Customer Reviews

Shutter Island: A Novel

5 star:		(155)
4 star:		(51)
3 star:		(33)
2 star:		(24)
1 star:		(30)

 

 

First there were the noir detective books. Then "Mystic River", which was 70-80% different. "Shutter Island" is a 100% switch from either of those. I was fortunate enough to purchase mine at a book signing where Lehane answered questions for about an hour. He has taught writing extensively and is a very patient, cordial and articulate inverview (not all writers speak well). Lehane said something that helps understand all his work, but especially this one. He said his stories are about people who strive and strive for what they want, only to wind up with what they need instead, and is makes their soul whole. "Shutter Island" is a very tight (we know what the main character, Teddy, knows - period), freightening story. Still, Lehane laces his outstanding literary skills and fantastic story line with his usual humorous passages, and his wonderful, punchy descriptive metapors. "Shutter Island" is not literally a haunted castle story. All the characters are "real" (human) and there are no ghosts or other-world beings. But it is absolutely, positively the best haunted castle tale I have ever read. This book goes on my list of all-time favorites.

I've just finished reading this page-turner and it was absolutely mind-blowing. I couldn't put it down, and after I finished it, I went back and re-read the first few chapters to pick up on clues I missed.

The book starts out slow over the first few pages with a flashback and Lehane uses many more flashbacks during the novel that I initially thought slowed down the story.

I won't spoil anything, but the story is crafted wonderfully and every scene becomes relevant as the ending unfolds.

This is a great book for the reader who likes a surprise. I thought I had guessed the outcome of many situations and the author managed to flip them around on me still.

I definitely recommened Shutter Island (and I agree with a previous reviwere who suggested finding someone else who has read the book so you can discuss it when you finish). It is something that you will think about long after finishing.

A couple of Federal Marshalls arrive on an isolated island that houses a high-security Federal prison for criminally insane. They were summoned to investigate a disappearance of a female inmate. They start suspecting that the staff of the prison is not as cooperative as they could be, and Marshalls start suspecting that behind the façade of the mental institution there is a much more sinister operation. This in a nutshell, without giving away any plot details, is the premise of the latest Dennis Lahene novel.

The plot description in itself does not even begin to do the justice to this gripping and harrowing story. Until now I have only been familiar with Lahene through the movie adaptations of his novels, and Shutter Island has also been made into a movie that will scheduled to come out in a couple of months. The previews of the movie seemed very intriguing, and they spurred me to take a look at the novel itself. I was not disappointed in the least. "Shutter Island" has all the elements of a great novel: an intriguing story with many plot twists, a flowing narrative that keeps you interested and guides you from one scene to another, rich, fully developed characters, and an ending that will both surprise you and satisfy you, and make you want to go back and reread the whole novel. The novel is a psychological thriller in two senses of the term. You are constantly intrigued by the states of mind of the main character and much of the most interesting scenes are in the minds of the main characters. Furthermore, by setting the novel in a mental institution the psychological and psychiatric profession becomes a major part of the story. Even so, the narrative evokes some very strong visual impressions, and there is no doubt that it will make a great movie. Stylistically, there is a very strong sense of film-noir to it and of the hardboiled detective novels from the middle of the 20th century.

Overall, this is a rich and deeply satisfying novel and I would recommend it as one of the best examples of its genre. Purchasing it was well worth the money, and I would recommend reading it whether you plan on seeing the movie or not.

After reading Mystic River, I was eager to get my hands on Shutter Island. I wondered if it would be as compelling, and thought that perhaps Lehane had already set his bar so high with Mystic River, he'd have a hard time topping it. Sorry Dennis, I should have had more faith in you.

What sets Lehane apart from so many authors, other than his brilliant storytelling and clever plot twists, is his ability to get inside the charaters' minds, the way he can take a guy's heart and soul and present it on a platter, show us all the nasty bits, so to speak. His characters are so real, so three-dimensional that sometimes I forget I'm reading fiction.

Having said that, I had a difficult time rating this book. I had a tough time with the ending, not because it was disappointing or unbelievable or poorly written (Lehane couldn't write poorly in his sleep), but because it was so intensely disturbing -- not something I'd necessarily recommend anyone rush out and read. Now, I like a bit of grit; I have a morbid fascination with the dark side, however, there's a fine line between entertainingly gritty and downright brutal, and Lehane soared over that line in leaps and bounds. Granted, he did it very well. So, in the end, I couldn't give this book anything less than five stars.

I'd like to read Shutter Island again someday, pick up the clues that I'd missed the first go round, but I think I'll give it a rest for now, perhaps get into something a little lighter, a little easier on the psyche, a little less emotionally taxing.

Nick Hornby, anyone?

Though possibly better known for his Kenzie and Gennaro series of mystery novels (recommended to any fan of Michael Connely's or Jonathan Kellerman's), here Lehane leaves the tough streets of Boston and strikes out for an island institution for the criminally insane, circa 1952. The story follows Teddy, a Marshall investigating the disappearance of a female inmate responsible for the deaths of her children. Of course, this mystery leads only to new questions with a final solution that you may see coming but will shock you nonetheless.

This is a highly original thriller with gothic overtones. Taking place in 1954, it is quite atmospheric and redolent of the times. The writing is taut, and the suspense is palpable. With many twists and turns the reader is pulled in, slowly but surely, into a virtual labyrinth of a mystery.

When United States Marshal Teddy Daniels and his new partner, Chuck Aule, arrive on Shutter Island, little does Teddy know how utterly puzzling his visit will become. He is there to visit a hospital for the criminally insane to investigate the mysterious disappearance of Rachel Solando, a killer who escaped from a locked guarded room.

During his visit, strange little tidbits of information come to the fore, and nothing appears to be quite what it seems. Even the common place seems to take on sinister overtones, as Teddy pushes his investigation. His own past seems to have some bearing on the events that transpire. Even his partner seems to be a tad off the mark.

Just what is going on at Shutter Island? The author will lead the reader a merry and complex chase, as one layer after another s peeled back to reveal the truth behind Shutter Island and Teddy's investigation.

In the summer of 1954, US Marshal Teddy Daniels travels to Shutter Island, home of the Ashecliffe Hospital for the Criminally Insane. Together with his partner, Chuck Aule, Teddy sets out to find an escaped psychotic patient named Rachel Solando. Apparently, Rachel Solando has managed to escape from a locked cell, walk past a group of orderlies and get past two guarded checkpoints. Given that it would be impossible for her to swim from the island to the mainland, she must be somewhere on the island. But where is she? Is there an answer in the cryptic coded message that she has left behind?

The mystery in this novel is not only about Rachel Solando. Teddy Daniels was very keen to accept this particular assignment and despite his fear of water - which made the ferry trip a nightmare for him - has his own reasons for wanting to be on Shutter Island. His wife's murderer is on the island as well, and he is keen to find him. Teddy Daniels is also curious about what goes on at Shutter Island: there are three wards housed in separate buildings and an apparently empty lighthouse is surrounded by an electrified fence and armed guards. Why?

When Chuck Aule disappears, it seems to confirm that Teddy Daniels's own life is also in jeopardy. But why? And why are the doctors not completely co-operating with the investigation? What is the truth about Shutter Island?

The hurricane that sweeps over Shutter Island provides the perfect backdrop to the story. And the ending? It took me by surprise, and then it made its own form of perfect sense. Maybe.

`They're creating ghosts here, Marshal. Ghosts to go out into the world and do ghostly work.'

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

this book is chilling and suspensefull
i read it in two days and it played on my mind relentlessly for days afterwords. even now i want to read it again but have presently lent it out. there is a waiting list among my friends and family to borrow this book.
the characters are full and vibrant and well written. i would highly reccomend this book if you are looking for a really good mystery

This is a prime example of an author who truly knows the value of good storytelling. Dennis Lehane has spun a masterful tale, providing colourful description to create engaging characters, dialogue, and chilling atmosphere.

The novel is split into four sections, one for each day. It should be said that through the entirety of the latter end of the book -- the last sixty pages, or thereabouts -- I had chills, and my heart was pounding. As each character grows more paranoid, Lehane encourages the reader to sink into paranoia along with them.

If you are like me, you like a good twist -- key word there being GOOD. Although I was able to guess a couple of things ahead of time, it's nearly impossible to guess them all; making those few guesses (and being right) detracts none from the well-written story, which flows so well from the very beginning to the very end. It won't leave you feeling empty, like many twists will, because it is executed just so, leaving things open-ended enough for several interpretations of what really went on at Ashecliffe Hospital.

Dennis Lehane's books 'Mystic River' and 'Gone Baby Gone' have been made into movies that I have enjoyed tremendously and so I decided to read one of his books before it was turned into a movie. I am so glad I did.
Shutter Island scared the heck out of me. The book kept me riveted as the writing and plot were incredible with lots of twists and unexpected happenings!!! It is the kind of book that keeps you reading franticly until the end... and gasping - It can't be!!! This is the first Dennis Lehane novel that I have read but it won't be my last for sure. I would highly recommend this book - a true 'page turner'.