Rating: 
Summary: Another beautiful example of why Dennis Lehane rocks.
Review: Dennis Lehane, Gone, Baby, Gone (Morrow, 1998)Lehane clocks in with the fourth novel in the Kenzie and Gennaro series with his most intricate plot and satisfying novel so far. In this one, Kenzie and Gennaro are bullied into taking the case of a missing four-year-old by the girl's aunt. The mother seems not to care much about her child's whereabouts when she's not in front of the TV cameras, preferring to watch television and drink beer with her best friend and next door neighbor. What's already an atypical missing persons case gets weirder and weirder as Kenzie and Gennaro, working with a couple of Boston cops named Poole and Broussard, peel off layer after layer that links the case to organized crime, drug dealing, a two-hundred-thousand dollar heist, and imprisoned renegade mob boss Cheese Olamon, a schoolyard acquaintance of Kenzie's. While the moralizing of A Drink Before the War is back (though far more subdued here) and Lehane seems to buy into the urban myth of the ever-present Child Molester on Every Corner, such concerns for the intent of the author tend to fall by the wayside when a mystery is so intricately plotted. Red herrings fly thick and fast, the case twists and turns with startling frequency, no one is in any way happy, and ghosts of old cases the two have worked return to haunt them with regularity as they bump heads over and over again with higher-ups in the Boston and state police departments. It is the skill with which the mystery is plotted, and Lehane's affable writing style, that keeps this book from falling into the one-trick-pony trap of a Jonathan Kellerman or an Andrew Vachss. Lehane finally made a solid name for himself with the success of Mystic River two years ago; here's to hoping fans of that novel will come back and discover the Kenzie and Gennaro novels, some of the best neo-noir writing there is to be had today. ****
Rating: 
Summary: Entertaining, funny and a moral dilemma
Review: In the last 30 day I've read all five of Lehane' Kinzie/Gennaro books, finishing Prayers for Rain last night. Lehane has created a terrific franchise in the mystery/thriller arena with his realistic and (more importantly) entertaining pair of detectives. You like these people he's created and believe their motives for what they choose to do as they trek through the plot. Clearly I've found a lot of compelling entertainment in these stories. The first book in the series, A Drink Before the War, really [drew] me in, being in the same vein as the Elvis Cole series by Robert Crais which I also recommend. Both series are consistently well-written, a clear step (or two) above pop/trash/beach fiction, funny, intelligent stories where the plot make sense, and the characters seem frighteningly real. It turned out that the first Kinzie/Gennaro yarn was the lightest. Each one after has ratcheted up the twists and turns, but kept the personality of the characters growing and building. The stories definitely got blacker and bleaker in the depraved actions of the bad guys. By Prayers for Rain, the villain is a hardcore-fulltime psychopath, and Patrick and Angie are a-little-further-than-borderline vigilantes. After racing through five of the books in so short a period, I am struck with a sense of vulnerability. If some bad dude makes it their career to mess with you, and if they have no normal limits to their behavior, you're just [out of luck]. How can a normal, follow the rules type of citizen even comprehend the introduction of aggression and violence into their regular lives? Unless you have friends to help you out like Kenzie and Gennaro you might as well move out of the country and hope you're never found. Read these, you'll like them.
Rating:
Summary: Another great book, yet predictable
Review: Lehane follows up the boring "Sacred" with a thrilling, haunting novel about child abductions and the fine line between right and wrong. This novel was just as good as Darkness, take my hand. It had plenty of twists and turns and violence. But I was frustrated because after reading the synopsis on the jacket of the hardcover, and the 3-page prologue about someone in Port Mesa, Texas, I guessed the plot. I usually don't try and guess plots, but this one just came to me. Only so many things can happen to kids when they are kidnapped. Lehane telegraphs his plot in an obvious manner. Skip the first three pages and you'll probably not guess the plot. Still, I enjoyed this novel. Lehane is a great writer and obviously invests a lot of effort into his entertaining novels. Prayers for Rain is next on my list.
Rating:
Summary: Gone, Baby, Gone
Review: Dennis Lehane is one of the best mystery writers I have come across yet. He has a way of grabing you at the very begining and doesn't let go until the end. You become engrosed in the storyline and can not wait to find out what comes next. I highly recommend this book, and others written by Lehane.
Rating: 
Summary: A new meaning to Cormier's "I Am the Cheese"
Review: There were some very good parts to this book. I found much of the dialogue very amusing, which is refreshing for mystery novels which tend to be so bogged down with cliches that are taken too seriously and immature writing that tries so hard to get a laugh but fails entirely. Lehane is witty. However, I don't like his characters. I found them to be rather one-dimensional, Angie being the worst. It would have been better without the female protagonist; it would have been better to lean toward sexism, than put her in there. All the characters seemed to come across as caricatures, right down to their names, but characters in these kind of mystery novels generally tend to be underdeveloped, perhaps because so many are thrown in there, and before you really get to know one, you're learning about another. As for the main characters, it's a series, so I guess I should read the other books before I pass a judgment. Apparently, from what I heard about Lehane's Mystic River, the characters were rather good in that novel. Perhaps I read his one book that didn't really showcase his character development skills.
My favorite part of the book was the ending. It just struck me. I disagree with those who say that it was out of character for Patrick Kenzie to make the final choice he did at the end. Also, it shows that his main objective throughout the book was not doing what was right, but rather, bringing Amanda home, despite how he felt about the way he went about it. Overall, a good book. It's just that Amanda had more personality than the rest, and she was only in 1/20th of the book.
Rating:
Summary: ANOTHER MASTERPIECE BY THE MASTER HIMSELF
Review: Dennis Lehane is now my favorite mystery author. I am waiting for a new book for him.... I keep checking out his websight!!
This book is great. But then again, so is all of his books. I also love how the love story of Patrick and Angie are continued in this book, but not overbearing.
What made this book scary was how kids today are disappearing into thin air. This book will keep you on the edge of your seat wondering who has little Amanda McCready and what has happened to her.
The ending of this book is VERY hard to swallow and NOT recommended for the faint of heart. I will only tell you that my jaw hung open.
As usual one of my favorite characters, Bubba Rogowski, is back and hilarious in what little parts he has. Angie is her usual tough person over the sensitive interior. And Patrick is just bumbling along. If you haven't read a book by Lehane.... I recommend you start. But start with "A Drink Before The War". That is the first in the Gennaro/Kenzie books.
Rating: 
Summary: I'd give it Zero if I could
Review: I'm sure this will illicit a slew of not helpful responses, but this book is one of the worst pieces I have ever read. It's horrible. I've written two condemning reviews that were rejected by Amazon and they were not laden with bad language so I don't expect this one to make it. I guess I'm not allowed to go into depth but the plot is weak, the characters are pure stereotypes or archetypes (depending on your concept of the words) with the tough men being the toughest men ever, the hoodlums the sleaziest ever and the sexy secretary being the hottest thing to ever grace the planet. And it goes on with every character and the author uses this method to avoid having to create a personality. Also the ending gives a message of such moral outrage that I can't respect this writer as a human being (there is also some strong undertones of racism and classism). So don't believe all these 5 star ratings, because I've read cereal boxes with more substance and character development. When people say turn off your TV and read, you should slap them upside the head with this piece of garbage.
Rating:
Summary: Gone, Baby, Gone
Review: In a world of elaborate lies & shrouded motives, searching for missing persons may be the most dangerous task to undertake in the paperback edition of Lehane's latest work.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best books in this series
Review: Gone, Baby, Gone is one of Lehane's best Kenzie/Gennaro books, even though its subject matter, the kidnapping and abuse of children, isn't particularly sunny. Patrick and Angela are called on to investigate the disappearance of four-year-old Amanda McCready, who lives with an awful, distracted, zero of a mother. Her inattention to her daughter and her needs is painted so vividly that it is easy to hope that, wherever she is, Amanda's life is somehow better. This disappearance leads the detectives into a morass of drug dealers and pedophiles and crooked police. Ultimately, it all leads to a gripping, heart-breaking climax that is pretty much a no-win situation for all involved. Sure, there are some contrivances in the plot that bring us to this point--as other reviewers have pointed out--but this is still one heck of a powerful book, with vivid characters and a real sense of setting and community. We can see how the neighborhood gives birth to monsters like Cheese Olamon and Angie's and Patrick's "friend" Bubba, while others choose another route for their lives. This is a step up from the previous book, Sacred, and shows Lehane getting ready for the powerhouse book to come, Mystic River.
Rating:
Summary: one more draft
Review: One more draft would have gotten rid of some of his sloppiness and cliches. The story is powerful, and the dilemma at the end will tear your heart out, and there are plenty of solid one-liners. On the debit side, the characters are pretty derivative (Bubba in particular), and for those of us not from Dorchester, the images are not terribly vivid. Points off for spending an entire page mocking the wittiest rock band of all time. Lehane's taste in music [is bad]. Really. Anyone can tell you that. Not a bad writer, though.
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