Rating: 
Summary: Witty and Gritty
Review: A Drink Before The War is an exciting and thrilling novel which fuses so many different elements; crime, violence, romance and humour. I read the book really quickly because it was so compelling and found myself laughing out loud at the one-liners. The main character Patrick Kenzie tells the story in first person narrative. He gets more and more interesting and complex as the book progresses, and the insights into his childhood were fantastic. This book is the start of the Kenzie/Gennaro series, and it really is very promising. I've already read the last in the series - Prayers for Rain, and I can't wait to read the others to see what happens to them in between. I thought Angie Gennaro, Patrick's PI partner and unrequited (?) love, was fantastic. Other reviews have commented that the sparks between them didn't fly, but I feel the exact opposite. I thought the romance between them was realistic and great. The part near the end where they kiss after the bomb scare was really touching. There was one point where Patrick says `At that moment, I think I knew what love was', when Angie smiled at him. Perfect :-) Overall this is a fantastic book which is witty and gritty. From a personal perspective, I was a little disturbed by just how violent it was sometimes. One particular scene where Patrick and Angie listen to someone being tortured on a cassette recording was particularly horrific. On reflection I think the book needed some of this violence to justify the lengths that Patrick and Angie go to later on, and to show the reader how bad the situation in the neighbourhood really was. In other words, the violence was not gratuitous, but I didn't like it either. I would recommend this to those who want to read down-to-earth crime and have a good laugh at the same time. JoAnne
Rating: 
Summary: Man, Oh Man, I loved this!
Review: Based upon customer reviews of Dennis LeHane's series of novels featuring detectives Kenzie and Gennaro, I bought all of them at one time and have just finished this series debut. I had not quite finished it last night when I went to bed. After about 30 minutes of wondering what was going to happen, I got up and finished the book in the middle of the night. That's gotta tell you something! I am mesmerized by the characters: the detectives are sharp, quirky, risk-taking folks most of the time; and they surround themselves with a wonderful assortment of cohorts from Bubba the bodyguard to Devin and Oscar the cops. Throw in a sympathetic priest and you have an excellent mix of lovable, if not quite understandable, characters. The story was gripping, terrifying and believable. I couldn't wait to start "Darkness, Take my Hand, " the second in the series, but I did wait until the coffee perked this a.m. A must read, but read the series in order so you don't miss the personal and touching references to the childhoods and personal lives of the heroes!
Rating:
Summary: Great Writer
Review: Dennis Lehane is my new favorite author. Having previously read Shutter Island and seen the movie Mystic River, drew me in. A Drink Before the War- is one of the best first author books I have read. Very good characters will keep you up nights reading this one. I have ordered the sequels to this series, having enjoyed this one. Keep up the good work.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Review: I became a fan of this author after reading Mystic River. Looking for more I then read Prayers for Rain, which is the most recent in the Kenzie-Gennaro series. Liking it (but not in the Mystic River class) I figured I should go back to the first in the series and work my way forward. Frankly, I found this effort to be disappointing and not up to the standards that the author is capable of. Kenzie and Gennaro are big into the wise cracks and dark humor, but the matter they are dealing with is both serious and deadly. Both are in a position to be killed in the book, yet the yuks and remarks keep flowing along with a lot of very violent action, including the cold blooded murder of a gang leader who truly deserved it - by Kenzie and Gennaro. There is some telling social commentary about the type of justice that one gets in Boston based upon skin color and a fairly accurate description of the kind of politicians who populate the Golden Dome on Beacon Hill. There is also a pretty good puzzle to be solved, but the way the story is told didn't ring true to me.
Rating: 
Summary: about on par with a made-for-tv movie
Review: I discovered Lehane by way of the film "Mystic River," and was happy to see that this author had several titles in print. I chose "A Drink Before the War" as a starting point more or less at random. I read the book over a couple of days while on vacation. I found it pretty disappointing in several respects. Despite the fact that the book is set in Boston, and written by a native Bostonian, it lacks much in the way of an organic sense of place. The action occurs in various areas of Boston, but it felt more like I was watching a slide show of the city rather than spending time with characters in their native habitat. Another weakness is that Lehane often fails to obey the dictum to show and not simply tell. For example, much is made of an impending war between rival gangs, whose leaders are an estranged father and son pair. Then the war drama unfolds primarily "offscreen" and we are merely told that one of them has won the war by virtue of surprising prowess as a tactician. Contrast this to books such as "The Godfather" or "Day of the Jackal" which are each full of little details of setting and character that seem to have reached the page via personal recollection by an eyewitness.
Rating:
Summary: Lehane can't write fast enough
Review: I picked up a copy of this book a few months ago and was so surprised and hooked that I went straight to the bookshop ( sorry Amazon!) to pick up the sequels. The first few pages worried me and I thought I had another run of the mill "hard boiled" thriller with flat characters and a very black and white good versus bad storyline. Nothing could be less true. No doubt it is not a gentle world Lehane describes. Bullits are flying, people are dying and characters like Bubba hopefully in the real world are picked up and spend the rest of their life behind bars. Lehane, however, trnascends the normal level of such thrillers through his exceptional talent for dialogue and character development. We learn to know Patrick and Angie with all their strengths and flows. We live with them trough the trauma of the developments and their misjudgements but we like them the more for it. Mr.Lehane never ever leaves his eye off the ball as far as dialogue is concerned; it is magnificent. After this first novel, I would have thought that the following ones ( like it happens so often) would be weaker. This is certainly not the case and therefore I cannot wait to read his latest one!
Rating:
Summary: Overall, a pretty interesting story
Review: I read Lehane's A Drink Before the War at the recommendation of a friend who enjoyed this novel and the following in this series, Darkness, Take My Hand. Generally, I don't read stories of this genre, but with my friend's encouragement I did and I'm glad I did. The novel's main characters are Patrick McKenzie and Angela Gennaro, two witty private investigators who're based out of a church in the Boston area. They're given the seemingly simple assigment by some politicians of finding a cleaning women whom allegedly stole some important documents, but find the truth is more complex and dangerous. What I liked about this novel is the fact that the author really takes the time to develop the main characters and give them depth. Each one has their own demons. Kenzie deals with the memory of a horribly abusive father and Gennaro deals with a physically abusive husband. Also, there's a clear attraction between the characters which adds to the story. The author also adds depth to the story by taking the time to address issues of social and racial inequality, particularly the latter. It's clear certain characters in the novel are racist and even Kenzie must admit a certain amount of racism within himself, despite his abhorrence to this manner of thinking. Lehane adds to this story with his focus on this aspect and other types of moral ambiguity, making the story seem more realistic and there isn't a complete black and white and even the good guys can have horrible sides to their characters. I wouldn't say this particular novel is groundbreaking, but it is overall a good read and stays away from old cliches. It's about 300 pages long and is an easy read. I'd say it's worth picking up if you have even a slight interest.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic Read!!
Review: I really enjoyed this book. It is one of the few books I have read lately that I couldn't put down. I enjoyed several things: The relationship between Angie and Pat. The bits of suddle humor that add flavor within each page. And the suspenseful story line and action that keeps you turning the page until the end.
I highly recommend this book. Can't wait to read the next one.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best first novels of all time
Review: Just an amazing experience reading this novel. Just read the first couple of pages and you know Lehane can write. The dialog is up there with Elmore Leonard as the best in the business. Do yourself a favorite and pick up this noir/crime masterpiece.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic debut for guttsy and witty detective duo
Review: Set a seemingly simple find-and-deliver task by odious politicians, eminently likeable private investigator duo Kenzie and Gennaro have more on their hands than it first seems. With their superior detection skills, tracing the woman comes relatively easily: delivering her and the documents and untangling the maelstrom that erupts once they find her are much more complicated. Thrown into a scenario involving gang war, drugs, child abuse and blackmail they can only rely on their wits and wit, and a friendly sociopath, to get them out in one piece. Along the way the pair have to battle their personal demons of unrequited lust, a violent spouse and a dead but not forgotten abusive father in a frantic race to emerge with their lives intact, but not without blood on their hands. Written with style and wit, a solid, fast-moving plot and an eye for interesting supporting characters, this first in the Kenzie and Gennaro series proves that our heros are two to watch.
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