As richly complex and brutal as the terrain it depicts, here is the mesmerizing, darkly original novel that heralded the arrival of Dennis Lehane, the master of the new noir — and introduced Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro, his smart and tough private investigators weaned on the blue-collar streets of Dorchester.
A cabal of powerful Boston politicians is willing to pay Kenzie and Gennaro big … Gennaro big money for a seemingly small job: to find the missing cleaning woman who stole some secret documents. As Kenzie and Gennaro learn, however, this crime is no ordinary theft. It’s about justice. About right and wrong. But in Boston, finding the truth isn’t just a dirty business… it’s deadly.
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Lehane never makes it easy on his characters. His stories are gritty and real and look closely at much of the ugly in people and society, but he also writes of transcendency and justice in a way that, while it leaves me haunted, also leaves me hopeful.
Before Mystic River and Gone Baby Gone, this first book in the Kenzie-Gennaro series introduces two flawed but determined private investigators and does so in a realistic setting of Boston and its suburbs. Perhaps i enjoyed it more because I’m from the area. Nevertheless, corrupt politicians and gangs can be found anywhere. There is an intensity …
This is Dennis Lehane’s first book in the Kenzie and Generro series. I forgot how old it was until I re-read it recently (at one point, the main character desperately searches for a payphone). In the hard-boiled tradition, this is one of those books that might feel a bit cliched to newcomers to the series because so many writers have imitated …
You will love these tough characters, Kenzie and Gennaro, and will enjoy accompanying them on this thrill ride of a book! Dennis uses his tight prose to create a great story readers will love – well, I sure did! Set in Boston, it is considered “noir” by some, but I didn’t find it to be too heavy or dark. It drew me in until the end, and I was …
A Drink Before the War (Kenzie & Gennaro, #1), my third read from author Dennis Lehane, an author I’d wanted to read since acquiring this book back in July of 2013 yet never getting around to it until now. Outstanding detective fiction, well-written with characters & a plot you can buy into with unexpected twists & turns. I look forward to reading …
Kept my interest. Focus on the unsung women who helped to win the war.
I’m my opinion, Dennis Lehane, is one of the very best writers that I’ve ever read. His characters come alive. Simply put, reading this book was like watching a movie in my head.
Dennis Lehane is mostly known for his later works, which are fantastic, but Lehane’s Kenzie and Gennero series is so underrated it’s criminal and readers need to know what they’re missing here. These books are not for the faint of heart. This is gritty, dark, crime noire at it’s finest and some of the subject matter will shock.
This series one of …
A Drink before the War by Dennis Lehane was re-released by William Morrow on April 6, 2021 and was first published in 1994. It was also the debut novel by this author and the first book in the Kenzie and Gennaro series.
Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro are private detective partners as well as childhood friends. They’re hired by some powerful …
This debut novel by Lehane re-issued by William Morrow in 2021, introduces us to the gritty noir writing, unique to the author. His command of dialogue and captivating characters, keeps the reader engaged throughout. The plot is more mystery than thriller. Thank you to HarperCollinsPublishers for providing a complimentary trade paperback copy.
Love this whole series!
Older book of Lehane one of his best
I’m a huge fan of D.L. as a writer who is a master of language as well as character and story.
Meh
Awesome book
I like; some twists I did not see coming…the kind you expect yet they sneak up on you and you wonder..’now why didn’t I see that?’
World class characters
Dennis Lehane is dark and so is this book, but I really loved it.
I read this along time ago, and still remember it fondly.
Dennis Lehane is one of my favorite authors. This book does not disappoint