Darkness, Take My Hand

Kenzie & Gennaro #2

by Dennis Lehane

Title 2 of 6: Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro
🎧Listening Length: 12 hours, 15 minutes

The master of the new "noir," Dennis Lehane magnificently evokes the dignity and savagery of working-class Boston in this terrifying tale of darkness and redemption.

Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro's latest client is a prominent Boston psychiatrist running scared from a vengeful Irish mob. The private investigators know something about cold-blooded retribution. Born and bred on the mean streets of blue-collar Dorchester, they've seen the darkness that lives in the hearts of the unfortunate. But an evil for which even they are unprepared is about to strike as secrets long-dormant erupt, setting off a chain of violent murders that will stain everything--including the truth.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Crime, Thriller, Mystery Thriller, Noir, Detective

400 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 12, 1996

About the author

Dennis Lehane (born Aug 4th, 1966) is an American author. He has written several novels, including the New York Times bestseller Mystic River, which was later made into an Academy Award winning film, also called Mystic River, directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, and Kevin Bacon (Lehane can be briefly seen waving from a car in the parade scene at the end of the film). The novel was a finalist for the PEN/Winship Award and won the Anthony Award and the Barry Award for Best Novel, the Massachusetts Book Award in Fiction, and France's Prix Mystere de la Critique.

Reviews

[Will Byrnes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dennis Lehane - image from The-Talks.com

PIs Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro are drawn into a malestron of violence and danger after a shrink passes along a dark tale of stalking and murder reported by a patient. When the patient's son is threatened the game is afoot. It takes a few twists and turns that lead to killer clowns, crimes of the deep past and years of revenge and psychotic control and planning. Ultra violence permeates. Dark and evil with a taste for cruelty almost kills the team and many around them. A hefty body count and considerable reflection result. Why are we in this life? A good read, tough on the sensibilities. Although it retains his humorous touch, this is a darker read than Lehane's first.


=============================EXTRA STUFF

Links to the author’s personal, Twitter and FB pages

Other books by Lehane I have read/reviewed

Kenzie and Gennaro

-----A Drink Before the War - #1
-----Sacred #3
-----Gone, Baby Gone #4
-----Prayers for Rain #5
-----Moonlight Mile #6

The Coughlin series
-----The Given Day - #1
-----Live By Night - #2
-----Live By Night - #3

[Shelby *trains flying monkeys* · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Darkness," I said, "take my hand. Take Me away from this place." and Darkness did.

It's pretty good for a series when the second book of it is even better than the first. (A Drink Before the War) This book is that. I got really attached to the characters of Angie and Kenzie in the first book and this book cemented that fictional bond. You live in these books when you read them. Not that it's always a good thing, this book crept even my non-feeling ass out.

Kenzie and Angie take a simple case where a psychiatrist thinks she has made a mob family angry. Now she feels that her son is being targeted so she wants my heroes to follow up with the mob guys to see if they will play nice.
I really wasn't in the mood to play cute with a bunch of cut-rate psychopaths who'd seen The Godfather too many times and thought they were respectable.

So they start following her son around just to make sure that no bad guys are lurking in the shadows.


Then once they realize the guy is just a sex fiend and is not being stalked they go to mommy and relay what they find.

Then shit starts to hit the fan. Bodies start piling up. Come to find out there is a serial killer that is back to hunting.
Or as Angie so delicately puts it, The waste management of some formerly animate tissues.


People that Kenzie loves are starting to be targeted. In the first book you are introduced to his memories of his abusive father, we learn more about who his father is in this book. He wasn't just abusive-he was bat-shit crazy.


The investigation into the killings also led to a prison where we get introduced to a character who reminded me of this guy.


Then we have Angie, she is divorcing Phil (who used her as a punching bag for twelve years) and we get to see a different side of Phil than we saw in the first book. I hate you Dennis Lehane, but not many authors can take a character that you absolutely hate and turn him into someone human and that you care about.

So what's up with Bubba (our psycho friend of Kensie and Angie's)..he is pretty much up to what he normally does.
So he finally works up his nerve and gets up from the bar and comes over to the table to try out whatever pathetic pickup line he'd use, and then, then your certifiable mutant friend comes out of nowhere and drags him out of the restaurant by his hair. In full view of thirty people, he banged the man's face off a hydrant several times."

Bubba, you naughty boy. I'm trying to forget what ever happened in one part of this book Bubba, cause you the man and all.


So if you are in for a read that you need to buckle your seat belt for cuz it's going to be a bumpy ride. Pick up this book. It's frigging awesomeness.


PS I know this review does not make a whole lot of sense. I tend to do that on my favorites....fangirling gets in the way.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Posted at Shelf Inflicted

This second book in the Kenzie/Gennaro series is even better than the first. It retains some of the humor of the first, but is considerably darker and more violent. Bubba, the one-man army who cares for no one but Patrick and Angie, has a much more significant role which involves a fire hydrant and a bowling alley. Angie’s abusive ex-husband, Phil, has quit drinking and starts to show his decent side to a point where I actually began to like the guy. Patrick now has a steady girlfriend, his friendship with Angie deepens, and we learn more about his abusive father. Angie and Patrick are hired by a psychiatrist who received a picture of her son in the mail from a stranger and now believes her son is in danger. The psychiatrist mentions a mysterious student who shares Patrick’s last name and is a girlfriend of someone in the Irish mafia.

This case is not so simple. There are lots of twists and turns, more pictures, mysterious and gruesome deaths, the mafia, a convict serving life in prison, a college professor with a secret life, vicious and depraved serial killers, and atrocities from the past tainting the present.

So, after reading this book I had a crazy-ass dream that made me bolt out of bed at 3:00 in the morning, feeling shaky and nauseated. Even after I was fully awake, I swear I could hear people bowling.

In the dream I was walking into my office at work. I saw someone’s head dangling from the suspended ceiling, then I saw an arm hanging off a filing cabinet and a leg in the blue recycle barrel in my office. In the conference room were fingers, toes, and male parts arranged in various shapes on the table. I ran screaming down the hall and into this big dude who looked like Bubba. He was looking for my boss. I told him that my boss was in a meeting all day. He didn’t believe me and wanted me to take him to my office. When I refused, he yanked my arm hard, pushed me ahead of him and wanted to know why there was blood all over my shirt. When we got to my office, he went to my desk and found a bloody stiletto. I screamed at him, telling him I had no idea how any of this happened. He said he had to make a few phone calls and made me sit in the conference room. While I was waiting, I picked up two small jars of paint, one gold and one silver, and proceeded to paint the male parts, fingers and toes that were arranged so perfectly on the table.

OK, so I’m recovered now. I am hoping the next one won’t disturb my sleep.

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just when things are going great for both of them, Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro are hired by a psychiatrist to find out who's stalking her son. Meanwhile, Patrick runs into a troubled girl from the neighborhood. But what do these two things have to do with an imprisioned psychopath who wants to speak with Patrick?

One of these days, I'm going to learn my lesson and have Kemper and Nancy pick out all my books for me. Kenzie and Gennaro are rapidly climbing my detective hierarchy.

Things have changed since the last outing. Angie is finally divorcing her alcoholic, wife-beating husband Phil and Patrick's in a relationship with a doctor named Grace and acting as a father for her two-year old, Mae. Then things start going pear-shaped when it appears a pair of serial killers is at work.

Much like Lawrence Block's marvelous Matthew Scudder series, the things that makes Kenzie and Gennaro stand out are the well-realized setting and the characters. The Boston of Lehane's tales is as rich a setting as Block's New York and I wouldn't be surprised if they existed in the same space-time continuum. Lehane's cast is really growing on me. Kenzie and Gennaro are both three-dimensional, multi-facetted characters that I have no trouble believing in. The supporting cast, namely cops Devin and Oscar and one Bubba Rogowski, are memorable in their own right. I even caught myself giving a shit about Phil, Angie's douche bag ex.

The characters have developed quite a bit since the first book. I'm almost afraid to see what wringer Lehane is going to run them through in subsequent books. Patrick and Angie are a lot more scratched and dented than they were when the series started and I'm only two books in.

The villains were suitably vile but not cartoonishly so, not even for serial killers. I had no idea who the mastermind was until Patrick did, though the mystery wasn't easily solveable. One of the killers reminded me a lot of James Motely from one of the Matthew Scudder books.

I guess that's about all I can say. As much as I liked the first book, A Drink Before the War, this one was even better. It's an easy five stars.

[Bill Kerwin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Scary serial killer stuff. Private detectives Kenzie and Genaro are likable, the killers are weird and memorable (although I must confess I'm weary of serial killers), and the Boston atmosphere is very authentic. Second in a series.

[Kemper · Rating 4 out of 5]

“If you and your partner aren’t civilians and you’re not cops, then what are you?”

I shrugged. “Two idiots who aren’t half as tough as we thought we were.”
-
In media res is a cute little story telling trick where the writer starts in the middle or with the aftermath of the action and then drops hints and clues about what occurs in what you’re about to read. It works really well if it’s some kind series where you already know the characters. I’m a complete sucker for this tactic, and Lehane uses it beautifully in this one.

In the first few pages, Patrick Kenzie tells us that he’s been through hell. He’s coping with some serious physical injuries, the detective agency he runs with his best friend, Angie Gennaro, is closed, and he ominously describes her as ‘gone’. Which of course, leaves you immediately worried about what that maniac Lehane did to the two characters he introduced just one book ago. It gives you a nasty feeling of dread as you read the rest of the book and what unfolds is probably worse than what you start fearing when you read Patrick’s introduction.

Leading up to that, Patrick and Angie take a case from a female psychiatrist who had a session with a women who claimed to be in abusive relationship with a psycho Irish-mob hitman that the two detectives know from their childhood in their blue-collar Boston neighborhood. The woman disappeared without a trace and the doctor has started receiving threatening phone calls and candid pictures of her college-aged son so she’s worried that the hitman thinks she was told something incriminating and wants to shut her up. There’s also the odd coincidence that the patient told the doctor that her last name was Kenzie, but Patrick isn’t aware of any relatives who match that description.

Having to try and get a sadistic mob hitman to leave someone alone is bad enough, but things quickly take an even darker turn that involves a brutal murder and a serial killer who has been in prison for years. Patrick and Angie are usually more than capable of taking care of themselves, but even with the help of the police, the FBI and their pet sociopath Bubba Rogowski, they’ll soon be overwhelmed by the horrific violence targeted at them.

One of Lehane’s favorite themes is that violence can be passed along from one generation to the next, and he delves deeply into the legacy-of-violence idea here. It’s also amazing how quickly he dropped some of the standard PI-novel conventions from the first book to this one. P&A are still tough professionals, but there’s much less smart-ass banter and a darker, grittier, more realistic feel to this one.

While there’s a bit of a Hannibal Lector-thing going on with the incarcerated serial killer manipulating people, Lehane didn’t let it get out of hand and become distracting. He keeps the focus on Patrick and Angela and delivers a taunt and terrifying thriller in this one. This is not for the squeamish but it never feels gratuitous.

[Dave Edmunds · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Darkness," I said, "take my hand. Take me away from this place." and darkness did

4.75 🌟's

Initial Thoughts

I decided I wanted to get into Dennis Lehane a few months ago (not him personally, his books people) and thought why not go back to the start? Being a cop myself, I very rarely read crime fiction and that's something I wanted to fix. I felt like I was missing out on so many good stories. And I heard this guy is the best.

After reading the first installment of his famous Kenzie and Gennaro series, A Drink Before the War, I was pretty impressed. Outstanding for a debut novel and it scooped Lehane a Shamus award. What stood out for me was the quality of writing and strong characterisation. I gave that one four stars and was certainly impressed. Fully intending to continue with the series, I've since let other books get in the way. Does anyone else have that problem?

But now is the time and I've heard the next one is perhaps the best of the bunch. That's Darkness Take My Hand. So join me for a second outting with private investigators, Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro. I've not read any of the summaries and don't have a clue what's in store...but isn't that always the best way?

The Story

In the wake of the frantic finish of the last entry, Patrick and Angie are hired by a psychiatrist, Diandra Warren, who has received a threat against her son. It looks like a fairly routine job. Make sure the young man doesn't come to any harm and find out who's stalking him. But you know what's coming here.

The source of the threats look to be Kevin Hurlihy. An old acquaintance of Patrick's, he's now a pretty scary enforcer for the Boston Irish mafia. But events quickly spiral into something a whole lot more sinister that the dynamic duo are not prepared for. An evil that has laid dormant is about to surface and unfortunate souls are about to start dropping like flies. The clues are there but can Kenzie and Gennaro piece them together in time. Well we're going to find out.



The Writing

I often skip the writing when I'm reviewing the following books in a series, but there's a fair bit to talk about here. I've already alluded to the fact that this author's prose are a cut above the standard fare that the crime genre is known for. He pulls you in with his expert skill before cranking up the action. But something I definitely noticed with this one is that overall tone is a lot darker. The clues in the title after all.

"taking another life is a lot like sex actually. Sometimes it's a transcendent, orgasmic act. Other times, it's just a so-so, okay, no big deal, but what're you going to do? sort of sensation. But it's never less than interesting. It's something you remember."

It started strongly and pulled me in from the word go. There's some very graphic and disturbing scenes but if you can handle that the plot is no doubt compelling. Just be prepared for some moments that can devastate those emotions. No, I won't say hits you in the feels so forget about that.

Enjoying it so much, it was a real battle for me to put the book down and turn up for work. Fighting crime in reality is definitely not this entertaining. Although maybe a partner like Angie Gennaro would go a long way to fixing that! I'd say what really makes this book shine is the mystery and trying to figure out what's going down. It's got more twists and turns than yours truly when I'm playing Twister.

The Characters

There's a bit of a change of scope in this book compared to the first when it comes to the characters that I certainly appreciated. Whereas with A Drink Before the War there was a focus on social commentary, with Darkness Take My Hand there's a switch toward a more personal look at the individuals. You're going to see their strengths and evident flaws that make them human and develops the relationship between character and reader.

We start to learn a lot more about Kenzie, with a look at his tortured past and relationship with his father. I felt I had a much better understanding of his motivations and personality as the author started to add more depth and history. This was done to a lesser extent with his partner, Angela, but was equally appreciated. There's a beautiful friendship between the pair and it's what gives them strength when they most need it. And boy do they need it!

"Your whole life is a conscious attempt to confront violence, Patrick. You can't beat him."

"Who?"

"Your father."

But both are put through hell in this one and it's never certain if they're going to make it back. Both make mistakes and again this helps to instill that human element. Will they come away stronger or be crushed by the weight of adversity? All I'll say is that they will be irrevocably changed by the conclusion.

Lehane continues to put some fantastic work into his side characters. They add so much to the overall story. There's a return for both Devin and Angie's ex-husband Phil. But it was Bubba who really stole the show for me. He's a gangster who was a childhood friend of both the main characters and the pair are the only thing he cares about in this world. Often coming across as a really nice guy with some intelligent dialogue, he is nonetheless an absolute psychopath who can beat the bad guys for his penchant for cold hearted violence. If you're ever in need of some deadly retribution, then Bubba's your man.

"Visiting Bubba in the old warehouse where he lives is a lot like playing Twister on the edge of a cliff."

And I can't leave without mentioning the villains here, who are as chilling as they are fascinating. There's a scene in a high security prison that had memories of Silence of the Lambs flooding back. You're going to get to look into the true face of evil. I just hope you're ready.

"I wear a lot of faces, and some you'll never see, and some you'd never want to."

Final Thoughts

I really enjoyed the first book in the Kenzie and Gennaro series. But this one was so much better. I'm so tempted to give it the full five stars, it really is that good!

In an interview the author said his only goal when writing the book was to "constantly up the ante." And he definitely succeeds in doing that. Honestly, by the time I reached the explosive finish I was a nervous wreck. Think I'm going to have to take a vacation.

There's a thing called 'second book syndrome' where authors suffer a lull when following up a first installment. Well someone better tell Mr Lehane about that because Darkness Take My Hand is absolutely brilliant. A piece of crime perfection.

I'd recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys crime fiction and could see it as a place where an obsession for this author could realistically start. Thank god there's four more novels in this series. Can't wait to get stuck into them...once I've fully recovered! Should take me at least a couple of hours and a few rum and cokes.

Thanks for reading and...cheers!


Dennis Lehane

[Em Lost In Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

A psychiatrist is worried that someone is stalking her teenage son and is in danger. So she asks Kenzie and Gennaro to look out for her son. Also one her client is an abusive relationship, who disappears and poor doctor started getting threatening calls. One of the shocking thing about the disappeared client was her surname, which was "Krnzie." Once Patrick and Angie start investigations, things gets messier, nastier and bloodier with each passing day.

While Kenzie and Gennaro were brave in the first book, we get to see a different side of them here. A weaker side and more human. They're scared of losing their loved ones and their own sanity was on the stake. They did fight till the very end but they didn't come unscathed this time. They lost a piece of their soul somewhere fighting this unknown killer. I don't know if they'll be same ever again.

This book has some great supporting cast. Bubba, the psychopath who won't blink an eye while killing you if he think that you're a danger to Kenzie and Gennaro. The police duo of Devin and Oscar, always there to help our PIs. And then there was Phil, a childhood friend of Kenzie. He also was Gennaro's husband of twelve years. We saw little of him in first book. An alcoholic and he had a strained relationship with Kenzie. We see some heart to heart talk of these childhood friends and it was heart-warming.

This book was full of murders, gory details, brutality and a lot darker than first one. But also better than a Drink before the War. A true delight for crime fiction lovers.

[Alienor ✘ French Frowner ✘ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tell me, what are all-time favorites made of? Perhaps we all have a different definition for them, but mine? I read so much that a great, even amazing book can get sidelined if it doesn't leave a mark on me. On the contrary, a flawed one can earn its stripes if the emotions it makes me feel are unforgettable.

I'd say that if there were one lesson to be learnt from this experience, is that Darkness, Take My Hand will linger. Oh, yes, it will.



➊ a fucked-up male lead I grew to adore and for whom I care so much it hurts : multi-layered, morally ambiguous, sarcastic, wounded, loyal - he's everything I want in my favorite characters. EVERYTHING.



➋ a kickass heroine I want to hug, because, really, Angie, you rock.

➌ a frightening and captivating suspense in an investigation where nobody is innocent and everyone can be guilty.... See, I'm not easily frightened. A clown, a doll and I'm hiding under the blankets, but a serial-killer? Nope. Darkness, Take My Hand, though? It was chilling.



Just a thing : DON'T FUCK WITH MY FEARS. Like, really - there was an expected twist that scared me to death.

➍ Secondary characters I'm not supposed to like but... I do anyway, because of reasons, I guess.



Yeah, I saw this gif and I thought... Oh, Bubba. You psycho. How in the world can I like you? *hides in shame*

➎ a writing whose ability to express both depth and sarcasm blew me away.

➏ a ending that made my jaw drop on the floor... But unfortunately I guessed who the mastermind was around 50%. It didn't prevent me from enjoying the book, not really, but it did annihilate a great part of the intended shock factor, and for a moment there I thought that it would cost it its fifth star.

But the fact is, Darkness, Take My Hand deserves its 5 stars nonetheless, because of the impact this book had on me. Here I am, staring at the wall, disturbed in my own core feelings, and I know that I would never forget this book.

See you, friends. I'm going to hug myself now.



For more of my reviews, please visit:

[Magdalena aka A Bookaholic Swede · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this book Patrick has started a relationship with Grace, a young doctor with a daughter, and Angie has divorced Phil. But their life will soon be turned upside down. A psychiatrist hires Angie and Patrick to watch over her son who she is scared is a target by the Irish mafia. But they never imagine what the case will do to their life...

This book grabbed a hold of me from the beginning and kept its hold until the end. The first book was good, this book was awesome. The story was tragic, disturbing and thrilling. It’s strange when I’m really into a book, then I don’t know what to write, but when a book is bad, then I have a lot to write. A part of me is still so taken with the story that I’m having trouble leaving Kenzie & Gennaro's world behind and move on to another book. But I thought I would wait a bit with Sacred and finish of the other books I have started…but it is hard...

[Chelsea ✨Arielle’s Nebular Ally and Team Acrux✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Eviscerate them, Patrick. Kill them all."

I can't say that I went into this book series knowing what I was going to be reading. I also can't say that it was what I would expect it to be. Thought provoking, beautiful writing is a high point in this series, and I'm ashamed to admit I was shocked that that was the case. From page one of book one, I have been enamored with the depth of these stories and the amazing writing that pulls you in whether you want to be sucked in or not....but maybe my largest praise goes to how Lehane gets base emotions out of me that rarely are touched in crime/thriller novels: Protectiveness, heart-break....fear.

I felt something clench in the center of my chest and then just as suddenly unclench and fill with a gust of chilled air which seemed to hollow out my insides like the flick of a spade.

Yeah, I'll admit it: This book, no matter what I tell people, scared the living shit out of me. And, the funny thing is, Anna warned me. See, this story was centered around a serial killer. Now...I don't know about you, but I am obsessed with this plot in books and was ecstatic to find out that the second story was not only an investigation....but a stalker-serial killer type story...ummm yes please? It's no secret I am in love with these intense, pulse-pounding books. And I thought I had it handled....but I was wrong.

"He can't kill us both. No one's that good. If he gets to you before me"-she leaned back a bit so her eyes could meet mine-"I'll paint this house with his blood. Every last inch of it."

Anna said that this one got deep in your head, that she had nightmares where someone was following her...and I thought, eh, I don't think it's that creepy. But, keep in mind, I was reading in such small increments during the week (damn my week day curse!!) and in the daytime that I had no clue-none. And just as I told her this, my perception changed. I got into bed and something miraculous happened-I actually had time to read!!!!! But with the lights off, the tv flickering in the background, and a stalker watching through the window (in the book, but hey, I swear it was me-I SWEAR....even though the blinds were drawn...), my world was obliterated.

patrick,
don'tforgettolockup.

My breath hitched as I read, every flicker of the tv was a shock to my system, and I couldn't help looking over the side of the bed and into the closet-repeatedly. And it's so simple. SO, SO simple. And the worst thing in the world is when you are finally scared again by a book (for me lol)...It's like all these stories you've repressed into the recesses of your memory come back in a massive montage of horror, cruising past your periphery at the speed of light. I keep seeing all these books popping up in my head that I had long since forgotten-and I wanted to keep it that way. It's all in my subconscious-I just find it so odd how the brain works. Mine is more fucked up than most, though, mind you.

I guess my impulse had something to do with growing older, with looking back and seeing very few innocent violences committed against the young, in knowing that every tiny pain scars and chips away at what is pure and infinitely breakable in a child.
Or maybe I was just in a bad mood.

It's so funny that once you draw out that base fear, all your worst terrors come to life...all of a sudden you can't breathe and you can't sleep and the covers have to be covering every inch of your body and you can't lay on your side or let your hand go past the side ledge of the bed or-oh yeah, that's just me lol. The human mind is a crazy thing. And that's the ability of an amazing author. They have the ability to write a story that slips under you skin, seeps deep into your pores, to make their story the one that stays in your mind long after you've finished reading for the day or night....it's a lingering touch you can't seem to shake-and that's just how I felt. I, inexplicably, couldn't shake the feeling that I'd been touched by something wholly evil and vile.

"It'll eat us eventually," Angie said. "The violence."
"I always thought we were stronger than it."
"You were wrong. It infests you after a while."
"You talking about me or you?"
"Both of us."

But that's enough about how bat shit crazy I am....I wana talk about the characters, now. But I'm guna do it in reverse, I think. Bubba is first up. I don't know if it's because a couple of my friends are in love with him so it brought out all the best thoughts of him or if I'd have came to the same conclusion myself, but, no matter the cause, he cracks me up.

Being the object of another's hate is relative. If the person who hates you is an advertising exec whose Infiniti you cut off in traffic, you're probably not going to worry much. If Bubba hates you, though, putting a couple of continents between the two of you is not a bad idea.

Loyal? Check. Friendly? Check-well, only to Angie and Patrick. Crazy? Check-Check. Need a deadly piece of artillery? He can help you. Need to take someone out? He'd love to. So, all in all, I'd say Bubba is pretty badass....and crazy, don't forget crazy.

Well, I was sick of their violence and their hate and my own codes of decency, which may have cost people their lives in the last month. Sick to fucking death of it all.

And then Angie. Ahhh Angie. I certainly loved her way more in this one, I have to admit-and I even loved the developments of Phil, too. But I can't linger on him. Now, while I did love Angie in this one, I still can't see why Patrick is head over heels for her-or so the story boasts from time to time. I'm still waiting on that, really. Why? I mean, near the end, I saw it, but all throughout the book and last book? Nah. But what they do have, that I believe, is a beautiful friendship, and that's what this story is about-love, loyalty, and keeping those you cherish most close-Doing everything in your power to keep them safe. And I love that-for now.

When I was a boy, I loved my father, and he just kept hurting me. He wouldn't stop. No matter how much I wept, no matter how much I pleaded, no matter how hard I tried to figure out what he wanted, what I could do to be worthy of his love instead of victim of his rage.

Drum roll please?? Patrick. Ahhhh Patrick. He finally got me in this one!!! Allllll the feels! From his tortured glimpses into his terribly sad past, the abuse from the hand of his father, and his desperation to keep all those he loves safe, Patrick touched me deeply. I even got some 'broken voice' parts....umm favorite!!! And I loved-in the beginning, that is-that he was in another relationship in this one. I think it helped keep him happy, sane. It was an adorable touch (you'll see why) and added to the intensity near the end-in more ways than one. But, and you'll find this out as well, what happens when you have more people you love? There are more targets to take out. Just sayin'. Yeah yeah...I know. Broken record.

I don't think I've ever felt anything like this.
When I tried to speak, my voice was shaky and hoarse and the words were strangled in my throat. My eyes felt wet and my heart felt as if it were bleeding.

So, anywho, those are my crazy thoughts. I truly wish I could go back in time and slap myself-why in the ever loving you-know-what did I start this one on a Monday???? I'm notorious for ruining the best books because I read them during the week when they deserve time and attention....and I basically spit on them by saying, yeah, you're not good enough for a weekend read! But that's not it-I just could't wait to start book two! These people get under your skin, and even if you get a teensy bit bored, you never realize how great they truly are until you're separated-But I just couldn't wait, and I payed dearly for it. It's a blessing and a curse, being so obsessed with books. Luckily, though, I got my head out of my ass for the last 40% and finished all at once. So, what I'm saying is, read it...but give it the time it deserves. I didn't...but I'm dumb like that.

"How do you live with yourself, Patrick?"

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Oh dear, oh dear. I do so love a serial killer thriller with a tortured male lead...

And this was spectaculaaaarrr.







Eeps! Review to come!

[Terence M [on a brief semi-hiatus] · Rating 5 out of 5]

Darkness, Take My Hand (Kenzie & Gennaro #2)
by Dennis Lehane
Audiobook, Length: 12:17 hours, Narrator: Jonathan Davis

With over 1,000 written reviews in Goodreads, I don’t intend to recap the story and plot line of Darkness, Take My Hand. I’d rather comment on some of the characters, the writing, and how the book affected me.

Beset as I am with advancing age (77) and a variety of illnesses, I believe, nevertheless, that I am in possession of all, or at least most, of my mental marbles. So, when I say I cannot remember reading a book that was “scary”, I mean just that. Given that I don't read/listen to books from the "Horror" genre and its like, I have read scary bits, maybe, scary passages, maybe, but a whole scary book? Nah. That is, until I listened to Kenzie & Gennaro #2, “Darkness, Take My Hand”. Not that the ‘whole’ book was scary, there were passages that allowed some respite, but generally I felt a tense gut-dynamic most of the time. I call this gut-dynamic “scary”.

From my review of: A Drink Before the War (Kenzie & Gennaro #1):
(This novel) is written in a relatively light-weight style but doesn't break the boundaries of serious dialogue when the story requires it. Both protagonists have their problems. Angie Gennaro tolerates her abusive husband and Patrick Gennaro must deal with his hero-worship of an abusive father. Good PI story with tolerable levels of violence and death.

Compared to K&G #1, “A Drink before the War” (see above review extract), Lehane has significantly developed the main protagonists, Patrick Kenzie and Angie Gennaro in K&G #2, "Darkness, Take My Hand".

Patrick is less the smart-arse he played in #1 and thus he may appear weaker and more human, but these appearances are proven to be very deceptive as the book develops. Patrick is in a seriously romantic relationship with Grace, a divorced doctor with a young child, May. Surprisingly, his relationship with his abusive father takes an interesting and explanatory turn for the better.

Angie’s ex-husband (and Patrick’s oldest and closest friend) Phil, is off the booze and following the Twelve Steps to recovery. Much hated in #1, Phil has morphed into an almost likeable character who still adores Angie and seems truly repentant of his abusing her for the many years of their marriage. They are separated, and Angie insists she is going to divorce him, but seems reluctant to take this final step.

The both loveable and terrifyingly fearsome Bubba is brought to life and faces a lot more action as he fulfils what he sees as his sole mission in life – the safety and security of Angie and Patrick. His and Patrick’s school days “friend”, the psychotic and violently evil Kevin Hurlihy, also re-appears as Patrick’s eternal enemy and thus as Bubba’s enemy also.

The comment in my review of K&G #1, “(This novel) is written in a relatively light-weight style,” certainly does not apply to K&G #2. What appeared to me as “relatively light-weight” then is definitely not light-weight here. Lehane has written a taut, terrifying thriller and has done so in a tense, moving and darkly gritty style. Mob hitmen and psychopathic serial killers litter the story and contribute to making Darkness, Take My Hand a captivatingly scary novel.

[Harun Ahmed · Rating 4 out of 5]

বই পড়িনি অথচ লেখকের ভক্ত,খুব বড় রকমের ভক্ত আমি। mystic river, gone baby gone, shutter island এর মতো সিনেমা যার উপন্যাস অবলম্বনে নির্মিত হয়েছে তার ভক্ত না হয়ে উপায় ছিলো না আসলে। অবশেষে ডেনিস লেহেইনের উপন্যাস সরাসরি পড়লাম। শুরু থেকেই জমজমাট, অপ্রত্যাশিত সব মোচড় আছে, সাথে মনে রাখার মতো বর্ণিল সব চরিত্র। এরা কেউই নিষ্পাপ নয়, প্রত্যেকেরই আছে অন্ধকারাবৃত অতীত। কেউ ডুবে থাকতে চায় পাপে, নিজেই হতে চায় শয়তান আর কেউ পাপ থেকে উত্তরণের পথ খোঁজে।সাহিত্যমান বজায় রেখে কীভাবে অনায়াসে রুদ্ধশ্বাস রোমাঞ্চ উপন্যাস লেখা যায় তা বোঝার জন্যে হলেও বইটা সবার পড়া উচিত।

[Rosa, really · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't know what to say, except, maybe...

Now this is a read, motherfuckers. And...



Well, except read A Drink Before the War first because the idea of anyone reading series books out of order not only gives me an anxiety attack but it's just wrong and should be punished with jail time. Or a nice spork in the eye.

Anyway, I don't often get that ohmigawdIhavetodonothingbutreaduntilIfindoutwhathaaaapeeeens feeling, but I got it here. It's such a nice feeling. Makes me so happy to be a reader.

Love the characters, especially Angie who isn't just another chick that needs saving or sexualizing, and Bubba, my favorite psychopath.

Oh, and the serial killer was properly freaky. *shivers*

Thanks to my local library I've already got the third ebook, Sacred, and I didn't even have to put pants on to do it. Damn, I love the library.

[Karl Marberger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Strong read. Dark

[Mara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hot on the heels of finishing A Drink Before the War , I felt ready for another dose of Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro in my life. Actually, rave reviews for this second volume In Dennis Lehane's detective duo series were what lead me to read the first. After all, what girl can resist a promise of serial murders and Boston days of yore? Not this one.

The case starts off simply enough, a psychiatrist receives a photograph of her son and a menacing phone call, possibly Mafia associated, and Patrick and Angie are asked to keep an eye on the boy (although I'm not sure that's the term of art for a kid of 19, but just allow it). As you might have guessed, things are not quite so simple, and soon enough our PI duo is calling in the muscle, Bubba Rogowski (who is just such a great character), and meeting up with characters well-known for their homicidal tendencies. These circumstances are especially undesirable given Patrick's (surprisingly health) romantic involvement with a young doctor, Grace, who is the mother of the 4-year-old May.

I have to confess, I had moments of doubt as to whether or not this one could live up to the hype. When Kenzie goes to have a sit down with a psychologically manipulative criminal mastermind behind bars, the Hannibal Lecter trope was laid on so thick that my thoughts went not to Anthony Hopkins, but to Josh Myers , the serial TP'er Officer Barbrady confronts in an episode of South Park.



But, as the strands of the story unfurl I couldn't help but to completely fall into the story, tropes and all. This one's hard to discuss without trodding into some serious spoiler territory, so I'll refrain from saying more. While this certainly felt more like a thrill ride than the last, the eloquence with which Lehane brings it all together has me forgiving any faults along the way. Looks like I'm in this series for the long-haul.

[Wanda Pedersen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book to fill the Set in New England square on my 2016 Halloween Book Bingo card.

Wow, this was gritty and dark. A part of Boston that had never, ever crossed my mind—the Irish working class and the mafia that sprang from them. And the two investigators, Patrick and Angela, not only share this background but have stuck around & continued to work in it.

I missed the first book and truthfully I don’t know that I will read another in the series. One dose of bleakness may be sufficient for my needs. If you have difficulty with explicit murder and/or torture scenes, you may want to give this book a miss. I finished it shortly before bedtime and must confess that it spawned a series of unsettling dreams overnight.

As the book starts, it seems like our two investigators are getting their lives in order. Then they are offered what seems like a simple job, surveillance of a college boy. And with that, they are pulled into a whirlpool of intrigue. Lehane does a remarkable job of fleshing out their relationships with the community and each other without doing a recognizable info-dump. Very well written.

If you are a fan of noir, I would recommend Darkness, Take My Hand.

[Antigone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Boston private investigators Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro are hired by a psychiatrist with a troublesome tale to tell. A young woman had come in for a counseling session regarding her abusive boyfriend. The boyfriend learned of the meeting and began to issue threats - the latest via a manila envelope containing what appears to be a surveillance photo of the doctor's son. The identity of the boyfriend shocks Pat and Angie. They grew up with Kevin Hurlihy who is, yes, a certified psychotic currently working as muscle in the local criminal underworld, but this just wasn't his style. They couldn't begin to picture him with a steady girlfriend, much less one he'd leave functional enough to cause him any grief. Though now that the girlfriend's gone missing...

And Lehane is off once more, launching like an urban rocket into the gripping case of a serial killer who invites our PIs out to play. This evil force, forever a blood-drenched step ahead, contents itself with methodically ripping their lives apart as it works to settle an ancient score. The story is dark, driving and steeped in violence - a true take-no-prisoners approach to a genre the author seems dedicated to re-inventing.

Looking to miss a text or two as you're anxiously turning pages? Here's the trick.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro, who were introduced in A Drink Before the War, return in this dark novel set in Dorchester, a working class neighborhood of Boston, MA. While many have left Dorchester Kenzie and Angie stayed and are private investigators.

In this story they are hired by a prominent Boston psychiatrist. A young woman told her about an abusive boyfriend. The boyfriend happened to be a member of the Irish mafia. Shortly after that the psychiatrist recieved a photograph of her son taken on his college campus. Just the photo but perhaps a message was implied? So she wants to hire Kenzie and Angie to watch her son. The abusive boyfriend is Kevin Hurlihy, someone Kenzie and Angie grew up with. The girlfriend told the psychiatrist her last name was Kenzie. She is not related to Patrick and no one can believe Kevin with a girlfriend.

As the story unfolds we meet members of the Irish mob, members of the Boston police and FBI, as well are reintroduced to Bubba Rogowski. Soon the bodies start appearing. Crucified. Dismembered. Killings that are similar to ones that took place when Patrick and Angie were children ... when another boy in their area was murdered. Is it the same killer? Has he started a new killing spree? Why now?

In the second book we see a much more human side of Kenzie and Angie. Patrick has girlfriend who is a single mom. Angie is in the process of getting a divorce from Phil. At times it looks like Patrick's and Angie's relationship may go beyond professional.

“We're humans, so we're messy”

This is very dark story, full of action, that kept me turning the pages. I started to become attached to the two protagonists and wondering what the future holds. If they survive the present. Looking forward to reading the next installment, Sacred.

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent... Far better than the first book, but still flawed in the middle third.

This book starts and ends very well, very exciting and fun. Patrick's new loves, Grace and her daughter Mae, appear suddenly and unexpectedly. Angela is off slumming in bars, and she and Patrick seem back to The Friend Zone again. What happened in-between the first two books? The barely restrained (and terrific) passion between Patrick and Angela is suddenly missing at the start of this book. 😞

As is often the case in Lehane & Robert B. Parker books, what looks to be a simple case then turns slowly into a complete hairball, to use Parker's term. That’s fine with me, I enjoy it very much if it's done well.

Early in the book (19%), one of Patrick's younger friends, from his youth, is found murdered, horribly. This hit me hard, for personal reasons. It's very poignant, the beautiful girl, a little lost, a little worried, whom you might have helped, whom you tried to help, but ends up dead... Dead because you didn’t care enough, or you “respected her privacy”. Yeah, all of the good detectives, all good people and you and me, come across this in our lives, and the pain never really goes away.

And one of our inner voices tried to assuage the guilt we feel, and the lies we tell ourselves:
“Angie was right. It wasn’t my fault. You can’t save people. Particularly when a person isn’t even asking to be saved. We bounce and collide and smash our way through our lives, and for the most part, we’re on our own. I owed Kara nothing.”

At midpoint in the book, Lehane tries to create an imposing, semi-omnipotent Hannibal Lecter-type character, complete with warnings of apocalypse. Not an homage, though. Mostly a feeble rip off. I was not impressed...

During the middle 1/4 of the book, the story lags, burdened by characters yacking and telling each other what they already know. It's a bad habit that Robert B. Parker fell into, too often, and Michael Connelly almost never did with Bosch.

The last 1/3 of the book has two big action scenes, but the setup for the first is truly awful. Very Hollywood. Empty house with two heroes, one young guard outside and vulnerable, electricity suddenly out, and the heroes suddenly making love while the bad guy closes in.
* Facepalm * Very exciting action but could have been set up so much better.

The final action scene is a bit overlong, but not bad. I am not impressed with how quickly our heroes recover from incredible, astounding wounds and body trauma (in most crime noir books). And unlike for Bosch or Spenser, I feel far more often "manipulated" by Lehane here.

All-in-all, great pacing mostly, good character development mostly, good action scenes mostly, and five stars mostly = 4-stars.

Far, far better than book #1 with it's dull second half.


Notes and Quotes -

18% ... Here's a strange thing for an author to express, eh?
“None of them appeared to bathe much. This would have been a problem for me, but it didn’t seem to bother Jason. He didn’t bathe much, either. I’ve never been particularly conservative when it comes to my taste in women, but I do have one rule about bathing and one rule about clitoral rings and I’m pretty unyielding about both of them. Makes me a killjoy with the grunge set, I guess.”

35% ... jeez again. They finally made the crucial connection I did 8 chapters ago. * Facepalm *

[Ahtims · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very boring and pointless.
A loose story stung around violent murders . I can't imagine that the author of the stunning Shutter Island wrote this one. Sometimes I don't like the crime , but I like the private lives of the detectives...and end up enjoying the story despite a weak crime . But in this one, I didnt develop any interest in Kenzie or Gennaro.
May not continue with the series . Not worth my time .

[Perry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Psycho Secrets in South Boston Badlands

This was my first Lehane PI novel, a psychological suspense that drew me in with an intriguing and plausible plot, in which the gritty characters were developed well enough for me to connect with them. Lehane created just the right amount of sexual tension between the PI partners, Patrick Kenzie and Angie Gennaro, to keep an undercurrent buzzing. I found the story gripping as it threw me into a harbor of bad blood, mobsters and psychos in South Boston (Southie).



I wanted to read more, then more, until I got to the point that I felt I MUST just finish the dang book even if I had to stay up all night to do it. What MORE can you want from a noir novel?

After finishing this, I wanted to buy more in the series. I did, albeit with mixed success (e.g., #s 1 and 3 were super, but the last one Moonlight Mile stunk).

[Javir11 · Rating 4 out of 5]

7.5/10

Aunque me sigue faltando algo comparado con otras obras de Lehane, no puedo negar que por ahora Kenzie y Gennaro me entretienen, aunque su supuesto romance, si pero no, me empieza a aburrir y eso que solo llevo 2 libros, no quiero ni imaginarme en el futuro.

Me ha gustado la trama del asesino en serie, bien es cierto que la explicación final la he visto un poco cogida con pinzas, pero hasta ese momento estaba muy metido en la historia. Nuestros protagonistas me gustan a pesar de ser unos clichés andantes, y el toque de drama que siempre le añade Lehane a sus historias es un punto a su favor.

Hubiera preferido un final diferente, la resolución me ha parecido un poco correcalles y creo que le ha faltado un poco más de pausa, o estar mejor estructurada. Al resto no le veo más pegas, quitando lo comentado sobre la tensión sexual no resuelta de los protagonistas.

Seguiré con la saga.

[Toby · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's like a James Patterson. Only, you know, good.

It might seem churlish of me to criticise a 510 page book that I finished (and enjoyed) in record breaking time as being too populist to be truly great but the fact of the matter is that this series jumped from what I might consider hard-boiled and noir in to thriller territory marked for mass consumption by people who prefer their font to be on the larger size in the space of one book.

I complained in my review of book 1 that Lehane drifted far too close to Patterson and Grisham territory but managed to save himself by using his knowledge of the hard-boiled and noir genre to great effect but in this case he seems to have dropped all pretence and struck out in to unit shifting territory with reckless abandon.

Kenzie & Gennaro, the pair of lovable hard-boiled private eyes from A Drink Before the War are back and this time they are on the hunt of (and hunted by) a serial killer. I should have known right then and there that this would disappoint. Private eyes novels and serial killer thrillers should not meet. But the generic plotting gets worse, Kenzie conveniently has a new girlfriend (with a young daughter in tow) brought in to his life to essentially be used as plot fodder. Can't kill Gennaro so let's give him some other characters he can be broken up over when they're put in harms way, if you've read this stuff before you know how it works and you know how it ends despite the literary trick of starting the story with the aftermath and dropping hints at the carnage that may have happened.

The problem with Patterson is that his later "work" or at least that which he puts his name to every month has tarnished the memory of those early works in my mind but I distinctly remember being impressed with his writing ability 15 - 20 years ago. Lehane has that same ability, in fact he is almost certainly a much better writer of the thriller than Patterson ever was; he constructs his plots beautifully with the slow build up of tension and intrigue followed by an intense and fast paced ride through more than half of the book to a shocking ending via some incredible set pieces and some brutal violence. In Kenzie, Gennaro and all the supporting cast he crafts some sympathetic and interesting characters whom he can hang his plotting from and then for extra added effect he takes those people you like so much and puts them through so much pain and anguish, both mental and physical, that you will keep reading despite yourself and the fact that once more it has gone midnight and if you don't put the book down soon you may as well read the entire thing.

The man has got skills. I'd just prefer he'd use them in a different manner. Will I read the third book? Probably, but just so I can read the fourth book before the movie.

[Patricia Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Until I read this book I forgot how much I loved Dennis Lehane's writing. This was an older book but was chosen for my book club and I'm so glad since it renewed my interest in reading his book and I have read most of them although I had not read this one. this was a really good mystery with excellent characters. The two main characters were wonderful and you really liked them and cared about them. Many of the others were very good too. You were totally into this small part of Boston. I have looked for other books he has written that I have not read and my goal is to read all his books. They are excellent. He writes a great mystery. Definitely recommend.

[Maxwell · Rating 3 out of 5]

[3.5 stars]

Another good installment in Lehane's mystery detective series. These are by no means mind-blowing, but if you want a gritty (and I mean gritty) thriller/mystery, these hit the spot. I'll definitely keep up with the series since my library has them all.

[Repix Pix · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sigo pensando que esta serie es lo peor de Lehane.

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

9/10

Me and the little lady were planning on going to New England in the “Fall” and, among other areas, visiting Boston. This book did enough to make me have a re-think on that one! I mean there are serial killers roaming around for a number of years going undetected, mafia folk doing what mafia folk do (making people swim with the fishes), psychotic friends who like to use fire hydrants as a beating tool, and two private eye’s who are trying to figure out the whole sorry mess.

But that is just the tip of the iceberg; this was another excellent read in the series that is fast getting a lot of my attention, praise and thrusting onto friends and colleagues with me demanding they read this and read it quick. Both the lead characters are fleshed out even more than the previous novel with lots of extra layers of emotion oozing off the page. Not only that but the peripheral characters get more time on the page and in themselves become more dominant, such as Phil and Bubba. Ah, Bubba. Everyone needs a psychotic friend like Bubba. Now where would I find me one of those?

The story revolves around a serial killer stalking the streets and links past and present Boston really well. At times it was hard to put this down and left me wanting to read more and learn more. It is a testament to Dennis Lehane that I am annoyed that there are only a handful more of his books I’ve got left to read and I’m only two into this series! I could quite happily grab the next one in the series and start straightaway which is not something I can often say (I don’t own a copy of the next one so I can’t but if I did I would!).

I highly recommend this series and in writing my review I have re-jigged my rating as I feel to give this less than five stars is bang out of order. It’s not quite as good as the first one but it only just falls short. Pick this up now or I’ll set Bubba on you!

If you like this try: “Gone for Good” by Harlan Coben

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read in January ... a better late than never, mini REALLY mini-review



Rating, 4.5

(City Hunter posters remind me of Patrick and Ange)


The second installment in the Kenzie & Gennaro series grabbed me from the first page. Darker and more disturbing than A Drink Before the War, again filled with suspense and great characters. Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro take a new case. A new client. At first glance a simple stalking case.



Than a wave of gruesome murders spreads through the neighborhood. A serial killer? A work of just one person? Is the mafia involved? How is it that an imprisoned psychopath knows so much about them? And what does he want from Patrick? Things get all too personal this time. Oh, did I mention there are clowns involved? I hate clowns, they give me nightmares.



It was a great ride. A beautifully written, noir. My only peeve is that i guessed who the villain was somewhere at 60% into the story.



It was a bummer. It's hard to enjoy completely a mystery/thriller when you know more than those investigating the crime. Sigh. I hope to get at least at 80% before guessing whodunnit, in the next book.

[Paul Ataua · Rating 4 out of 5]

It seems like a pretty straightforward crime novel when Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro are hired by a psychiatrist to look out for her son, but it soon develops into a dark and violent story of their search for a serial killer. As in all Lehane’s Kenzie and Gennaro novels, the story is important but it's the commentary on the failings of humanity and society is at the center. It's another riveting read!

“We're humans, so we're messy”