Laugh out loud funny, this story lampoons mystery genre themes while still creating a surprising who-done-it that will keep you guessing until the very end. Ernest, the narrator, earnestly leads the reader through name anagrams and blatantly gives away who the victims will be, while telling the story of his criminal family who are all less innocent and more innocent than they seem.
In this book Lehane has written the best characters I've read in many years. Match that with a gripping tale about the Irish and Black neighborhoods of Boston in the days leading up to forced integration of their schools, and you get a gritty, raw story that crackles with energy from beginning to end. Small Mercies is a true tour de force.

What a story! An astrophysicist psychic who helps the police with murder investigations is apparently right up my alley. Add to this a smattering of forbidden romance, lots of lies and twisted truths, and America's tendency to believe social media big-wigs no matter how far-fetched the conspiracy. This book is an absolute page-turner that will have the reader wide-eyed with anticipation while also checking over their shoulder for creeping danger.