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Summary: Dennis Lehane - A drink before the war
Review: This book is the first in the Patrick Kenzie series and also the first book I read from Dennis Lehane. In this mystery novel P. Kenzie and his beautiful partner A. Gennaro have to find confidential statehouse documents which were stolen by a cleaning woman, who disappeared. The story is being told in the dark alleys of Boston. Between the blue- and white collar workers, the gangs and the bureaucracy. The private investigators got their own way to handle a case and it's a quite humorous read how expecially Kenzie deals with it. I'm giving it 3 stars because my favourite reads are serial killer novels.
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Summary: A great first novel
Review: This is the second Lehane book I've read, after Mystic River. Mystic River was an enthralling character study and A Drink Before the War is an action filled detective story. Both are quite different yet both are riveting thrillers. A Drink Before the War centers around a gang war, child abuse and state politics. There are a lot of shootouts and a lot of twists and turns and mysteries to uncover. I was surprised this book held up under the scrutiny of having read Lehane's latest quality work. But it did and I will continue to read the series.
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Summary: Astonishing debut
Review: I have read all of Lehane's novels and liked them all (except SACRED). But I still keep going back to this one. It is unlike a lot of other crime novels in that it forces its heroes into situations where they cannot act heroically. The ending is an absolute stunner. The only other crime book which hit me this way is DOWN BY THE RIVER WHERE THE DEAD MEN GO by George Pelecanos. Extremely highly recommended.
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Summary: Great beginning...
Review: A DRINK BEFORE THE WAR is a great beginning to what I hope will be a great series. This is the first book by Dennis Lehane I have read and I look forward to the next in the series. Patrick Kenzie and Ange Gennaro are PI partners hired to find some missing documents from a senator's office. Kenzie and Gennaro think this will be a simple case however it becomes more complex with each clue they follow. The documents turn out to be something many people are looking for, for various reasons. I enjoyed the relationship between Kenzie and Gennaro. The book is well written - lots of twists and turns, reads quickly and is thoroughly enjoyable.
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Summary: A good but preachy story
Review: This was my introduction to Dennis Lehane, and I will definitely be reading more of his work. This was a solid effort but it fell short in some aspects. For one thing, Lehane's characters are interesting but not particularly endearing. I personally didn't feel the chemistry between Patrick and Angie. The exploration of the relations between the various races, classes and cultures in Boston is particularly revealing. But I found Lehane to be a bit too preachy and his characters prattle on far too long about which race is to be blamed for what. I don't think it's too authentic that almost every conversation degenerates into an angry exchange of philosophies on social problems. This book may have been billed as suspense and mystery and but it also seems to double as a platform for Lehane to expound on his opinions about racial issues. Hopefully in the follow up books he'll be heavier on the storyline and lighter on the preaching.
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Summary: Standard Mystery with A Strong Voice
Review: I'd heard people singing the praises of Dennis Lehane long before I picked up A Drink Before The War. Finally, it was shoved in my hand and I received sufficient encouragement to read it. And while it wasn't as great as I was lead to believe, it was a good, fast-paced, action-packed read. For some strange reason, I generally shy away from typical private investigator/crime novels that involve recurring characters. I was disappointed to find out that A Drink Before The War was the first volume in the Kenzie/Gennaro series of novels. But I kept reading and thoroughly enjoyed the book. It's a brief novel, lasting only 300 pages and it reads very quickly. The plot is straightforward and well conceived. Just enough twists are thrown at the reader to keep him or her engaged but it is, on the whole, uncomplicated. Complete with tortured heroes, the novel does not break any new ground in the genre. The writing, however, is very well done. The narration is full of humor and provides the novel with a unique voice.
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Summary: Stunning Debut
Review: It is hard to believe that ADBTW is Lehane's 1st novel. I feel that this book is worthy of any and every award it has recieved. Lehane's discriptions of Dorchester make you feel you are actually there, and his dialog flows beautiful from page to page. If you have not read Lehane ADBTW is the place to start, you will not be sorry.
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Summary: Just okay
Review: I thought this book was just okay. A little too preachy for me. I kept wanting the two protagonists to get together. But maybe I'm too much of a romantic. I usually wait and read the second book before I bring criticism, and I will read the second one to see if it improves, but right now I'm not a big fan.
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Summary: Simple Case
Review: Simple Case When Dennis Lehane was twenty-five he wrote A Drink Before the War, the first novel of his Patrick Kenzie, Angela Gennaro series. We are introduced to them as they are asked to find a missing cleaning woman who has stolen important documents from political cronies of Patrick's deceased father. Patrick senses that there is more to the story that meets the eye and we soon find out that he is right. Patrick is a different kind of detective. Raised in the tough streets of Boston, he has adopted the bendable morals of the street. His vision is complicated by the abusive relationship which existed between his father and him. while many viewed his father as a sort of a hero, Patrick knew the real man who hurt him as a young child. Further complicating matters, Patrick loves his detective partner the tough street smart Angie Gennaro, who is locked in an abusive relationship with her husband. As they proceed through the investigation they find some extremely seedy characters, and Patrick has his childhood friend Bubba inflict justice on his own terms. This book and others of Lehane's do not come up with the pat the hero wins the fight for truth and justice that is found in many mysteries. Dennis Lehane believes that this is too simple and untrue solutions to lifes dilemmas. Lehane also introduces intricate themes to his mysteries. We see a battle of man is an island versus man desire to be involved and committed to others. While we get a feel for Patrick and Angela, they remain illusive. Bubba is a sort of mythological shadow figure of Boston. For those interested in mysteries with a bit more complex plot and intricate characterizations a Dennis Lehane book is a worthy read.
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Summary: The modern day Marlowe is on the case
Review: Dennis Lehane's outstanding first novel, A Drink Before The War, reads like a pastiche of Raymond Chandler's detective novels updated to the 90s, except this time the setting is Boston, and there are two private dicks on the case (and one is a chick. Woohoo!) Dripping with irony and a cool sensibility, the first-person narration of Kenzie, our modern-day Marlowe, is stellar and true to the genre. Like Chandler, Lehane is also an expert at unique descriptions and uses similes that either make one chuckle or marvel at their imagery. The language used almost makes the violence romantic. I say almost, because Lehane shows the reader violence in all its gritty realism- no glorifying what should never be glorified- but somehow the way it's described is poetic enough to be savoured and read over repeatedly. Kinda like the martial arts films where they make fighting look like ballet. The theme of racism in the book bordered on preachy, but the elimination of moral superiority and self-righteousness saved it from being a wretch-inducing sermon. Lehane has a very good grasp of the victim mentality and handles abusive relationships very realistically (not surprising, since he counsels abused children), which is to be praised, because in the wrong hands, victims can become a cliche and like the race issues, make one wretch at the flat, cardboard characterization. There's no sense of the author having thought to himself "I'll create a token abused person (interchangeable with token gay and the token minority) character for my series! That oughta pull their heart strings, and maybe another 1% of the population will identify because they've been abused (or gay, or a minority). Look at me, expanding my market. Making me some more dollars." Corruption, violence, one-liners, pain, politics- this book has it all. This was my first foray into the Kenzie/Gennaro novels, and without a doubt, this is one series I'm definitely gonna keep on reading.
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