The Given Day Dennis Lehane Morrow 2008 isbn 9780088163181

Dennis Lehane returns with his newest novel, a historical saga set in Boston following WW1 called The Given Day. Mr. Lehane already has a brilliant career. His first five novels were about a male-female PI team in Boston. The first, A Drink Before the War created a huge buzz in mystery circles and the second, Darkness Take My Hand and the fourth, Gone Baby Gone(the fine film by Ben Afflack) were exceptional and marked Mr. Lehane as a rising star. Next was the famous Mystic River, both a marvelous Police novel and film by Clint Eastwood. Shutter Island was next, an amazing, mystical journey through the mind set on a remote island with a hospital for the insane. So I was very curious what direction Mr. Lehane was headed with The Given Day, as it took several years to write.

The Given Day is simply one of the greatest books I have ever read. It is an historical saga based around a Boston Police family following WW1. It is about labor-management, race and politics of this era and it leads to the famous(infamous) Boston Police Strike that caused the Government to write a law forbidding all Federal employees to go on strike. This is true fiction history of the highest order. Many of the characters really lived, such as a story line that has Babe Ruth front and center. The plotting is fast paced and brilliant, the characters are developed to a depth that other writers can only dream about doing. Although this is not a crime novel, the action is plentiful, fans of Mr. Lehane's mysteries will not be dissapointed. His amazing insight into the human condition is greater than ever.The Given Day is a work of literature that will demand re-reading and likely to make Mr. Lehane into a super star. Do not miss this book.

Richard