Small Mercies

A Novel

By: Dennis Lehane

Narrated by: Robin Miles

Length: 10 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's summary

Instant New York Times Bestseller

“Small Mercies is thought provoking, engaging, enraging, and can’t-put-it-down entertainment.”—Stephen King

The acclaimed New York Times bestselling writer returns with a masterpiece to rival Mystic River—an all-consuming tale of revenge, family love, festering hate, and insidious power, set against one of the most tumultuous episodes in Boston’s history.

In the summer of 1974 a heatwave blankets Boston and Mary Pat Fennessy is trying to stay one step ahead of the bill collectors. Mary Pat has lived her entire life in the housing projects of “Southie,” the Irish American enclave that stubbornly adheres to old tradition and stands proudly apart.

One night Mary Pat’s teenage daughter Jules stays out late and 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. But Mary Pat, propelled by a desperate search for her missing daughter, begins turning over stones best left untouched—asking questions that bother Marty Butler, chieftain of the Irish mob, and the men who work for him, men who don’t take kindly to any threat to their business.

Set against the hot, tumultuous months when the city’s desegregation of its public schools exploded in violence, Small Mercies is a superb thriller, a brutal depiction of criminality and power, and an unflinching portrait of the dark heart of American racism. It is a mesmerizing and wrenching work that only Dennis Lehane could write.

©2023 Dennis Lehane (P)2023 HarperCollins Publishers

Another Great Dennis Lehane Novel

This was a great story telling and a great narration by Robin Miles. The story does take some time to tell and is full of details that only a native Bostonian would know.

This is a dark novel of vengeance and violence that reminds us of what things were like in the mid 1970’s across America around equal education in very segregated areas. I was twelve in 1974 and don’t have a good recollection of what was happening but I can only imagine the type of anxiety that was generated.

Woven into the backdrop of the bussing as way to fix schools is another story of a mother’s promise to hold those responsible for her daughters disappearance accountable for their transgressions, with prejudice.

The Southie accent is awful!

I looked forward to listening to this book not just for the compelling story, but also because I love Boston and have family and friends from Southie. I wanted to hear their voices in this story! Alas, it was not to be. The story and the writing are tremendous- I only wish Lehane had picked his own authentic voice. The accent was a distraction for me- but the dramatic performance was well done.

Amazing book, amazing narrator

Powerful book that tells a layered story about an ugly time in Boston (and American) history. Boston accents are really hard, but this narrator nails it. Five stars across the board!

Great story

Could not stop reading, especially since I knew all the locations and some of the really "unsavory" things that went on making this so believable.

Powerful and Brutal

Reveals some ugly truths and utter hypocrisy through powerful and riveting storytelling and wonderful narration.

Heavy but riveting

Fascinating story. Such a commentary for the time (& maybe even now?). Had a hard time putting this one down.

Lehane strikes again

Like his other books , a looking glass into the world of deep ethnic divisions in Boston.

Brilliant

The atmosphere Lehane creates is letter perfect. The narration is tone perfect South Boston. I loved it.

Great story

Loved every chapter. Worth reading and finished in two days. I highly recommend this book

Not lahayne's absolute best but by far not his wor

This book starts off very slow but builds to a very interesting finish. While it is not up to his Kenzie genero series or mystic river it is by far better than his other series Although you can kind of see the outcome that is coming early on it was an enjoyable listen as it got to it's conclusion. One thing that I feel definitely brought the enjoyment of this book up is the outstanding reading by the narrator Robin Miles. I think she captured the emotions of the characters perfectly and I'm looking for other books by her to enjoy.