Mystic River

By: Dennis Lehane

Narrated by: Scott Brick

Length: 15 hrs and 24 mins

Publisher's summary

When they were children, Sean Devine, Jimmy Marcus, and Dave Boyle were friends. But then a strange car drove up their street. One boy got in the car, two did not, and something terrible happened - something that ended their friendship and changed the boys forever. Twenty-five years later, Sean is a homicide detective. Jimmy is an ex-con. And Dave is trying to hold his marriage together and keep his demons at bay - demons that urge him to do horrific things.

When Jimmy's daughter is murdered, Sean is assigned to the case. His investigation brings him into conflict with Jimmy, who finds his old criminal impulses tempt him to solve the crime with brutal justice. And then there is Dave, who came home the night Jimmy's daughter died covered in someone else's blood. While Sean attempts to use the law to return peace and order to the neighborhood, Jimmy finds his need for vengeance pushing him ever closer to a moral abyss from which he won't be able to return.

©2001 Dennis Lehane (P)2003 HarperCollins Publishers

Excellent story

Scott Brick is one of my favorite narrators and he does not disappoint once again.

I really enjoyed this

I have not seen the movie with Sean Penn, but thought the story lie was interesting. It kept my attention throughout , although some parts seemed to drag slightly but overall I would recommend it.

One of the best audio books I've had

This book was awesome to listen to, the narrator did such a good job I couldn't stop. It flowed well, and I never got the urge to fast forward. The accents and voice inflections were engaging without being over done.

Read it!

Would you consider the audio edition of Mystic River to be better than the print version?

I consider it better than the film. The movie was good, but misses out on some of the subtleties of the characters.

Great book but a downer

If you could sum up Mystic River in three words, what would they be?

Sad, Clever, Depressing

What did you like best about this story?

The writing is great. I liked how they start the book with the 3 boys and you get to see what happens to them as adults.

What about Scott Brick’s performance did you like?

He does a great job with the dialogue which there is A LOT of.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I cried when Jimmy was in the shower talking to his dead daughter and talking about how much he loved her. It moved me to tears.

Any additional comments?

It's a great book, but it is very sad from start to finish. Every character is very depressed and it carries a depressing vibe throughout the entire novel. I think I need an uplifting and fun read after that one. But it is a cleverly written murder mystery.

Thought II wouldn’t like it but loved it.

Starts slow but important. Stick it out. Fantastic poignant and surprising book. And a good cop book

To Much Dialogue

There were some excellent stretches of good reading then there were times when there was too much dialogue.

Excellent Plot & Character

Lots of twists and turns in this mystery with character development that peels back layers with each turn of the page. I had seen the film version but the book truly shows Lehane's genius.

Who done it

A little drawn out but interesting story. I will read other book from this author

A Dennis Lehane classic

Terrific book with compelling story and flawed yet totally human characters. Highly recommended! Watch the movie, too