was being able to afford a Toyota Camry? As Patrick and Angie try to figure out who ruined Karen’s life, they’re contacted by the man who did it. Now he’s threatening to do the same to them if they don’t back off, and he’s more than capable of making good on the threat.
Wow. It’d been several years since I’d read the Patrick & Angie novels, and I’d kind of forgotten how good Lehane was at creating creepy and effective villains as well as his knack for keeping you on the edge of your seat. I especially liked that while he never made Patrick and Angie superheroes, that they’re also not victims. If someone screws with them, they go on the offensive, and their motto is that payback is a bitch.
This one also has more of Bubba than the other books, and the big crazy bastard is in rare form here. Whether it’s using a tennis racket to negotiate with a stalker or escorting Patrick to a Mafia barbecue or schooling the detectives on the fine art of walking point in hostile territory, Bubba is always highly entertaining in a demented way. He is definately among the best of the bad-ass friends in the realm of ficional private detectives.
Now that I’ve re-read all of the P & A novels, I can not wait for the release of Moonlight Mile next month so I can find out what they’ve been up to for the last ten years.
October 30, 2017
4.5 stars
Lehane has produced an almost-final Kenzie and Gennaro story that refrained from outright stupidity, and continued to surprise us in small ways. The plotting is good, after a bit of a slow start, and moves along well, dragging us happily with it as usual. This was much better than I had feared.
The tragedy of Karen's death is presented so well. I felt the pain and loss, as I always do when bright young people are hurt or lose their way. Patrick's sense of honour is keen, as usual, and so is Angela's. It's this honour, and their long shared respect for it, that binds them together as a team. It's their long and deep love of each other that binds their hearts, even though it's along a bumpy and winding road. Their love and team spirit are the two elements that keep me coming back to Lehane, again and again. Yes, I will read the final book, set 11 years after this. I do love them.
The villain is not as daunting or as scary as the publisher's summary implies, and I mean that in a good way. The summary is almost cliché, bad melodrama. But the actual book is very good, not as good as Gone, Baby, Gone.
There’s not as much LOL here as some other Kenzie and Genarro books, but there is warmth and humour and a fun minor surprise:
11% ... His sense of honour never fails Patrick:
And, yes, the worst of it she’d called me. Six weeks after I’d dealt with Cody Falk. Four months before she died. Somewhere in the middle of all that fatal unraveling. And I hadn’t returned the call. I’d been busy. She’d been drowning, and I’d been busy. I glanced down at her face again, resisted the urge to turn away from the hope in her eyes.
13% ... I read this story now with trepidation. Another tragedy for Patrick to sort out, poor beautiful Karen’s life ruined then suicide, but this time working without Angela there. Somehow the pain of Karen’s collapse is just too much. Poor Patrick is lost in other people’s pain and terror, and him without “emotional backup”.
His sense of fatigue is palpable, and we all know that after Grace and Mae left, and his life finally became meaningful with Angela, that his current romances will somehow be only shadows of who he and Angela are together.
As we know from The Who: “One plus one don’t make two... One plus one makes One”
18% ... The first half of this book, discovering the psychological abuse of Karen, and KNOWING how many men do this kind of thing to women every day is so hard, and worse is knowing that there is so little we can do to stop that.... Lehane writes these “entertainments” but the subtext is deeper. He must have some terrible demons and ghosts in his past.
22% ... Siobahn, the maid
“She turned her head toward me. ‘Aren’t they the same thing? Wishing to be saved? In this world, yeah? It’s ...’
Her small face grew bitter and gray and she shook her head several times.
‘It’s what?’ I said. She looked at me like I was a child who’d asked why fire burns or seasons change.
‘Well, it’s like praying for rain, isn’t it, Mr Kenzie?’ She raised her hands to the clear, white sky.
‘Praying for rain in the middle of a desert.’
So much of Lehane’s writing expresses hopelessness, and a quiet anger and impotence about the state of the world.
29% ... Patrick has clearly lost his balance since Angela left him. He’s become ruthless and untethered. He is lost and beginning to hate the person he's becoming. It’s heartbreaking, really.
34% ... Two rays of sunshine in this gray-hearted book here. Firstly, Angela can’t help but smile at Patrick through her anger and disappointment in him. Her hatred of his choice in Gone, Baby, Gone is deep but fading. And second, the unabashed, open and joyful love between Holly and her Warren. Hope for redemption here.
37% ... A view from inside of despair...
“The barn seemed to sag another inch, and Karen Nichols’s voice whispered through the rural blight:
See? No one loves.
No one loves.”
72% ... Very few cliches here, mostly well-written stuff. Lehane turns us into vigilantes slowly, with the villain ruining the lives of our heroes’ friends. Our bloodlust turns us into Bubba, just waiting to kill the villain slowly.
I usually hate this kind of "hurt-the-hero's-friends" crime story immensely. It’s only the quality and pacing of Lehane's prose here that keeps me going.
76% ... Me? Stalk the villain for days? No f***ing way! Rifle with a scope. Blam. Problem solved. I guess Lehane succeeded in turning me into a killer after all.
78% ... occasionally, Lehane makes political statements... Which I love...
“‘It was Panama. Remember? Killed nine times as many civilians as military personnel? All to capture a drug dealer [Noriega]with former ties to the CIA during the administration of a president [Bush Sr] who used to run the CIA.”
.... F***ing greedy Republican criminals. Ten times worse now.
79% ... End of chapter 29: Joy. Home. Truth. Wonderful.
93% ... Dawes:
“‘Maybe this is how God punishes the bad,’ he said.
‘How’s that?’
He leaned his head back and closed his eyes. ‘He lets us live.’
All-in-all, another great read by Lehane.
Sadly, only one book left, and here it is 23 years after he wrote the first Kenzie and Genarro.
Lehane has produced an almost-final Kenzie and Gennaro story that refrained from outright stupidity, and continued to surprise us in small ways. The plotting is good, after a bit of a slow start, and moves along well, dragging us happily with it as usual. This was much better than I had feared.
The tragedy of Karen's death is presented so well. I felt the pain and loss, as I always do when bright young people are hurt or lose their way. Patrick's sense of honour is keen, as usual, and so is Angela's. It's this honour, and their long shared respect for it, that binds them together as a team. It's their long and deep love of each other that binds their hearts, even though it's along a bumpy and winding road. Their love and team spirit are the two elements that keep me coming back to Lehane, again and again. Yes, I will read the final book, set 11 years after this. I do love them.
The villain is not as daunting or as scary as the publisher's summary implies, and I mean that in a good way. The summary is almost cliché, bad melodrama. But the actual book is very good, not as good as Gone, Baby, Gone.
There’s not as much LOL here as some other Kenzie and Genarro books, but there is warmth and humour and a fun minor surprise:
11% ... His sense of honour never fails Patrick:
And, yes, the worst of it she’d called me. Six weeks after I’d dealt with Cody Falk. Four months before she died. Somewhere in the middle of all that fatal unraveling. And I hadn’t returned the call. I’d been busy. She’d been drowning, and I’d been busy. I glanced down at her face again, resisted the urge to turn away from the hope in her eyes.
13% ... I read this story now with trepidation. Another tragedy for Patrick to sort out, poor beautiful Karen’s life ruined then suicide, but this time working without Angela there. Somehow the pain of Karen’s collapse is just too much. Poor Patrick is lost in other people’s pain and terror, and him without “emotional backup”.
His sense of fatigue is palpable, and we all know that after Grace and Mae left, and his life finally became meaningful with Angela, that his current romances will somehow be only shadows of who he and Angela are together.
As we know from The Who: “One plus one don’t make two... One plus one makes One”
18% ... The first half of this book, discovering the psychological abuse of Karen, and KNOWING how many men do this kind of thing to women every day is so hard, and worse is knowing that there is so little we can do to stop that.... Lehane writes these “entertainments” but the subtext is deeper. He must have some terrible demons and ghosts in his past.
22% ... Siobahn, the maid
“She turned her head toward me. ‘Aren’t they the same thing? Wishing to be saved? In this world, yeah? It’s ...’
Her small face grew bitter and gray and she shook her head several times.
‘It’s what?’ I said. She looked at me like I was a child who’d asked why fire burns or seasons change.
‘Well, it’s like praying for rain, isn’t it, Mr Kenzie?’ She raised her hands to the clear, white sky.
‘Praying for rain in the middle of a desert.’
So much of Lehane’s writing expresses hopelessness, and a quiet anger and impotence about the state of the world.
29% ... Patrick has clearly lost his balance since Angela left him. He’s become ruthless and untethered. He is lost and beginning to hate the person he's becoming. It’s heartbreaking, really.
34% ... Two rays of sunshine in this gray-hearted book here. Firstly, Angela can’t help but smile at Patrick through her anger and disappointment in him. Her hatred of his choice in Gone, Baby, Gone is deep but fading. And second, the unabashed, open and joyful love between Holly and her Warren. Hope for redemption here.
37% ... A view from inside of despair...
“The barn seemed to sag another inch, and Karen Nichols’s voice whispered through the rural blight:
See? No one loves.
No one loves.”
72% ... Very few cliches here, mostly well-written stuff. Lehane turns us into vigilantes slowly, with the villain ruining the lives of our heroes’ friends. Our bloodlust turns us into Bubba, just waiting to kill the villain slowly.
I usually hate this kind of "hurt-the-hero's-friends" crime story immensely. It’s only the quality and pacing of Lehane's prose here that keeps me going.
76% ... Me? Stalk the villain for days? No f***ing way! Rifle with a scope. Blam. Problem solved. I guess Lehane succeeded in turning me into a killer after all.
78% ... occasionally, Lehane makes political statements... Which I love...
“‘It was Panama. Remember? Killed nine times as many civilians as military personnel? All to capture a drug dealer [Noriega]with former ties to the CIA during the administration of a president [Bush Sr] who used to run the CIA.”
.... F***ing greedy Republican criminals. Ten times worse now.
79% ... End of chapter 29: Joy. Home. Truth. Wonderful.
93% ... Dawes:
“‘Maybe this is how God punishes the bad,’ he said.
‘How’s that?’
He leaned his head back and closed his eyes. ‘He lets us live.’
All-in-all, another great read by Lehane.
Sadly, only one book left, and here it is 23 years after he wrote the first Kenzie and Genarro.
April 1, 2024
Чудесна кримка, изгълтах я на един дъх!
На няколко пъти започвах "Злокобен остров" от същия автор, но нещо не ми вървеше добре и зарязвах книгата още в началото.
"Сянка в дъжда" се родее с книгите на Робърт Паркър за Спенсър и аз оценявам добрата работа на Лихейн - оригинален и напрегнат сюжет и симпатични главни герои.
Не знам дали всички книги са преведени на български, но бих се пробвал да дочета поредицата в оригинал.
На няколко пъти започвах "Злокобен остров" от същия автор, но нещо не ми вървеше добре и зарязвах книгата още в началото.
"Сянка в дъжда" се родее с книгите на Робърт Паркър за Спенсър и аз оценявам добрата работа на Лихейн - оригинален и напрегнат сюжет и симпатични главни герои.
Не знам дали всички книги са преведени на български, но бих се пробвал да дочета поредицата в оригинал.
November 18, 2015
You wanted to play? Well, hide-and-seek is over. Let the real games begin, motherfucker.
I can't say this is exactly what I wanted it to be....because it wasn't. But not for one minute did I not enjoy it. Is that weird? This book took me a week to read, which doesn't bode well for what I thought of it-But then I take into account how busy, tired, meh I've been and it about evens out with my mood. The verdict?? When I felt a distance at the beginning, I should have stopped.
I drank some more Beck's, fingered the cardboard coaster, felt a grin fighting to break across my face. I glanced at Angie. The corners of her mouth twitched, too.
"Don't look at me," she said.
"Why not?"
"I'm telling you-" She lost the battle and closed her eyes as the smile broke across her cheeks.
Mine followed about a half second later.
"I don't know why I'm smiling," Angie said.
"Me, either."
"Prick."
"Bitch."
She laughed and turned on her chair, drink in hand. "Miss me?"
Like you can't imagine.
"Not a bit," I said.
I've been in no mood for tedious and detailed books seeing as I am tired beyond reason all the time now, and when I picked this up and felt like I was getting nowhere (knowing these books like I do and loving them all) I should have known to call it quits and save it for a vacation or a holiday. But I never learn my lesson it seems...
"You don't kill a guy for trashing a woman's car."
"Yeah?" Bubba said. "Where's that written?"
I have to admit he had me there.
"Plus," Bubba said, "you know, he gets the chance he'll rape her."
I nodded.
"I hate rape-os," Bubba said.
"Me, too."
"It'd be cool if he never did it again."
I turned in my seat. "We're not killing him."
Bubba shrugged.
But here's the thing: Even after saying all that, I still love this book and my Patrick. I may not have gotten the full enjoyment because of my mood, but it can't possibly stunt the deep love I have for these characters or this series.
She pulled her hand back, stuffed it in her pocket as if it were burning.
"I-"
She stepped back from whatever she saw in my face. "Don't say it."
I shrugged. "Okay. I do, though."
"Shh." She put a finger to her lips, smiled around it, but her eyes shimmered with moisture. "Shh," she said again.
And, sadly, again I don't really have time to be writing a review, but I wanted to put one out anyway-Because my Patrick and Bubba and Angie deserve one. Patrick's love for Angie is unparalleled and makes my heart hurt with his want.
"Do you hate my hair?" Angie whispered.
"No. It's just..."
"Short?" She smiled.
"Yeah. I don't love you because of your hair, though."
She shifted slightly, turned her shoulder into the holes between rungs.
"Why do you love me?"
I chuckled. "You want me to count the ways?"
She didn't say anything, just watched me.
"I love you, Ange, because...I don't know. Because I always have. Because you make me laugh. A lot. Because..."
He'd do anything for her-even die for her, if it kept her safe.
"Because since you left I have these dreams that you're sleeping beside me. And I wake up and I can still smell you, and I'm still half dreaming, but I don't know it, so I reach for you. I reach across to your pillow, and you're not there. And I gotta lie there at five in the morning, with the birds waking up outside and you not there and your smell just fading away. It fades and there's-" I cleared my throat. "There's nothing but me left there. And white sheets. White sheets and those birds and it hurts, and all I can do is close my eyes and lie there and wish I didn't feel like dying."
And this is the basis of everything, isn't it? Holding on dearly to those few people you cherish, keeping them safe and out of harm's way. But that isn't easy with a psychopath hell bent on ruining peoples' lives, forcing them to become shells of themselves. So when Patrick is threatened, and all those around him threatened if he doesn't back off, what does he do? Well...I'll tell ya: He's Patrick, so no, he doesn't fucking back off. Would you expect any less?
The clerk behind the counter, far from being the dweeby, bespectacled, balding type one would expect to meet in a tax assessor's office, was tall, well built, blond, and judging by Angie's furtive glances at him, something of a male babe.
Himbos, I swear. There ought to be a law that keeps them from ever leaving the beach.
So, yeah, I probably ruined some of this book, but I also just couldn't wait. Patrick's dedication, loyalty, conviction to do right by those wronged when they don't have anyone else to fight for them, his love for his friends, his partner, Angie, and his all around spunk are something I've been missing wholeheartedly are something I admire and force me to say I'm not sorry I pushed it. So, you know, there's only one left and it looks like, at this point, I'll be waiting for a good time to read it, because I wouldn't dare ruin the final Patrick book. That would be a huge mistake...even Patrick would agree with that. ;)
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June 23, 2023
The fifth installment of Lehane's Kenzie and Gennaro detective series finds our Boston private eyes estranged and Patrick at sea with the loss. Part of him, he suspects, is simply phoning the work in. So when a recent client turns up dead he feels compelled to retrace his steps, to revisit the case he imagined he'd resolved and determine if he bore any responsibility for the woman's apparent suicide. Had he missed a critical twist that sent her up to the roof of that building and, seconds later, down to the hard pavement below?
Prayers for Rain brings all the juice we've come to expect from Lehane; taut structure, breakneck pace, and suspense enough to fight that constant urge to skip ahead. His character work is as gritty as the streets his people travel - the benefit, no doubt, of being Boston-born and damn proud of it. I don't think I'm flirting with spoiler territory here to say Angie eventually makes an appearance - with an undercurrent of temptation that is difficult to deny.
If you're looking for a diversion immersive enough to keep you up at night? These novels will swallow all the hours you're prepared to serve them.
Prayers for Rain brings all the juice we've come to expect from Lehane; taut structure, breakneck pace, and suspense enough to fight that constant urge to skip ahead. His character work is as gritty as the streets his people travel - the benefit, no doubt, of being Boston-born and damn proud of it. I don't think I'm flirting with spoiler territory here to say Angie eventually makes an appearance - with an undercurrent of temptation that is difficult to deny.
If you're looking for a diversion immersive enough to keep you up at night? These novels will swallow all the hours you're prepared to serve them.
June 16, 2014
After finishing the fifth in his exploits of Kenzie & Gennaro, I can confidently say that Dennis Lehane doesn't just have my number- dude's straight up got me on speed dial. What's more, I had my defenses up this time around. I don't forgive easily, and (to my own detriment) part of me* was still feeling petulant about my
Gone, Baby, Gone
-induced melancholia.
I don't trust myself to say much about this one without ruining surprises (pleasant or otherwise). There will be more Bubba Rogowski , even an extra dose of what makes the beloved bruiser tick. So, in summation, I'll likely be subjecting myself to more of the twisted sweet torture of Lehane-land deviance soon enough.
____________________________________________
* An emotionally-stunted part that should not be acknowledged when it comes to evaluating the quality of literature (Gone, Baby, Gone is an excellent read).
I don't trust myself to say much about this one without ruining surprises (pleasant or otherwise). There will be more Bubba Rogowski , even an extra dose of what makes the beloved bruiser tick. So, in summation, I'll likely be subjecting myself to more of the twisted sweet torture of Lehane-land deviance soon enough.
____________________________________________
* An emotionally-stunted part that should not be acknowledged when it comes to evaluating the quality of literature (Gone, Baby, Gone is an excellent read).
March 25, 2021
I love Dennis Lehane’s Boston duo— I remember devouring them after reading my first Lehane novel (Mystic River— read the book, then watch the movie).
So I was pretty shocked to discover that I missed the last few books of the series. After downloading this entry, I worried it might have been too long, or maybe I wouldn’t like the characters anymore.
What was I thinking? It didn’t take more than a chapter in abs so kept announcing to any one passing by (my poor Mister since we’re empty nesters now) that Lehane’s writing and his rumpled, almost always down on his luck private eye was still as charming as ever. That streak of integrity (in between some violent scenes) still gets me.
Mr Lehane— I’m so sorry I doubted you. I loved the premise, the characters and the poetic justice of the ending.
Pick it up for the mystery, pick it up for the characters, pick it up (after Mystic River or Shutter Island— but DO NOT SEE THE MOVIES FIRST) for the plotting, but definitely don’t forget this series!!
So I was pretty shocked to discover that I missed the last few books of the series. After downloading this entry, I worried it might have been too long, or maybe I wouldn’t like the characters anymore.
What was I thinking? It didn’t take more than a chapter in abs so kept announcing to any one passing by (my poor Mister since we’re empty nesters now) that Lehane’s writing and his rumpled, almost always down on his luck private eye was still as charming as ever. That streak of integrity (in between some violent scenes) still gets me.
Mr Lehane— I’m so sorry I doubted you. I loved the premise, the characters and the poetic justice of the ending.
Pick it up for the mystery, pick it up for the characters, pick it up (after Mystic River or Shutter Island— but DO NOT SEE THE MOVIES FIRST) for the plotting, but definitely don’t forget this series!!
April 25, 2018
I took a Lehane break after Gone, Baby, Gone. I needed to read lighter books with stories that didn't make me feel like breaking down or getting angry because of stupid laws that make children's lives miserable.
But I decided to read the next one when I saw that I need to return the Lehane books I had at home to the library. I could return them and then borrow them again but I thought what the heck lets at least read this one!
Anyway, this book was a lot easier to read, the story is good, really good, just a hell of a lot lighter than Gone, Baby Gone, that doesn't mean that the story was fluffy and sweet, just that I could read it and it didn’t make me furious or sad. Well, the part with the dog hit me hard. But Bubba showed in the end what he feels about people hurting dogs.
It's a fast read, as always with Lehan's books. I feel the same way when I read Harlan Coben. Suddenly you are halfway through the book and you just started it. The reason I didn’t give it 5 stars, in the end, was because the ending was a bit predictable. It just wasn't that surprising, it was more an “ of course it has to be this way” not an “ OMG WTF?” a moment. He must have had a partner, he couldn't do everything by himself and where did he get the information, it was a logical ending, but not a perfect mind-blowing ending like Darkness Take My Hand.
But I decided to read the next one when I saw that I need to return the Lehane books I had at home to the library. I could return them and then borrow them again but I thought what the heck lets at least read this one!
Anyway, this book was a lot easier to read, the story is good, really good, just a hell of a lot lighter than Gone, Baby Gone, that doesn't mean that the story was fluffy and sweet, just that I could read it and it didn’t make me furious or sad. Well, the part with the dog hit me hard. But Bubba showed in the end what he feels about people hurting dogs.
It's a fast read, as always with Lehan's books. I feel the same way when I read Harlan Coben. Suddenly you are halfway through the book and you just started it. The reason I didn’t give it 5 stars, in the end, was because the ending was a bit predictable. It just wasn't that surprising, it was more an “ of course it has to be this way” not an “ OMG WTF?” a moment. He must have had a partner, he couldn't do everything by himself and where did he get the information, it was a logical ending, but not a perfect mind-blowing ending like Darkness Take My Hand.
December 26, 2023
Another solid Kenzie and Gennaro outing full of murders, double crosses, laughs and (maybe) tears. Such a wonderful roller coaster of a series!
4 Stress-Inducing Stars
4 Stress-Inducing Stars
February 8, 2017
Patrick Kenzie is approached by a woman named Karen Nichols who asks him to scare off a stalker. After Kenzie, along with the always terrifying Bubba Rowgowski, put the fear of God into the guy, Patrick considers the matter settled. About four months later, Karen leaves a vague message on Patrick’s phone asking for help with something. In a rush, Patrick deletes the voicemail and promptly forgets about it. Not long after, Karen is found dead after an apparent suicide. Kenzie’s guilt over ignoring Karen’s call begins to get the better of him as he sets out to discover why Karen killed herself – or if there is more to her death than meets the eye.
I initially thought the premise was a little thin and thankfully, so did the majority of the people Patrick talked to at first. Luckily, Patrick’s instincts are as sharp as a can-cutting Ginsu knife and the case turned out to be a worthwhile pursuit. So worthwhile that Patrick even managed to bring Angie back into the fold following the soul-crushing events of Gone, Baby, Gone. I was worried as the chemistry that Bubba, Angie and Patrick share could be the basis for countless novels and I had hoped Lehane wouldn’t screw around with it by taking Angie out of the equation. However, he knows these characters inside and out and together they form a rare ensemble that any crime fiction writer should aspire to create, so it would be foolish to mess with a good thing.
Patrick’s unwavering determination drives the story as he comes face-to-face with an absolute psychopath of a villain. The scenes they share together were the very definition of hostility with both men trying to show how little they were shaken by the other’s threats. I’d be lying if I didn’t have a goofy grin plastered on my face on more than one occasion – it was that kind of nervous/anxious laughter you get where you’re not sure just who was coming out of it alive.
While the Kenzie & Gennaro series is as strong a crime/detective/mystery series as you’re going to get, it isn’t a case where its sum is greater than its individual parts. Each novel can stand alone as an excellent work of fiction worthy of any reader’s time. I still have one more to go (Moonlight Mile) before I catch up to where Dennis Lehane left off. Hopefully he has more planned but with a ten-year gap between books five and six, I wouldn’t hold my breath.
I initially thought the premise was a little thin and thankfully, so did the majority of the people Patrick talked to at first. Luckily, Patrick’s instincts are as sharp as a can-cutting Ginsu knife and the case turned out to be a worthwhile pursuit. So worthwhile that Patrick even managed to bring Angie back into the fold following the soul-crushing events of Gone, Baby, Gone. I was worried as the chemistry that Bubba, Angie and Patrick share could be the basis for countless novels and I had hoped Lehane wouldn’t screw around with it by taking Angie out of the equation. However, he knows these characters inside and out and together they form a rare ensemble that any crime fiction writer should aspire to create, so it would be foolish to mess with a good thing.
Patrick’s unwavering determination drives the story as he comes face-to-face with an absolute psychopath of a villain. The scenes they share together were the very definition of hostility with both men trying to show how little they were shaken by the other’s threats. I’d be lying if I didn’t have a goofy grin plastered on my face on more than one occasion – it was that kind of nervous/anxious laughter you get where you’re not sure just who was coming out of it alive.
While the Kenzie & Gennaro series is as strong a crime/detective/mystery series as you’re going to get, it isn’t a case where its sum is greater than its individual parts. Each novel can stand alone as an excellent work of fiction worthy of any reader’s time. I still have one more to go (Moonlight Mile) before I catch up to where Dennis Lehane left off. Hopefully he has more planned but with a ten-year gap between books five and six, I wouldn’t hold my breath.
March 26, 2015
8.5/10
After enough time had passed from reading “Gone, Baby, Gone” and the sun was seeming to shine once more and the sound of children playing with puppies didn’t make me curl up into a ball and rock away until the wee hours, I decided to pick up the next Lehane novel in the Kenzie & Gennaro series to make all that misery come rushing back like it was a long lost friend.
I was actually a little surprised in this novel though as there wasn’t as much misery and depression. I mean don’t get me wrong, it was no Adam Sandler movie (in that there were some actual laughs here), but the overall content didn’t make me want to go walking on my own along a cliff edge on a windy day. The main strand of story seemed straight forward enough at the start but Lehane can twist and turn like a well lubricated snake and before you know it there are plenty of complex strands of plot out there leaving you with that nervy feeling he’s going to throw something out there to really make your day take a downward turn. Plus, Bubba has a prominent role here too and the section at the end with him is probably a series standout for me. No spoilers though, read it and enjoy.
I can’t put enough praise on the author though, the first person narration of these books makes the subject matter all the easier to handle as you’re experiencing it through Kenizie’s eyes and he is a very likeable character in that he is confident and a wise ass but also has enough about him to hold your attention and root for them. Also to handle subject material such as he does and brings the reader back for more and rant and rave at people who have not experienced his work is testament to how highly regarded this guy is.
I’m loving this series and can’t recommend it enough to anyone out there, I’ve already got a few friends onto it and hope to spread the word further. The biggest disappointment for me now is the fact there is only one more novel in this series left for me to read.
If you liked this try: “The Poet” by Michael Connelly
After enough time had passed from reading “Gone, Baby, Gone” and the sun was seeming to shine once more and the sound of children playing with puppies didn’t make me curl up into a ball and rock away until the wee hours, I decided to pick up the next Lehane novel in the Kenzie & Gennaro series to make all that misery come rushing back like it was a long lost friend.
I was actually a little surprised in this novel though as there wasn’t as much misery and depression. I mean don’t get me wrong, it was no Adam Sandler movie (in that there were some actual laughs here), but the overall content didn’t make me want to go walking on my own along a cliff edge on a windy day. The main strand of story seemed straight forward enough at the start but Lehane can twist and turn like a well lubricated snake and before you know it there are plenty of complex strands of plot out there leaving you with that nervy feeling he’s going to throw something out there to really make your day take a downward turn. Plus, Bubba has a prominent role here too and the section at the end with him is probably a series standout for me. No spoilers though, read it and enjoy.
I can’t put enough praise on the author though, the first person narration of these books makes the subject matter all the easier to handle as you’re experiencing it through Kenizie’s eyes and he is a very likeable character in that he is confident and a wise ass but also has enough about him to hold your attention and root for them. Also to handle subject material such as he does and brings the reader back for more and rant and rave at people who have not experienced his work is testament to how highly regarded this guy is.
I’m loving this series and can’t recommend it enough to anyone out there, I’ve already got a few friends onto it and hope to spread the word further. The biggest disappointment for me now is the fact there is only one more novel in this series left for me to read.
If you liked this try: “The Poet” by Michael Connelly
December 1, 2020
Awesome penultimate offering ;
featuring the reunion we wanted.
If you want to read a series you can enjoy over and over again, with great characters and characterization, then Lehane is your guy.
He is the definition of being readable. If you wanna check out contemporary fiction but the typical route is not your thing, then this series is perfect in between.
So enjoyable. So enjoy.
Codicil: I remember reading this book back in 2009. And I remember rereading it in November of 2016. I fondly recall now how I just wanted to read something light so I picked this up and ended up reading the entire series. This book definitely a solid follow-up to his excellent Gone Baby Gone novel. The Book was better, just FYI. If you are unaware of the letters, you might like Ben Affleck's outing and ousting, but that was his comeback, originally, I did like the movie immensely when I first viewed but not after reading the book. This book though, was a comeback for the duos, a return of sorts, but a welcomed one. A surprise, I'm sure, but a welcome one. Hehe, Gods, that movie sucked ass too, not in a good way. Ah, this book, I remember you, such a funny little boy. Wait, no, that's not right. Write. Match-cut to this November in the spectacular of now. Prayers for Rain? Oh okay. But it is not the Same. It's the affection of a different kind, not an infliction. And Blind Mermaids are still a thing, best believe it, thank the Galilean for that. In the end, all I managed to do is I was able to put the Ghost back in the ink of my words.
Not now but Before Sunrise, Sunset, Midnight, a different rain was falling a little differently on my skin that's still the same. Pretty much. But this series and the MCs, I like a lot, I do.
July 3, 2016
Dark, Depthless Diversion
(Funereal Fun, Oversexed Hun)
3.5 stars (4 for Lehane fans; 3 for those who haven't read his work yet)
I enjoyed this 5th in Lehane's Kenzie & Gennaro series, this one involving the unraveling of the sordid past of a seemingly prudish young woman, and finding her stalker. The main characters, Kenzie and Gennaro, seemed genuine, their dialogue charged with liveliness and undercurrents of sexual tensions, and Lehane kept the action suspenseful throughout. Yet, I found the surrounding plot on the edge of implausibility and the supporting cast a bit too stereotypical.
I recommend this for those who have enjoyed any book in the Kenzie/Gennaro series. In short, it's a dark diversion without much depth.
(Funereal Fun, Oversexed Hun)
3.5 stars (4 for Lehane fans; 3 for those who haven't read his work yet)
I enjoyed this 5th in Lehane's Kenzie & Gennaro series, this one involving the unraveling of the sordid past of a seemingly prudish young woman, and finding her stalker. The main characters, Kenzie and Gennaro, seemed genuine, their dialogue charged with liveliness and undercurrents of sexual tensions, and Lehane kept the action suspenseful throughout. Yet, I found the surrounding plot on the edge of implausibility and the supporting cast a bit too stereotypical.
I recommend this for those who have enjoyed any book in the Kenzie/Gennaro series. In short, it's a dark diversion without much depth.
July 12, 2018
Poor to follow.
I did not complete.
I did not complete.
August 7, 2019
First read: 4.5 stars.
Really enjoyed this one. Lots of action, lots of bad to very bad people, though sometimes it was hard to know who the bad guys actually were. I was a little disappointed at times when Patrick Kenzie seemed to make somewhat dumb or naive errors, but I suppose it makes it more real when the heroes aren't perfect. He's pretty good, though, and I enjoy his wisecracks, along with some of the other characters. I also like his childhood friend, Bubba, who is a good friend to have in a pinch. And a bad enemy to have at any time. His first inclination is to just kill someone he doesn't like, and if you mistreat dogs... watch out.
There were a lot of twists and turns throughout the book, starting with an extremely nice, sweet woman who goes downhill so fast and so far, it makes no sense. And that's the story - how did it happen? You'll have to read the book to find out.
Second read: 5 stars, because now I know the lead-in and the characters.
I think I enjoyed it more the 2nd time. I don't usually reread books, but for some reason, I read this before I got in to the series. After reading the series from the beginning, I really enjoyed it, and didn't remember any details for this one. It had some of the usual plot twists, and the one at the end was a bit unsatisfying, and somewhat hard to believe, or at least understand how it could happen that way. Still, it was a great read, and well, it is fiction so being hard to believe doesn't have to be an impediment.
Really enjoyed this one. Lots of action, lots of bad to very bad people, though sometimes it was hard to know who the bad guys actually were. I was a little disappointed at times when Patrick Kenzie seemed to make somewhat dumb or naive errors, but I suppose it makes it more real when the heroes aren't perfect. He's pretty good, though, and I enjoy his wisecracks, along with some of the other characters. I also like his childhood friend, Bubba, who is a good friend to have in a pinch. And a bad enemy to have at any time. His first inclination is to just kill someone he doesn't like, and if you mistreat dogs... watch out.
There were a lot of twists and turns throughout the book, starting with an extremely nice, sweet woman who goes downhill so fast and so far, it makes no sense. And that's the story - how did it happen? You'll have to read the book to find out.
Second read: 5 stars, because now I know the lead-in and the characters.
I think I enjoyed it more the 2nd time. I don't usually reread books, but for some reason, I read this before I got in to the series. After reading the series from the beginning, I really enjoyed it, and didn't remember any details for this one. It had some of the usual plot twists, and the one at the end was a bit unsatisfying, and somewhat hard to believe, or at least understand how it could happen that way. Still, it was a great read, and well, it is fiction so being hard to believe doesn't have to be an impediment.
May 2, 2013
I don't have many regrets, but one that I do have is having watched Mystic River when I did.
I had been very familiar with Dennis Lehane at the time, and the opportunity came to see the movie even though I hadn't read the book yet. Call it a weak moment, but I went ahead and watched it. I loved it, and only later realized it is considered his best work.
Of course, I can't read it now, at least until I've totally forgotten the movie.
So until then, I'm picking through his work, and I've very much enjoyed this series so far. I devoured Prayers for Rain. It was great to get back to these characters, especially Bubba, and the story was just complex enough to get the brain buzzing but digestable enough to make this a speedy read.
This isn't the best of the series. Darkness, Take My Hand takes that honor, but it was a great diversion and a reminder of what a thriller writer should be, and why I should keep reading him.
I had been very familiar with Dennis Lehane at the time, and the opportunity came to see the movie even though I hadn't read the book yet. Call it a weak moment, but I went ahead and watched it. I loved it, and only later realized it is considered his best work.
Of course, I can't read it now, at least until I've totally forgotten the movie.
So until then, I'm picking through his work, and I've very much enjoyed this series so far. I devoured Prayers for Rain. It was great to get back to these characters, especially Bubba, and the story was just complex enough to get the brain buzzing but digestable enough to make this a speedy read.
This isn't the best of the series. Darkness, Take My Hand takes that honor, but it was a great diversion and a reminder of what a thriller writer should be, and why I should keep reading him.
September 10, 2020
One of the best in a long while.
So, Kenzie became really weird in the previous book and now he's back to his old self - thank fuck!
Gennaro is back, I thought we lost her!!, so it's all nice and cozy to solve some weird suicide which is obviously not one.
Bubba rules and without giving anything away has a really good storyline in this one.
The plot in itself is about a young woman who commits an apparent suicide which Kenzie starts to investigate and gets mixed up with some really creepy people.
I liked how some of it was predictable but not all of it and there were twists constantly which made me second guess myself.
I'm not exactly sure if this one is the best in the series but hey, it is now coz I say so.
So, Kenzie became really weird in the previous book and now he's back to his old self - thank fuck!
Gennaro is back, I thought we lost her!!, so it's all nice and cozy to solve some weird suicide which is obviously not one.
Bubba rules and without giving anything away has a really good storyline in this one.
The plot in itself is about a young woman who commits an apparent suicide which Kenzie starts to investigate and gets mixed up with some really creepy people.
I liked how some of it was predictable but not all of it and there were twists constantly which made me second guess myself.
I'm not exactly sure if this one is the best in the series but hey, it is now coz I say so.
October 23, 2014
What started off as another excellent Lehane book was ruined by the last couple of pages for me, unfortunately. Still, up until then, it had been great. The mystery is convoluted, thought-provoking & keeps the suspense going strong. We get to see a lot more of & find out more about Bubba. That right there makes it worth reading. I got a little tired of Kenzie's flashes of brilliance. I would have preferred he just reason it out soundly.
Unfortunately, Lehane had to take the case an extra step. In itself, that wasn't too bad, kind of icing on the cake, but
I'll look forward to the next book, if only to see if the situation is retrieved.
Unfortunately, Lehane had to take the case an extra step. In itself, that wasn't too bad, kind of icing on the cake, but
I'll look forward to the next book, if only to see if the situation is retrieved.
January 9, 2012
I must confess... I am not a fan of the hard-boiled American "Private Eye", who relies more on his physical prowess than mental powers to catch criminals. Hercule Poirot and his little grey cells, and the cosy drawing-room British murder mystery where violence almost always takes place backstage, is more to my taste. Given my usual predilections, I might never have discovered Dennis Lehane, had Martin Scorsese not made a movie out of Shutter Island. I wanted to see the movie; and since I make it a point never to see a mystery movie without reading the book, I read the book-and was hooked.
Lehane writes beautifully (I mean, it is not great literature, but one does not look for it in a murder mystery); Prayers for Rain will hook you and pull you in from the first page, and the pace never lets up. The breathtaking pace is not built through incessant physical action, but rather through the steadily increasing tempo of dramatic tension. The book is so well structured that succeeding scenes almost naturally flow out of their predecessors. We never feel that somebody is building the narrative, rather it is flowing by itself. The novelist is almost invisible.
The characterisation is also superb. Even the secondary characters are well-delineated. Lehane takes pains to build the world of his story. And in the creation of Wesley Dawe, the author has succeeded in creating a truly evil villain, somebody who will really makes us shudder.
Are there flaws? Sure, for a purist. There are some loose ends which are not tied up cleanly. The "omnipotent" mailman as a literary device is straight out of G.K.Chesterton. Also, to make Wesley's and Scott's plans work, Lehane had to create a lot of co-conspirators, which makes the story rather far-fetched.
However, all these can be ignored. The sheer pace and energy of the narrative will carry you through, bug-eyed and dry-mouthed, till the last page is turned, when the final twist will blow you away. The novel thrills... and what more does a "thriller" require to do?
Lehane writes beautifully (I mean, it is not great literature, but one does not look for it in a murder mystery); Prayers for Rain will hook you and pull you in from the first page, and the pace never lets up. The breathtaking pace is not built through incessant physical action, but rather through the steadily increasing tempo of dramatic tension. The book is so well structured that succeeding scenes almost naturally flow out of their predecessors. We never feel that somebody is building the narrative, rather it is flowing by itself. The novelist is almost invisible.
The characterisation is also superb. Even the secondary characters are well-delineated. Lehane takes pains to build the world of his story. And in the creation of Wesley Dawe, the author has succeeded in creating a truly evil villain, somebody who will really makes us shudder.
Are there flaws? Sure, for a purist. There are some loose ends which are not tied up cleanly. The "omnipotent" mailman as a literary device is straight out of G.K.Chesterton. Also, to make Wesley's and Scott's plans work, Lehane had to create a lot of co-conspirators, which makes the story rather far-fetched.
However, all these can be ignored. The sheer pace and energy of the narrative will carry you through, bug-eyed and dry-mouthed, till the last page is turned, when the final twist will blow you away. The novel thrills... and what more does a "thriller" require to do?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 15, 2021
По-скоро 4.5, отколкото 5 звезди, но като фен на Лихейн ми е трудно да дам 4. Книгата предполагам може да се прочете и на един дъх (за около ден), ако човек има време и не жали особено очите си (аз лично успях за около три...). Действието, героите и диалозите в нито един момент не доскучават, а обратите не са един или два. Чудно ми е как този роман на Лихейн не е бил екранизиран - има всички показатели на завършен филмов сценарий.
Сега продължавам с останалите книги от поредицата за Кензи и Дженаро, някои от които (доколкото успях да проверя отзивите) са посрещнати отлично, а други - не чак толкова от читателската публика.
Сега продължавам с останалите книги от поредицата за Кензи и Дженаро, някои от които (доколкото успях да проверя отзивите) са посрещнати отлично, а други - не чак толкова от читателската публика.
February 20, 2021
Private I, Patrick Kenzie, has a client who is being targeted by a stalker and she asks for help. Kenzie confronts the stalker and seems to be successful in discouraging him from continuing, case closed. But six months later when he learns that she has jumped naked to her death he wonders whether he was not as successful as he thought and decides to look into it. What follows is match with a unknown and diabolical monster has hounded her to jump and is soon trying the same things on Kenzie as he and is partner Angela hunt him down. My first Lehane and not my last!
March 7, 2023
Turns out it is possible to read too much Dennis Lehane.
August 28, 2021
Un bel thrillerone classico, originale il giusto, veloce il giusto e scritto ancor piu' giustamente bene. E' il Lehane pastoso e mai sonnolento che piace anche quando non brilla per innovazione ma che compensa con una tecnica e con una classe superiori. E poi ci sono i personaggi principali: azzeccati e simpatici, si fanno persino perdonare per gli odiosi gigioneggiamenti che tanto piacciono agli americani.
February 11, 2016
I loved this book. Dennis Lehane is usually a solid 4 stars for me. This one is 5 stars for a few reasons. First, I was hooked from the very beginning and I was pulled right in. I also loved the dialogue. It was nicely written and it had me laughing out loud. Humor is always a plus.
The MCs were great. They were well drawn and very personable. I liked rooting for them. When I pick up a Dennis Lehane book, I always know that the characters will be wonderful and the story will tug me along.
The MCs were great. They were well drawn and very personable. I liked rooting for them. When I pick up a Dennis Lehane book, I always know that the characters will be wonderful and the story will tug me along.
October 2, 2024
While it may lack the thematic and emotional depth of the previous novel in the series (Gone Baby Gone), this is a roller coaster of a thrill ride. Kenzie finds himself pitted against a highly competent and antagonist and there's a lot of "cat and mouse" in this one, with a villain that is admittedly a bit over the top. But this is a page turner in every sense of the word, and despite it perhaps having more universal appeal as a straight-forward thriller, still does lean into the emotional toll that the series as a whole has played on Kenzie and Gennaro's lives. 4.5/5
February 23, 2020
"Сянка в дъжда" на Денис Лихейн е интересно криминале. Започва с разследване, но изведнъж прави завой и става гоненица. Краят е неочакван.
За този жанр, е много добре написана.
За този жанр, е много добре написана.
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