REVIEW: Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane

I’m a sucker for post-war thrillers, and this is one of the best. After a female prisoner escapes in 1954, Federal Marshals Teddy Daniels and Chuck Aule take the ferry to Shutter Island, home of the criminally insane. What they find is completely baffling. A former code-breaker in WWII, Teddy must decipher the missing prisoner’s cryptic messages and unlock the secret of Shutter Island. This creepy place is enough to make anyone on edge, but for Teddy, it brings out his own personal demons: his fear of water and the loss of his beloved wife. To make matters worse, a furious hurricane is due to hit the island, and he’s running out of time. Lehane’s writing is so good, the reader falls completely under his spell. Many will be utterly shocked by the ending. The Publisher’s Weekly review of the book said it all: “it is one of the most aesthetically right resolutions ever written.” Powerful!

Shamus Award Nominees

Winners of the 2007 SHAMUS AWARDS, for works published in 2006, will be announced at Bouchercon in October. Here are the nominees:

BEST P.I. NOVEL

The Dramatist by Ken Bruen

The Darkest Place by Daniel Judson

The Do-Re-Me by Ken Kuhlken

Vanishing Point by Marcia Muller

Days of Rage by Kris Nelscott

BEST FIRST NOVEL

Lost Angel by Mike Doogan

A Safe Place for Dying by Jack Fredrickson

Holmes on the Range by Steve Hockensmith

The Wrong Kind of Blood by Declan Hughes

18 Seconds by George D. Shuman

The Most Anticipated Upcoming Books

September 18 – Night Work by Steve Hamilton
September 18 – The Bone Garden by Tess Gerritsen
September 25 – Terminal by Andrew Vachss

October 2 – Down River by John Hart
October 16 – Blonde Faith by Walter Mosely
October 23 – Book of the Dead by Patricia Cornwell
October 23 – The Ghost by Robert Harris

November 6 – Third Degree by Greg Iles
November 13 – Double Cross by James Patterson
November27 – Person of Interest by Theresa Schwegel

The Best POLICE PROCEDURAL I’ve Read in a Long Time

Technically, this isn’t a real police procedural, but the main character does work for law enforcement. Set in the beautiful setting of Wyoming, C.J. Box introduces us to Joe Pickett, a dedicated game warden trying to fill the large shoes left behind by his mentor Vern Dunnegan. While Joe loves his job and the great outdoors, he can hardly support his two young daughters and his pregnant wife, Marybeth. The dead body of a poacher is found in the back of Joe’s house, and this unwanted intrusion has devastating effects on Joe and his family. I really like how the author brings Joe’s daughter into the story. He definitely does the little things right. I’m definitely going to read Box’s next book because of Joe. He’s such a clumsy hero, and Box makes you like him for it.

REVIEW:Tonight I Said Goodbye by Michael Koryta

Investigator Wayne Weston is found dead of an apparent suicide in his home in an upscale Cleveland suburb, and his wife and six-year-old daughter are now missing. The police think the former Marine murdered them. Hoping to exonerate his son, Weston’s father hires P.I.s Lincoln Perry and Joe Pritchard. Unfortunately, their investigation turns up two suspects: a millionaire real-estate tycoon and the Russian mob.

With great humor, plot twists, and well-written action sequences, this first novel is a real winner. Koryta claims to be inspired by Dennis Lehane novels, but he has definitely found his own wonderful voice. This was the 2003 Winner of the St. Martin’s Press/Private Eye Writers of America Prize for Best First PI Novel. When you finish, you’ll want to immediately read the next one: Sorrow’s Anthem.