Moonlight Mile

Starred review from February 7, 2011
It's been 11 years since we've seen Boston private detectives Patrick Kenzie and Angie Gennaro and, although they're now married with a four-year-old daughter, the years have not been kind. The couple is plagued by money troubles, depression, and regret over a decision Patrick made 12 years ago in the course of the novel Gone, Baby, Gone. Having found the kidnapped Amanda McCready, he elected to return her to her drug-addicted mother rather than leave her in the care of the considerably more benign kidnappers, a loving elderly couple. Now Amanda has gone missing again, and, to Angela's dismay, Patrick postpones a well-paying job to search for the girl. Jonathan Davis captures Angie's bitterness; the youthful, yet coldly efficient delivery of the brilliant teenage Amanda; the growl of the friendly sociopath Bubba and assorted others, including a genial, self-amused Russian mobster. But his finest achievement is his voice for Patrick, the narrator. It's world-weary, very definitely Bostonian, and conveys a strength of character that suggests the task he's set for himself may not be as impossible as it appears. Fans of the series should be more than pleased. A Morrow hardcover.

Lehane returns to characters Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro, last heard in 1999 in PRAYERS FOR RAIN. Narrator Jonathan Davis hits the accents hard so there's no mistaking that Patrick and Angie haven't strayed far from their Boston roots. In fact, an old case ignites Patrick's passionate sense of justice, and he's back in the game of chasing gangsters and thieves. Davis keeps listeners on track, but the unfortunate choice of a heavy-handed accent for Patrick's interior narrative is consistently jarring. Lehane's elegant, crisp writing, sharp wit, and great characters are not obscured, but a lighter touch with the ever-challenging Boston accents would have made this more memorable listening. R.F.W. (c) AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine

September 15, 2010

In 1998's Gone, Baby, Gone, Boston PI Patrick Kenzie rescued a four-year-old kidnapping victim and returned the child to her neglectful mother over partner and lover Angela Gennaro's objections. That decision ended the couple's professional and romantic relationship, although they briefly reunited in Prayers for Rain. In the 12 succeeding years, Lehane wrote several acclaimed stand-alone titles (e.g., Shutter Island; Mystic River) and his first historical novel, The Given Day. Yet the haunting conclusion of Gone, Baby, Gone obviously resonated with the author, as the result is this satisfying sequel. Now a freelance investigator for a white-shoe law firm, Patrick knows he was legally right but morally wrong in his actions years ago, but he and Angie, now married and raising a young daughter, don't discuss the Amanda McCready case. That is, until Amanda's aunt asks for Patrick's help in finding her missing (again) niece, who has grown into a brilliant but aloof 16-year-old. This time, he and Angie are determined to do the right thing by Amanda. VERDICT Longtime readers will appreciate how Lehane's protagonists have believably aged. Fatherhood has mellowed Patrick, but he's not above inflicting a little pain with the help of sidekick Bubba. Temporarily a stay-at-home mom, Angie misses the hard-edged excitement of her old life. A few false notes involve some cartoonish Russian villains, but the resolution, while sad to series fans, makes perfect sense. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 6/15/10.]--Wilda Williams, Library Journal

Copyright 2010 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 15, 2010

A modern master of suspense revives the series that initially earned him a hard-core following.

Before Lehane attracted a lot more attention through the film adaptation of his Mystic River (2001) and then made a major literary leap with The Given Day (2008), the author had built a loyal fan base through a series of detective novels featuring Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro. In this sequel to Gone, Baby, Gone (1998), they are no longer partners as Boston private investigators but a married couple with a four-year-old daughter. Patrick freelances for a venerable firm that caters to the city's power elite, where he wrestles with the morality of his work but hopes for a full-time job. While Angie finishes grad school, they are all but broke. Twelve years earlier, they'd been racked by the case of a kidnapped four-year-old, Amanda McCready, when they rescued her from a couple who only wanted the best for her and returned her to her unfit mother. Now Amanda has disappeared again, and Patrick must decide whether to revisit a case that had caused his estrangement from Angie for over a year, and which now could threaten their domesticity and their daughter. As a return to earlier form for Lehane, the novel lacks the psychological depth and thematic ambition of his recent work, but its wise-cracking dialogue, page-turning (though convoluted) plot and protagonists who are all the more likable for their flaws extend the addictive spirit of the series. "When your daughter asks what you stand for, don't you want to be able to answer her?" Angie challenges her husband. To do so, he becomes enmeshed with the Russian Mob, shifting allegiances and a wise-beyond-her-years, 16-year-old Amanda, who rubs his nose in the aftereffects of his earlier involvement with her. By the breathless climax, it may appear that this book is the last in the series. But Lehane has fooled us before.

Welcome back.

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October 1, 2010
In this sequel to Gone, Baby, Gone (1998), PI team Patrick McKenzie and Angie Gennaro, now married and the parents of a toddler, are contacted by Amanda McCreadys grandma. Amanda was 4 when she was kidnapped, and Patrick and Angie went all out to find the child. Now Amanda is 16 and has again gone missing. Her drug-addict mother and abusive stepfather are totally uncooperative, but Patrick manages to glean some clues from Amandas tony high-school classmates. Patrick, still haunted by the ethical dilemma he unleashed by taking Amanda from the loving family that kidnapped her only to return her to her neglectful mother, is totally invested in finding her againat the expense of an offer for a cushy but soulless job with a prestigious law firm. An older Patrick may have lost a step physically, but he is incredibly cool under pressure and still able to toss off the most cynically funny dialogue. Hardened Russian mobsters provide ample comic relief as well as plenty of mayhem in this exciting and fast-paced read. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: It has been 11 years since Lehanes last installment in the acclaimed Boston mystery series featuring private investigators Patrick McKenzie and Angie Gennaro; this new entry is sure to be highly anticipated.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)