I think I've read everything Lehane has in print except for "Prayers For Rain" which I will start tomorrow. I'm impressed with the raw explainations and the unsusual simple technique. I don't like reading writers who go off on tangents so Lehane is great for me. I would like to see more books like Mystic River. How bout it Dennis???

ps; Angie is the bomb, but she is totally fictional. No way there will ever be a chic like that. Too bad......

Is your father, Gerald, still alive?

To Jimmy Smith; and anyone else who has read most or all of Lehane's books. Did anyone feel disappointed his first book, A Drink Before War? especially if you read Mystic River first? I did. But it seemed logical, since it was the first. I finished Burn Baby Burn and found it more polished.

hope dennis lehane is still writing, i really enjoy everything he has done, i think he is on the verge of being one of the real masters of our time

Wondering if anyone has backgound info on Teddy Daniels...main character in Shutter Island...is he an ex-cop?

I purchased Shutter Island because I enjoyed both the book and movie version of Mystic River SO much. Shutter Island just blew me away. I was totally taken by surprise by the twists near the end of the book. What a great read! I immediately went to a used book store nearby and bought all of his other books. I'm going to be very busy for the next couple of weeks!

I forgot that Lehane wrote Mystic River. I really liked both the book and the movie. Shutter Island's reviews have me wanting to buy it and it reminded me to look for more from this author. So many books, so little time!

Does anyone else feel a bit peeved that Mr. Lehane has retired Bubba and company? A co-worker introduced me to his series with Kenzie, Gennaro and Bubba and I absolutely got hooked! My co-worker met him at a book reading in Boston and she says he told her those characters were being retired, perhaps permanently. It bugs me because although I understand an author doesn't want to get pigeon-holed with just one set of characters; however, why not write other books whilst keeping these 3 as well? Robert Parker, John Sandiford, Michael Connolly (to name a few) all have their "core" characters, yet they manage to write other books as well to satisfy everyone. Why not Lehane?

I fell in love with Dennis Lehane when I first read Mystic River. I could not put that book down. I just finished reading Gone Baby Gone then rented the movie. I was extremely disappointed. My son even got up and left the room. They changed so many things and left so much out. In the book Angie is tough and always there, she looked like a timid dummy in the movie. Plus the biggest disappointment for me was changing Cheese Olaman from a pasty white man, hence how he got the name to an African American. I adore his books, but despise the movies. I hope one director gets it right if they plan another movie.

I'm not sure about Bubba, but Lehane says that Gennaro and Kenzie will return.