“Powerful and raw, harrowing, and unsentimental.”
—Washington Post Book World
“Chilling, completely credible….[An] absolutely gripping story.”
—Chicago Tribune
“Mr. Lehane delivers big time.”
—Wall Street Journal
In Gone, Baby, Gone, the master of the new noir, New York Times bestselling author Dennis Lehane (Mystic River, Shutter Island), vividly captures the complex beauty and darkness of working-class Boston. A gripping, deeply evocative thriller about the devastating secrets surrounding a little girl lost, featuring the popular detective team of Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro, Gone, Baby, Gone was the basis for the critically acclaimed motion picture directed by Ben Affleck and starring Casey Affleck, Ed Harris, and Morgan Freeman.
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"About a quarter through this book, the narrator begins describing a prior case he and Gennaro solved and I had a moment when I thought, "No! How could I have started this in the middle of the series!" I was genuinely upset because Lehane is such a good writer and, had I known, I would have started at the beginning of the Kenzie/Gennaro books. His wordsmithery and characters elevate what could be a typical potboiler. It got a little twisty at the end for my tastes, but still found it satisfying and will continue to pick up Lehane books when I see them. (P.S. Haven't seen the movie yet, so I can't compare them.) (P.P.S. It's depressing as hell, by the way.)"
— Laura (4 out of 5 stars)
“Gone, Baby, Gone is a tough, true, powerful story written by a stunningly good novelist, one of our very best.”
— James Patterson, #1 New York Times bestselling author“Complex and unsettling…Lehane tackles corruption in many forms as he brings his complicated plot to its satisfying resolution, at the same time leaving readers to ponder moral questions about social and individual responsibility long after the last page is turned.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review)“The completely credible scenes of sadness, destruction, and betrayal…in the final pages of this absolutely gripping story have the inevitability of life and the dazzling beauty of art.”
— Amazon.com, editorial review“The wrenching portrait of a bent cop whose instincts are admirable but whose actions are appalling only adds to the emotional impact of this grim, utterly unsentimental blue-collar tragedy.”
— Booklist“A tense, edge-of-your-seat story about a world that is astoundingly cruel and unbearably violent to its most innocent members…Recommended.”
— Library Journal“Darkly and extravagantly imagined, full of harrowing action sequences and shamelessly emotional highs and lows nobody else would have dared to invent.”
— Kirkus Reviews (starred review)" Good book but pretty disturbing "
— Matthew, 2/16/2014" A dark, intense and horribly sad novel from easily one of my faves. It is unreal how often I cringed while reading and almost regret not reading it prior to being a Father. either way whether you have read the previous Kenzie/Gennaro books or not i recommend it 100%. Very good. Any book that leaves me thinking well after completion is a worthwhile read. "
— Chris, 2/15/2014" Grim, violent, and awesome though I kept imagining Casey Affleck in the story for some strange reason. "
— Myke, 2/10/2014" The Kenzie/Gennero series are awesome!! "
— Angie, 2/8/2014" Good book, but nothing I would read again. "
— Cheryl, 1/31/2014" A little high on the profanity but it actually kept me guessing nearly tell the end. "
— Kellee, 1/30/2014" I didn't realize until 10 pages into the book that this was part of a series, but I decided to keep reading it anyway. I really enjoyed this book...I never saw the movie so it was all new to me. I was able to keep up with the character stories that seem to span the full series but the actual case was contained to this book. It really made me want to read the whole series...but now the dilemma is to I move on to the next one or do I start at the beginning!?!?! "
— Marili, 1/27/2014" I loved this series. I read it many times over. But this one was too much for me. Whenever I read the series again I skipped this book because it was too gruesome. Just waaaaay too much. "
— Tracy, 1/19/2014" A tough mystery. Hard to put down. "
— Peter, 1/6/2014" keeps u on the edge of your seat great read "
— Pauline, 12/26/2013" The best in the series. Head and shoulders above the rest, and I LOVED the rest. A towering work. A classic. His magnum opus. "
— Jim, 11/21/2013" you cant go wrong with Dennis Lehane he is such a wonderful story teller and I love his characters. Highly recommend this series "
— Linda, 11/4/2013" A page turner but a depressing book... major surprises all the way to the last 4-6 pages. "
— Jacqueline, 10/29/2013" Better than the movie...great mystery/crime novel with twists. "
— Beth, 10/4/2013" I liked it. But it's such a hard subject matter to say that I LOVED it. Lehane's a great writer, and the story was well crafted, and the characters were interesting to read. Good book! "
— Joy, 3/24/2013" Starts kind of slow, but once you get past the first 15 or 20 pages, the rest goes fast. Quality read and great characters. "
— Gina, 2/26/2013" This is the first book by Dennis Lehane that I've read. I think I've found my new favourite author. "
— trineeE, 2/25/2013" I have a crush on Dennis Lehane. "
— Catherine, 12/24/2012" Good book!!! Keeps you interested throughout. "
— Kristen, 10/13/2012" it's good--but the movie is actually better. "
— Lisa, 9/24/2012" Absolutely riveting, engaging, and ultimately, heart-breaking. "
— Erin, 6/8/2012" the book was better than the movie, but like the movie it makes you question how you would react, and what actions or lack there of you could live with. "
— Terri, 4/22/2012" This wasn't his best book - although it did make for a great movie "
— Ted, 1/26/2012" Part of Lehane's mystery series, this was the book that changed the characters lives forever. Interesting choice to turn THIS one into a movie, as what happens has more impact in the context of the books that came before rather than a stand alone. "
— Sharif, 11/16/2011" This was a rather hard book for me to read due to the subject matter (child abduction/abuse), but it was still a great story (#4 of the series). "
— Lesley, 11/1/2011" I love Dennis Lehane, but this book, and its sequel are my least favorite. It is more emotionally raw but less enjoyable as a result. "
— Jeremy, 10/19/2011" One of the best books that I have recently read. The characters are immense and there is precision in the writing, the scenes and storytelling is so absorbing that you can't help but be amazed.. The story is really gripping and you are always waiting for the next thing... Great work! "
— Atikroor, 10/13/2011" Good thriller set in Boston not as good as Mystic River but similar read. "
— Belinda, 10/9/2011" Was pretty good. Had a lot of good moral discussions arise from the plot. Would be a good book for a book club. "
— Michelle, 9/18/2011" had me hooked and at the edge of my seat the whole book. "
— Elizabeth, 8/20/2011" Great read - very well written, but really showed how brutal humans can be. Hard to stomach, but still a great read. "
— Andrea, 8/16/2011" This was the first Dennis Lehane book I read and I was hooked. I'm not sure if it was the plot or the greater Boston setting that got me. His books are violent and graphic but I enjoyed them all. "
— Joan, 8/14/2011Dennis Lehane is the author of numerous novels, including several New York Times bestsellers, as well as a collection of short stories and a play. Mystic River was a finalist for the PEN/Winship Award, and it won the Anthony Award, the Barry Award for Best Novel, and the Massachusetts Book Award in Fiction, given by the Massachusetts Center for the Book.
Jonathan Davis has been inducted into the Audible Narrator Hall of Fame. A three-time recipient and fourteen-time nominee of the Audie Award, he has earned accolades for his narration from the New York Times, Publishers Weekly, the American Library Association, Booklist, the Audio Publishers Association, AudioFile magazine, and USA Today. He has narrated a variety of bestsellers and award-winners for top publishing houses. He also narrated over forty titles of the Star Wars franchise for Lucasfilm Ltd./PRH Audio, including several iconic movie tie-ins, has participated with Star Wars Celebration, and has built a significant fan base. His work as a narrator includes films and programming for National Geographic Television, NOVA, PBS, VH1, and Francis Ford Coppola. He grew up in Puerto Rico and speaks Spanish, Portuguese, and Hebrew.