This is Dennis Lehane's first novel and you see the promise he showed even back then (early 90s). Like many of his subsequent novels, Lehane sets this one is Boston and features protagonist private detective Patrick Kenzie and his partner, Angela Gennaro.

Boston politics (and the seedy side of politics, police work and street gangs) feature large in this mystery/thriller....Lehane eventually perfected this technique in Mystic River. Here, though, we see him begin to hone his craft with the flawed protagonists. Patrick Kenzie is tough but emotionally scarred (whether he admits it or not) from an abusive childhood. Angela is equally flawed and is one of the more interesting characters Lehane has ever written: a no-nonsense tough gal who, ironically, has remained in a physically abusive marriage for years.

Patrick and Angie find themselves running for their lives while simultaneously trying to do the morally right thing when a detective job they take leads them to massive corruption in state politics. Do they make the right decisions? Each reader is likely to have a different answer....morality is indeed ambiguous, despite our need to see things in black and white.

If you liked Lehane's later novels like Shutter Island and Mystic River, you'll likely enjoy this one as well. These two detectives are featured in an entire series of novels and I liked this one enough to go on and read the subsequent ones.