Mystic River

by Dennis Lehane in audio format

I found out the narrator of this audio was one of my favorite voices in movies, David Strathairn, so I was on board for listening to it and he didn't disappoint. The book was really excellent and right away I had to watch the movie again and I loved them both. There were only a few differences from the book to the movie which is rare and a tribute to Brian Helgeland who wrote the screenplay. He added a few dramatic touches but didn't take out too much. It starts with three young friends playing in the street in Massachusetts and one is taken by car by two men posing as cops. When the boy is returned four days later his psyche and his friendship with the other two boys is forever changed. Fast forward to adulthood when another one of the boys, Jimmy, now a man with a checkered past discovers his grown daughter has been murdered. On the same night Dave, the boy who was taken, now a father himself, comes home covered with blood. His wife, Celeste, who is also Jimmy's cousin doubts his story and as cops keep coming around her doubts soon grow in magnitude. The man investigating the death of Jimmy's daughter is the third boy, now a State Policeman, Sean Devine. The book, like Lehane's others, are full of strong characters, the best being the actual atmosphere of the city. As the mystery unfolds, and even remembering how it ended I was still enthralled by the story.