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Dennis Lehane, author of the award-winning Kenzie/Gennaro series and the critically acclaimed MYSTIC RIVER, returns from a two-year hiatus to bring us his most ambitious novel to date. In 1954, on an isolated island of the coast of Massachusetts, there are strange going-ons and unorthodox experiments taking place at a local mental institution. Shutter Island is the home of the Ashecliff Hospital for the Criminally Insane, where only the most dangerous inmates are sent. One of its guests has escaped and the entire complex is put on high alert. It appears to be a straightforward story; with Dennis Lehane at the helm, it is anything but. Representing the U.S. Marshals, Teddy Daniels is on the island trying to find out the location of Rachel Solando, the missing inmate. Teamed up with partner Chuck Aule, the two are stonewalled by the hospital administration hiding something from the law enforcement authorities. Something is going on at the island and Daniels will hunt for the truth. The fugitive taunts her pursuers leaving puzzles and clues to her location as well as revealing some ugly truths about the institution that is her home. By the time the story reaches its unforgettable conclusion, readers will be left stunned. There will be many questions and few answers given. The book’s unexpected ending will be left open to interpretation, but nevertheless, it will be a treat to speculate. Lehane constructs an elaborate puzzle that will leave readers guessing unaware of the surprises that lurk in these pages. Ted Daniels is a complex individual tortured by many unhappy memories including the brutal murder of his wife, Dolores. He has an ulterior motive in finding Rachel and he intends to fulfill his mission and clear his head of the ghosts that continue to haunt his psyche. The author’s dynamic characterization is the strongest aspect of the novel and one of the reasons why people continue to read his stories. Things are not quite what they seem and it is the characters that make up the story. Anyone waiting for a new entry in the Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro P.I. series may have a long wait. Dennis Lehane is still stretching his creativity muscle and he is doing a great job with his new standalone novels. An author who can write a great series and individual powerful books should be able to write whatever he likes. Fans will continue to follow.
Reviewed by Angel L. Soto, May 2003
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