Darkness, Take My Hand
by Dennis Lehane
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Read in August, 1998
After devouring this novel I was drained. This is the second in Lehane's series featuring private investigators Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro and it really packs a wallup.
The first novel, A Drink Before the War, did a fine job of introducing these characters, along with an adequate story. This novel digs deep into the relationships of these people, and all the while we're being pulled through a harrowing serial killer mystery.
Lehane has pulled out all the stops here. Sure, there are...more
The first novel, A Drink Before the War, did a fine job of introducing these characters, along with an adequate story. This novel digs deep into the relationships of these people, and all the while we're being pulled through a harrowing serial killer mystery.
Lehane has pulled out all the stops here. Sure, there are...more
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- (#2 in Kenzie/Gennaro Series) "In his outstanding second novel, Lehane explores horror close to home. Boston PIs Patrick Kenzie and Angie Gennaro agree to help psychiatrist Diandra Warren. Her patient, using the name Moira Kenzie, has said she was abused by Kevin Hurlihy, a sociopathic Irish Mafia henchman who grew up in Angie and Patrick's neighborhood. Hurlihy may have threatened the doctor, who fears that her son, Jason, may be in danger. While Patrick and Angela shadow Jason, another ...more
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Read in March, 2008
I checked this out of the library to read on a Sunday while I wasn't feeling well. It was okay - it compelled me to turn the pages but it was predictable and complicated in a way that caused me to cease to believe.
I found portions of it tiresome, the sexual relationships. This guy sure gets it on. And he had father issues. Tiresome.
At one point, a woman is shot and instantly paramedics are on scene. I live with a medic and my impression of the profession is that they don't rush into d...more
I found portions of it tiresome, the sexual relationships. This guy sure gets it on. And he had father issues. Tiresome.
At one point, a woman is shot and instantly paramedics are on scene. I live with a medic and my impression of the profession is that they don't rush into d...more
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Read in June, 2008
Been hitting the gruesome novels lately.
You probably know Dennis Lehane for the movies that have been taken from his books like "Mystic River" and "Gone Baby Gone". Recently Martin Scorsese has taken up Lehane's "Shutter Island" with actors Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffallo, and Ben Kingsley. I read "Shutter Island" years ago and enjoyed it.
This one I was not overly impressed with but did enjoy. At times the intense psychotic violence was a bit ove...more
You probably know Dennis Lehane for the movies that have been taken from his books like "Mystic River" and "Gone Baby Gone". Recently Martin Scorsese has taken up Lehane's "Shutter Island" with actors Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffallo, and Ben Kingsley. I read "Shutter Island" years ago and enjoyed it.
This one I was not overly impressed with but did enjoy. At times the intense psychotic violence was a bit ove...more
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I was slightly disappointed by this book. I recently read "Shutter Island", and loved it. I read "Mystic River" years ago, and loved it, also. I have not read any of the other "Kinzie-Gennaro" stories, although I did see the film version of "Gone, Baby, Gone" and liked it.
I found "Darkness" to be poorly constructed. We never get any depth to "Grace", so we aren't at all upset when she departs from Patrick's life. We have no context...more
I found "Darkness" to be poorly constructed. We never get any depth to "Grace", so we aren't at all upset when she departs from Patrick's life. We have no context...more
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Read in August, 2008
recommended to Shelby by:
n/arecommends it for: mystery/suspense readers
Rarely do I actually feel physical anxiety when reading a suspense novel, but I did at the end of this one. Unlike other reviewers, I didn't find it to be too violent for its own good. Those images were what made the killer so terrifying. It doesn't end all that happily, and I liked that quality. It would have been way to far fetched to have everyone live happily ever after. Plus, I loved that it took place in Boston and I was able to remember all the places that were described in the book....more
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I read this book on a five hour trip in the worst Amtrack in the country.
The reason I was on the Amtrack was because I had to come home after putting my beloved Labrador, who I've had since I was 10 to sleep, this being after I watched her suffer from a bad case of bowel cancer for two days. The entire trip consisted of Guilt, depression, and a severe case of nicotine depravation.
My traveling companions consisted of a mildly retarded woman who sang along with her Ipod the whole time, a...more
The reason I was on the Amtrack was because I had to come home after putting my beloved Labrador, who I've had since I was 10 to sleep, this being after I watched her suffer from a bad case of bowel cancer for two days. The entire trip consisted of Guilt, depression, and a severe case of nicotine depravation.
My traveling companions consisted of a mildly retarded woman who sang along with her Ipod the whole time, a...more
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Read in June, 2008
So far, so freakin excellent. I'd always avoided Dennis Lehane before this because of Mystic River - that film ripped my heart out. After seeing Gone, Baby, Gone, I reconsidered, because it was just as good a story, but not nearly as bleak. And this is good. Seriously good. He's a great writer and Patrick Kenzie is an excellent protagonist. It doesn't hurt that I see him as Casey Affleck, either.
Updated to add: Finished it. What a goodie. I had to stop myself reading this at night, ...more
Updated to add: Finished it. What a goodie. I had to stop myself reading this at night, ...more
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Read in March, 2008
recommended to Marc by:
Emily :)recommends it for: Everyone
I am enjoying reading Dennis Lehane thus far. Not sure if its a good idea to read the entire five book series back to back, so I think I will pick a different author to break it up. I love the main characters. Especially Patrick Kenzie. I am in love with him (provided he looks like Casey Affleck). I watched Gone Baby Gone, with Casey Affleck (4th book in Dennis Lehane's series) before I discovered this author. So I have Casey on the brain when reading these books. Perhaps that's ...more
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Read in February, 2008
There are not enough good things to say about this book. I already loved the characters going in and it made me love them even more. The story is never slow and ratchets up the intensity at regular intervals. I loved A Drink Before the War but this second book in the series outdoes it so much it is astonishing. The mystery is tight, the storyline intense and again it is very thought provoking without making you feel like you are being force fed morality. Dennis Lehane may be me new favorite auth...more
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Read in July, 2008
A strange experience. I love the movie versions of "Mystic River" and "Gone Baby Gone"; this is the first time I've read one of Lehane's novels. I did like the characters and the plot, although I found the excessively detailed descriptions of violence disturbing. The movies, by contrast, do a better job of knowing exactly what details to include (and which to leave out) in order to suggest the level of violence that has occurred. Telling the reading everything, or too much, s
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Read in August, 1998
I liked the first Lehane I read but not enough to go get another one. But friends kept telling me I was wrong and I should give him another shot. I finally listened and am ever so grateful. Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro make a good pair of private detectives and this story is compelling. They are hired to find a missing son. The college student soon becomes the latest victim of a serial killer who invades their current and past lives. The story is really one you can't put down.
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Read in January, 2002
The Kenzie/Gennaro novels start out rough--Lehane is learning his craft, and it's visible in the leaps and bounds visible between the first book, A Drink Before the War, and the later books such as Gone, Baby Gone (and later still, non-series books such as Mystic River). This is the second novel in the sequence, so it has its clumsy moments, but it is nonetheless particularly satisfying. I wish he'd write more about these characters.
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Read in December, 2007
This is the second book of Dennis Lehane's in the series focusing on private investigators Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro. Continuing where "A Drink Before The War" left off, this novel has the detectives on the prowl of members of the Irish mob. As with all of his novels, this one is suspenseful and full of intriguing twists.
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Repulsively violent story about the wages of repulsive violence. I never quite understood the point(s) the author strained to make about repulsive violence either... except that it seems to beget a whole lot more repulsive violence. I have to say it was particularly tasteless to throw in a love interest for Patrick who happened to have a beautiful, innocent little daughter -- just so the kid could be put in jeopardy.
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Read in April, 2008
In the second book in his series featuring Patrick and Angela, Lehane has done it again. This torturous mystery follows the in-and-outs of a bloody murderer. At one point, sitting in a computer chair, I was doubled-over, sweating, in suspense!! I almost to put the book down, but was forced to push through the pain. In the end, all of the hot sweats made for a fantastic read!! Quite a page turner!!
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Read in February, 2008
Wow. Another Lehane novel that kind of took my breath away. His prose is so strong, so forceful. I'm anxious to read more of the Kenzie/Generro series, as well as his other books. I recommend this series to anyone who is interested in mysteries and crime thrillers. Just seriously, painfully well-written and authentically scary with endings that are never tidy, never happy, and never complete.
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Read in December, 2007
recommends it for:
fans of crime novels
I actually just finished this one and I was pleasantly surprised. Few books give me a visceral reaction, but Dennis Lehane's prose and gruesome tales have that capability. "Darkness, Take My Hand" is a harrowing and well-crafted tale of murder, intrigue and the depths of human cruelty. If you're a fan of crime novels, this one is a winner. It kind of made me a Dennis Lehane fan for life.
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Read in August, 2008
recommended to Mrs. Optimus by:
Britanny Rodriguez
This book didn't disappoint! This story grabbed me from the very first page and would not let go until the very end. I was so wrapped up in the pages that I did not realize that I was on the last page of the book. I wanted more. I felt so empty when I realized the story was over. I am excited to read the next book in this series. Lehane is a force to be reckoned with!
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Read in June, 2008
Patrick Kenzie and Angie Gennaro are back in this novel. I am fast falling in with these two characters. They take a case of a professor who is concerned her son is being stalked. While they initially find nothing, they are drawn into a serial killer's web and chaos and confusion ensues. This was signficantly more bloody than "A Drink Before the War."
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