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| Dennis Lehane, Shutter Island |
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The story takes place in 1954 on Shutter Island,
an island off the Boston coast, which harbors the Ashecliffe
Hospital for the Criminally Insane. Rachel Solando, a demented
patient who was confined for killing her three children, escaped
without a trace: the guards posted at her floor and at the entrances
of the building haven't seen her. Had she drowned in the ocean, her
body would have been found on the beach, which is not the case. Teddy Daniels and Chuck Aule, two US
marshals, are dispatched to the island to help find the escapee.
Very soon, they suspect that an insider has helped
Rachel escape... As time passes, things
become stranger and stranger: the marshals stumble upon cryptic
messages left for them by Rachel. We also learn
that Teddy Daniels had his own agenda: the reason for his presence is
linked to the death of his wife Dolores, two years before. Teddy has
good reasons to suspect that the Ashecliffe Hospital has radical
approaches to patient therapy; he has even heard rumors of illegal
experimentations. The two marshals wonder about Ward C, a building
in which the most dangerous patients are kept, and also about the lighthouse
of the island, which is heavily guarded. The truth they seek is one
that they might not like at all...
I will not tell more about the story, but
simply that things will not turn out quite as the reader expects.
When I read reviews saying that the ending of Shutter Island
came as a surprise I was doubtful: I have often read this about a
mystery and ended up not being surprised at all. But Shutter
Island is really original and skillfully plotted (though a bit
flawed, but who cares?): it is not your average mystery! I had been
a bit disappointed by Mystic River,
which was praised by the critics, but I think Shutter Island
is an ingenious novel, and I appreciate that some authors still
manage to stun their readers. I really recommend Shutter Island
to all mystery
lovers!
Rating: 
© Discussing Books, 04/28/2004
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| Further Readings |
By Dennis Lehane:
The Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro series:
Lehane,
Dennis (1994)
A
Drink Before the War
Lehane,
Dennis (1996)
Darkness, Take My Hand
Lehane,
Dennis (1997)
Sacred
Lehane,
Dennis (1998)
Gone
Baby Gone
Lehane,
Dennis (1999)
Prayers For Rain
Other
Novels by Dennis Lehane:
Lehane,
Dennis (2001) Mystic River
Lehane,
Dennis (2003) Shutter Island
Links:
Dennis Lehane's web site
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Critiques