The Bottom Line: Like slipping on your favorite pair of shoes, you always know what you’re going to get with a new Lehane novel. Still, The Drop manages to be his most satisfying outing since Mystic River.
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Dennis Lehane’s The Drop began as a short story called “Animal Rescue.” Adapted into a film starring the late James Gandolfini in his final role, Lehane has since expanded into a full-length mystery, which is nearly as satisfying as anything we’ve read by him since Mystic River.
[easyazon_image add_to_cart=”default” align=”left” asin=”0062365444″ cloaking=”default” height=”500″ localization=”default” locale=”US” nofollow=”default” new_window=”default” src=”//ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51ED-2Gtt9L.jpg” tag=”bestthricom-20″ width=”332″]By we all know the classic Lehane characters, and those in The Drop are no different. They live in Boston, live hardscrabble lives, spend spend time in bars, where they smoke and watch too much sports.
Nevertheless, it’s comforting to step back into Lehane’s impeccably detailed world. This one zooms in on a bar used by Chechen gangsters for money drops.
While there are few real surprises in The Drop, it’s impossible not to become immediately invested in the plight of Bob, his dog, and the portion of the city Lehane calls “The Flats.” Lehane’s storytelling remains gritty and detailed, and it’s his characters are ultimately what sets him apart from the throngs of up-and-coming thriller novelists.
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