Help Dennis Lehane find his lost dog, appear in his next book

Dennis Lehane’s dog has gone missing, and he’s taken to Facebook in an effort to find her. In return for bringing Tessa back to Lehane and his family, he’s offering a reward: He’ll name a character in his next book for the person who finds the dog.

Tessa is a beagle that went missing Christmas Eve. On Christmas Day, Lehane posted this on his Facebook page: “[O]ur recent and beloved rescue dog, Tessa, jumped the fence in Brookline and has been roaming through the wilds of Coolidge Corner for the last 24 hours. It’s possible she’s staying in some good Samaritan’s home right now or has tucked herself away on a porch. But if anyone sees her or knows of her whereabouts, please reach out to this page. Here’s a picture of her. She’s smart, fast, and immeasurably sweet. She doesn’t have a mean bone in her body. She’s micro-chipped, but her tags were off when she was let out into the yard. Naming of character in the next book for anyone who gets her back to us! (No, really!) Again--Tessa, black-and-tan Beagle, 24 hours on the lam, sweet as all hell. Thank you!”

Lehane is a bestselling author whose books include the Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro mystery series, “Mystic River,” “Gone Baby Gone” and “Shutter Island.” His latest novel, the 1920s gangster story “Live By Night,” was published in October. The person who finds his dog could wind up being almost anyone -- a police captain, prison guard, bootlegger, small-time hood or sweet grandmother.

As of Wednesday, Tessa had not yet been found. Lehane told the Boston Globe, “Last unsubstantiated sighting had her heading toward Cambridge. Big Harvard fan, our Tessa.”

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