MYSTERY

The Savage, Noble Death of Babs Dionne

Putnam. Mar. 2025. 368p. ISBN 9780593851661. $29. M
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Growing up in the Little Canada area of Waterville, ME, Barbara “Babs” Dionne learned early on that life isn’t fair and that the only one who was going to fight for her was Babs herself. Now she is the de facto ruling power in Waterville, pulling the strings of local politicians and law enforcement while overseeing the sale of illegal drugs in her small town. However, the disappearance of her youngest daughter Sis and the arrival of a mysterious, nameless stranger in town are a signal to Babs that everything she has worked so long and hard for could come crashing down. Award-winning screenwriter and novelist Currie (The One-Eyed Man) doesn’t pull any punches in this brutal character-driven mystery. Violence, heartbreak, sorrow, and a dash of grim humor are splashed across the pages with abandon as Currie carefully chronicles the fascinating, unforgettable life of a woman who will do anything for her family, her French American heritage, and her town.
VERDICT Fans of Dennis Lehane’s Mystic River, as well as readers who appreciate their crime fiction served straight up with no chaser, will be mesmerized by Currie’s latest.
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