Slacks for Ella Funt

Like Ian Rankin’s books set in Edinburgh, Lehane’s series is one where the city itself is the starring character. Lehane’s Boston is a place of poverty, bitterness, and desperation, where crime is rampant and no one is safe. Patrick Kenzie and Angie Gennaro grew up in a working class area of Boston. Many of the kids they grew up with became criminals, drunks, etc. They became private detectives. There’s a lot of violence in these, and they really come up against the scum of humanity, and almost lose themselves in the process. Sometimes the violence crosses the line of being believable, particularly the number of people Kenzie and Gennaro manage to kill without any serious legal repercussions. Overall though, a good series, well written with interesting plots and characters. One of the better American series that I’ve read.