Moonlight Mile (Kenzie & Gennaro,#6)

Lehane has somehow avoided the curse of the bad movie adaptation with Mystic River, Gone Baby Gone and Shutter Island. He's such a “guys” writer without being cliche. Despite having all the standard set pieces and actors he manages to put them together with an easy familiarity. It doesn't hurt that he has such a keen ear for dialogue (except in the case of teenagers which made me cringe every time) So while I didn't read Gone Baby Gone, I did see the movie, which helped inform the backstory to Moonlight Mile.

I just love his muscular, descriptive style whether it's rendering a narcissistic, chauvinist “Master of the Universe” or a psychotic Russian mobster. While these are essential elements that drive the plot forward I especially enjoyed the wry observations of the time. It's America, post economic meltdown with a middle aged P.I. that's feeling the years and the crushing weight of just making a living.

Quite the contrast reading this after just finishing Evanovich's “One For the Money”