Seriously, Read a Book!

Hot on the heels of finishing A Drink Before the War, I felt ready for another dose of Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro in my life. Actually, rave reviews for this second volume In Dennis Lehane's detective duo series were what lead me to read the first. After all, what girl can resist a promise of serial murders and Boston days of yore? Not this one. 

The case starts off simply enough, a psychiatrist receives a photograph of her son and a menacing phone call, possibly Mafia associated, and Patrick and Angie are asked to keep an eye on the boy (although I'm not sure that's the term of art for a kid of 19, but just allow it). As you might have guessed, things are not quite so simple, and soon enough our PI duo is calling in the muscle, Bubba Rogowski (who is just such a great character), and meeting up with characters well-known for their homicidal tendencies. These circumstances are especially undesirable given Patrick's (surprisingly health) romantic involvement with a young doctor, Grace, who is the mother of the 4-year-old May.

I have to confess, I had moments of doubt as to whether or not this one could live up to the hype. When Kenzie goes to have a sit down with a psychologically manipulative criminal mastermind behind bars, the Hannibal Lecter trope was laid on so thick that my thoughts went not to Anthony Hopkins, but to Josh Myers, the serial TP'er Officer Barbrady confronts in an episode of South Park.

But, as the strands of the story unfurl I couldn't help but to completely fall into the story, tropes and all. This one's hard to discuss without trodding into some serious spoiler territory, so I'll refrain from saying more. While this certainly felt more like a thrill ride than the last, the eloquence with which Lehane brings it all together has me forgiving any faults along the way. Looks like I'm in this series for the long-haul.