I'm with you Mario. I read Mystic River after having greatly
enjoyed his series books. Not to say it can't be done well,
but I'm immediately skeptical of any book that starts with a
prologue set decades earlier. So I was quickly on my guard.
Still, I was surprised how quickly it read. I enjoyed it well
enough while I was reading it, but as it settled in, things
started nagging at me. The whodunnit was not that surprising,
with some of the red herrings depending upon highly contrived
coincidences. As many specific details as the characters were
given, they remained far more "types" than individuals. And
some of the gimmicks (like the runaway wife's hang-up calls)
were gratutitous and annoying. I haven't read another by
Lehane since. Still, it was a lot better than the movie,
which stripped it to its contrivances and cliches and (unlike
most Eastwood-directed movies) allowed its stars to chew the
scenery, especially Award winner Sean Penn -- Bill Murray got
robbed that year.
Mark
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