Shutter Island

Starred review from April 7, 2003
Know this: Lehane's new novel, his first since the highly praised and bestselling Mystic River, carries an ending so shocking yet so faithful to what has come before, that it will go down as one of the most aesthetically right resolutions ever written. But as anyone who has read him knows, Lehane, despite his mastery of the mechanics of suspense, is about much more than twists; here, he's in pursuit of the nature of self-knowledge and self-deception, and the ways in which both can be warped by violence and evil. In summer 1954, two U.S. marshals, protagonist Teddy Daniels and his new partner, Chuck Aule, arrive on Shutter Island, not far from Boston, to investigate the disappearance of patient Rachel Solando from the prison/hospital for the criminally insane that dominates the island. The marshals' digging gets them nowhere fast as they learn of Rachel's apparently miraculous escape past locked doors and myriad guards, and as they encounter roadblocks and lies strewn across their path—most notably by the hospital's chief physician, the enigmatic J. Cawley—and pick up hints of illegal brain surgery performed at the hospital. Then, as a major hurricane bears down on the island, inciting a riot among the insane and cutting off all access to the mainland, they begin to fear for their lives. All of the characters—particularly Teddy, haunted by the tragic death of his wife—are wonderful creations, but no more wonderful than the spot-on dialogue with which Lehane brings them to life and the marvelous prose that enriches the narrative. There are mysteries within mysteries in this novel, some as obvious as the numerical codes that the missing patient leaves behind and which Teddy, a code breaker in WWII, must solve; some as deep as the most profound fears of the human heart. There is no mystery, however, about how good this book is; like Mystic River, it's a tour de force. Major ad/promo; 20-city author tour; simultaneous Harper Audio and Harper Large Print edition. (One-day laydown Apr. 15)FYI:Dennis Lehane is the subject of the next installment of
PW's Innovators Series (Apr. 14).

May 5, 2003
Audio reviews reflect PW's assessment of the audio adaptation of a book and should be quoted only in reference to the audio version. Fiction SHUTTER ISLAND Dennis Lehane, read by Tom Stechschulte. Harper Audio, unabridged, six cassettes, 9.5 hrs., $34.95, ISBN 0-06-055414-2 Boston-area novelist Lehane has written a terrific suspense novel, an impressive follow-up to 2001's Mystic River. Shutter Island is off Massachusetts's coast, an army facility turned hospital for the criminally insane. When a beautiful—and certifiably crazy—patient escapes, U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels and his partner, Chuck Aule, are called in to investigate. Embroiled in uncertainties and mystery, the two soon learn there's much more at stake than simply finding one missing woman. Stechschulte gives a stirring performance. His portrayal of Daniels is convincing, and he reads the role with equal parts poignancy and toughness. Stechschulte is particularly adept at reading dialogue. For example, one stormy night at the hospital, Teddy and Chuck are playing cards with two of the hospital's workers. The quartet banters, calling each other's bluffs and having a grand old time, yet tones of racism underlie the conversation. Stechschulte handles the dialogue well, distinguishing between each voice and varying the pace between rapid back-and-forth and thoughtful, drawn out remarks. Simultaneous release with the Morrow hardcover (Forecasts, Apr. 7).

November 30, 2009
Repackaged as a tie-in to the forthcoming movie, this audio version of Lehane's 2003 chilling novel features two U.S. marshals who arrive at an island off the coast of Massachusetts that's being used as a federal hospital for the criminally insane. Their job: investigate the disappearance of a multiple murderess from a locked room. Tom Stechschulte's rendition of the endlessly shifting story line is a tour de force. He begins by capturing the easygoing male bonding of the two lawmen and slowly adds a harder edge to the narration as they meet the odd people in charge of the facility and encounter an assortment of increasingly disturbing events. Even if listeners may be disappointed with Lehane's somewhat predictable conclusion, Stechschulte's delivery—shot through with pain and rage—ensures that they will not forget it. A Morrow hardcover.