From the dust jacket: “In the year 1954, U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels and his new partner, Chuck Alue, come to Shutter Island, home of Ashecliffe Hospital for the Criminally Insane, to investigate an unexplained disappearance. Multiple murderess Rachel Solando is loose somewhere on this barren island, despite having been kept under constant surveillance in a locked, guarded cell. As a killer hurricane bears relentlessly down on the island, hints of radical experimentation and covert government machinations add darker, more sinister shades to an already bizarre case. Because nothing at Ashecliffe Hospital is remotely what it seems.”
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I saw the movie prior to reading the book, and I must say, the book and movie are virtually one in the same. The director of the film did a phenomenal job capturing the novel on the big screen, and I honestly think that you could just watch the movie, and forgo reading the novel. Blasphemy!!! I know. But, by just seeing the movie, you could save yourself a ton of time and go read something else… something that doesn’t have such a perfect movie rendition, or better yet, something without a movie version…

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying the book is bad. I enjoyed the novel and I thought the characters were full of life. I really felt like I knew them, and I think this psychological thriller is very well written. I love the twist at the end (twist at the end of novels are my favorite), and overall I think it’s a really good read. Lehane is a great writer. But, like I said, reading the book, and watching the movie, are one in the same, so you might want to save some time and rent it. Three stars.