Rating: 
Summary: Way overrated
Review: I was put off by the gratuitous and sadistic violence, the sloppy plotting, and the completely absurd omnipotence with which the villian is endowed toward the end. This is the hot new writer ? Buyer beware.
Rating: 
Summary: Dennis LeHane is the finest mystery author writing today.
Review: Any reader who enjoys a well written story with great characters will enjoy Dennis LeHane. The three books should be read in sequence to appreciate the character development of Patrick and Angie (and Bubba too). "A Drink Before the War" deserved to win the Shamus as a the best first novel. "Darkness, Take My Hand" is quite simply the best book I have read in several years. It can be read as a serial killer thriller, but it is much more. The story reminds me of Conrad's "Heart of Darkness", or the film "Apocalyse Now". Patrick's journey in this book should strike a chord with any reader who has come to terms with their own faults, as well as those of their parents. Simply a great book. The most recent book "Sacred", take Patrick and Angie on a road trip to Florida. It is a terrific follow-up to "Darkness", if for no other reason than it answers the questions still unanswered at the end of "Darkness". Buy these books and read then during the cold weather that is certainly ahead -- you will not be disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: WARNING: Do NOT read this all alone, late at night!
Review: Dennis Lehane has done something here no mystery writer has done in a long, long time. He scared the hell out of me! I enjoyed his first book ("A Drink Before the War") very much, and was looking forward to reading this, his second. I got more than I bargained for in almost every sense of the word. An intricate, complex plot, which amazingly ties up logically at the very end. Twists and turns to surprise even the most jaded mystery buff, who is sure s/he can always see them coming. Not this time, you can't! You might figure out one or two, but don't get smug. Lehane will take your perceptions, turn them upside down, and just when you think you've got your feet on the ground, he'll do it again. I should have read this one in broad daylight. It is most aptly titled: darkness takes the hand of the reader and leads us all into a labyrinth of corruption, terror and revenge.
I read a lot of books, and Lehane's Kenzie/Gennaro series have earned my ultimate accolade: I'm not waiting for his titles to come out in paperback! The hard cover first editions of his first two novels are already selling for $50; two weeks ago, they were selling for $35. He has joined the ranks of the very best, and the collectors are valuing him accordingly.
Rating:
Summary: A terrific new mystery/suspense series!
Review: I'm a "series" kind of reader. Parker's Spenser books? I've read 'em all. Block's Matt Scudder mysteries? I've always got the latest one read within a week of its publication date. Which makes it so exciting to have come across Dennis Lehane's new Kenzie & Gennaro series. The first novel was riveting. This one manages to be even more compelling. Lehane's characters stick to your guts. An excellent suspense thriller--but definitely NOT for the squeemish
Rating:
Summary: Wow! Even Better Than "A Drink Before The War"
Review: Lehane has done a tough thing--improved on his great first mystery "A Drink Before The War". This is a fast-moving, scary book. It peels of layers of people's personalities in ways that are both realistic and terrifying.
There is a sociopathic killer loose in Dorchester, a Boston neighborhood--vicious, brilliant, and elusive. The killer is focused on wreaking vengeance on detectives Patrick Kenzie, Angie Genarro and several elementary schoold classmates. But why? There is no connection in the present.
Rating:
Summary: best of a great series
Review: I do not hand out many 5 star ratings. They should be reserved for books of unusual stature like TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD or FIFTH BUSINESS. But Lehane has written a dark and horrific masterpiece. He is indeed a deep and thoughtful author. Every mood and emotion is pitch perfect. Lehane has created not just memorable characters that give short term excitement, but rich compelling characters that speak to universal experiences. Lehane makes us think as we read, which is no easy task in popular fiction. Themes of honor, betrayal,fear, and vengeance are explored in an uncomfortable way. (and thats a good thing) To see how far a 'hero' will go for the greater good is indeed interesting and our hero does questionable things before he sees what the darkness will require of him. This a must read.
Rating:
Summary: Clearly Five Stars!!
Review: I love the Kenzie/Gennaro series, and this is the best in the bunch. Great plotting, wonderful primary and secondary characters, and ruminations on the nature of evil that don't distract from the suspense.
Rating: 
Summary: Superb writing, disconcertingly violent
Review: This is the third of Dennis Lehane's private eye books that I've read, and I continue to be blown away by the razor-sharp, uncompromising quality of his writing. I usually prefer the "cozy", non-violent whodunits over the "hard boiled" genre that Lehane has chosen, but when a writer can describe scenes and characters as well as Lehane does, that overrides any personal preferences of that sort. The plot has been well-described by other reviews here on Amazon: Patrick Kenzie and Angie Gennaro get involved with a case that begins with what seem to be only vague threats against a woman and her son, but which steadily escalates into a terrifying picture of violence, hatred, and revenge extending back in time for decades. Among many other things that Lehane does better than other writers is that he sets up a truly plausible relationship between his private eye hero Kenzie and the police. In most other private eye novels, the reader is always left wondering, "Why doesn't the client go to the police? Why is Joe Shmoe having to solve this mystery on his own?" But not with Lehane. The only thing NOT plausible about the plot of this novel is the extreme degree of hate and violence. And eventually I found the unrelieved viciousness a little bit hard to stomach. Regular readers of hard-boiled crime novels may not bat an eyelash at all this violence and gratuitous cruelty, but be forewarned: this book could keep you awake at night.
Rating:
Summary: It was OK
Review: I just finished this today, and, I have to say, I wasn't thrilled. I read Mystic River when it first came out, and it was simply fantastic. Not knowing much more about Lehane, I picked this up hoping to hit the jackpot again.
Don't get me wrong... it's a good book, but certainly not of the Mystic River caliber. It seems a far less professional effort. While Mystic River concerns itself with realistic people - people who struggle with right and wrong and their own moral compass - these characters are not so complex. The bad guys are REALLY bad, and the good guys.... well they're a little better.
My main beef is that I didn't realize this was the second in a series, and I felt there were some things I didn't "get" - having missed the first book. In particular, the central character, Patrick, keeps referencing someone he killed, but it's never explained. I can only assume that was in the first book?
That said, it was a decent, if dark and gritty, read. I'll probably pick up the others in the series to see what happens to Patrick and Angie. But, I won't expect "Mystic River" when I do.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best books you can read
Review: If you love noir and crime fiction with great dialog that rivals Elmore Leonards, then pick up this book. This book is the sequel to A Drink before the war and picks up after that one ends. I recommend reading the entire Kenzie/Gennaro series in order to help enhance the experience but this one is my favorite of the first three that I have read. Great stuff here and sure to please.
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