Congratulations on every aspect of this video. The information, the editing, the pro-style, all of it. I know what kind of work goes into something like this and absolutely appreciate it. I'm excited to read "Mystic River" this March with Philip, Mike, & John. None of us have read any Lehane before!
The Kenzie and Gennaro series are as gritty as Mickey Spillane but with conscience and remorse that Spillane never included. In addition, he creates as great a sense of danger as anyone I've ever read. It's really hard to create genuine suspense in writing, but he really has the ability to create dread in the reader's mind. I also agree that The Given Day is his best book. It was actually my introduction to Lehane and hypnotized me from the jump. My wife loved it too.
The video I have been waiting for! Dennis Lehane is my favourite author I’ve discovered in 2024. I want to read everything he’s ever written. I’ve still only read two of his books but I’d rank them: 1. Mystic River 2. Small Mercies This was such a great video! Cheers, Yolanda
@@RedFuryBookshey Josh, Yolanda here again! Just wanted to say that your video gave me the push to pick up The Given Day. I’m about 60% through right now and absolutely loving it. I’ll be shocked if it doesn’t end up being one of my favourite read of 2025. It’s brilliant. So thank you!
Yolanda, so glad to hear it! I read The Given Day last January and it's a finalist for my book of the year this year. I figured you would love it, but glad to hear it!
Wow, Josh, it really shows how much care, passion and effort you poured into this video! I have only read The Drop and that already impressed me deeply, so the fact that you think it's not nearly one of his strongest works has me incredibly excited to explore more of his backlog! Thanks for sharing 🤩
A wonderful overview, Josh, and a great visualization of how his books can be sorted! You've sold me on the Coughlin trilogy for my next Lehane reads. I'm about to start a historical fiction binge for the next couple of months.
You did an amazing job in this video Josh! A video with rich and very complete but short (spoiler-free) information of Lehane's works and a very high production!
My only exposure to Lehane are the Mystic River and Shutter Island movies. I have planned to jump in with the Quillumanati Book Club with their read of Mystic River in March. I’m optimistic Lahane will become my favorite new author in 2025. Thanks for the fantastic video and your love for these works. Well done, Josh!
I've only read two novels by Dennis Leanne - Shutter Island and Mystic River. I was surprised by their excellence. I have another on my bookshelf and I hope it is as good as these two.
Your two recommended starting points hit home. My first Lehane was A Drink Before the War that I read in September (deliberately going for his debut novel). I loved it. Second one was Mystic River in November, and this one blew me away. That I fluked two top works was my good fortune. Now that I see your ranking I can choose with informed care. While he 'kind of' foreshadowed the ending of Mystic River, the final twist was something of a rug-pull for those who took the bait. I was left with a feeling of emptiness at the banality and meaninglessness of the motivation of the killer, something that he managed with skill and subtlety. Mystic River cemented his place in my mind as a master of prose, as well as being able to put real people into his pages.
Dennis Lehane is a master. I read the entire Kenzie and Gennaro series, and the given day. Currently collecting all the rainbow covers. Still need mystic river and the drop. Great video!
Absolutely top-notch video! I already owe you a debt of gratitude for introducing me to Michael Connelly, so I suppose I'll have to make room on my TBR for Lehane as well!
I haven’t heard of this author but his work sounds right up my alley. Thanks for turning me in the right direction, just checked out A Drink Before the War from the library, cheers!
Excellent video, Josh! Serpentine plots, societal connections, and gritty realism, and elegant prose has me convinced Lehane is going above and beyond average crime fiction. Great editing and overview!
Great job! Incredibly concise overview given how much material you had to cover. And, yet, you still captured all of the emotion and depth of these novels. I still have 3 of his books on my TBR, but I agree with every single one of your placements.
Fantastic video, Josh. I still need to carve out some time to read The Given Day. I am a little nervous to start with the book that you rate most highly. Cheers.
This was a great video Josh! I read Shutter Island a few years back and loved it. I have The Given Day on my shelf but have never gotten to it... I'll make sure to read it next year!
Fantastic video Josh! I've read a couple Kenzie & Gennaro, Mystic River and Small Mercies but have never delved into the Couglin novels.. I must remedy that! Mystic River is by far my favourite Cheers, Carlos.
Excellent commentary. Lehane is such a fine writer. Whenever Dennis Lehan comes out with a new offering, I must immediately drop everything and immerse myself in the work. Such a joy! I agree wholeheartedly with your assessment of Since We Fell. I felt it was a confusing read, and not up to Lehane's elegance. Thank you for your thoughtful commentary.
Just finished Mystic River as my first Lehane read earlier this week. I was riveted. I had seen the Scorsese ‘Shutter Island’ film already so I decided to start with MR rather than SI since I knew the twist in the latter. I am excited to continue my Lehane journey with the Kenzie and Genaro books. Great video!
I’m new to Lehane and have decided to check him out. I put the ebooks of Mystic River and A Drink Before the War on hold. I have a few weeks to wait for the first and about 2 months for the second. Here’s hoping I enjoy them! Thanks for the recommendation.
You know I read Shutter Island when I was 15, but never read any more Lehane. I’ll definitely need to give more of his books a shot! I love a lot of crime/thriller books so I feel like this is a hole in my reading.
Great video Josh, one of your best yet! I just found a mint hardcover copy of Mystic River at a library book sale yesterday for a dollar - if that’s not the universes sign to start Lehane, I don’t know what is!
Great video! I'll have to pick those entry point books up that you mentioned. I think I like the front view for the camera that you usually go with, but nothing wrong with switching things up here and there.
I read Mystic River around the start of the year and it blew me away, definitely one of the best novels I've read this year (and that is saying something as I've read some amazing books this year) I also read A drink Before The War, and while I enjoyed it, it didn't stay with me like Mystic River did, I'll be reading Darkness Take My Hand next year. I think I'll work through the Kenzie and Genaro novels with a few pit stops for his stand alones...sounds like I will be leaving some of his best work till last with the Coughlin series!
And another thing -- there are a lot pf photos of Dennis Lehane out there, and in every one he looks like a gangster in an English TV show. I can imagine him sitting in the back room of a pub in Liverpool talking with some guy named Lenny. 😀
Great video! Thank you for this! Sadly I’m nearing the end of my Lehane journey. It’s been great. My favorites were the Coughlin series and the Kenzie and gennaro series. I always tell people to check him out I’ve never read a bad Dennis Lehane book.
I've read all the novels by Lehane and I have to say he has pretty much spoiled me as a reader. By far my favorite writer in the crime genre, even the books you found as not quite up to his regular standard far outshone most other writers. "The Given Day" is my favorite of all and his Coughlin series is just extraordinary taken as a whole.
Yes, Lehane can do that as he is so skilled. And your point about his standard is why I mentioned in the video how his lesser works are still better than most.
I've read Small Mercies, Mystic River & Shutter Island so far - all excellent. My plan is to tackle the Kenzie & Gennaro series next, followed by Coughlin.
A fantastic video Josh, might just outdo my own video that I did about Lehane some months back. Only there I was just trying to point people to where they could start with his oeuvre. We should hang out and talk Lehane soon!
I've only and just read Mystic River. If that is considered his best, then eh. He can write and his character work was good. Not to spoil anything, but I did not find the murder to be predictable; I found it to be unbelievable. It made no logical sense and was just pawned off as yeah, that's normal. Uh, no, it's not. The abduction thing that seems to be a major part of the story is not really believable either and neither are the reactions of the townspeople. It was just a plot point to move the story. I found the ending also unbelievable and unsatisfying in its injustice that just annoyed me more than other books which have bleak endings.
Congratulations on every aspect of this video. The information, the editing, the pro-style, all of it. I know what kind of work goes into something like this and absolutely appreciate it. I'm excited to read "Mystic River" this March with Philip, Mike, & John. None of us have read any Lehane before!
Thank you, my friend! I'm really excited for you all to read Mystic River!
The Kenzie and Gennaro series are as gritty as Mickey Spillane but with conscience and remorse that Spillane never included. In addition, he creates as great a sense of danger as anyone I've ever read. It's really hard to create genuine suspense in writing, but he really has the ability to create dread in the reader's mind. I also agree that The Given Day is his best book. It was actually my introduction to Lehane and hypnotized me from the jump. My wife loved it too.
Excellent points in her comment here. And glad we share the same favorite!
The video I have been waiting for! Dennis Lehane is my favourite author I’ve discovered in 2024. I want to read everything he’s ever written. I’ve still only read two of his books but I’d rank them:
1. Mystic River
2. Small Mercies
This was such a great video!
Cheers,
Yolanda
Thanks, Yolanda! There are many great Lehane reads ahead for you!
@@RedFuryBookshey Josh, Yolanda here again! Just wanted to say that your video gave me the push to pick up The Given Day. I’m about 60% through right now and absolutely loving it. I’ll be shocked if it doesn’t end up being one of my favourite read of 2025. It’s brilliant. So thank you!
Yolanda, so glad to hear it! I read The Given Day last January and it's a finalist for my book of the year this year. I figured you would love it, but glad to hear it!
Wow, Josh, it really shows how much care, passion and effort you poured into this video! I have only read The Drop and that already impressed me deeply, so the fact that you think it's not nearly one of his strongest works has me incredibly excited to explore more of his backlog! Thanks for sharing 🤩
Thanks, Esmay, yes this was a much more high effort video than my typical fare. I hope you enjoy more Lehane when you get a chance!
A wonderful overview, Josh, and a great visualization of how his books can be sorted! You've sold me on the Coughlin trilogy for my next Lehane reads. I'm about to start a historical fiction binge for the next couple of months.
Excellent! I hope you enjoy the Coughlin trilogy as much as I have!
Oh yeah, this is very useful. I'll be coming back to this video several times I'm sure.
Awesome! Thanks for checking it out.
That was a captivating intro, Josh. I thoroughly enjoyed watching this. Great hair cut between 😊
Thanks so much! I appreciate it.
You did an amazing job in this video Josh!
A video with rich and very complete but short (spoiler-free) information of Lehane's works and a very high production!
Thank you! This was definitely a much higher effort video than usual!
Mystic River and Shutter Island were easily my favourite non-Fantasy reads of the year. Can't wait to read more Lehane.
Excellent!
My only exposure to Lehane are the Mystic River and Shutter Island movies. I have planned to jump in with the Quillumanati Book Club with their read of Mystic River in March. I’m optimistic Lahane will become my favorite new author in 2025. Thanks for the fantastic video and your love for these works. Well done, Josh!
I'm really glad those guys are picking up Lehane! Glad you enjoyed the video!
I've only read two novels by Dennis Leanne - Shutter Island and Mystic River. I was surprised by their excellence. I have another on my bookshelf and I hope it is as good as these two.
I hope you enjoy it!
Your two recommended starting points hit home. My first Lehane was A Drink Before the War that I read in September (deliberately going for his debut novel). I loved it. Second one was Mystic River in November, and this one blew me away. That I fluked two top works was my good fortune. Now that I see your ranking I can choose with informed care.
While he 'kind of' foreshadowed the ending of Mystic River, the final twist was something of a rug-pull for those who took the bait. I was left with a feeling of emptiness at the banality and meaninglessness of the motivation of the killer, something that he managed with skill and subtlety. Mystic River cemented his place in my mind as a master of prose, as well as being able to put real people into his pages.
Glad both Lehane books worked so well for you! He really is such a skilled author.
Dennis Lehane is a master. I read the entire Kenzie and Gennaro series, and the given day. Currently collecting all the rainbow covers. Still need mystic river and the drop.
Great video!
Best of luck with completing the collection! I hope you enjoy the rest of the books.
Absolutely top-notch video! I already owe you a debt of gratitude for introducing me to Michael Connelly, so I suppose I'll have to make room on my TBR for Lehane as well!
Awesome, Michael! I hope you enjoy Lehane as well! (I know you will!)
I haven’t heard of this author but his work sounds right up my alley.
Thanks for turning me in the right direction, just checked out A Drink Before the War from the library, cheers!
Awesome! I hope you loved his works as I do!
Excellent video, Josh! Serpentine plots, societal connections, and gritty realism, and elegant prose has me convinced Lehane is going above and beyond average crime fiction. Great editing and overview!
Thanks, Johanna!
Great job! Incredibly concise overview given how much material you had to cover. And, yet, you still captured all of the emotion and depth of these novels. I still have 3 of his books on my TBR, but I agree with every single one of your placements.
Thank you so much!
Love all the work you put into this one, Josh! Cant wait to read more Lehane. Definitely need to start the Coughlin trilogy soon.
Thanks, Kyle! And I hop you enjoy the Coughlin trilogy! (I suspect you will!)
Fantastic video, Josh. I still need to carve out some time to read The Given Day. I am a little nervous to start with the book that you rate most highly. Cheers.
No need to get nervous - it's fantastic! :)
I was thinking of reading Mystic River in 2025. Now I will for sure.
Excellent! I hope you enjoy it!
This was a great video Josh! I read Shutter Island a few years back and loved it. I have The Given Day on my shelf but have never gotten to it... I'll make sure to read it next year!
I hope you love it as I do!
Fantastic video Josh! I've read a couple Kenzie & Gennaro, Mystic River and Small Mercies but have never delved into the Couglin novels.. I must remedy that!
Mystic River is by far my favourite
Cheers, Carlos.
Thanks, Carlos, I bet you'll really enjoy the Coughlin novels!
Fantastic video, Josh! I love author deep dives like this :D
Thanks, Tori!
Excellent commentary. Lehane is such a fine writer. Whenever Dennis Lehan comes out with a new offering, I must immediately drop everything and immerse myself in the work. Such a joy! I agree wholeheartedly with your assessment of Since We Fell. I felt it was a confusing read, and not up to Lehane's elegance. Thank you for your thoughtful commentary.
P.S. Having grown up in the Boston area, the Lehane's books also always offer me a great trip down memory lane.
I'm glad you enjoyed the video! And I'm sure that understanding Boston and its neighborhoods add another layer to the books set there!
Just finished Mystic River as my first Lehane read earlier this week. I was riveted. I had seen the Scorsese ‘Shutter Island’ film already so I decided to start with MR rather than SI since I knew the twist in the latter. I am excited to continue my Lehane journey with the Kenzie and Genaro books. Great video!
Thanks! I hope you enjoy more of his works as I have!
Awesome work ! I’ll be returning to Lehane in January with Darkness take my hand.
Great - I hope you enjoy it!
I’m new to Lehane and have decided to check him out. I put the ebooks of Mystic River and A Drink Before the War on hold. I have a few weeks to wait for the first and about 2 months for the second. Here’s hoping I enjoy them! Thanks for the recommendation.
I hope you enjoy them as I have!
You know I read Shutter Island when I was 15, but never read any more Lehane. I’ll definitely need to give more of his books a shot! I love a lot of crime/thriller books so I feel like this is a hole in my reading.
Oh I hope you pick him up! He's definitely not one in that genre to miss!
Great video Josh, one of your best yet! I just found a mint hardcover copy of Mystic River at a library book sale yesterday for a dollar - if that’s not the universes sign to start Lehane, I don’t know what is!
Thanks, Nikhil! Congrats on that find! I think you'll enjoy Mystic River.
Great video. One of my favorite authors. I would rate Mystic River as my favorite book by Lehane.
Thanks!
Great video! I'll have to pick those entry point books up that you mentioned. I think I like the front view for the camera that you usually go with, but nothing wrong with switching things up here and there.
Thanks! I just wanted a different feel for this video - the other view is still my default shooting angle.
Nicely done video, I haven’t read any Lehane but I do have Mystic River in my nightstand to read next year.
Thanks you, and I hope you enjoy Mystic River!
I read Mystic River around the start of the year and it blew me away, definitely one of the best novels I've read this year (and that is saying something as I've read some amazing books this year) I also read A drink Before The War, and while I enjoyed it, it didn't stay with me like Mystic River did, I'll be reading Darkness Take My Hand next year. I think I'll work through the Kenzie and Genaro novels with a few pit stops for his stand alones...sounds like I will be leaving some of his best work till last with the Coughlin series!
I hope you enjoy the ride! And saving the Coughlin for last is a way to ensure the best for last!
Great video Josh!
Thank you!
And another thing -- there are a lot pf photos of Dennis Lehane out there, and in every one he looks like a gangster in an English TV show. I can imagine him sitting in the back room of a pub in Liverpool talking with some guy named Lenny. 😀
HA!
Great video! Thank you for this! Sadly I’m nearing the end of my Lehane journey. It’s been great. My favorites were the Coughlin series and the Kenzie and gennaro series. I always tell people to check him out I’ve never read a bad Dennis Lehane book.
You can always reread! I reread 8 of his book this year for this video and enjoyed them just as much as the first time.
@@RedFuryBooks I’m sure I’ll circle back around to him one day. I’m going to start reading some of the authors you’ve recommended. Love your channel!
@@samharness24271 thanks so much!
Great video, I always love the multi-dimensional "tier" rankings.
Thanks!
I've read all the novels by Lehane and I have to say he has pretty much spoiled me as a reader. By far my favorite writer in the crime genre, even the books you found as not quite up to his regular standard far outshone most other writers. "The Given Day" is my favorite of all and his Coughlin series is just extraordinary taken as a whole.
Yes, Lehane can do that as he is so skilled. And your point about his standard is why I mentioned in the video how his lesser works are still better than most.
I've read Small Mercies, Mystic River & Shutter Island so far - all excellent. My plan is to tackle the Kenzie & Gennaro series next, followed by Coughlin.
Awesome! Some great reads ahead for you!
A fantastic video Josh, might just outdo my own video that I did about Lehane some months back. Only there I was just trying to point people to where they could start with his oeuvre. We should hang out and talk Lehane soon!
Thanks, Britton, and yes, we need to get together and chat more deeply about Lehane some time!
@@RedFuryBooks 2025!!
I never knew Lehane wrote Shutter Island! Definitely gonna have to read the book!
I hope you enjoy it, it's a great read!
I’ve only read Shutter Island after watching the film and loved it, but you’ve piqued my interest to explore more.
I hope you enjoy his works as I have!
The Given Day is an all time favorite. I like everything he has written except for Coronado.
Valid! Glad we share the same favorite.
Still looking for a nice copy of The Given Day at the local used bookstore every time I go in.
I hope you find it!
@ Thanks!
Going back in time a ways I always thought Patricia Highsmith who wrote The Talented Mr. Ripley among other things was a genuinely great writer.
I haven't read her but that one has been on my TBR for some time.
I hope you love his works as I do!
I've only and just read Mystic River. If that is considered his best, then eh. He can write and his character work was good. Not to spoil anything, but I did not find the murder to be predictable; I found it to be unbelievable. It made no logical sense and was just pawned off as yeah, that's normal. Uh, no, it's not.
The abduction thing that seems to be a major part of the story is not really believable either and neither are the reactions of the townspeople. It was just a plot point to move the story. I found the ending also unbelievable and unsatisfying in its injustice that just annoyed me more than other books which have bleak endings.
Not all authors work for all readers.