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    Mystic River
    Mystic River
    Mystic River
    Audiobook15 hours

    Mystic River

    Written by Dennis Lehane

    Narrated by Scott Brick

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    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.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperAudio
    Release dateDec 9, 2008
    ISBN9780061805059
    Author

    Dennis Lehane

    Dennis Lehane is the author of thirteen novels—including the New York Times bestsellers Live by Night; Moonlight Mile; Gone, Baby, Gone; Mystic River; Shutter Island; and The Given Day—as well as Coronado, a collection of short stories and a play. He grew up in Boston, MA and now lives in California with his family.

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    Reviews for Mystic River

    4/5

    2,099 ratings72 reviews

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    • 5/5
      My book club chose this book because two of us had heard an interview with Lehane on NPR, in which he read an excerpt. We just had to read the book that the snippet came from. Well, it wasn't what we were expecting, but WOW was it a great book. We really liked his writing style and the way he sets up his characters, but this is a distressing subject matter. Still, highly recommended.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      This is a full 5 out of 5,very well written.
    • 5/5
      This is an excellent story! I Highly recommend. Fantastic writing
    • 4/5
      Disturbing at times.

      But the author is a master at building interesting characters whose edges connect and clash. Keeps you going to the end.
    • 4/5
      Good storyline, kept you guessing or at least second guessing your original opinion.
    • 5/5
      Wonderful descriptive, writing, and insight into human nature. I love the way you think you know what’s going to happen and then you don’t.
    • 5/5
      Exhalent read well worth your time. Narrator was spell binding .
    • 5/5
      It was intriguing and mysterious.Very exciting read!I recommend this book!
    • 3/5
      It was "just ok" for me. I fell asleep on it SEVERAL times, but I can't pinpoint why. I figured out who was guilty really early on, so that definitely made me less motivated to continue reading. I did, however, appreciate the effort of character development. Even though I wasnt that into the book, the characters were deep and life-like.
    • 5/5
      This was a little drawn out but still kept my attention the whole time. Good story!
    • 3/5
      I’m not totally sure how I feel about this book, or this author. This is the second book I’ve listened to by Dennis Lehane, and both have left me wanting. The story itself here was pretty good, overwritten in many places, overly dramatic in others and just too long. Probably could use some good editing!

      I felt no real connection to or empathy for any of the characters who all had somewhat of a cardboard feel to them. This author has a large following with many 5 star ratings. However I, for one, do not think he is such a good writer! Above average, maybe, but nothing approaching greatness!

      The story was all over the place, the characters slippery. He often will suddenly switch the focus from one character to another within a chapter so, if your mind wanders for a moment, you may think we are still talking about one person when, in fact, we have moved on to another.

      The narrator, Scott Brick, does a very good job in his performance of this story.

      In summary, I would say that this story was okay, but far from really great. It more or less held my interest throughout but this may have had more to do with the great narration than to the actual story itself.
    • 5/5
      Very well written, tense, psychological, & disturbing at times.....Keeps you on edge & keeps you guessing! I had also watched the movie quite sometime ago, with great performing actors especially the main three...Kevin Bacon, Sean Penn & Tim Robbins!
    • 4/5
      Slow starter but worth it. Deep subjects and complex characters. Was never that interested in the movie, but might give it a go now.
    • 5/5
      What a brilliant flow this story had. Pretty intense but I hope to read many more books like this one.
    • 5/5
      This story was riveting, real and conveyed so many emotions. The narrator did an excellent job of telling the story and not “reading” it. One of the best books I’ve listened to in a long while!
    • 2/5
      Disappointing. This book picked my interest at the beginning, but became difficult to follow, and even more difficult to finish.
    • 5/5
      Great audio version. Love the narration, well written. Surprisingly good.
    • 5/5
      Suspenseful and incredibly moving. The film adaptation is superb but the book hits deeper. Highly recommend.
    • 1/5
      One of the most depressing and disturbing stories I have ever seen/read. What a waste of time.
    • 5/5
      Well written with many believable characters - one could imagine the small town and people caught in life not of their choosing. Ending left several characters without closure. Though not totally expected, it had to be. Good read.
    • 5/5
      This is such a heartbreaking story, yet so fantastic! The narrator does an amazing job, really drawing you in the the feelings of the characters.
    • 5/5
      I wish I could forget I had listened to this audio-book and start all over again just to experience listening to this book again. The book itself is great but Scott Brick's narration adds so much to it. It brings the story alive. I HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good audio-book.
    • 5/5
      totally dealt with people and sad losses in times of crime
    • 3/5
      Good story but way to much foul language. Took away from the book instead of adding to it.
    • 4/5
      When they are kids, Dave, Sean, and Jimmy play together in the streets of East Buckingham. One day, Dave gets in a car, Sean and Jimmy do not, and everything changes. Twenty five years later, Jimmy is an ex-con who owns a corner store, Sean is a state police detective, and Dave is a bit of a lost soul who has trouble holding a job. One night, Jimmy's 17 year old daughter is brutally murdered, Dave comes home to his wife covered in blood, and Sean catches the case. Past influences, maybe dictates, the present in this moving novel.
    • 5/5
      You can feel the tension in the writing. The characters dance of back and forth to get to the killers. Well written suspenseful novel.
    • 4/5
      Not bad. Frankly, I prefer more of a Frederick Forsyth-type book. That's just my thing. But for what this is, it's very well done, keeps the reader's attention the whole way through, tells a gripping title and is one of the more successful and enjoyable novels of this type of genre. Recommended.
    • 2/5
      An inchoate loaf, I dashed through this, a day before viewing the film. Both sucked. I had heard Lehane on NPR and I appreciated his vision. There are some things I should avoid. Consider me sage.
    • 4/5
      While this is clearly a 'crime novel', it is also a look at life in the lower middle class of Boston's South End area. I knew before starting that this would be dark and gritty (not my usual cup of tea) & it was but Lehane managed to draw me into the lives of Jimmy, Dave and Sean so much that even when I knew that I wouldn't like what was coming, I had to know what happened.Lehane also managed to draw the cops (well, state troopers actually) so that they weren't either the good guys or the bad ones. Sean's boss (& temporary partner) Whitey does some questionable things yet he is clearly not corrupt. Pigheaded perhaps but not really dirty.Finally, the dilemma posed by Dave is one that is still niggling at the back of my mind. Overall, even though this wasn't the style of mystery I like best, Lehane is a good enough writer that I will read more of his books.
    • 5/5
      Three friends-by-circumstance grow up and go their separate ways, until they are drawn together again by the murder of one of their children.This book is terrific for the genre. The characters have depth, and no one is entirely good or entirely bad. There are several red herrings. I did guess the outcome but I was not sure I was right. The atmosphere of the neighborhood is portrayed so well I felt I was there.This is a dark book. The murder is brutal. There is a child abduction and molestation, although, fortunately, that is not graphic.There are no winners in this book, just sad and flawed people whose lives were torn apart long before the murder. The mystery and the atmosphere and characterization all blend together to make this a fascinating story.