From the author of Mystic River comes a collection of tales no cheerier than his intense portrait of crime drama in working-class Dorchester. Whether Dennis Lehane's characters are buckling under the strain of class resentment, cheating on their spouses, or choosing money over reconciliation, Coronado: Stories (five shorts and a two-act play) is yet another brutal glimpse into lives perpetually wrecked by violence and always touched by tragedy. Bring your frowny face and lust for noir when Lehane recites their sob stories tomorrow night at Newtonville Books, 296 Walnut St, Newton | 8 pm | free | 617.244.6619.
ELSEWHERE:* Just call him Professor Lehane - The Globe's gossips report Dennis has joined the faculty of the low-res MFA program at Pine Manor College in Chesnut Hill. Perhaps he'll bring Bennifer 2.0 by as guest speakers. Enroll now.