We’re absolutely thrilled to tell you that Publishers Weekly has selected LIVE BY NIGHT as one of the best books of 2012! Look after the jump to see what nice things critics are saying both here and in the UK!
“Live by Night is, first and foremost, a great story,” says the Minneapolis Star Tribune. “But it is also proof positive that Lehane’s 2008 novel, The Given Day, was no fluke — more than just a crime writer, Lehane is an author who works on a higher literary plane. Live By Night is a morality tale in which, as one character notes, ‘No one’s good, no one’s bad.’ Except for the author, who once again shows just how good he is.”
“This is not just brilliant period crime writing but brilliant writing full stop,” proclaims The Independent.
The Guardian says, “This is noir with added value: Lehane is terrific on family ties and at conveying the buzz of a city powered by immigrant labour of often dubious legality.”
“History is merely a backdrop in a story that seeks just to be exciting, sexy and atmospheric,” says The Sunday Times. “The author’s trademark combination of dark deeds, graceful pose and sassy dialogue ensures it succeeds.”
Reader’s Digest warns, “Don’t open it at a time when you need to do anything else, such as work sleep because I guarantee that all you’ll be able to do is keep on turning the pages. The prose crackles with Chandleresque jokes, the narrative never flags and there’s even a genuinely heart-stopping love story.”
Big Issue calls the book “a fantastic piece of work, a mesmerising page-turner with buckets of character and social comment thrown in,” adding, “when a story is delivered with this much style, class and skill it doesn’t really matter which category it’s filed under in bookshops or online. Suffice to say, Live by Night is a cracking read and you be hard pushed to better it.”
“This is an assured and fascinating novel about moral choices, fate and the harm we do ourselves,” states the Catholic Herald.
The Spectator says, “Lehane’s tough, muscular prose captures the era well; and his dialogue brings to life the inhabitants of its underworld – something one might have expected from an author who wrote several episodes of The Wire.”
Lastly, we wanted to share a fantastic interview with Dennis in this week’s By the Book column in The New York Times Sunday Book Review!