Rating: 
Summary: Tough to rate; well written but personally repulsive
Review: I struggled with how to rate this book. While I kept turning the pages, the excessive gore really left me with a very bad feeling about this book and the author. Which doesn't mean that it's a bad book. It simply is not the kind of book I prefer to read. I was already skeptical after reading the first book in the series (A Drink Before the War) but decided to give Lehane a second chance. After all, this book was included in the Independent Mystery Bookseller's list of the top 100 books of the 20th Century. This will probably be the end of the line for Lehane in my reading list.In addition to the gore, I simply don't find myself liking Patrick and Angie very much. Patrick seems to have a pretty shallow notion of love. Lehane still hasn't given me enough insight into Angie to get a sense of what's there to like. There are so many mystery series protagonists that I would love to spend time with, it seems silly to invest anymore time in these two. Bottom-line: Probably a pretty good read for those with a high tolerance for(or interest in) dismembered bodies and the like. As for me, I'm going to track down some nice cozies where the drama is more mental.
Rating: 
Summary: Lehane does it again
Review: As I write this review, 55 other people have already reviewed this book. I agree with most of them, that this was a fine book. Out of the five Kenzie/Gennaro books in the series, this is perhaps my favorite. It leans a little more into the thriller/suspense genre than it does the PI genre, but that is OK, because I know it is a series and not a stand-alone book. Some reviewers (a few) have panned this book as derivative and in one particular spot too much like 'Silence of the Lambs'. Everyone is entitled to their opinions, but I would just say that almost everything is derivative in some way, and Harris does not have a patent on prison visitations as a plotline. Dennis Lehane crafts some of the best sentences I have read in this genre, so you should read the entire Kenzie/Gennaro series starting with 'A Drink Before the War', and if you have already read it, then read 'Darkness, Take My Hand' NOW.
Rating:
Summary: Even Better Than The First
Review: When a second book tops the first, you know you've found a good writer.The phrase, "I couldn't put it down" is applicable here. Patrick and Angie find themselves face to face with a serial killer loose in Boston. I was so tense reading this that at one point the phone ringing almost had me jump out of my skin. Lehane captures the simple rhythms and nuances of dialogue better than almost any writer I've read. You can't help fall in love with these characters. If you haven't read anything by him,I'd suggest starting with "A Drink Before the War" because it sets up the world the tough Irish Boston P.I.'s inhabit. This is not your fathers mystery novel. It's really violent, gory, and you never are sure who will make it to the end. But it's really well written, has some great plot twists, and will keep you on the edge of your seat.
Rating:
Summary: What a story!
Review: I found myself reading well after midnight, long after I should have turned the light out, but I found it difficult to leave Patrick and Angie and their incredibly dangerous situation. I tend to prefer cozies, stories which are lighter and not nearly as violent as this, but Lehane hooked me and I couldn't turn away. I've now read the first three in the series, and I will continue.
Rating:
Summary: lehane is a genius
Review: "Darkness..." is one of those books that drags you in and doesnt let go. Without giving the plot away theres a scene where Patrick is driving to his girlfrends in a hurry that had my knuckles white and my teeth gritted. All of Lehanes books are good but this is a masterpiece - if you havent already read it buy it now and let darkness take you by the hand.
Rating: 
Summary: An Outstanding and Varied Series
Review: Lehane's second novel in the series is, like his first, impossible to put down once you start. The identity of the villain may be a tad disappointing because this character seemed somewhat underdrawn, but that's a minor quibble. There are ample complexities and surprises in this fast-paced, well-plotted story.
Rating:
Summary: Massachusetts Mayhem
Review: Outstanding. A nice spin on a long-term serial killer. I could hear the gunshots, feel the pain from victims and even felt the cold steel and oozing blood from a stiletto. WOW! I read this right aftwer "Mystic River" but I will take the advice of another reviewer and now read the rest of his work in order. My only dilemma will be either read them slowly or quickly. I don't want his work to end.
Rating:
Summary: A Horrifying Look into the Nature of the Beast
Review: "Darkness, Take My Hand" is Dennis Lehane's second Kenzie and Gennaro novel. The story starts simply, as the detectives undertake to help protect Jason, the son of a friend. For no clear reason, it appears that a singularly unpleasant gangster has taken a dislike to Jason, a student at the local college. Matters grow complicated quickly when they discover that the gangster in question is not the real source of the threat. In trying to unravel each mystery in this, the detectives discover yet another. The case appears linked to a string of horrifying killings that have baffled the police. And these crimes recall the bloody work of Alec Hardiman, who was convicted 20 years previously by the expert testimony of Jason's mother. Unfortunately, this criminal remains firmly imprisoned. The is little doubt that somehow Hardiman is influencing events, but evidence builds that there is a team of killers at work and the body count spins out of control. The horror and tension build relentlessly. Soon Patrick Kenzie realizes that his own loved ones are also intended victims. Together, he and Gennaro struggle to salvage what they can. In the final analysis, though, none of the survivors will escape unscathed. This is noir fiction at it's grimmest, delivered with spellbinding intensity by an exceptional writer. The book is populated by vivid characters, good and evil. The narrative is terse, and perfect for this kind of fiction. The dialogue between Kenzie and Gennaro sparkles with wry wit that keeps events from overwhelming the reader. I picked up the "Darkness, Take My Hand" to read as a break from some more academic reading, and was literally unable to keep from finishing the book. Lehane's writing style is reminiscent of Andrew Vachss and every bit as good. This is a six star novel in a five star world!
Rating: 
Summary: Sorry, but this is weak writing
Review: I have to agree with Berkeleyroad from Boston on this but after having Lehane recommended to me and looking forward to the book I found the plot and the writing style ludicrously weak. How can other reviewers regard it as "gritty" and "realistic", how can anyone "love" the character of Bubba which represents all that is meaningless and parasitic in society. Kenzie and Gennaro are totally unbelieveable - they wouldn't last a minute on the mean streets and isn't it just too convenient that they are bosom pals with the police, the neighbourhood thugs and rival mafia gangs, plus they can get insider knowledge from the authorities and other experts. And what fantastic memories they have of details from their remote childhood. The book avoids any serious moral questions - even the bed hopping antics of Kenzie from his beloved Grace to childhood sweetheart Angie is not considered - they are shallow, one dimensional people. The prison scenes are stolen from Silence of the Lambs and there is a lot of pseudo psychological mumbo jumbo throughout. Isn't it amazing how ruthlessly cold blooded and efficient crazed psycho murderers still haven't learned not to try and explain themselves for half an hour while they have their chosen victims at gunpoint ? What made the story even weaker was that Lehane doesn't describe any of the murders being perpetrated or get inside the head of the killers, and we lose much of the menace and horror of seeing victims as real people - in fact he seems more sympathetic in dealing with the murderers. Lehane should learn how to write realistic dialogue - less wise cracking (especially at the most innapropriate moments) and how about some real "detection". I would urge those who found this "complex" and "challenging" to head back to the shop to get some Chandler or Ellroy, or if you just want better detective pulp fiction try Michael Connelly or Robert Crais. This stuff is candy floss - written for a low attention span audience and presumably with film rights in mind.
Rating:
Summary: A second novel, a second triumph!
Review: "Darkness Take My Hand" is the second of the Kenzie/Gennaro series. The first novel (A Drink before the War) rated 5 stars from me, and this novel receives the same. In it, you'll find the same descriptive writing style, the complex characters, the suspense and drama, and all of this held together with ongoing moral examination and situational ethics which are disturbing and challenging. The emerging pattern in Lehane's novel is an examination of psychotic, obsessive evil and perversion set in a microcosm called 'Boston'. This is emerging as a wonderful series, one that deserves the attention of serious mystery/thriller fiction readers everywhere.
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