“Harsh and chilling ... an absolutely terrific story.”

“What a first novel! Smart, hip and moving.”

“Old Boston politicos and young Uzi-toting warlords ... Lehane handles it all wiht a veteran's aplomb. The violence of his story is balanced by the grace of his prose and the morality of his characters.”

“Lehane offers slick, hip, sparkling dialogue that's as good as it gets, a plot that rockets along at warp speed, and the wonderfully original, in-your-face crime-solving duo of Kenzie and Genarro.”

“The sure pacing, humor, and clear sense of place are unusually strong for a debut novel. Lehane's depictions of working-class Dorchester and the great divide between its Irish-American and African-American inhabitants are so on-target the reader could practically use them as a map and drive right into town.”