I watched this movie when it first came out in the theater and I hated it. But since I really enjoyed Shutter Island and Gone Baby, Gone (the movies)I thought I would check Lehane's books out to see if I liked his writing. What I remember annoying me about the movie was that I didn't understand the actions of some of the characters. There are family bonds and small town mentalities that came across in the book that I didn't feel in the movie. As the story wraps up (in the book) I realize what a depressing story this is. I was surprised at Annabeth's reaction to Jimmy telling her the truth and I was disturbed by the fact that Jimmy concludes that he's just a thug and should stop pretending he's not. I don't remember feeling anything for any of the characters when I saw the movie, whereas with the book I was invested in the characters. I was glad for this as I hate reading books where I don't develop any attachment to at least the main characters. It started out pretty sluggish for me and it took me awhile to get into it, but I am glad I decided to give this a whirl. I'll probably read his others at some point.