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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.

Now, years later, murder has tied their lives together again...

Good book. I am glad I finally read it, I had heard such good things about it before and after the movie became so popular. I am yet to see the movie, but I am actually looking forward to it more now that I've read the book. That is not usually the case with me, I tend to avoid movies for books that I have read. What is different this time is that I feel that Lehane put too much into this one. I think there was just too much going on; too many characters to keep track of from start to finish. I think truncating the story a bit, in movie form, could really make this story shine.

This being the first Lehane book that I have read, I am unfamiliar with whether or not he continues characters Sean Devine and/or Jimmy Marcus in later novels, but he certainly set himself up to do so. Sure you could call it a nice unsettling finish to end his novel, but I think there is more he could do with it.

I might like to see a first person follow up from the perspective of Jimmy Marcus more so than Devine. Do that with Devine breathing down his neck, but as a support character.

Mystic River was a good enough book, however, to keep me interested in Lehane's writing. I will be sure to check out some of his other work. Just what I need, another author to track...

Buy Mystic River $7.19

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