Patrick Kenzie has lost some enthusiasm for his work since Angela Gennaro left their partnership.

He's hired by Karen Nichols to stop a stalker from bothering her.

Patrick and his pal, Bubba, scare off the attempted assailant. Then, thinking that the job is done, he goes about his business. When he recieives a call from Karen, a bit later, he doesn't think it's anything urgent and doesn't return the call.

When he sees the news that Karen has committed suicide, Patrick is ashamed that he didn't care enough to call her back.

He gets Angela to join him and recreates Karen's life, from the time he last saw her, to the time of her death.
What he finds is a plot that someone created to destroy Karen's life and her will to live.

Lehane tells an intriguing story about the depths to which a person can sink and how hopelessness can change a person's life. Variations of this theme have been told in the past, but Lehane does the job well and brings the reader into finding the reasons why and what outcome will happen.

Patrick and Angela have a special manner between them. Their conversations together and with other characters are unique and make them people that the reader wants to know more about.

This was a most enjoyable, stand alone, thriller. ( )

I did not want to say goodbye to Patrick and Angie, so it took some time for me to pick this book up off of my shelves and get to reading. I finally mustered up the courage to put on my big girl pants and I was instantly entrapped. This is by far the most twisted and disturbing of the Kenzie/Gennaro mysteries, but it was a fun ride and a proper send-off for the smart-ass pair.

Good stuff, yeah. ( )

This is the final book in the Kenzie/Gennaro series. Lehane does a wonderful job of pulling the reader into the mind games being played by the 'evil' guy in this story. I must admit that I was confused about exactly what was going on in the story just like Patrick. Even though the story doesn't have a happy-ever-after ending, I think readers will be glad about how Patrick, Angie, and Bubba end up at the conclusion of the story. Enjoy!! ( )

Prayers for Rain has been in my TBR pile for quite a while--several years at least. Surely not since 1999, though my copy is a new, non-remaindered hardcover, so probably since 2000. I don't feel that bad about leaving it there, because there are still no new Kenzie/Gennaro stories, and it's a bit sad knowing I've read the last one in my TBR pile.

The series is about PI Patrick Kenzie, his complex professional/romantic relationship with his partner Angie Gennaro, and their psychotic but extremely loyal pal Bubba Rogowski.

This 5th book in the series starts with Kenzie & Gennaro split up, both personally and professionally, and Patrick's not taking it well, reevaluating his life as Angie had. A young woman comes to him for help with a simple stalker, and he solves the problem without breaking a sweat, or even seeing her again.

Six months later, the same young woman, who'd been the epitome of "sweet girl next door", has committed suicide. The fact that she'd called him 3 months earlier and he'd forgotten to get back to her makes Patrick curious, so he starts to check things out. The more he learns, the more curious he becomes.

Before long, he's enlisted Angie & Bubba's help, and they find themselves afoul of the local mob, and embroiled in a case that's looking more sinister by the minute.

It's dark, with no easy answers, and Kenzie's brand of solution is always satisfying--violence when necessary, but always with a psychological angle, never pointless brute force. There's also humor in the darkness, like Bubba complaining when he doesn't get to just blow something up.

What grabs me about this, and the other books in the series, are the complex characters. We get the motivations of everyone, not just the main characters, and they all ring true. And yes, I've really enjoyed the ups and downs of the Kenzie/Gennaro relationship. It's not a sweet, HEA one, but it sucked me in.

I guess I'll have to break down now and get Lehane's non-series books. I'm assured they're just as good, though having seen the movie version of Mystic River, I'm a little wary of reading it. ( )

The fifth, and presumably last, Kenzie and Gennaro story, Prayers for Rain was right up there with the rest of the series. Lehane is violent and doesn't sugar-coat his heroes. Instead, they make mistakes, do questionable things, and suffer the consequences - physical and psychological. As is usual, Lehane's plotting is crisp and the characters are fantastic. But what really shines is his writing. It's lyrical and horrific at the same time. Fair warning, though. He doesn't pull any punches when describing the violence Patrick and Angela experience.

Recommended, but for best effect, start with the beginning of the series. ( )