Small Mercies (novel)

Small Mercies is a 2023 crime-mystery novel by American author Dennis Lehane.

The novel takes place in Boston in the summer of 1974, and centers Irish Mob conflicts, a missing teenaged white girl, and a Black man's murder, in the days approaching the first day of school during the Boston busing crisis. Lehane has signaled that the novel "may be his last." The cover features a photograph taken by Eugene Richards during protests outside of South Boston High School in September 1974.

Critical reception
Small Mercies was well received by critics. The New York Times emphasized Lehane's unsparing portrayal of bigotry in 1974 Boston, stating, "Lehane spares nothing and no one in his crackerjack new novel, Small Mercies. ... It zeros in on bigotry that ought to feel dated but doesn't." NPR praised the novel's timeliness and its exploration of racism, noting, "At once a crime novel, a deep, unflinching look at racism, and a heart-wrenching story about a mother who has lost everything, this narrative delves into life in the projects at a time when the city of Boston struggled with the desegregation of its public school system." Kirkus called the book "a taut, gripping mystery [that] is also a novel of soul-searching, for the author and reader alike."

Television adaptation
In January 2023, Apple TV+ acquired the screen rights to the book as part of an exclusive overall deal with Lehane. The drama series will be created by Lehane, who will also serve as executive producer alongside Bradley Thomas, Kary Antholis and Richard Plepler.