Perfectly cooked? Nah, probably not. But then again, what collection of short stories ever truly is?Dennis Lehane is a phenomenally talented crime writer. *Mystic River* will forever be on my top 10 books of all time list. There's just this natural style to his writing that captures the rough edges of his characters *perfectly*. He nails that unsettling vibe of Suburbia and the way it can eat away at you.There's a fair bit to love here... you get "Until Gwen," which is presented both as a play a...

Some fantastic short stories here—dark, tragic, really digging into the human soul. They aren't all created equal, but at least two are so good they'll stick with you for a long time. There's a criminal element in all of them, but it's so twisted up with human emotions that the 'bad guys' become incredibly human, even when you're staring right at their terrible deeds. Dennis Lehane's *Coronado: Stories* is a must-read for fans of crime fiction and character-driven narratives. If you're looking f...

"People are selfish, Doctor—odiously, monstrously, but in so small and paltry a monstrousness that we barely notice it."Each story felt like peering into another one of the darkest corners of the human psyche. Dennis Lehane proves once again that he’s one of the absolute best when it comes to crafting dark thrillers and mysteries. This collection, "Coronado: Stories," is a masterclass in suspense.Running Out of Dog - 5 starsICU - 4 starsGone Down to Corpus - 3.5 starsMushrooms - 2.5 starsUntil G...

Great! Simply great! This book was great, simply great! Dennis Lehane is the new Harry Crews, writing Americana low life trailer trash books just the way they should be written: unpredictable and with no respect for political, legal, or moral authority. His characters are erratic and unreliable, suffering from just about every personality disorder you can name; depression, mania, stress, grief, alcohol, drugs. These stories are unpredictable, uncontrollable and, in a way, challenging. I absolu...

Coronado: Stories is a collection of six short stories by author Dennis Lehane. Running out of Dog – A well-written tale about small-town secrecy. "Running out of Dog" is fueled by pent-up male aggression threatening to burst inside those who seem to lack a true purpose in life. Blue, the best friend of protagonist Elgin, is the kind of man who, when you look into his eyes, you see a whole lot of nothing. As Elgin says, he’s a man who has been dying since he was born. I really liked this one –...

I grabbed "Coronado: Stories" off my to-read shelf last night. The first story, "Running Out of Dog," feels like pretty cliched Southern Gothic material, but it's well-written enough. "ICU" – a bit of fancy writing chasing after some Kafkaesque mystery-whimsy. Existential dread, maybe? "Gone Down to Corpus" – a quick peek into the lives of some young losers in Texas. Meh. Again, the prose has a lot of attitude, but it sometimes feels like a writing exercise assigned in a fiction workshop. "Mu...

These short crime stories are a bit of a mixed bag, but "Until Gwen" is worth the price of admission alone. "YOUR FATHER PICKS you up from prison in a stolen Dodge Neon with an eight ball in the glove compartment and a hooker named Mandy in the backseat."I dare any pulp noir fan to stop reading after that opening line. The story is as remarkable for what Dennis Lehane writes as for what he leaves to the reader's imagination. I actually enjoy this kind of writing more than some of his longer nove...

“What had begun as a nighttime ride into the unknown had turned cold and stale during the hard yellow lurch into morning” (34).“The man’s eyes are the clear and the bright of skyscraper panes” (58).“…a guy in a johnny leading his IV-stand across the carpet as if it’s a slow relative…” (63).“Though he still feels like apologizing. It’s natural, he supposes, to not want to be the cause of any sort of ado, any kind of mass consternation. It’s a judgment, no matter how nebulous, of your entire life”...

One of the best short stories I've ever read is in this collection: "Until Gwen." Seriously, Dennis Lehane's *Coronado: Stories* contains pure gold. If you're looking for a gripping read and love short story collections, this is it. This book is a must-read.

Alright, a snowstorm's got me rummaging through my bookshelf. I stumble upon an unread book inscribed, "Peggy, Best wishes for your writing," signed by Dennis Lehane. Ouch. I always feel guilty when my mother gives me a book signed by someone she tells that I'm a writer. I usually have to hide it. Don't even get me started on the Andre Dubus III fiasco. Anyway, I realized I'd confused Lehane with another South Boston writer and was probably just terrified because I've seen the movies *Mystic Riv...