Last summer, four-year old Amanda McCready was abducted from her Boston apartment. Police officers Remy Broussard and Nick Raftopuolus, members of the Crimes Against Children Unit, are assigned the official case. Meanwhile, the missing girlÆs Uncle Lionel and Aunt Beatrice hire private investigators Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro to find the child. The four investigators surprisingly cooperate with one another, knowing it is in the best interest of Amanda.

The lifestyle of Helene, AmandaÆs mother, becomes the focus of the investigation. Helene has been with a drug lord and hung out with drug gang members. The local and federal law enforcement agencies do not seem concerned about another lost child, especially one from AngelaÆs background. Instead, she seems more like a pawn in a game they are playing and evidence points to her most likely being dead. When a second abduction occurs, the fabulous foursome knows that they are racing the clock to save at least one life and maybe, if they're very lucky, two.

GONE, BABY, GONE is a dark and gory social commentary that will be devoured by fans of action-packed thrillers with a deeper message. Shamus-award winning author, Dennis Lehane, has written his best work in an already strong resume. He manages to combine loads of action while leaving readers left pondering personal and community moral questions for years to come. When a writer can run you through a non-stop thriller and still leave the reader thinking about serious social commentary, that author has reached the nirvana of hiis career. To Mr. Lehane: stay, baby, stay and bestow us with more works like this one.

Harriet Klausner