27 November 2012

Today's Read: Live by Night by Dennis Lehane

What happens to the youngest son of a law-enforcement family who decides to take a walk on the wild side? Now imagine it's Prohibition and young Joe Coughlin has built quite the reputation as a rum runner. Here's the situation when we first meet him:
Some years later, on a tugboat in the Gulf of Mexico, Joe Coughlin's feet were placed in a tub of cement. Twelve gunmen stood waiting until they got far enough out to sea to throw him overboard, while Joe listened to the engine chug and watched the water churn white at the stern. And it occurred to him that almost everything of note that had ever happened in his life—good or bad—had been set in motion that morning he first crossed paths with Emma Gould. (p. 3)
—Live by Night by Dennis Lehane (HarperCollins / William Morrow, 2012; quote from uncorrected proofs)

Quick Facts
  • Setting: Boston, Tampa, and Havana; Prohibition
  • Circumstances: Joe Coughlin rises and falls in the rum running game
  • Characters: Joe, Boston friends, a couple of dames, various gangsters
  • Themes: family, power, morality, racism, crime, betrayal
  • Audience: Lehane fans, gangster fans,
  • Miscellaneous: Leonardo DiCaprio has bought the film rights.
Want to know more? Watch the following interview with Lehane, in which he discusses the book and his love for the Prohibition era.


Buy Live by Night at an indie or at a bookstore near you. (Link leads to an affiliate program.)
ISBN-13: 9780060004873
Copyright © cbl for Beth Fish Reads, all rights reserved (see review policy).
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9 comments:

  1. (Diane) Bibliophile By the Sea11/27/12, 6:52 AM

    I loved the audio version. I did not know it will possibly be a movie ---great news.

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  2. Unknown11/27/12, 9:11 AM

    I saw Dennis Lehane speak at NEIBA, and it made me want to go out and read all this books! I have this one waiting for me...so many books!

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  3. Zibilee11/27/12, 10:57 AM

    I have this one as well, but from what I've heard it's not the first in the series, and I want to go out and get them all in order. Excellent teaser today! I can't wait to get ensconced with Lehane for awhile!

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  4. Daryl11/27/12, 11:46 AM

    read a review of this in the NYT BR ... sounds good .. adding it to the ever growing pile

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  5. bermudaonion11/27/12, 11:46 AM

    I was supposed to get this one but it never came. If it's by Lehane, you know it must be good.

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  6. Heather11/27/12, 3:12 PM

    I saw this mentioned in a group at GoodReads over the weekend and thought it sounded good. You can be sure it is on the (extensive) wish list. My teaser: Holiday Hideout

    ReplyDelete
  7. How Jess Reads11/27/12, 4:07 PM

    I really loved The Given Day - and my nonreader husband enjoyed it too. Maybe I'll get him this one for Christmas! :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Sue Jackson11/27/12, 7:34 PM

    This sounds like a good one. The only Lehane novel I have read is Shutter Island (very good!), though I've seen most of the movie adaptations of his novels.

    Sue

    Great Books for Kids and Teens

    Book By Book

    ReplyDelete
  9. Julie P.11/28/12, 8:26 PM

    Looks great! He's just a wonderful writer.

    ReplyDelete

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