Rating: 
Summary: well worth the time
Review: The story of three young boys and what happens to them in life. It shouldn't give anything away to know that something bad happens to one of the boys as a child and I really liked the way Lehane dealt with this issue. He provides a haunting scene without the graphic minute-by-minute writing that most recent novels seem to include. You never knew where the characters were going to lead you. I applaud the author for this rare gift of great storytelling that covers issues of family, retribution, friendship, loyalty, love, betrayal - bascially, life. A nice take on master of one's fate theory. I recommend reading this Lehane novel first before going on to other works (most of them are a series containing a dectective duo).
Rating:
Summary: A Ten Star Read On A Five Star Scale
Review: Dennis Lehane has done it again! I started to read this book on a U.S. to Canada flight, and could scarce tear my nose out of it to clear customs and pick up my bags. Thank heavens we arrived late evening so I could head for bed to finish one of the most exciting, delightful and satisfying reads I've ever enjoyed. I read several books a week and I can't remember when I've been so transported and enthraled. Now, in case you haven't guessed I'm a big fan of Lehane. Since his first book, Shamus Award winner, A Drink Before The War to last year's Prayers For Rain I love everything he's written and he just keeps getting better and better. Mystic River is different than his previous books in that it is not part of his Boston P.I. Patrick Kenzie series. But don't worry. The magic that makes Dennis Lehane such a powerful writer is all here in Mystic River and it is here in abundance. Lehane gets inside the characters' minds and with masterful twists and turns persents a psychological thriller that is second to none. This alone would qualify Mystic River as a must read. But, as always, Lehane presents, like a Shakesperian play, a story that can be enjoyed on many levels, and like the best masters of the English language he does so in prose of seemingly effortless beauty. Just reading a Lehane paragraph is a delicious, sensious experience! And yet language and image never get in the way of the characters and the story. Above all, Lehane is a story teller. Mystic River begins in Lehane's familiar back yard of Boston where we meet three children. Friends whose childhood will mark them forever. They will meet again and even knowing what we know, we don't know how deep the darkness runs. As the dust jacket says, this is an epic novel of love and loyalty, faith and family. To tell you more would tip the master's hand. I can tell you one more thing, however. Hit the Add To My Cart button and buy this book now. I expect my email box will soon be full of letters from grateful strangers thanking me for alerting them to this exceptional novel. Matter of fact, I suggest you buy two. One to read and re-read. The other to put away carefully wrapped as a prized first edition. Mystic River is that good.
Rating:
Summary: A wonderfully Moving book with a sting of a King Cobra
Review: 0230 hrs Monday 12 Feb 2001 Mystic River by Dennis Lehane is not due out in the UK until March 7th, but on Thursday I was at Manchester Airport collecting some guy's for a Conference. I was early so I went for a browse around WH Smiths, and shrieked when I saw the trade paperback of it inside. After a difficult week, I read the book in two sittings, Saturday afternoon, and Sunday night. I am sitting writing this review at 0230 hrs, knowing that I have to work tomorrow, but still needing to put some words down, about the searing reading experience that is 'Mystic River'. It is one the finest pieces of fiction I have read in absolutely years, a dark tale of crime, family, love, loss and revenge in the Irish Blue Collar Boston. Complex and densely plotted, this is no ordinary crime thriller, but far more, and Lehane's insights into the human condition and characterization truly remarkable. I can not reveal the plot, as it was such a joy to watch it unravel like a Venomous Cobra, hypnotizing, whispering, and finally resolving the tale, as only Lehane can. It is one of the most moving books I have read, and despite it's darkness, it has a warmth and appreciation about the flaws in the human condition, and how we live with our demons and our pasts, and how everything we do is somehow connected, and yet detached from a distance, but up close and personal, these strands are as cold and strong as steel, but from the hill, they are invisible to an outsider. It is February, and I have a bittersweet feeling. Joy at having been deeply involved in the thoughts and workings of Dennis Lehane's world, but sad it has finished, and that in the start of a year, I have read one of the most remarkable books, and one that is still bouncing in my mind, and will for a long time to come. I urge you to seek this book out, and learn the thoughts and demons that plague us all. A wonderful book, and my highlight of this year, and a stark and welcome departure that shows that Lehane's literary talent is something for me to watch, as I grow old, like the river that this tale is about.
Rating: 
Summary: Keeps you guessing !!!
Review: This was a great book; it kept you thinking through out; a great addition to anyone's library.
Rating:
Summary: You Will Love This Book!
Review: I only first heard of the crime author, Dennis Lehane and his masterpiece, "Mystic River" after reading some critically-acclaimed media reviews of the just-released movie adaptation of his book. I immediately bought the book and was hooked right from page one!! Truly I have never read another thriller/crime fiction quite as powerful and mind-blowing as "Mystic River". Dennis Lehane just so... knows how to write. Every word does not just go to your mind, it goes to your HEART instantly. It is simply one of the most gripping and thrilling story out in print and I think what a loss it is to anyone who loves good books but has missed out on this one. There are 3 main characters - 3 boys with totally different personalities and family backgrounds but who are friends in the mid-1970s. One day, something awful happened to one of the boys while they are out playing in the street and this incident instantly killed their friendship. They grow up distant from one another, get married and have kids. One is an ex-con, the other a sad loser while the third becomes a cop. Two of them have devastating, tragic secrets which they want to keep at all costs. In present day 2000, their lives are inescapably tied together again when a girl is found brutally murdered in the park. If the men are tough guys and "scary", well, let me tell you that there are scenes where the womenfolk (i.e. the homely wives) prove that they can be tougher (emotionally) and "scarier"! Read to find out! This book is a real page-turner. Everything about it is so perfect that it will win over any reader - the plot, the characters, the exciting hunt for the murderer and especially, Lehane's brilliant writing that makes the characters and situations so real you feel they are happening around you as you read. There is clever wit too (very unique American humor which I enjoy reading) in the conversations and thoughts of the characters that provide some light moments and make you chuckle or laugh out loud. Lehane's book is also a marvel because it possesses such a sharp and spot-on observation of human characteristics and emotions that you know you could be reading the story from anywhere in the world but these characters could be REAL people from your own neighbourhood. The ending is anything but sweet (and satisfying?). But to me, it is just perfect because it is very like LIFE itself where things are not always fair or tied up neatly in the end. I cannot wait to watch the movie (which stars Sean Penn, Kevin Bacon, Tim Robbins, Marcia Gay Harden and Laura Dern). With such a dream cast, can the movie be anything but GREAT (like the book)? The last movie I watched which feature such a SOLID and reliable cast was probably "Magnolia". I think for "Mystic River", I have to wait for the DVD because this movie may not "make it" to my country IF it contains as much profanity as in the book. I truly enjoyed the book. Even after I have finished it, I still think of the story and the characters a lot. I am now a Dennis Lehane fan and will definitely read his other books.
Rating:
Summary: Realistic "Whodunit"
Review: This is the first book I've read by Dennis Lehane and given my research into reviews of his other books, I feel certain it won't be my last. MYSTIC RIVER was recommended to me by a bookseller as a 'real life mystery.' An accurate description indeed. Without having the benefit of perusing his other offerings, its difficult for me to know whether his story cadence and sentence structure is the same from book-to-book. Regardless, his style may take some readers by surprise. He has a tendency to utilize fragmented sentences in a noir style to accentuate a scene or description of a character. Slang and geographic innuendo is also used quite well in this book. In MYSTIC RIVER, Lehane sets the stage for the main characters and allows the reader to 'grow up' with them into adulthood. This lays the foundation for the main theme and the ultimate backdrop of intense intrigue. Lehane does an outstanding job of keeping the clues close to the vest throughout the story so as not to give away the answer to our mystery. Further, he will lead the reader down a path of ostensible righteousness only to foil the answer with the next chapter. This methodology keeps the reader turning pages; something any good author should strive for. The setting for the story is working-class Boston. To give proper affect to the geography, the aforementioned speech patterns can only be described as ethnic slang (Irish/Italian perhaps). The story begins by introducing three childhood friends, Sean Devine, Jimmy Marcus, and Dave Boyle. (Lehane describes the socioeconomic situations relative to each character in great detail, which plays a role in our mystery.) The three are "fighting" (as kids do) in the street when a strange car rolls up and two men, claiming to be cops, take Dave into "custody." After the car drives off, Sean and Jimmy are totally freaked out and become worried about what might happen to Dave. Four days later, Dave reappears after having escaped from the "cops." Well, as one might imagine, these weren't cops. Dave is now emotionally scarred and grows up with external and internal battles associated with his four-day absence. Twenty-five years pass and Lehane presents Sean as a state homicide detective, Jimmy as an ex-con turned heart-of-gold businessman, and Dave as a transient worker but with a loving wife and son. The story takes on weight when Katie, Jimmy's oldest daughter, is found brutally murdered and Sean, who has been estranged from Jimmy for literally twenty years, is assigned the task of finding Katie's killer. This provides the impetus of drawing the three former friends back together. Sean's investigation provides the fodder for conflict with Jimmy and ultimately, Dave. Jimmy, an ex-gangster in his own right, has his own idea of how justice should be doled out and Dave must explain to his wife (who happens to be the cousin of Jimmy's wife) why he came home the night of the murder covered in blood. Lehane has an excellent knack for stretching the story just enough to make it a bit nerve-wracking. An outstanding quality to be sure for a mystery writer. The amazing conundrum for me was as I felt I was being stretched out in certain spots, the pages were flying by. I won't go into the climax except to say that this is perhaps the only weak part of the book. Not weak from the standpoint of easy clues and obvious killer(s) but weak from a credibility point-of-view (i.e. is this really possible?). This fact is the only reason this book did not receive 5 stars. Definitely worth the read.
Rating:
Summary: All I can say is WOW!
Review: This is one of my all time favorite books! I hadn't seen the movie, but recognized the name when I picked up the book at a local Barnes and Nobles. I could not put this book down. It was absolutely amazing. The description is outstanding and Lehane will keep you wanting more and more as you turn each page. I literally was staying up all night reading. This was one of those books that I was very disappointed when I finished it, because i enjoyed reading it so much. Soon after, we rented the movie. Although the movie is GREAT, the book is 100% better!!
Rating:
Summary: Superior in every way
Review: "Mystic River" is equally as haunting and intense on the second read, as it was the first time. Dennis Lehane places you right in the middle of the Boston working class neighborhood. It is a powerful, gritty, superior work of crime fiction---urban noir at its finest. Honor, violence, guilt, trauma of youth and revenge frame the story line---and the plot twists are revelations of character. Violence split three friends apart, and it is violence that reunites them over twenty years later. The violence is both physical and psychic. The violence and vengeance have unintended consequences. The characters are complex, enigmatic, ambiguous, perplexing and steeped in Catholic guilt. They come alive from page one with all their flaws, anguish, torment and personal demons. The whodunit is cleverly resolved, but "Mystic River" is much more than just a mystery story. Mr. Lehane takes you into the individual minds and souls of the players. You experience their pain, know their motivations as well as their flaws and choices. "Mystic River" is unforgettable and is etched in my mind.
Rating:
Summary: Incredible haunting novel of suspense...
Review: Mystic River is an incredible tale of friendship, betrayal, and the psychological repercussions of events we may think we have left in the past - but in fact continue to haunt into the future. I found the book to be deeply moving and thought-provoking as well. Here are a few things that may help you make up your own mind if you are considering reading it (NO spoilers you wouldn't read about on the book jacket): Dennis Lahane steps away from his typical novel centering on a male-female detective team to write a story of three childhood friends growing up in a run-down part of Boston. The story begins with the main characters as 11-year old kids. A strange car pulls onto the street where they are hanging out and something happens to change to lives of the boys forever. Flash forward to present day, with the three characters now in their late 30's. One has become a cop, one is an ex-con, and the third is simply trying to live a "normal" existence while battling the demons of that horrid day when the boys were 11. One tragic night the ex-con's daughter is found dead, the cop is sent to investigate, and one of the three can't explain where all the blood on his clothes and in his car has come from. The story may seem straightforward, but not all is as it seems, and that is another thing that makes the book great. You get a glimpse into the lives of each of the three. You try to understand what they must be going through as the events unfold. You never see the end coming.
Rating:
Summary: An Exquisite Departure
Review: From his first book, A Drink Before The War, it was obvious that Lehane is a gifted writer. Mystic River proves it beyond any doubt. Thoughtful, profoundly insightful, tautly written and beautifully conceived, this is a novel that deserves its place on the best-seller lists. Lehane explores the dynamic between three very different boys, then brings us forward into their adulthood when lives that have diverged reconnect as a result of the murder of Jimmy Marcus's daughter, Katie. Dave who has grown to adulthood harbouring the fearsome details of his four-day abduction twenty-five years earlier, Sean who is lost in the silence of periodic telephone calls from his estranged wife, and Jimmy, the core-of-steel, ex-con father of the victim are brought together by Katie's death. What makes this book so powerful are the characterizations that go right to the essence of every single person, regardless of how secondary; and the evocation of place. You can literally see the neighborhood and its occupants, including the old guard and the encroaching yuppies. You can feel the emotions as they make themselves felt in each character. And, finally, there is a resolution so painful and so brilliantly executed that one has to marvel at the talent and wisdom of the author. Mystic River will haunt you long after you've put it down; its sights and smells, its population will stay with you. Here is a writer who just gets better and better, and isn't afraid to break away from a series to take a stroll through the old neighborhood. A fine book, a memorable one.
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