A Kenzie and Gennaro Novel (Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro Book 6)

Lehane doesn't crank out suspence novels like say Patterson does and the care and time he takes show. I particularly like how he shows both sides of a moral dilemma rather than telling you how to think. He leaves you asking, 'What would I have done?'. He also shows multiple sides of many of the characters. The 'good guys' are flawed and some of the 'bad guys' have their own sense of ethics.

I do think it is very helpful to read, 'Gone Baby Gone' first in order to have a full understanding of this book. That is why I gave it 4 stars rather than 5.

In Moonlight Mile, Lehane attempts to bring closure to both the Kenzie and Gennaro series and arguably their most memorable and controversial case. Twelve years have passed since the events of "Gone, Baby, Gone" and Amanda McCready has gone missing again. Patrick will finally have to defend his controversial actions not only to Angela and his conscience, but to Amanda.

For Lehane fans like myself, this one has been a long time coming - over a decade has passed since the last book in the series. Lehane does a remarkable job bringing the duo into the twenty first century, too. The characters lives have changed the way real people do when tens years have gone by. Lehane doesn't try to pretend that they've spent all this time struggling to make a buck from their free office above a church. Instead he continues their development with the same real-world flair he is know for. They now live in a world of iPads, Twitter, Kindles, and yes - even Twilight.

On the other hand, this book is far shorter than any other in the series. The plot is paper thin and lacks the depth of many of his other books. I've seen more than a few reader reviews online discussing how over-the-top the whole narrative is, but in retrospect every book in the series had some pretty extraordinary moments. It's apparent that ten years away has also changed the author. The characters and humor from the first five books are all there and spot on, but there is an intangible edginess missing from this one. This is the first time I got the feeling from Lehane that a book was written just for the paycheck.

In the end, though, he does provide the reader with a very satisfying conclusion to the series. I can't imagine any fans being upset with the way he closes out Amanda's and ultimately Patrick and Angela's story.

Great entertain
e.t

I hope this book isn't the last for this very compelling group. loved everything about the dialogue, bubba is a very interesting. character that I enjoy very much
. this is the same p

It's been twelve long years since the talented Dennis Lehane released his last blue collar Boston tale of gritty private investigator Patrick Kenzie and his sexy partner and sometimes-squeeze Angela Gennaro in "Gone, Baby, Gone," a blistering and violent drama of child predators. This was the story of four-year old Amanda McCready's kidnap from a criminally neglectful mother, and Kenzie's success in finding Amanda, if only to return her to her drug-addled mom. Now it's twelve years later; Kenzie and Gennaro are married with a four-year old daughter of their own - dedicated and loving parents who Kenzie quips "together resemble a comedian failing an anger-management class." And Amanda, a grown up sixteen year old well beyond her years, has disappeared again. Kenzie, still haunted by his "doing the right thing that was still wrong" in returning Amanda from the loving but well meaning kidnappers to a life of hell with mom Helene, reluctantly agrees to go find her again.

Kenzie and Gennaro's "Moonlight Mile" return is definitely worth the wait - though maybe not 12 years-worth. We find the brash and reckless Patrick Kenzie of a decade ago more serious, conscientious - parental responsibility a tangible weight, magnified by a dismal economy and the resulting shortage of meaningful detective work. Yet the tough guy fans of the series remember remains. As does his bone-crunching, small mountain-sized Bubba, and soon Bubba and the Patrick Kenzie of old are facing down petty thugs swinging lead pipes are warning him off his new search for Amanda. Enter the near-ubiquitous Eastern European mob, brilliantly portrayed in "Yefin," an almost comical, nearly likable gangster would it not be for his blood-soaked legacy. Add to the mix a well drawn enigma in the self-contained and wickedly clever Amanda, a couple of deliciously sleazy foils, and an intelligent and thoughtful plot, flush with moral dilemma, and you've got the classic Lehane of the 90's: gritty, authentic, well-paced, and always entertaining while never leaving that deeper, ominous undertone too far below the testosterone infused surface. Whether he's riffing about his city life - "...jackhammers, the bleat or sirens in the night, 24-hour diners, graffiti, coffee served in cardboard cups, steam exhaled through manhole covers, cobblestone, tabloid newspapers, the Citgo sign...and guys named Sal," or noting the invention of "like" into the omni-word of teenage vocabulary, Lehane can stream prose with the best while keeping bullets flying and pages turning.

You'll need to get past an overdose of mommy-daddy schmaltz, and some thinly veiled political preaching that Lehane must have picked up hanging around the Hollywood crowd (as "Mystic River," "Shutter Island," and "Gone, Baby, Gone" all made it to the big screen). But if you can, you'll find "Moonlight Mile" a well-crafted and thoughtful piece of suspense fiction: provocative and climatic, left with enough ambiguity to hope that we don't have to wait another twelve years to see where Lehane takes Kenzie and Gennaro and this top-shelf series.

Amanda McCready, the now late-teen baby from "Gone, Baby, Gone" has gone missing again. Her Aunt Bea turns to Patrick Kenzie to find her again because, from a moralistic standpoint, he owes a guilt-debt to the girl and those who care about her. With the help of his wife and soul-mate Angie, Patrick sets off single-mindedly to accomplish this redemptive mission.

No disrespect to the accomplished Dennis Lehane, but by a striking publishing coincidence the grown Amanda bears an uncanny resemblance to Lisbeth Salander, Stieg Larsson's Girl Who Did Whatever. Amanda is brilliant but a social cipher. She's a master-hacker and an accomplished creator of stolen identities. She's emotionally cool, unflappable, single-minded and determined. She's everything a heroine of the 21st Century is called upon to be. And, she's being pursued by crazed and ruthless Russians. Substitute Boston for Stockholm and the Berkshires for the Swedish countryside, and you could close your eyes and imagine you're there.

The comparison is not meant to sell "Moonlight Mile" short. It's a well-told tale. Lehane is a great writer and story-teller. His descriptions of places and things are often poetic, and the dialogues of his characters are crisp and compelling. Plot twists are mostly but not entirely unpredictable, and the first-person narrator's voice of Patrick Kenzie is assured and manages to eschew the wise-guy sarcasm that so many writers of crime and mystery fiction seem compelled to adopt. I did, however, find the constant references to movie dialogue and song lyrics to be a bit overdone.

My Palme d'Or: I read the book in a day. I wouldn't say that I couldn't put it down, just that I didn't. That doesn't happen often, and I encourage other readers to take up the task. You'll find it rewarding.

all the Kenzie and Gennaro books so far have been great, but this one was really satisfying since it the stories of Gone Baby Gone. I love the way this guy tells a story, and the way his characters interact. I always love it when Bubba comes into the story. This is a good read.

A while back, the author in an interview indicated he had lost the mindset necessary to revisit Kenzie/Gennaro. This book is proof he found it somewhere. It even has some Robert Parker echoes. A nice page turner, dealing with fallout from an old case. And tho some see this as a conclusion, that is not necessarily the case. A welcome return. The feeling for this one is that our hero was more pawn than knight. Much of the plot was controlled by another. We cannot escape the past, but we must deal with it.

Dennis Lehane is certainly one of the most gifted novelists of our time. The read is a long awaited and welcome return featuring the dynamic duo who have always been particularly powerful one-two punch. It is a great read with all that you would expect and lots of great surprises.

Editorial Entreaty: I know they have a kid and I agree that they would be entitled to lives if they were real. They aren't. So please, please, please put them back on the case(s). Need more Bubba. Need more Angie and Patrick. Don't leave me this way.

I love Lehane's work and the original five Kenzie and Gennaro books are among the most enjoyable I have ever read, so imagine the sense of anticipation when I heard that a sixth book in the series was set to appear, 11 years on from the last. The quality of his previous most recent work, The Given Day, after Mystic River and Shutter Island, just added to the sense of eager anticipation. But I read this in just a couple of days and was left with a real feeling of anti-climax. Maybe it was my fault for expecting too much. It's a fitting enough follow-up to the original K and G books in terms of storyline, but this honestly feels like the kind of thing that Dennis could have dashed off while waiting at traffic lights. I re-read Gone Baby Gone after I had finished this and that is an epic by comparison - like comparing War and Peace to Tolstoy's shopping list. I will always love Kenzie and Gennaro because of the original five books, so I needed to know what happened in this latest outing. But in terms of quality, this is way short of the originals. Hopefully, now he has got that out of the way, Dennis' next project will be a lot more satisfying in literary terms.

Enjoyed book thoroughly and as stated previously, appreciate the excellent condition. Would highly recommend this bookseller. Even though I enjoyed reading this book, I feel that A Given Day by Dennis Lehane was superior.

Sometimes, great success destroys great writers. I can't help but feel that is the case here. I've been a Lehane fan since his first book, A Drink Before the War. Back then, it was well-worth the wait for each subsequent novel. Sadly, Moonlight Mile is a lamentable effort: a recycled plot that doesn't work; cheesy pseudo-dialog that's just embarassing. The book lacks tension, the characters are cartoonish. There's just nothing new, nothing insightful, nothing entirely believable. In other words, everything that made Lehane a writer to admire is missing this time out. Another reviewer has suggested a publishing obligation propelled this effort--and that feels about right. If there are any other publishing obligations outstanding, I'd suggest Mr. Lehane refund the money. In the movie business, when an actor blows off a performance, it is referred to as "phoning it in." The authorial equivalent prevails here. For those of us familiar with Lehane's earlier work, this is beyond disappointing.

One of the best writers in this generation. His Kenzie and Gennaro novels make you wish you could actually meet them, that's how well he develops his characters. I would love to have a friend like Patrick Kenzie. I would definitely want Bubba in my life!

I have the read the entire series and, until this book, have been excellent reads. This book, however, lacked the action of the previous books to the point some parts of it were actually boring. Lehane is a great author and I will continue reading his books.

I love Dennis Lehane's novels and have read everything that he has written with great enjoyment. I was very sorry (years ago) that the Patrick/Angie saga seemed to have ended. This book was a welcome surprise, serving primarily to reorient us to the characters but with a fresh twist in terms of their adjustments to aging and to becoming parents. Lehane's character descriptions are, as always, excellent, and I particularly enjoyed the new characters in this book (the Russian mobsters). That said, there are some discontinuities in the motivations of Patrick and especially Angie (who seemed to be largely a prop here) which are at odds with prior books in the series. In addition, the plot does not really accelerate until the last several chapters and at times, there is a formulaic quality to the writing. The climactic scenes won't disappoint loyal readers, but I wish that the same level of energy had permeated the rest of the book. I hope that this one wasn't written only to become another screenplay.

Couldn't put it down. nice twist on finish. Good interaction between characters. It would be nice if we could just shoot the bad guys and not worry about going to jail.

I ALSO READ FLYNN, THOR, BALDACCI, AND MY FAVORITE SANDFORD. BUT THIS GUY IS CLOSE TO THEM.

If this is really the last case for Patrick Kenzie it is a thoughtful goodbye to one of the great noir detectives and one so rare in today's genre. Lehane's story telling is impeccable and it is tough to put this one down.

Initially, a follow-up book, written twelve years later, to the abduction of four-year-old Amanda McCready, the subject of the author's GONE BABY GONE, seems like a good idea. But, alas, this uninspiring, half-baked book is simply disappointing.

Again, it is Amanda's aunt, Bea, who prevails upon PI Patrick Kenzie to find Amanda, now sixteen, who has been missing for several weeks. Strangely enough, Amanda, wise beyond her years, has dropped out of the private school that she worked so hard to get into and which is her path out the sorry, low-class life of her mother, Helene. As the plot unfolds, Amanda's involvement in a power-struggle between some Russian crime gangs strains credibility to the breaking point.

This is just one of those books that does not "click." It's too rushed, contrived, sketched, etc.

I had heard rumors that the author had denigrated his work on this series. I found this confusing and disappointing, and hoped it was not true. While Mr. Lehane has clearly shown himself capable of other types of writing, this series was extremely well done. And he has outdone himself with this book.

Having grown up in Dorchester, the author understands class conflict and transcending class barriers, one of the underlying themes here. The reader suspects he has also struggled with some of the related moral issues dealt with so well in this book. The dialog rivals Robert Parker and Elmore Leonard in defining the character of the speaker. There is no higher praise in crime fiction.

Read and enjoy.

I was really looking forward to Dennis Lehane's latest take on his Kenzie/Gennaro series, and I was glad to read that he picked up pretty seamlessly on their personal and professional relationships. Coulda used a little more Bubba, though (but's that my take on all these books). Moonlight led me back to re-read the other Kenzie books, always a good thing.

Finally a new Patrick and Angie book. Readers of the books with these two wonderful characters waited much too long for their return. Simply loved the book. Touching, nail-biting yet so humorous. Reading this book was like putting on your favorite, old PJs and fuzzy slippers. I certainly hope the Mr. Lehane understands that his fans love these books and want to continue being a part of the Patrick/Angie escapades. Was not crazy about his other offerings except for Mystic River. A thank you to Mr. Lehane for this amazing read and hoping that there is another in the near future.

I'm a collector of top flight mystery writers and have 1st editions of all of Lehane's early work. I put the series McKenzie/Gennaro series on a par with James Lee Burke's Dave Robicheaux run and Robert Crais' daring duo series. Couldn't believer it when he said he was done with my favorite belfry PIs. Kept up with everything Lehane during the hiatus, fingers crossed for a chance that he'd reconsider. The announcement of MM put me on the moon. Preorder placed, panting expectation followed. Opened to page one eagerly. Disappointment.

Reading this, I found myself whipsawed between anger and sadness laced with several laughs. Yes, it's a page-turner, aided by ample by generous leading and margins to pad out its thinness. Yes, there are some tasty lines here and there. Yes, nice plot twist surprise. BUT... After vowing that he was done with Patrick and Angie and proving himself more than capable of going "literary" with Mystic River etc., Lehane had a choice, IMHO. I hoped he'd emulate JLB, whose lyrical fiction sings when he's not revisiting Dave's latest struggles with his inner demons. Burke shows that you can have it both ways - an ongoing series built around a recurring character who is complicated, morally conflicted and supremely human. Plus, excursions into other realms that hold their individual heads high. And keep selling more and more of both. Bringing back Patrick and Angie with a strong restart would have laid the groundwork for a reenergized fan base and a predictable future revenue stream. A fan base that would support his other ambitions as a writer and allow him time in between new adventures of the maturing PIs. They really aren't cut out to be parents anyway.

Or, he could have left well enough alone; the faithful would just have to reread the golden oldies. Or pick up their story before middle age softness set in and pump out a string of not great but not bad episodes that would feed the demand. But it's not to be; the fork has been inserted and they're done. I hope it was worth it for the big advance, otherwise, I can't fathom why he did it.

My fingers are crossed that Dennis is as good as he apparently thinks he is on a larger fictional canvas. For me, mixed result to date, but I'll hang in for a few more rounds in tribute to the pleasure he's delivered. Oh yes, please negotiate one more movie deal that casts someone with more heft than Casey Affleck as the star, just so we faithful know that you really do care.

Denis Lehane's writing style just seems to suit my reading pleasure perfectly. It is always moving forward, always interesting and has just the right mix of intrigue, mystery, passion and flow.
It was great to revisit Patrick and Angie after a little time off! One of my favorite authors I think it will be an enjoyable read even for 1st time Lehanians!

Angie becoming a social worker while Patrick does
A nine to five investigator job to support their
four year old daughter. Not a bad book but end of the road for the characters we knew from the earlier books.