A Best Mystery Fiction Book of 2023, Baltimore Sun°°°"Lehane is the master of complex human characters thrust into suspenseful, page-turning situations." —Gillian Flynn"One of the great diabolical thriller kings." —New York Times"Lehane has built a career as a philosopher of the human animal." —Noah Hawley°°°The acclaimedNew York Timesbestselling writer returns with a masterpiece to rivalMystic River--an all-consuming tale of revenge, family love, festering hate, & insidious power, set against one of the most tumultuous episodes in Boston's history.In thesummer of1974a heatwave blanketsBoston&Mary Pat Fennesseyis trying to stay one step ahead of the bill collectors.Mary Pathas lived her entire life in the housing projects of"Southie,"theIrish Americanenclave that stubbornly adheres to old tradition & stands proudly apart. One nightMary Pat'steenage daughterJulesstays out late & doesn't come home.That same evening,a young Black man is found dead, struck by a subway train under mysterious circumstances. The two events seem unconnected. ButMary Pat, propelled by a desperate search for her missing daughter, begins turning over stones best left untouched--asking questions that botherMarty Butler, chieftain ofthe Irish mob, & the men who work for him, men who don't take kindly to anyone--man or woman--who threatens their business.Set against the hot, tumultuous months whenthe city's desegregation of its public schools exploded in violence,Small Merciesis a superb thriller, a brutal depiction of criminality & power, & an unflinching portrait of the dark heart ofAmerican racism. It is a mesmerizing & wrenching work that onlyDennis Lehanecould write.°°°