Mystic River
Dennis Lehane · first published 2001 · ISBN 9780688163167
Three childhood friends reunite when one's daughter is found murdered in Boston. A homicide detective, an ex-convict businessman, and a traumatized blue-collar worker collide as the investigation spirals through their connected lives, each harboring secrets that could shatter the truth.
On our lists
The Best Crime Novels of the 2000s
This novel is the defining American crime book of the era. It proved Lehane deserved comparison to the greats, won every major award, and showed that crime fiction could do what literary fiction rarely achieved: genuine page-turning urgency matched with tragic resonance.