The Music Hall's 'Writers in the Loft' Series to Welcome Dennis Lehane, 3/13

The Music Hall's Writers in the Loft series welcomes Dennis Lehane, renowned novelist and screenwriter, to Portsmouth on Friday, March 13, 2015.

Widely praised for his gritty and unflinching depictions of life in Boston and New England, Lehane will visit town with his new novel, WORLD GONE BY, the third installment in the epic story of Joe Coughlin. Meticulously researched and beautifully rendered, Lehane's new work takes Coughlin through the criminal underworld of Ybor City, Florida, during World War II, ultimately leading him to discover that another treacherous war lurks close to home.

The 7pm event includes an author presentation and moderated Q+A, plus book signing and meet-and-greet. It will be held at the Music Hall Loft at 131 Congress Street, in downtown Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

With a protagonist who moves seamlessly between the shadows, Lehane skillfully demonstrates his ability to create characters who override expectation and blur the lines between good and evil. WORLD GONE BY vividly recreates the rise of the mob during a world at war, from a masterfully choreographed Ash Wednesday gun battle in the streets of Ybor City to a chilling, heartbreaking climax in a Cuban sugarcane field. In this superb work of historical fiction, told with verve and skill, Lehane once again proves he is one of the most accomplished novelists writing today.

"Dennis Lehane is unmatched in his ability to tap into the heart of a place as well as a the complex nature of a character; and WORLD GONE BY is a perfect example of this," says Patricia Lynch, Executive Director of The Music Hall and the evening's moderator. "The film adaptations of his novels as well as his screenplay have gone on to become some of the most exciting and widely successful films of the last decade. We are so thrilled to have him on our stage, to learn about this highly anticipated new work, and to gain his insight on how to craft meaningful and compelling stories."

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Ten years have passed since Joe Coughlin's enemies killed his wife and destroyed his empire, and much has changed. Prohibition is dead, the world is at war again, and Joe's son, Tomás, is growing up. Now, the former crime kingpin works as a consigliore to the Bartolo crime family, traveling between Tampa and Cuba, his wife's homeland.

Moving in and out of the black, white, and Cuban underworlds, Joe effortlessly mixes with Tampa's social elite, U.S. Naval intelligence, the Lansky-Luciano mob, and the mob-financed government of Fulgencio Batista. He has everything -- money, power, a beautiful mistress, and anonymity.

But success cannot protect him from his dark past. Ultimately, the wages of a lifetime of sin must be paid in full.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Born and raised in Dorchester, Massachusetts, DENNIS LEHANE is the author of twelve previous novels-most recently, The Drop, and the New York Times bestsellers Live by Night; Moonlight Mile; Gone, Baby, Gone; Mystic River; Shutter Island; and The Given Day -- as well as Coronado, a collection of short stories and a play. A Drink Before the War won the Shamus Award for Best First P.I. Novel. Mystic River won the Anthony and Barry Awards for Best Novel, and the Massachusetts Book Award in Fiction from the Massachusetts Center for the Book. It was also a finalist for the PEN/L.L. Winship Award. Live by Night won the Edgar Award for Best Novel and the Florida Book Award Gold Medal for Fiction.

The ticket package for Writers in the Loft: Dennis Lehane on Friday, March 13, at 7pm is $42. In addition to a reserved seat, the package includes a copy of WORLD GONE BY (hardcover, $27.99), a bar beverage, and book signing meet-and-greet. Packages can be purchased through The Music Hall Box Office, located at 28 Chestnut Street, Portsmouth, over the phone at 603.436.2400, or online at www.themusichall.org.

About Writers in the Loft - Akin to The Music Hall's anchor author series, Writers on a New England Stage, Writers in the Loft features well-known authors but in a smaller, more intimate space. The series brings audiences today's top authors, the best of fiction and nonfiction. The evening package includes a reserved seat and bar beverage, author presentation and Q+A, a copy of the book, and a meet-and-greet book signing with the featured writer.

About The Music Hall - The Music Hall is a performing arts center featuring curated entertainment from around the world in two theaters in its downtown Portsmouth, New Hampshire campus - one, a landmark 1878 Victorian theater, designated an American Treasure for the Arts by the National Park Service's Save America's Treasures Program, the other the intimate Music Hall Loft around the corner, recently named "best performing arts venue" by Yankee Magazine and the recipient of the NH AIA award for design excellence.

With acclaimed signature series including Writers on a New England Stage -- a partnership between The Music Hall and New Hampshire Public Radio -- and the Intimately Yours music series, we bring top authors and artists to both stages. Also, HD broadcasts from The Metropolitan Opera and the National Theatre of London as well as extraordinary cinema fill both screens almost every night of the year.

This dynamic arts center urges patrons to Explore + Learn via master classes, post film panel discussions, and matinees for children. An anchor ral organization in this historic working seaport, The Music Hall is one of downtown Portsmouth's biggest employers and largest contributors to the regional economy: The Music Hall and its patrons contribute $7.1 million annually to the local economy through show and visitor related spending.

Innovative in its outlook, the organization is community oriented and committed to making the Seacoast flourish. The Music Hall is a 501(c)3 nonprofit managed by a professional staff with the assistance of a volunteer board. Though global in the scope of its artists and programs, The Music Hall operates independently with the support of 3,000 members, 300 corporate partners and 58 community partner organizations. Welcoming more than 100,000 patrons (including 20,000 children) each year from the tri-state area and beyond, The Music Hall is the region's center for the performing arts, literature and education...easy to get to, impossible to forget.

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