Dennis Lehane: Southie mom is Irish mob s worst nightmare in Small Mercies . Mystic River, Shutter Island and Gone Baby Gone author Dennis Lehane s latest Boston crime drama, Small Mercies, focuses on a woman with nothing to lose who stands up to the Irish mobsters running her neighborhood.
While set in Boston's Southie in 1974, the story is incredibly timely. It's at once a crime novel, an unflinching look at racism, and a heart-wrenching tale about a mother who has lost everything.