2011 book 17

17. moonlight mile by dennis lehane

in 2010 my seventeenth book was gone baby gone by dennis lehane.   a year later came moonlight mile.  this is the sixth of lehane's kenzie-gennaro and, specifically, the sequel to gone baby gone.  the same kid is missing and the same aunt hires the same detectives to find her.  this time, however, it's 2010 and the kid is the world's most intelligent, self-aware, and calculating 16 year-old.  this is a good story, but the kid is far too composed to keep the story as realistic as its predecessor.  her dialogue and actions are those of a self-possessed adult and not a world-wise teen.  the other problem i had with the book was lehane's inclusion of an inordinate amount of references to modern culture and celebrity.  just so you know what i mean, i took the time to flip through the book and list every product, band, restaurant, and celeb i saw:

crown royal; dodge viper; porsche; facebook (x2); wii fit; skype (x2); aston martin db9; dunkin donuts; yellow pages; chili's; gulfstream; zantac; maalox; canon; sony (x2); blue cross blue shield; dave chappelle; george will; dave clark five; buddy holly; prince; nirvana; paris hilton; red lobster; vans shoes; the hold steady; pfizer; lil wayne; honda; toyota; chrysler 300; tgi friday's; red sox (x8); the gap (x2); aeropostale; nordstrom; barneys; polaroid; cvs; maui jim; d&g; old navy; gucci; fendi; marc jacobs; juicy couture; tim wakefield; blackberry (x4); bmw 5 series; jaguar; the daily show; audi; 4runner limited; lexus; bmw 740; sub-zero (x2); "the l word"; doc martens; lifetime network; oprah; josh beckett (x3); droid phone; coke (x2); sylvester stallone; hummer (x14); gm; dodge ram (x3); gilette stadium (x2); pt cruiser; new england patriots; "csi"; holiday inn; nba (x2); umass; porsche 911 targa (x2); flowmaster mufflers; "sticky fingers" by the rolling stones (x2); mick jagger; american spirit cigarettes; julio lugo; eric gagne; doritos; twilight; bono; george bernard shaw; stephen hawking; young frankenstein; arthur rimbaud; axl rose; lucinda williams; sigur ros; donnie darko; roadhouse; sharon stone; the quick and the dead; harry and the hendersons; jeep; "the view"; al gore; comcast (x7); val kilmer; heat; saab (x5); david bowie; nine inch nails; bruce springsteen; radiohead; the national; green day; kurt cobain (x2); harvard (x2); brown; cool hand luke; mcdonald's; outback steakhouse; chevy suburban (x8); wii tennis; blue-ray (x9); nintendo wii; xbox; bose; ipod (x3); ipad; kindle (x3); garmin gps; george clooney (x5); corvette; dolby; jvc; playstation 3; levi's (x2); mavi jeans; tv guide; costco; ted williams