Coronado by
Dennis Lehane
pbk out September 06
(Bantam)
at £10.99
Five short stories and a play are contained in this collection from Lehane, known for his
private-eyes Kenzie-Gennaro series and his stand-alone novels Mystic River and Shutter
Island.
The common background to the stories is small town America, remote and insular. And the
common thread throughout is the American Dream gone sour. Lehane's characters bored,
depressed, cheated, often use violence to express the rage and frustration of lives in free-fall.
Though Lehane injects moments of humour and of revelation, of self-knowledge and hope
along the way. One of the stories, 'Until Gwen' was developed into the play 'Coronado' so
there is an element of repetition in the collection which is short enough to be read in one
sitting – and compelling enough. Lehane's use of the vernacular, his spare, snappy dialogue
and succinct prose are a pleasure for the eye and the ear.
(
Cath Staincliffe
author of the popular Sal Kilkenny mysteries and the series creator of TV Blue Murder)
; width=){kind=small}
Coronado by
Dennis Lehane
