43 of 43 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Lehane is smoking, December 4, 2001
The only problem with Dennis Lehane is that he writes so well, that his books just fly, and you regret that its over so soon. I started this book and finished in the same day. I can't remember the last time I read a book in one day, and believe me I read a lot. The reason this only gets 4 stars is that comparing it to "Darkness Take My Hand" it would be hard not to fall a little short. That book was so good it gave me chills. Now on to this book, once again Kenzie and Gennaro are drawn into an intriguing case, where nothing is what it seems. There are plenty of twists and turns that jump out at you. The dialogue and action don't miss a step. While I state this isn't as great at the previous book in the series, it is still very good and well worth the read. While it is true that you don't need to read the other books prior to "Sacred", there are however references to the events in those books that give away their endings, so I encourage you to read in order. Lehane has quickly become one of my favorite authors. He is right on par with Harlan Coben, but with a darker edge. If you haven't read Lehane or are yet to read this book, you are missing out. Pick it up now, so you aren't the last one in on this great author.
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18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
High Scores!, April 2, 2005
This is another book that I'll put in my loaner shelf to loan out to friends who like crime thriller/ mystery novels. I take pride in loaning out only the cream of the crop, and I'm happy to say that this one will fit right in. My wife thoroughly enjoyed it too.
This wisecracking pair of somewhat reluctant P.I.'s entertain from beginning to end. The dialogue is crisp, darkly funny, original, and insightful. The plot is cleverly woven, unpredictable, and fast paced. The main characters' motivations and feelings are explored without beating you over the head with it. (THANK YOU!) The entire book was very entertaining and memorable.
I'm not sure why anyone who enjoys reading wouldn't absolutely love this book, but there are some less than complimentary reviews, so I guess you can't please everybody all of the time.
This book is highly recommended to all non anal-retantives.
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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Not perfect, but close, February 4, 2001
This is the third in Dennis Lehane's series of Boston-based, hard boiled-but-hip private eye novels featuring the team of Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro. This time, he refreshes his formula by taking his characters to a new locale, the Tampa-St.Petersburg area in Florida. What remains constant, however, is that Lehane has crafted another action-packed mystery thriller that once started is hard to put down.
In each successive book, Lehane has further developed his ability to create plot lines that feature the twists, turns, and surprises that characterize only the very best action/mystery novels. In *Sacred*, he keeps the reader guessing right up until very close to the end of the book, and for this reason alone, the novel can be highly recommended.
But Lehane does not just tell a good story, he writes exceedingly well and has a gift for describing characters, places, and human emotions that is rare within the detective genre. And to add frosting to the cake, in this novel he includes, almost in passing, some apt critical social commentary regarding the rapaciousness of the current "globalization" trend within the corporate world and Americans' overall obliviousness to the dark underside of this ongoing phenomenon.
Is the book perfect? No, there are some minor shortcomings, in my opinion. The ending is a bit on the theatrical side (perhaps the book might someday become a Hollywood film?) and I confess that I found the turn toward deep romantic engagement between Patrick and Angela more boring than gratifying. In terms of further developing the nuances of his main characters, Lehane has essentially taken a vacation in *Sacred*. Maybe next time.
Let me add that I was surprised to see that there is apparently an ongoing misconception among readers of this book that Lehane made a "glaring error" by including a clue involving the title of a 1965 Bob Dylan composition, "Positively Fourth Street." In fact, Lehane made no such error. On page 174, the clue offered by detective Jay Becker was, "Bob Dylan in St. Pete. . . Songs, not albums." Yup, "Positively Fourth Street" was indeed a well-known Bob Dylan song, so what's the problem?
Overall, *Sacred* is a darned good read, a page-turner that stands head and shoulders above most other books in its genre. Consequently, I'm looking forward to moving on to the next volume in the Kenzie/Gennaro saga, "Gone, Baby Gone."
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