What readers think of Live by Night, plus links to write your own review.

I really enjoyed this book from one of my favorite "guilty pleasures" authors. Continuing the family saga that began with "The Given Day," Lehane gives readers a rip-roaring story of love, loss, betrayal, and redemption, featuring violent thugs, hapless immigrants, crooked cops, and good-guy gangsters that will have you pulling for the guys in the black fedoras . Although the story-line pulled me in, it is the excellent writing that kept me turning the pages. As always, Lehane's writing is well-researched and spot-on with vivid descriptions and vibrant characters. I had read the first book in the series but that is not necessary to thoroughly enjoy "Live by Night," and I much prefer this chronicle of America during the Prohibition era to Lehane's Kenzie and Gennaro series. A wonderfully enjoyable read!

The story, set in the Prohibition Era filled with violence, crime and love, this book is not for someone who craves a cozy read. It is a thriller that is often brutal in execution, but never failed to hold my interest. If you want a book that will keep you reading until the end, this is it!

I have read all of Dennis Lehane's work. This is not one of his best. It had a slow start and an abrupt end. If you have never read his work before this is not the one to start with. I was disappointed.

I have read other books by Dennis Lehane and have enjoyed them very much, but those have been his modern day detective stories. I knew that this book was going to take place during Prohibition, and assumed that Lehane would find a way to do the same sort of thriller in a different backdrop.

Instead this was a pretty standard run-of-the-mill "my adventures as a gangster" story. It has the 1920s setting-- Prohibition, racial tensions in Boston and elsewhere, Ku Klux Klan, anarchists. However, it is a story that you've read and seen lots of times before, and it lacks any of the edginess that you might see on "Boardwalk Empire" or read/see in the "Godfather".

Lehane knows how to write so it wasn't a difficult read, but I'll be sticking to his modern day crime stories from now on. While I do read historical novels from time to time, I prefer ones that have a unique twist or are a bit edgier. If you like historical noves in general you would probably enjoy this more than I did.

Dennis Lehane is an excellent writer. In this fiction book he gives a hard look into the world of corrupt law enforcement, alcohol production and distribution during the Prohibition.
From the beginning of the book you know Joe Coughlin is a criminal. Throughout the book a more compassionate side is shown. The author does a good job of character development.
To those readers who don't mind violence in their books this is a good read. It was a bit too much for me. This is the reason I could only rate it as average. I will definitely look for other books by D. Lehane and hope they are not so dark.

I had to read this book for class and when I first saw the cover I thought it would be good. I'm the kind of person who likes romance novels so this wasn't very interesting. when I started reading it, it was ok but then after a while I just couldn't get myself to read it. It didn't engage me enough to keep reading. The worst thing is that I had to finish it and write an essay over it. I don't enjoy violence in the books I read so next time I should see what the book is about.