A Drink Before the War by Dennis Lehane Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of A Drink Before the War
Book Review: The Beginning for Dennis Lehae
Summary: 5 Stars
To find a great mystery writer is akin to a great bottle of wine for me. Dennis Lehane is one of the best mystery writers around. His stories center around Boston and South Boston is the neighborhood. In "A Drink Before the War" we meet Patrick Kenzie and Anglea Gennaro- a private detective team. Both are locked into their own mysteries- that of abvuse- Patick abuse from his father, a powerful man in his own right. And Angela abuse from her husband. The hint of a relationship is there, but it is subtle and nothing is out in the open.This mystery opens with a cleaning woman who has stolen papers from an important Boston politico. She asks for assistance and as the storyline deepens- race relations between black and white come to the fore. The streets of Boston are explored and explained. There is violence in this mystery and some of it is not pleasant but somehow opens the mystery to deeper understanding. The writing is superb. This is the beginning of a series exploring Patrick and Angela's relationship and their business partnership. Come along on the journey of Dennis Lehane into the streets and neighborhood of Boston. One of the best writers available- collect all of his books. You will thank me. prisrob
Book Review: Outstanding Five Star Debut
Summary: 5 Stars
Patrick and Angie, best friends since they were kids, are all grown up and are PI partners working out of a church belfry in Boston. Their ties from the neighborhood, that have carried on into their present lives, add more believability to this story than you'll find in most mysteries.
They've been hired by some heavyweight politicians to find a cleaning lady who supposedly stole some government documents, but what she has taken is something else altogether. They find the woman and find out she's connected to not one, but two gang leaders, and they also find bodies piling up, one after another, and soon they're the target of both gangs.
This book is a shocking ride though the dark side of racism, gang violence and poverty as it asks the question, is the right thing to do always the moral one. This first effort by Lehane is worth every one of five stars, would that I could give it more.
Review submitted by Captain Katie Osborne
Book Review: A cracker - awaken your inner wiseass!
Summary: 4 Stars
What a hugely enjoyable novel! Sure, this is a debut effort and, sure, it may be a bit episodic and, sure, it asks the reader to suspend a lot of disbelief... but it's still such an exhilarating ride with a superbly likeable pair of wiseass lead characters in Patrick and Angie, some considerably insightful social/racial commentary and a great sense of place. Lehane, who is still relatively young, could yet become as important a chronicler of Boston as King is of Maine or Dickens is of Victorian London. And the dialogue just crackles... the genius here is in seamlessly weaving deadly serious themes with a light and comedic (sometimes even farcical!) tone. Book Review: Superb
Summary: 5 Stars
Crime in not a genre I generally read, but I discovered Lehane through the recommendation of a good friend and through his work on the HBO series 'The Wire'. He is a great find. Lehane is a superb writer by any standards. His prose is razor sharp and knowing, and there is always an ironic edge to his characters' relationship to the corrupt and dirty world in which they are immersed. Despite the violence and the macho poses and the familiarity of the story lines, there is a real intelligence at work here, and at times a tenderness too, particularly in the relationship between Gennaro and Kenzie, that raises him way above the genre. Highly recommended.Book Review: Sorry but a bit of a disappointment.
Summary: 3 Stars
Having recently read the reviews for Dennis Lehane's books here I thought I had discovered my next "favorite author". I will give his next book in the series a go but I found this book to be a bit of a let down. The principle characters are fine but the plot is a bit ridiculous (PI's shooting up half of Boston). Attacks and shootouts are poorly described and in places you have to reread to make sense of it. Don't see what the fuss is about, yet.