Darkness, Take My Hand (Kenzie & Gennaro, #2)

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Darkness, Take My Hand (Kenzie & Gennaro #2)

by Dennis Lehane (Goodreads Author)

4.14 of 5 stars 4.14 · rating details · 9,933 ratings · 506 reviews

The master of the new "noir," Dennis Lehane magnificently evokes the dignity and savagery of working-class Boston in this terrifying tale of darkness and redemption.

Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro's latest client is a prominent Boston psychiatrist running scared from a vengeful Irish mob. The private investigators know something about cold-blooded retribution. Born and

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Paperback, 355 pages

Published December 1st 2000 by HarperTorch (first published 1996)

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Nov 02, 2012 Nancy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: boston, crime-mystery-thriller, favorites, weird-dreams

This second book in the Kenzie/Gennaro series is even better than the first. It retains some of the humor of the first, but is considerably darker and more violent. Bubba, the one-man army who cares for no one but Patrick and Angie, has a much more significant role which involves a fire hydrant and a bowling alley. Angie’s abusive ex-husband, Phil, has quit drinking and starts to show his decent side to a point where I actually began to like the guy. Patrick now has a steady girlfriend, his frie...more This second book in the Kenzie/Gennaro series is even better than the first. It retains some of the humor of the first, but is considerably darker and more violent. Bubba, the one-man army who cares for no one but Patrick and Angie, has a much more significant role which involves a fire hydrant and a bowling alley. Angie’s abusive ex-husband, Phil, has quit drinking and starts to show his decent side to a point where I actually began to like the guy. Patrick now has a steady girlfriend, his friendship with Angie deepens, and we learn more about his abusive father. Angie and Patrick are hired by a psychiatrist who received a picture of her son in the mail from a stranger and now believes her son is in danger. The psychiatrist mentions a mysterious student who shares Patrick’s last name and is a girlfriend of someone in the Irish mafia.

This case is not so simple. There are lots of twists and turns, more pictures, mysterious and gruesome deaths, the mafia, a convict serving life in prison, a college professor with a secret life, vicious and depraved serial killers, and atrocities from the past tainting the present.

So, after reading this book I had a crazy-ass dream that made me bolt out of bed at 3:00 in the morning, feeling shaky and nauseated. Even after I was fully awake, I swear I could hear people bowling.

In the dream I was walking into my office at work. I saw someone’s head dangling from the suspended ceiling, then I saw an arm hanging off a filing cabinet and a leg in the blue recycle barrel in my office. In the conference room were fingers, toes, and male parts arranged in various shapes on the table. I ran screaming down the hall and into this big dude who looked like Bubba. He was looking for my boss. I told him that my boss was in a meeting all day. He didn’t believe me and wanted me to take him to my office. When I refused, he yanked my arm hard, pushed me ahead of him and wanted to know why there was blood all over my shirt. When we got to my office, he went to my desk and found a bloody stiletto. I screamed at him, telling him I had no idea how any of this happened. He said he had to make a few phone calls and made me sit in the conference room. While I was waiting, I picked up two small jars of paint, one gold and one silver, and proceeded to paint the male parts, fingers and toes that were arranged so perfectly on the table.

OK, so I’m recovered now and reading the next in the series. I am hoping this one won’t disturb my sleep.
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May 04, 2011 Kemper rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: crime-mystery, detectives, serial-killers

“If you and your partner aren’t civilians and you’re not cops, then what are you?”

I shrugged. “Two idiots who aren’t half as tough as we thought we were.”
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In media res is a cute little story telling trick where the writer starts in the middle or with the aftermath of the action and then drops hints and clues about what occurs in what you’re about to read. It works really well if it’s some kind series where you already know the characters. I’m a complete sucker for this tactic, and Lehane uses...more “If you and your partner aren’t civilians and you’re not cops, then what are you?”

I shrugged. “Two idiots who aren’t half as tough as we thought we were.”
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In media res is a cute little story telling trick where the writer starts in the middle or with the aftermath of the action and then drops hints and clues about what occurs in what you’re about to read. It works really well if it’s some kind series where you already know the characters. I’m a complete sucker for this tactic, and Lehane uses it beautifully in this one.

In the first few pages, Patrick Kenzie tells us that he’s been through hell. He’s coping with some serious physical injuries, the detective agency he runs with his best friend, Angie Gennaro, is closed, and he ominously describes her as ‘gone’. Which of course, leaves you immediately worried about what that maniac Lehane did to the two characters he introduced just one book ago. It gives you a nasty feeling of dread as you read the rest of the book and what unfolds is probably worse than what you start fearing when you read Patrick’s introduction.

Leading up to that, Patrick and Angie take a case from a female psychiatrist who had a session with a women who claimed to be in abusive relationship with a psycho Irish-mob hitman that the two detectives know from their childhood in their blue-collar Boston neighborhood. The woman disappeared without a trace and the doctor has started receiving threatening phone calls and candid pictures of her college-aged son so she’s worried that the hitman thinks she was told something incriminating and wants to shut her up. There’s also the odd coincidence that the patient told the doctor that her last name was Kenzie, but Patrick isn’t aware of any relatives who match that description.

Having to try and get a sadistic mob hitman to leave someone alone is bad enough, but things quickly take an even darker turn that involves a brutal murder and a serial killer who has been in prison for years. Patrick and Angie are usually more than capable of taking care of themselves, but even with the help of the police, the FBI and their pet sociopath Bubba Rogowski, they’ll soon be overwhelmed by the horrific violence targeted at them.

One of Lehane’s favorite themes is that violence can be passed along from one generation to the next, and he delves deeply into the legacy-of-violence idea here. It’s also amazing how quickly he dropped some of the standard PI-novel conventions from the first book to this one. P&A are still tough professionals, but there’s much less smart-ass banter and a darker, grittier, more realistic feel to this one.

While there’s a bit of a Hannibal Lector-thing going on with the incarcerated serial killer manipulating people, Lehane didn’t let it get out of hand and become distracting. He keeps the focus on Patrick and Angela and delivers a taunt and terrifying thriller in this one. This is not for the squeamish but it never feels gratuitous. (less)

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Dec 26, 2012 Dan Schwent rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: crime-and-mystery, christmas-2012, 2012

Just when things are going great for both of them, Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro are hired by a psychiatrist to find out who's stalking her son. Meanwhile, Patrick runs into a troubled girl from the neighborhood. But what do these two things have to do with an imprisioned psychopath who wants to speak with Patrick?

One of these days, I'm going to learn my lesson and have Kemper and Nancy pick out all my books for me. Kenzie and Gennaro are rapidly climbing my detective hierarchy.

Things have...more Just when things are going great for both of them, Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro are hired by a psychiatrist to find out who's stalking her son. Meanwhile, Patrick runs into a troubled girl from the neighborhood. But what do these two things have to do with an imprisioned psychopath who wants to speak with Patrick?

One of these days, I'm going to learn my lesson and have Kemper and Nancy pick out all my books for me. Kenzie and Gennaro are rapidly climbing my detective hierarchy.

Things have changed since the last outing. Angie is finally divorcing her alcoholic, wife-beating husband Phil and Patrick's in a relationship with a doctor named Grace and acting as a father for her two-year old, Mae. Then things start going pear-shaped when it appears a pair of serial killers is at work.

Much like Lawrence Block's marvelous Matthew Scudder series, the things that makes Kenzie and Gennaro stand out are the well-realized setting and the characters. The Boston of Lehane's tales is as rich a setting as Block's New York and I wouldn't be surprised if they existed in the same space-time continuum. Lehane's cast is really growing on me. Kenzie and Gennaro are both three-dimensional, multi-facetted characters that I have no trouble believing in. The supporting cast, namely cops Devin and Oscar and one Bubba Rogowski, are memorable in their own right. I even caught myself giving a shit about Phil, Angie's douche bag ex.

The characters have developed quite a bit since the first book. I'm almost afraid to see what wringer Lehane is going to run them through in subsequent books. Patrick and Angie are a lot more scratched and dented than they were when the series started and I'm only two books in.

The villains were suitably vile but not cartoonishly so, not even for serial killers. I had no idea who the mastermind was until Patrick did, though the mystery wasn't easily solveable. One of the killers reminded me a lot of James Motely from one of the Matthew Scudder books.

I guess that's about all I can say. As much as I liked the first book, A Drink Before the War, this one was even better. It's an easy five stars.
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Apr 09, 2013 Jonathan Peto rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mysteries-thrillers, novels

The blurb on the back cover refers to a serial killer. Usually that would be a show stopper for me, because serial killers do not fascinate me at all, especially the Mensa type that seem to overpopulate thrillers. If not for Lehane's reputation, especially among various friends here on Goodreads, I'm sure I would have passed. Lehane's serial killer does spout some spooky stupid mumbo jumbo, but by the time I got to it, I didn't give a hoot.

This is Lehane's second novel. I read and enjoyed his fi...more The blurb on the back cover refers to a serial killer. Usually that would be a show stopper for me, because serial killers do not fascinate me at all, especially the Mensa type that seem to overpopulate thrillers. If not for Lehane's reputation, especially among various friends here on Goodreads, I'm sure I would have passed. Lehane's serial killer does spout some spooky stupid mumbo jumbo, but by the time I got to it, I didn't give a hoot.

This is Lehane's second novel. I read and enjoyed his first, A Drink Before the War, but noted a few rough spots in it, if I may be so bold, a few places where I thought I may have been able to offer him some writing advice about certain particulars. Not this time. Things fit together tightly without being so polished that it isn't distinct. His detectives, Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro, remain interesting, most of the time (I skim read some of the "romance", sorry). Character nuance, especially with Patrick the narrator, adds significance and import in just the right doses. Even Bubba, their psycho friend, who ordinarily would induce a give-me-a-break eye roll, escaped my ire. Despite elements that should make you gag, like the serial killer and Bubba, Lehane pulled it off. It helped that I'm familiar with Boston and its surroundings and enjoyed all the references, but that was not all. It worked for other reasons too, like the plot. Kenzie and Gennaro come up empty, end the investigation, and go off on tangents, but it begins to come together at a certain point, then hurtles forward, a pace I really liked.

It was not perfect. For example, some scenes and some plot development relied on too little description and too much dialogue, but even my correct guess about who one of the unidentified killers was did not ruin it for me, because I agree with the unnamed writer for the Daily Express who wrote that "Lehane's hold is wholly unremitting...". Overall, Lehane mixed it up tremendously well. The flaws did not detract from the story, the characters, or the suspense.
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Mar 02, 2008 Bryce Wilson rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: crime

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 man who...more

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Apr 20, 2010 Joyce Lagow rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery

#2 in the Kenzie/Gennaro series.[return][return]Angela Gennaro and Patrick Kenzie, private detectives, take on a case that involves threats to a female psychiatrist and her family. The threats emanate from one of the more psychotic criminals that Gennaro and Kenzie have grown up with, and his arguably worse boss. [return][return]With that starts the 2nd book of this impressive series. I raved on in my review about the merits of the first book, A Drink Before the War. Darkness, Take My Hand is ev...more

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May 06, 2013 Encruzilhadas Literárias rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: convidado-a

Este livro é já o segundo que leio deste autor e quero começar desde já por salientar o quão brilhante é a escrita de Dennis Lehane.
Não são todos os autores que conseguem tão facilmente fazer com que o leitor consiga transpor as suas palavras para um filme mental, sendo que, a leitura de Darkness, Take My Hand não é excepção à regra, conseguindo excepcionalmente assemelhar-se verdadeiramente a ver um filme numa grande tela, capaz de levar o leitor a ficar preso à história rapidamente.
Os protago...more Este livro é já o segundo que leio deste autor e quero começar desde já por salientar o quão brilhante é a escrita de Dennis Lehane.
Não são todos os autores que conseguem tão facilmente fazer com que o leitor consiga transpor as suas palavras para um filme mental, sendo que, a leitura de Darkness, Take My Hand não é excepção à regra, conseguindo excepcionalmente assemelhar-se verdadeiramente a ver um filme numa grande tela, capaz de levar o leitor a ficar preso à história rapidamente.
Os protagonistas, investigadores particulares Patrick Kenzie e Angela Gennaro, estão de volta com mais um caso em mãos, em que desafiam as suas próprias vidas e onde mais uma vez estão perante os actos horroríficos daquilo que o ser humano é capaz.
Como já referido, além da escrita fácil e expressiva, Lehane sabe perfeitamente como agarrar o leitor e levá-lo por uma onda de emoções, onde tudo ao início parece calmo, para depois se tornar num turbilhão de sensações e descobertas à medida que é atingido o clímax da história. Assim, algo que começa por parecer bastante inofensivo, acaba por se revelar um dos casos mais perigosos em que Kenzie e Gennaro alguma vez estiveram envolvidos. À medida que a investigação se desenrola, uma simples “ameaça” acaba por se revelar muito mais que isso, resultando em mortes extremamente violentas e actos de tortura desumanos, onde o principal sujeito é alguém que está preso há mais de vinte anos.
Cheio de suspense, mistério e acontecimentos extasiantes, o caso vai se tornando cada vez mais pessoal, remetendo para assuntos inacabados do passado, à medida que é traçado um jogo psicológico e perverso entre o gato e o rato, onde quem está a apanhar quem, toma um outro novo sentido.
O melhor deste livro é sem dúvida o quão empolgante a sua leitura se torna, esperando ser surpreendido a qualquer momento, e obviamente todo o percurso que leva a um final algo intenso. Patrick e Angela são também personagens que facilmente cativam o leitor, demonstrando uma química intensa entre ambos e proporcionando por vezes certos momentos cómicos que aliviam a pressão.
Sem querer revelar mais pormenores e detalhes mais fundos (caso contrário estragaria a mística deste tipo de livros), espero que as minhas palavras incitem o leitor a decifrar por ele próprio o que este livro tem para contar.
Acrescento apenas que para amantes de thriller psicológico Lehane é, sem dúvida, um dos peritos actuais na matéria e, Darkness, Take My Hand, o melhor livro seu que li até agora. Prometendo emoções ao rubro, é garantida uma incessante vontade de o devorar de uma só vez. - Convidada Sofia Pereira
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Jan 30, 2013 Stephen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: mysteries-thrillers, detective-fiction

The plot to this one is definitely a little more involved than the one in A Drink Before The War, also a theme that would be similarly mined by Lehane later in Mystic River, but the overall pacing of the writing is not as tight and break-necked as that one. Kenzie's over-baked similies are not as present this time around and that is good or bad, depending on how you felt about them the first time. The overall tone is a bit darker and it is still a pretty quick read, despite being at least 100 pa...more

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Mar 25, 2012 Sandra rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 5-star, difel, meu

Esta foi a minha primeira leitura de um livro deste autor.
Gostei da escrita, do suspense e das palpitações de antecipação que me provocou mais para o final.
O detective Patrick Kenzie e a sua sócia Angela Gennaro cresceram num bairro, de Boston, em que as ligações entre as pessoas são importantes, necessárias e mortais. São estas ligações que decidem se vives ou morres.
Tudo começa quando o detective Kenzie é contactado por Eric Gault para ajudar uma amiga, Diandra Warren, que tinha recebido uma f...more

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Jul 26, 2011 Craig rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Darkness, Take My Hand is at once a more ambitious book than its predecessor, A Drink Before the War, and one that is more flawed. The plot's developments are devastating, the characters achieve dimensions far beyond the first novel, and the writing is uniformly crisp across the board, though Lehane makes Kenzie less of a cynical wisecracker in the mold of Marlowe and focuses more on his darker sides, leaving the book with fewer of the very clever asides that marked much of Drink Before the War....more

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Jun 02, 2011 Lisa (Harmonybites) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Mystery Lovers

Shelves: contemporary, crime, fiction, mystery, novels, romance, suspense

This is the second book of a series featuring Patrick Kenzie and Angie Genaro, partners in a private detective agency in a working-class section of Boston. That first book, A Drink Before the War dealt with a gang war, but Darkness, Take My Hand deal with a serial killer, and if the plot is fairly standard in that regard, this novel still stands out for style, setting and characters.

A blurb in the book compares Lehane to Chandler, MacDonald and Parker. I actually prefer Lehane to any of them. I...more

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Apr 25, 2011 Sheila rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: cultural, current_issues, mystery, relationships, suspense

My husband’s just read number four in Dennis LeHane’s Kenzie and Gennaro series; he insisted it was time I caught up with him. I’d only read the first book so far—A Drink before Dying—so I picked up Darkness take my hand, number two, and admired the author’s choice of titles before starting to read. After starting to read I admired his wordcraft too; evocative descriptions of streets and scenes; convincing depictions of deep characters—no cardboard cutouts here; cleverly revealed backstories wit...more

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Dec 31, 2010 Rhonda Browning White rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Took. My. Breath. Away!

Wow! Despite my hectic schedule, I read this book in a day and a half, even staying up until nearly three a.m. to finish it. Not only does the book have some incredibly good lines (see below), but the characters got under my skin and nested there. I've never considered myself to be someone who could love P.I. stories, but Gennaro and Kenzie have become people I'd love to know as friends.

Lehane writes characters who are real to the reader. They're flawed, loveable, irrita...more

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Dec 30, 2010 Megan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: crime-and-mystery, 4-stars, fiction

I skipped straight to this book in the Kenzie/Gennaro series. A few of the plot elements reminded me of Mystic River, the only other Lehane book I'd read so far, and I think some names were recycled (it's been a while since I read MR, so I'm not sure).

I'm not over serial killer crime fiction, and so I found the plot of this one super engaging if sometimes painfully predictable. (Yes. Leave the fresh-faced rookie cop as the only one guarding two people who've been threatened by a team of serial k...more

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Dec 18, 2010 Nancy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Nov 30, 2010 Cynthia rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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Mar 22, 2013 David Mcangus rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: crime, detective-smart-ass, horror

Unlike Lehane's debut, his follow up follows a more conventional approach to crime fiction. The social commentary that layered 'A Drink Before the War' takes a back-seat so a dark, intricate plot can take centre stage and run rampant over the character's lives. This doesn't mean the story lacks depth, quite the opposite in fact, but he's dealing with innate human questions here instead of wider social problems.

What gives the plot its drive is a unceasing sense of threat throughout. By using the...more Unlike Lehane's debut, his follow up follows a more conventional approach to crime fiction. The social commentary that layered 'A Drink Before the War' takes a back-seat so a dark, intricate plot can take centre stage and run rampant over the character's lives. This doesn't mean the story lacks depth, quite the opposite in fact, but he's dealing with innate human questions here instead of wider social problems.

What gives the plot its drive is a unceasing sense of threat throughout. By using the familiar device of opening the story at the end, we learn Patrick and Angie have been through hell, we just don't know how far they went. This knowledge kept me on edge throughout. After the first novel, I had already become attached to these characters. This attachment is so ridged that they directly effected my perception of certain actions or people. Not through first person manipulation, but simply because I'm on these guy's side and therefore I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt. To prey on this dread, Lehane creates antagonists that aren't cartoon monsters but unquestionably deranged human beings who have history, rationality and insanity to explain their actions. This caused to keep reading, not because I wanted to find out what happened, but to make sure everyone was O.K. on the next page.

Beyond the darkness though, Lehane retains his ability to wield natural humour that warms a scene with distinct humanity, even if bad things have only recently happened. I was also impressed with Lehane's handling of romantic relationships. This features somewhat heavily throughout the story and both the physical and emotional sides are handled very well with intimate, delicate prose. This measured sense of how to handle a scene's construction applies to the rest of the narrative as well.

What is lost from 'A Drink Before the War' is replaced by a shift in tone that solidifies the reader's relationship to the characters and also furthers Lehane's exploration into the nature of violence and its motivations. This is all wrapped up in a plot that is engrossing and affecting from the get go.
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Aug 24, 2010 Alisha rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery-thriller, e-books-i-ve-read

So, I read the first installment of the Kenzie and Gennaro series, A Drink Before the War, a few months ago and gave it a glowing review (okay, not glowing, but it did get four stars each one deserved). However, I did give one complaint... I didn't think that the book was "dark" enough; I was just a bit underwhelmed by the actual case. Yeah well, be careful what you wish for because... Darkness, Take My Hand was way darker than I was expecting.

This book was GRAPHIC (yes the caps and the exclamat...more So, I read the first installment of the Kenzie and Gennaro series, A Drink Before the War, a few months ago and gave it a glowing review (okay, not glowing, but it did get four stars each one deserved). However, I did give one complaint... I didn't think that the book was "dark" enough; I was just a bit underwhelmed by the actual case. Yeah well, be careful what you wish for because... Darkness, Take My Hand was way darker than I was expecting.

This book was GRAPHIC (yes the caps and the exclamation point are needed to exemplify that)! I read more than a few reviews that were stating this, but when I was well under way into Darkness, Take My Hand, I thought "Well it's not too bad." Of course, then something dark and graphic was described that not only disturbed me, but scared the shit out of me as well (something that makes me recall "The Exorcist", which still terrifies me). It just went downhill from there. I, however, do not have a problem with dark, graphic, gritty, and/or gore (the last one I can only deal with in book form, not in films), so that didn't dampen my enjoyment of the book at all. However, I'd be lying if I didn't say that it took me completely by surprise.

I'm still absolutely in love with the characters. In Darkness, Take My Hand, Lehane delves more into Patrick's past including more about his father and more about his ex-wife (who's identity just made my jaw drop at how screwy everything is). We also get to know Angie a little more and we're shown exactly how many flaws both these characters have. It makes them more real and frankly, made me fall in love with them even more. Their banter (which I admit I absolutely adore and is the main reason for my enjoyment of this series) was still here in all of it's hilarious and aww-ing glory. We also have Bubba (who's loyalty is sweet albeit way disturbing) and almost all of the rest of the characters back in this installment and they're just basically wonderful. Patrick and Angie are surrounded by great friends who are amazing and colorful characters which make this book even better.

Darkness, Take My Hand was definitely a great book. I loved it even more than A Drink Before the War. And all of Dennis Lehane's novels seem as if they're page-turners. I know I was clicking the Kindle at a frantic pace. So, highly recommended, but definitely not for the faint of heart or those who fear The Exorcist much more than I do (that one scene really traumatized me).(less)

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Feb 11, 2013 Marlène rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: american-literature, crime-thriller-suspense

Dennis Lehane prend encore un peu plus d'altitude après l'excellent premier Kenzie & Gennaro, Un Dernier Verre Avant La Guerre. Ou sans doute s'enfonce-t-il plus loin dans les ténèbres du roman noir.
Avec l'ouverture par la fin, lourde de désespoir et de solitude, Lehane enclenche sans attendre une tension qui ne cesse de s'intensifier jusqu'à devenir violence, comme une force précipitant Pat Kenzie, Angie Gennaro et bien d'autres, (et vous surtout !), au fil de drames innommables et incompr...more

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Jul 27, 2012 Harry rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: noir-detective-series, great-antagonists, favorites

Hmmmm...someone liked one of my reviews and I checked out this person's reading list as well as their reviews and heard mention somewhere in there a sentence or two about heroes, one likeable, the other...well, more along the lines of a sociopath. Dennis Lehane, among other authors was mentioned in this respect.

As always, my curiosity was piqued, and although I checked out the other named authors I did finally settle on Dennis Lehane. It was a good decision. Perhaps one of the best reading decis...more Hmmmm...someone liked one of my reviews and I checked out this person's reading list as well as their reviews and heard mention somewhere in there a sentence or two about heroes, one likeable, the other...well, more along the lines of a sociopath. Dennis Lehane, among other authors was mentioned in this respect.

As always, my curiosity was piqued, and although I checked out the other named authors I did finally settle on Dennis Lehane. It was a good decision. Perhaps one of the best reading decisions ever. Lehane's Kenzie and Gennaro series is best described as being in the Noir series of detectives (I am reminded of Andrew Vacchs as another excellent member of this genre). This study of the darker side of humanity is epxressed through very witty and sometimes humerous dialogue that contrasts sharply with each novel's antagonists: awash in horrendous and pure evil. Lehane's descriptions are on the mark, there's no guessing as you attempt to imagine each scene described: you see it as it was meant to be seen. I've seen other novelists (Katherine Slaughter, for example) try to pull this off but frankly, the writing does not compare in both dialogue and descriptions. At least, not after you've read Lehane.

As my other reviews attest, I'm interested in the lone hero in novels (series only, please), an interest awakened by the Jack Reacher novels of Lee Child and Coben's Myron Bolitar series as well as other excellent novelists (see my other reviews). In the Reacher novels, all aspects of the hero (consistent values, propensity for violence, temptation, etc.) are encased in a single hero: Jack Reacher. Harlan Coben splits these characteristics and infuses them into two heroes: Myron Bolitar (values and principles), and Win (our favorite sociopath). Lehane takes this a step further and presents us with a three way split from Jack Reacher: Gennaro (the good), Kenzie (the good mixed with propensity for violence), and Bubba (our favorite sociopath).

When it comes to Noir, you can't get any better than Dennis Lehane. And if you're interested in this genre, do take the time to read the works of Andrew Vacchs (start at the beginning folks!). Outstanding in their own right and as good, if not better than Lehane's Kenzie and Gennaro series.

If you've read this review of the Kenzie and Gennaro books, than you've read them all. His work will keep you up late into the night, reading, when you should be sleeping and getting ready for work.(less)

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Jun 18, 2012 Karolyn Sherwood rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobooks

I find it interesting to read an early work by an author after you've read their later work. I'm a big fan of Dennis Lehane, and I have read/seen Mystic River, Shutter Island, Gone Baby Gone, and now this one, Darkness, Take My Hand, which was written in 1996. This is the second in Lehane's Kenzie-Gennaro detective series. I nearly put the rest of my life on hold while reading this book, but it didn't quite reach the level of Shutter Island. There were many beautiful, dramatic passages in this n...more I find it interesting to read an early work by an author after you've read their later work. I'm a big fan of Dennis Lehane, and I have read/seen Mystic River, Shutter Island, Gone Baby Gone, and now this one, Darkness, Take My Hand, which was written in 1996. This is the second in Lehane's Kenzie-Gennaro detective series. I nearly put the rest of my life on hold while reading this book, but it didn't quite reach the level of Shutter Island. There were many beautiful, dramatic passages in this novel describing the weather, or voices, or friendship... dramatic right up to the tipping point of being overwritten. I wonder how Lehane views his writing in this novel today.

Point of note: I listened to this book via audible.com performed by Jonathan Davis, so I will try to separate my opinion of the reading from my opinions on Lehane's story. (For the record, Davis' performance was solid, gritty, emotional, but slightly overdone when it comes to the characters' accents and the direction of "he said" or "she said." Often times Davis held on to those phrases too long and they became cumbersome.)

First opinion: Don't give this book to your grandmother for Christmas. Brutal, gruesome, violent, and sadistically evil, are all appropriate adjectives for the work. There are also a few steamy sex scenes, but those pale in comparison to the violence committed by multiple characters. The degree to which Lehane takes the horribleness is, of course, his call, but it was a bit tough for me. I thought during this book that Lehane is probably a fan of Stephen King. That being said, the plot was gripping and compelling, and I didn't know "whodunit" until Lehane wanted me to—he skillfully dropped hints and suggestions to make the reader suspect multiple characters as possibilities. Also, I admire the way he drew out the ending. Too often the end of some novels wrap up too quickly, like the writer is tired of the story and just wants to finish the book. Lehane's "bad guy" is bad until the very end.

Second opinion: Anyone who loves a gritty, gripping mystery will love this book, even if "cellular phones" were a novelty back then. Lehane does an excellent job with his characters, making them sympathetic, flawed, brave and scared in equal parts, and emotional to the point of being quite real—at least they felt real to me—I've never actually met serial killers or even detectives. Lehane is also one of the best writers when it comes to ending chapters with hangers: time and again I would say, "I'll just read till the end of this chapter," but Lehane would drop some enticing clue that compelled me to keep reading.

Not only do I give this book 4 Stars, I'm going to read another Lehane book as soon as possible.

(less)

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Sep 02, 2011 David rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is the second Dennis Lehane book that I have read, and I have been impressed that Lehane can mix beauty and brutality together in such a powerful way. Much of the descriptions in Lehane's books would turn into crass, stomach turning dreck at the hand of other authors (i.e. Charlie Huston). With Lehane, violence is a part of the world he depicts, but he writes about it with the same power and beauty that he uses to portray relationships. But let's face it: there is a lot of brutality in Leha...more This is the second Dennis Lehane book that I have read, and I have been impressed that Lehane can mix beauty and brutality together in such a powerful way. Much of the descriptions in Lehane's books would turn into crass, stomach turning dreck at the hand of other authors (i.e. Charlie Huston). With Lehane, violence is a part of the world he depicts, but he writes about it with the same power and beauty that he uses to portray relationships. But let's face it: there is a lot of brutality in Lehane's books.

"Darkness, Take My Hand" is the followup to "A Drink Before the War" in the Kenzie-Gennarro series. The first book was a powerful debut, that I found riveting. "Darkness" contains a great deal of the same elements that made the book so great: descriptions of Boston, interesting characters (especially Bubba) a good plot, and beautiful writing. Kenzie and Gennarro are not all-knowing, never-do-wrong detectives. They are blue collar, they fight with each other, make mistakes and get scared -- really scared. It makes the book quite realistic.

Like many good detective novels, "Darkness" begins with a woman who has a problem. And, like many good detectives novels, we soon find that the woman is not being exactly straight. The plot unwinds at a good pace until things move from what looks like harrassment to an all-out battle with a number of villians. As with the first book, the ending is explosive and gripping.

Speaking of villians, there are a few too many. Lehane has a good idea that was used also by Michael Connelly in "The Scarecrow". However, there are a few too many relationships, too many villians and too many victims. Lehane unfurls the plot in a way so that these make sense, but at the end, it doesn't seem too realistic. The reader, in my opinions, ends up asking too many "yeah, but how did so and so get away with this for so long?" and "could that person really have that much influence over another person?" Once questions are asked, the plot seems a bit untenable.

Aside from the plot, there are a lot of good elements. The life of born-and-bred Boston natives is dscribed well. Characters from the first book are back. Bubba is his same, old violent self, but other characters go through some changes. At the end, we are ready for the next book in the series. "Sacred", here we come.(less)

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Apr 02, 2011 Erin (PT) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Erin (PT) by: Andre Braxton

Shelves: mainstream, mystery, series, thriller

I feel like I have a much longer review that I want to write--and hopefully, I will--but the Reader's Digest version is that Lehane produced another sharp, page-turner that shows more of the lyrical touches I saw in Shutter Island without losing the voice that is so specific to these protagonists. Darkness is another story that could have gone terribly wrong, this time with sexuality and sexual orientation, rather than race, but Lehane has both a light touch and no-nonsense approach that is both...more I feel like I have a much longer review that I want to write--and hopefully, I will--but the Reader's Digest version is that Lehane produced another sharp, page-turner that shows more of the lyrical touches I saw in Shutter Island without losing the voice that is so specific to these protagonists. Darkness is another story that could have gone terribly wrong, this time with sexuality and sexual orientation, rather than race, but Lehane has both a light touch and no-nonsense approach that is both pitiless and feels, at the same time, without judgement. Though I think Lehane has ideas that he wants to communicate and transmit through his stories, they feel humanist, rather than bogged down in the specifics of any one identity.

Similarly, I think Lehane has a very understated way of showing and talking about class (with its intersection with poverty and relative morality brought about thereof) that...is possibly too subtle for a lot of readers, especially readers so far outside that experience, that realm, but that reads both realistically for me and sets this series apart from other offerings that seem to do a lot more pearl clutching and tongue clucking. And, while on the one hand, I dread--a little bit--further exploring a universe so claustrophobic with darkness that so little light seems to penetrate at all...on the other hand, I'm excited to see what those few rays illuminate.

My one big complaint about the series so far is that I really hate when I'm presented with a female character that I feel as though the author wants me to like her but, at the same time, how she's written prevents me from liking her, much or at all. I want very much to like Angie; it seems clear to me that Lehane is as much in love with her as Patrick...and yet, I find her both an opaque character and a fairly unlikeable one and it's very frustrating. I feel like both books so far suffer a bit from the idea that no one is quite as clever as Patrick, but that problem seems especially glaring to me with Angie, who is supposed to be his partner and presumable equal...and yet brings nothing (that I see) to the table that Patrick doesn't. As well, the fact that she's often/usually set up as the naysayer against Patrick's soft heart doesn't make her any more endearing. And while I can posit that some (or all) of her opacity comes from the fact that Patrick is dumb as a bag of hammers when it comes to Angie, and possibly sees her more ideally than 'reality' (there's a fully developed character in there, really!), the books (so far) are in first person POV through Patrick's eyes, and unless that changes, I'm not sure how my viewpoint on her can change, either.(less)

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Oct 03, 2009 Sean rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Everybody

Shelves: 2009, college, fiction, mystery-thriller

Easily one of the best and scariest mystery novels ever written.

Those of you who know me —or my writing— are aware of my intimate relationship with hyperbole. I love saying "This is one of the best ____ ever" or "One of the greatest _____ of all time." This time, I really, really mean it. You can choose to take what I say with a grain of salt, that's entirely your choice, but I am 100% serious, 0% hyperbolic when I tell you that Dennis Lehane's Darkness, Take My Hand is among the best detective...more

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Jan 11, 2013 Philip rated it 3 of 5 stars

An OK thriller but sure nothing special. I read "A Drink Before the War" and thought the first half was fabulous, loaded with all sorts of hilarious quips and dialogue and then it turned into an everyday run of the mill mystery thriller with all the familiar elements. Good enough reading, though that it made me want to try another in the series. I read all sorts of reviews of "Darkness, Take My Hand" and I really was not expecting what I have just read. I mean I was given to believe that the hum...more

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Oct 03, 2010 Sue rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Fantastic book, really really well written. There were scenes when I just couldn't put it down, then I'd get a breath, and then it would start all over again! Things unfolded clearly, and I enjoyed how the childhood memories were slowly unravelled and worked into the plot. There are only two reasons I gave this four stars instead of five: all things are nicely wrapped up in the end, but one resolution made me sad. I wanted to slap a character and scream how selfish she was. So that's not really...more

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Mar 27, 2010 Andre rated it 3 of 5 stars

It is easy to see Dennis Lehane's growth as an author while reading Darkness, Take My Hand. All of the characters are much more fully developed than in A Drink Before the War. Their relationships with each other have grown. One of the pitfalls of many series is that the authors develop one or two relationships as the series progresses, but all relationships change over time. Lehane did a masterful job of developing and changing all of the relationships between Patrick, Angie, Bubba, Devin, and O...more It is easy to see Dennis Lehane's growth as an author while reading Darkness, Take My Hand. All of the characters are much more fully developed than in A Drink Before the War. Their relationships with each other have grown. One of the pitfalls of many series is that the authors develop one or two relationships as the series progresses, but all relationships change over time. Lehane did a masterful job of developing and changing all of the relationships between Patrick, Angie, Bubba, Devin, and Oscar. In this novel, these people are very real.

In Darkness, Take My Hand, the author delves deep into dark moral depravity and pure evil. This novel was very much what I had thought and hoped The Dark Knight would be as a film. This book succeeded where that movie failed.

Lehane's writing is intense. There are no down times. Instead, there is a good mix of action with mental tension. Even though the entire novel is written in the first person from Patrick's point of view, we are able to get into all these people's heads and see who they really are, what they are really about. This seems to be Lehane's greatest strength as a writer.

Also, this novel was able to explore homosexuality in a very real way. Much like he handled race and racism in A Drink Before the War, Lehane was able to put the characters into positions that forced them to deal with and acknowledge thoughts and emotions that normally never rise above the subsconscience. This is a quality that makes him stand out among many other writers.

There were two things, though, that diminished the novel in my eyes. Ironically, the first is the result of Lehane putting us into his characters' heads. I figured out the identity of the killer less than halfway through. I thought it was too obvious, and every clue thereafter only confirmed what I already knew.

The other was worse; it was a bad decision that I do not feel the character would have made. It wasn't The Talented Mr. Ripley bad, but it was bad nonetheless. Without spoiling, I can say that photos of unidentified people found in a suspect's dwelling would have been shown to Patrick and Angie. That was a big mistake. Darkness, Take My Hand, was no less than a four-star book without it.(less)

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Jun 22, 2012 Willem van den Oever rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: in-english, thriller-mystery

While “A Drink before the War” – the introduction to detective duo Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro – was a fine thriller, the narrative was a little too action oriented, leaving the characters gasping for air as, though well developed, they couldn’t really come to life.
“Darkness, Take My Hand” is one of those rare books, the second in a series, that takes the basic elements from the first book, politely seems to say “thanks for that” and turns it into something much greater and more intense an...more While “A Drink before the War” – the introduction to detective duo Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro – was a fine thriller, the narrative was a little too action oriented, leaving the characters gasping for air as, though well developed, they couldn’t really come to life.
“Darkness, Take My Hand” is one of those rare books, the second in a series, that takes the basic elements from the first book, politely seems to say “thanks for that” and turns it into something much greater and more intense and better than its previous installment.

In “Darkness, Take My Hand”, Kenzie and Gennaro are contacted by a psychologist who has received a mysterious envelope containing photo’s of her son, Jason. Fearing for his health, she asks the detectives to keep an eye out on him. Soon, the two discover that the threat could’ve come from the hardest gangsters of Boston, the Irish mob.
But as soon as Kenzie and Gennaro start digging into this case, the horribly mutilated body of an old childhood friend of Patrick Kenzie is discovered. Upon closer inspection, the victim shows wounds remarkably similar to a cold case dating back almost twenty years ago. A killer, dormant for so many years, seems to have awoken to continue his attacks on the neighborhood. And the detectives fear Jason might be next on the list of the murderer.

Much of the suspense this time around is due to psychological tension as much as it is to physical action. Though numerous descriptions of horrific crimes pass by throughout “Darkness, Take My Hand”, writer Dennis Lehane doesn’t rely on them to make his tale sensational or thrilling. These horrors could have been an easy way out at any given point, but Lehane forces himself to be as great a writer as he can be, putting character development before action-sequence. He really gets into Kenzie’s head, unveiling what makes this character tick, which impressions of his past have left their marks on him throughout the years. Which is done wonderfully. From a dark, wisecracking detective, Kenzie now really becomes a wholesome character; horribly flawed, yet brilliantly penned down and the anchor of the entire story.
Evil, in this book, isn’t something that inhabits a character simply to drive the plot forward. Evil is something grown inside of a character over a great number of years, through hard streets, tough neighborhoods, bad upbringing, discrimination and violence. And any person within these pages isn’t all good or all evil; they’ve all been influenced by the darkness lingering in this world.

The other aspect of this book that keeps the readers on the edge of his or her seat and gasping for more, is Lehane’s extremely tight plotting. This book, with its numerous cast members, double-crosses and plot twists, could have easily become a gigantic mess. Whole chapters could have been forgotten, drowned in the details and the side-steps Lehane has to make from time to time.
But nothing is lost, nothing forgotten whilst reading. Other (thriller-)writers should take note: Lehane knows how to keep a complicated plot afloat, interesting and understandable at all times; only improving further on the huge joy it is to read this novel.
As far as thrillers go, they don’t come much better than “Darkness, Take My Hand”.(less)

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Jan 23, 2008 Darin Strachan rated it 4 of 5 stars

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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May 05, 2012 Michael McLean rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mysteries

Wow. Dennis Lehane is one helluva writer. If you've sampled Mystic River or Shutter Island you know he can twist a plot with the best of them and develop characters that can frighten you and characters you'd like to have a shot and a beer with. You also know that he can create a sense of time and place, especially place, like few others. Lehane makes the Boston neighborhoods of Dorchester, Southie, and others live and breathe.

In Darkness Take My Hand he gives us a pair of private eyes, Patrick a...more

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About Dennis Lehane

Dennis Lehane (born Aug 4th, 1966) is an American author. He has written several novels, including the New York Times bestseller Mystic River, which was later made into an Academy Award winning film, also called Mystic River, directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, and Kevin Bacon (Lehane can be briefly seen waving from a car in the parade scene at the end of the film). The...more

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A Drink Before the War (Kenzie & Gennaro, #1)

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Quotes from Darkness, Take My Hand

“But I often think we talk way too much in this society, that we consider verbalization a panacea that it very often is not, and that we turn a blind eye to the sort of morbid self-absorption that becomes a predictable by-product of it.” — 9 people liked it

“...I once again felt an odd flush of admiration for my partner's faith in a religion I had long ago abandoned. She doesn't advertise it or announce it at every turn, and she has nothing but scorn for the patriarchal hierarchy that runs the church, but she nevertheless holds firm to a belief in the religion and ritual with a quiet intensity that can't be shaken.” — 2 people liked it

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Darkness, Take My Hand (Kenzie & Gennaro #2)

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