Dennis Lehane writes satisfyingly complex and disturbingly violent crime fiction that often crosses into thriller territory. These are not, however, cheap thrills. Even in their goriest moments, his books are grounded in rich, real-life detail. Lehane knows Boston and its denizens, and he captures the city’s subcultures beautifully -- from the hushed refinement of the old-money suburbs to the grittiness of tacky motels and bail-bond agencies. He has a unique way of presenting his mysteries with an edge-of-the-seat feeling, yet his descriptive methods brings one into his neighborhoods and gives one the feeling that they lived there their entire life.His main characters, private investigators Patrick Kenzie and Angie Gennaro, transcend crime fiction stereotypes. At first glance, Kenzie is a classic hard-boiled detective, an idealistic man who feels trapped and angry – perhaps because of emotional scars left by his brutal father. But he is no rootless loner. He still lives and works in the neighborhood (the Irish stronghold of Dorchester) where he grew up alongside Angie and Bubba Rogowski, their larger-than-life sidekick and hit man. Angie is practical, passionate and somewhat inscrutable. She’s tough and courageous in the pursuit of homicidal psychopaths and twisted minds. But in her private life, she waffles. Angie has struggled for years to break free from an abusive marriage and has mixed feelings about her brief romantic relationship with Kenzie.Lehane has no background in police work or private investigation. His books are fiction in every sense of the word. They are set in an Irish neighborhood that no longer exists quite as he portrays it and his characters can wreak more violence in one chapter than the real city of Boston is likely to see in a year. Most of these stories feature an evil mastermind whom Kenzie and Gennaro must outwit and overpower. That’s where Gone Baby Gone is different, ...
