Live by Night: A Novel Author: Dennis Lehane | Language: English | ISBN:
B007HC3PUG | Format: EPUB
Live by Night: A Novel Description
From Gone, Baby, Gone to Mystic River to Shutter Island to The Given Day, the phenomenal Dennis Lehane has proven himself to be one of the most versatile and exciting novelists working in America today—whether he’s breaking new ground with uniquely inventive psychological suspense, redefining the detective story, or bringing a bygone era to life with sweeping and masterful historical fiction. He’s back with Live by Night, an epic, unflinching tale of the making and unmaking of a gangster in the Prohibition Era of the Roaring Twenties.
Meticulously researched and artfully told, Live by Night is the riveting story of one man’s rise from Boston petty thief to the Gulf Coast’s most successful rum runner, and it proves again that the accolades New York Times bestseller Lehane consistently receives are well deserved. He is indeed, “a master” (Philadelphia Inquirer) whose “true literary forefathers include John Steinbeck as well as Raymond Chandler” (Baltimore Sun). And, “Boy, does he know how to write” (Elmore Leonard).
- File Size: 609 KB
- Print Length: 416 pages
- Publisher: William Morrow; Reprint edition (October 2, 2012)
- Sold by: HarperCollins Publishers
- Language: English
- ASIN: B007HC3PUG
- Text-to-Speech: Enabled
X-Ray:
- Lending: Not Enabled
- Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,058 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
- #17
in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Thrillers > Historical - #58
in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Historical Fiction > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense - #59
in Books > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Thrillers > Historical
- #17
in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Thrillers > Historical - #58
in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Historical Fiction > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense - #59
in Books > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Thrillers > Historical
Lehane has written a taut, exciting story about a Prohibition Era criminal that delivers on many levels. Live by Night starts quickly and moves at fevered speed through the Boston underworld, Charlestown prison and the Tampa waterfront. The characters, especially Joe Coughlin, are immediately accessible and many layered. The plot is almost unbearably tense at times but the novel also contains a believable love story and historical color.
At its best, Live by Night carries subtle echoes of the Godfather movies and the books of Raymond Chandler. The dialogue sparkles as when Coughlin explains why he does not want to be a noble person: "I've got nothing against noble people. I've just noticed they rarely live past forty." The woman answers, "Neither do gangsters;" to which Coughlin cracks in Marlowe-like fashion: "True, but we eat in better restaurants."
The exploration of Coughlin's descent deeper into the rules of the night is the backbone of the novel. He initially insists that he is an outlaw rather than a gangster but begins to accept the latter label after he has killed a man. He improves the working condition of prostitutes in his employ and can respect an honest policeman but is capable of whatever level of ruthlessness his job requires. He explains: "This was why they became outlaws. To live moments the insurance salesmen of the world, the truck drivers, and lawyers and bank tellers and carpenters and Realtors would never know. Moments in a world without nets - none to catch you and none to envelop you."
And Lehane makes all of this believable as the reader is forced to view the almost unacceptably harrowing experiences of Coughlin in prison.
In the opening paragraph of this new novel by Dennis Lehane, the hero of our story Joe Coughlin finds himself with his feet in cement and about to tossed overboard into the water off Tampa Florida. The novel then flashes back to telling Joe's story beginning in 1926.
"Live by Night" is the second in a planned trilogy of stories exploring the early part of the 20th century. The first book, "The Given Day" was an utterly brilliant story examining the country in the period just following World War 1 and featured Danny Coughlin, Joe's older brother.
This book stands on its own but I do recommend that readers pick up the first book when they can.
"Live by Night" will be compared by many to the "Godfather" story as it is not a mystery like Lehane usually writes. It is a sprawling saga about a petty criminal who happens to be the son of the Assistant Chief Superintendent of the Boston police department. Joe Coughlin has chosen a path unlike his father Thomas or his brother Danny who also was a member of the police department. Though his family are not major characters, nevertheless their mark is left on Joe for his entire life.
He works for one of the crime bosses in the era of Prohibition and finds himself dealing with various crime syndicate characters as he tries to work himself up the ladder of success by various illegal dealings.
Joe is a fascinating lead because the path he has chosen for himself is often at odds with his beliefs however as the story evolves, he becomes more infamous and conflicted living in a world of violence.
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