Rating: 
Summary: Amazingly Well Written
Review: Well I have found a new favorite author. I picked up Dennis Lehane's newest book "Prayers For Rain" at the bookstore, and up until that day I had never heard of him before, well thats changed and i finished the last of all his books last night. Gone, Baby, Gone. Follows Patrick Kenzie and Angela Genarro around the Boston area (as usual with all Lehane books) This time in search of a young girl named Amanda McCready who has seemingly disappeared into thin air. With more plot twist's and changes of direction thand a snake this book will have you turned around backwards in no time. This book was well written with beleivable heros who grew up with little money, and even less of secure families, everything a good mystery should be but it is not for those with weak stomachs, with Kenzie and Genaro in the heart of the missing childs department of the Boston p.d., there are more stories of child creulty and neglect than you may want to hear. I suggest that everyone read Lehanes second book "Darkness, Take My Hand" before anyother books, i made the mistake of reading it last, and I already knew the outcome from all of the other Lehane books.
Rating: 
Summary: So Good, I then Read Every Lehane Book
Review: This is the first Lehane book I had ever read, and I enjoyed it so much, I immediately read every book in the series, the ultimate compliment to the author.The characters are fresh and interesting. The plot was involving, and the author gives the reader a real feel for the atmosphere of Boston [where I have never been.] In this book, there is no clear line between who the bad guys are, and who the good guys are; there's a great deal of moral ambiguity, something missing in most books in the "detective" genre. The protagonists are wonderfully developed and realistic. I highly recommed Lehane, and particular this book, which is his best to date.
Rating: 
Summary: I gulped it down but could not munched it
Review: This page turner about a child abduction offers a very intrincate plot and a sucession of facts and actions at very high speed. Mistery grows like an snowball, many puzzles are solved but the same question lingers all the time ..."ok.,..but where is Amanda ...?". the story shows a true crime side with violent and bloody situations and a human side when invites the reader to debate what is the best for the future of a child. Even though I found the plot very gripping, Lehane is not my favorite author in terms of narrative and descriptive skills, his writing looks sometimes sketchy and some events seem forced.
Rating:
Summary: Wow...that about sums it up...
Review: Every once in a while, I enjoy the fantasy of becoming a writer. Then I read something like Lehane's Gone, Baby, Gone, and I am completely intimidated. The characters jump off the page and are incredibly real, even those who are not around for long. The action, the frustrations, and the motivations of the characters make this book a compelling read. This book is one of the most enjoyable books I have experienced in a while. The only caveat is that some of the scenes --ok one in particular--will turn your stomach and break your heart. You'll know it when you get there. I had to stop at that point and take a break. LeHane's "turning the universe on its ear" trick, which I saw in his Sacred, is present here too and it works. A reasonable, but off the wall, plot twist...it's refreshing. The best thing about the novel, though, is that the ultimate answer is not clean. Without being preachy, Lehane hits the issue on the head, and the characters grow and change as a result of their experiences over the course of the novel. This book is like few others. I strongly recommend you pick it up. I'm glad I did. P.S. In response to an earlier review, I'll explain the prologue and epilogue if you want, but you'll have to email me.
Rating:
Summary: Lehane's Done it Again
Review: Gone Baby Gone begins with the kidnapping of a four year girl and takes off from there at break-neck speed. Patrick Kenzie and Angie Gennaro really don't want to get involved in a missing child case, but feel pushed to take it anyway. Their investigation leads to murder and mayhem with many plot twists and a shocking ending. This is a fast paced, edge of your seat mystery with lots of action. The writing is vivid and gritty. And, nobody draws and developes characters better than Lehane. A very compelling and plausible story. Once you start it, you'll be reading all night.
Rating:
Summary: Irresistible Darkness
Review: Gone, Baby, Gone is everything we've come to expect from Lehane, all turned up a notch. He takes on the terrifying subject of child abduction and refuses to flinch in his merciless exploration of all the gruesome implications and possibilities. Kenzie and Gennaro return in fine form, and Lehane takes us further into their complex individual psyches as well as their strangely woven relationship. Bubba returns and the story is populated with a compelling and mysterious supporting cast. Lehane flexes a little as a writer with mixed results. This is a more intricate plot than in the past and he weaves the various threads well but many of the descriptions are overdone and unnecessary. Too often I lost Kenzie's voice and became conscious of Lehane's. Sometimes, Lehane is his own worst enemy, the action is so engrossing I lose my patience when he steps away from it. Through the four novels I have become deeply involved in the lives of Kenzie and Gennaro, the time between books is like losing touch with close friends. Gone, Baby, Gone is easily the darkest of the series and simultaneously an excruciating and engrossing read. It may be detective fiction but it is anything but light reading. If you have not yet discovered Lehane you live in a poorer world. Start at the beginning and enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: WOW!
Review: Any voracious reader will occasionally find themselves playing what I refer to as "the library lottery"--stand in the middle of the library's fiction section, let their gaze drift over the amassed titles, and just grab a book at random, hoping that their choice will be, at the very least, a few hours' diversion. So it was one spring afternoon for me when my eyes fell upon "Gone, Baby, Gone." Dennis Lehane? Hmm, never heard of him. The cover blurb looked relatively interesting, and I do try to break out of my rut from time to time, so I brought it home. Three pages into the book, I knew I had hit the literary equivalent of the jackpot. "Gone ..." is the third Lehane novel to feature private investigators Patrick Kenzie and Angie Gennaro, who are struggling with both their personal and professional lives together while they work to find a missing child. As with Lehane's other Kenzie/Gennaro books, it's not necessary to have read others in the series to follow Patrick and Angie's past, although enough references are made to make the reader want to seek out what came before. Lehane has one of the best feels for dialogue in modern fiction, and his plots are tight without being predictable. To the best of my knowledge, I'm one of the few who discovered Dennis Lehane with this particular book (the book I most often hear cited is "Darkness, Take My Hand," his second novel, which is also great). If you've never read Dennis Lehane, you will not go wrong with this or any of his novels. He's one of the best out there right now, and he's on the verge of becoming huge.
Rating:
Summary: CanNOT get this book out of my head
Review: Just flew through this 4th novel of Lehane's, after doing the same to his first 3. Expected a normal kind of mystery/detective/thriller wrap up at the end, and boy was I in for a surprise. I'm just stunned. Heartbroken, even. But it was absolutely perfect. And gutsy of Lehane not to give us a "Hollywoodish" ending. If you haven't read his prior novels, get to it! And in this case, I think the order you read them in is important to get a real feel for the relationships that develop. Lehane is one of the best authors I've read, he's wicked smart, the stories are tight, and his dry, sarcastic humor is great. You find yourself laughing at teeny wisecracks made in the midst of a grisly murder scene. He's a master. And I want MORE!
Rating:
Summary: Dark, Compelling Page Turner
Review: I started reading Lehane's books last year (1999) and I immediately got attached to Angie, Patrick and Bubba. Gone, Baby Gone was another page turner with so many twists, it is impossible to figure out what is going on until Lehane wants you to. Although I found the subject matter dark (missing and exploited kids) I couldn't put it down. I felt like the characters really got a chance to be more human and you got to know them a little better. I love Bubba. I can't believe someone that is basically a criminal and crazy is a likable character, but he is. I would suggest Lehane's series to anyone.
Rating:
Summary: Why am I so dense?
Review: I practically read as a profession. Although I hate to analyze--because I am not too good at it--I usually can figure things out.. But I am frustrated--actually close to angry--that the first and last scenes do not tie in, in my mind. I feel tricked. I spent time trying to imagine who the people were, how they fit into the story, and if they did, then I totally missed it. Why were they a part of this book? This is my first Lehane, and admittedly I began in the middle as others have said not to do.. does this fit into another previous book? The reviewer who said that some descriptions were wooden and others beautiful spoke my feelings as well. Still, I will look for the series.
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