Kenzie and Gennaro, on the heels of thinking they’ve finally come to terms with the fact that they are in love, are asked to look into the disappearance of a four year old girl. They resist taking the case initially - the girl’s family is a mess, they have been dragged through the rigors of brutally tough cases in the previous few years and, selfishly, they don’t want anything to damage the relationship that they are working on. But the girl’s aunt proves persuasive enough - as does the thought of a four year old girl who has had no one on her side from day one - and they reluctantly agree to take the case.

The further they dig into the girl’s life and her disappearance, though, the more they know that there won’t be a happy ending for anyone involved, including themselves. As they unravel the mysteries in and around the girl’s life, they can feel their relationship coming apart as well. Lehane smoothly sucks the reader into this quagmire, even when they, too, know that a happy ending won’t be waiting on the last page. His use of language, complex characters, and refusal to make everything black and white - or easy - all combine for one gritty, thought provoking ride.

Many have tried in the years since to replicate what Lehane did with this book, but, as with most things, the original remains superior in every way. Almost ten years after its initial publication, Gone, Baby, Gone remains one of the finest works of contemporary crime fiction available.