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Mystic River by Dennis Lehane
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Mystic River (original 2001; edition 2003)

by Dennis Lehane

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingMentions
5,8401381,701 (4.05)278
Fiction. Literature. Mystery. Thriller. HTML:

The New York Times bestselling novel from Dennis Lehane is a gripping, unnerving psychological thriller about the effects of a savage killing on three former friends in a tightly knit, blue-collar Boston neighborhood.

When they were children, Sean Devine, Jimmy Marcus, and Dave Boyle were friends. But then a strange car pulled up to their street. One boy got into the car, two did not, and something terrible happened ?? something that ended their friendship and changed all three boys forever.

Twenty-five years later, Sean is a homicide detective. Jimmy is an ex-con who owns a corner store. And Dave is trying to hold his marriage together and keep his demons at bay ?? demons that urge him to do terrible things. When Jimmy's daughter is found murdered, Sean is assigned to the case. His investigation brings him into conflict with Jimmy, who finds his old criminal impulses tempt him to solve the crime with brutal justice. And then there is Dave, who came home the night Jimmy's daughter died covered in someone else's blood.

A tense and unnerving psychological thriller, Mystic River is also an epic novel of love and loyalty, faith and family, in which people irrevocably marked by the past find themselves on a collision course with the darkest truths of their own hidden selves… (more)

Member:RoxieF
Title:Mystic River
Authors:Dennis Lehane
Info:Harper Paperbacks (2003), Paperback, 416 pages
Collections:Your library, Favorites
Rating:*****
Tags:mystery, suspense, relationships

Work Information

Mystic River by Dennis Lehane (2001)

  1. 10
    Songs for the Missing by Stewart O'Nan (BookshelfMonstrosity)
  2. 00
    The Strangler by William Landay (KingRat)
    KingRat: Mystic River and The Strangler share common themes of close people growing up to eventually be on opposite sides of the law, with all sorts of mixed loyalties on all sides. Both are set in Boston and have the same hard-boiled feel to them.
  3. 00
    Amagansett by Mark Mills (amyblue)
  4. 00
    Broken Harbour by Tana French (BookshelfMonstrosity)
    BookshelfMonstrosity: Painful childhood memories haunt the detectives of these dark psychological thrillers. Both authors write their respective cities (Boston and Dublin) with realism that augments the flawed, believable characters' struggles. Their secrets and suspicions offer compelling insight into trust in relationships.… (more)
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» See also 278 mentions

English (127)  Greek (3)  Swedish (2)  Spanish (2)  French (2)  Italian (1)  Dutch (1)  All languages (138)
Showing 1-5 of 127 (next | show all)
This book was waaaay too long for the simple story it was telling. I've read similar ones that are told more concisely, even stylistically, and those are far more engaging. The author would hint at making a point, then refer to his hinting for hundreds of pages until something actually happened to make it real or to make it have a consequence. The characters were nearly indistinguishable. Their voices all sounded so similar that I was surprised at dialogue tags indicating it was someone else. This is a bland character study. Somehow I expected far more of a mystery. I wanted to feel emotion for these people, and instead I waited for the book to end. Disliked it, but decided to read the whole thing.. ( )
  iszevthere | Mar 7, 2024 |
I've never seen the film but was always curious about both the book and the film.

Although well written, very depressing and fatalistic in a negative way. ( )
  monicaberger | Jan 22, 2024 |
Life, as Dave had known it, died when he got into that car. Jimmy and Sean were lucky.

Hard to read as a father of a girl myself. I could very much feel what Jimmy was going through. And I don't really even fault him for what he did. It's not an easy predicament, even though Dave didn't deserve it.

A very good book that I'm glad I read, even though I had already seen the movie. As good as the film was, this book is even better! The inner thoughts of Dave and Jimmy really make things more clear than the movie did. Life is just never black and white. And it's in the grey area where so many mistakes are made. ( )
  Stahl-Ricco | Sep 26, 2023 |
Goed verhaal en een grandioos geschetste sfeer. ( )
  Subhome | Aug 31, 2023 |
https://www.instagram.com/p/CwgfSNsLSjg/

Dennis Lehane - Mystic River: The pacing bothered me (as did 1/2 of the ending), and yet Lehane is a master at creating thoughtful characters. #cursorybookreviews #cursoryreviews ( )
  khage | Aug 28, 2023 |
Showing 1-5 of 127 (next | show all)
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» Add other authors (11 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Lehane, Dennisprimary authorall editionsconfirmed
Fischer, Andreasecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Kuipers, HugoTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Kuipers, NienkeTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Stignani, FrancescaTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
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Original title
Alternative titles
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Related movies
Epigraph
[He] did not understand women. It wasn't the
way bartenders or comedians didn't understand
women, it was the way poor people didn't
understand the economy. You could stand
outside the Girard Bank Building every day of
your life and never guess anything about what
went on in there. That's why, in their hearts,
they'd always rather stick up a 7-Eleven.
- Pete Dexter, God's Pocket
There is no street with mute stones
and no house without echoes. - Gongora
Dedication
For my wife, Sheila
First words
When Sean Devine and Jimmy Marcus were kids, their fathers worked together at the Coleman Candy Plant and carried the stench of warm chocolate back home with them.
Quotations
You ever think how the most minor decision can change the entire course of your life?
Last words
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
Disambiguation notice
Please distinguish between this 2001 Dennis Lehane novel, Mystic River, and the 2003 movie, directed by Clint Eastwood, of the same name. Thank you.
Publisher's editors
Blurbers
Original language
Information from the Dutch Common Knowledge. Edit to localize it to your language.
Canonical DDC/MDS
Canonical LCC

References to this work on external resources.

Wikipedia in English (1)

Fiction. Literature. Mystery. Thriller. HTML:

The New York Times bestselling novel from Dennis Lehane is a gripping, unnerving psychological thriller about the effects of a savage killing on three former friends in a tightly knit, blue-collar Boston neighborhood.

When they were children, Sean Devine, Jimmy Marcus, and Dave Boyle were friends. But then a strange car pulled up to their street. One boy got into the car, two did not, and something terrible happened ?? something that ended their friendship and changed all three boys forever.

Twenty-five years later, Sean is a homicide detective. Jimmy is an ex-con who owns a corner store. And Dave is trying to hold his marriage together and keep his demons at bay ?? demons that urge him to do terrible things. When Jimmy's daughter is found murdered, Sean is assigned to the case. His investigation brings him into conflict with Jimmy, who finds his old criminal impulses tempt him to solve the crime with brutal justice. And then there is Dave, who came home the night Jimmy's daughter died covered in someone else's blood.

A tense and unnerving psychological thriller, Mystic River is also an epic novel of love and loyalty, faith and family, in which people irrevocably marked by the past find themselves on a collision course with the darkest truths of their own hidden selves

No library descriptions found.

Book description
The book focuses on the stories of three boys who grow up as friends in Boston — Dave Boyle, Sean Devine, and Jimmy Marcus. When the story opens, we see Dave abducted by child molesters while he, Sean, and Jimmy are horsing around on a neighborhood street. Dave is returned home days later, emotionally shattered by his experience. The book then moves forward 25 years: Sean has become a homicide detective, Jimmy is an ex-convict and currently owns a convenience store, and Dave is a shell of a man. Jimmy's daughter disappears and is found brutally murdered in a city park, and that same night, Dave comes home to his wife, covered in blood. Sean is assigned to investigate the murder, and the three childhood friends are caught up in each other's lives again.
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