A Drink Before the War
by Dennis Lehane
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 768)
Read in February, 2008
"A Drink Before the War" is the first in a series of novels about two PIs (in Boston--where else in a Lehane novel?) that pre-date Lehane's more famous Mystic River. The characters (Patrick and Angie) are the same as those from the recent film Gone Baby Gone (have read the novel, looking forward to seeing the movie). The plot of the novel revolves around sensitive documents from the Mass. State house that then help ignite a gang war. The plot could have been stronger and the connect...more
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Read in September, 2002
Dennis Lehane, A Drink Before the War (Avon, 1994)
This was my third trip through the wonderful world of Dennis Lehane (I started with Mystic River and then went on to Darkness, Take My Hand). While it was enjoyable enough, and is of historic value for introducing the world to Kenzie and Gennaro, I didn't get as much of a kick out of this one as I did out of the first two. Much of the reason for this is that Lehane spends far too much time in this book having Patrick Kenzie stop the action, tur...more
This was my third trip through the wonderful world of Dennis Lehane (I started with Mystic River and then went on to Darkness, Take My Hand). While it was enjoyable enough, and is of historic value for introducing the world to Kenzie and Gennaro, I didn't get as much of a kick out of this one as I did out of the first two. Much of the reason for this is that Lehane spends far too much time in this book having Patrick Kenzie stop the action, tur...more
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Read in May, 2008
recommends it for:
bostonians and mystery/crime novel fans
This is both Dennis Lehane’s first novel as well as the first in the Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro PI series. It’s written in true noir style with gritty characters in the even grittier setting of Boston’s rough neighborhoods. Lehane’s writing is littered with impassioned political rhetoric and heavy-handed examinations of the racial tensions that plague my native Boston. I found myself wondering if the views are all Patrick Kenzie’s or if Dennis Lehane is using his characters to e...more
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After watching the remarkable Gone Baby Gone, I decided to pick this up.
I wasn't disappointed. This is Lehane's first book, so it has it's flaws. Some of the writing can generously be called Didactic. Lehane feels the need to underline, put in bold, and mark with exclamation points what he would later be content to simply state. But the mystery is crackling, the characters endearing, and the atmosphere authentic and realistic. It also gets points for skipping the tiresome first hundred page...more
I wasn't disappointed. This is Lehane's first book, so it has it's flaws. Some of the writing can generously be called Didactic. Lehane feels the need to underline, put in bold, and mark with exclamation points what he would later be content to simply state. But the mystery is crackling, the characters endearing, and the atmosphere authentic and realistic. It also gets points for skipping the tiresome first hundred page...more
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Read in June, 2008
Here is the beginning of the Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro story that I jumped into mid-stream when I read Gone, Baby, Gone. I really like both of these characters. They are good guys, but the life of a private investigator includes so many gray areas it is interesting to watch them wrestle with the moral choices. Kind of like some of Veronica Mars' quandaries.
Kenzie and Gennaro are hired by a powerful state senator to recover some "important documents" and that document recov...more
Kenzie and Gennaro are hired by a powerful state senator to recover some "important documents" and that document recov...more
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recommends it for:
Mystery readers, those interested in Boston
I love Dennis Lehane's books--as soon as I see a new one, I must read it. The first five of his are my favorites:
1)A Drink Before the War
2)Darkness Take My Hand (my absolute favorite of his)
3)Sacred
4)Gone Baby Gone
5)Prayers for Rain
The above five are the story of two detectives, Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro; the setting is Dorchester MA, which is a neighborhood in Boston. Lehane, a native of Boston, is great at describing his hometown, and also is wonderful at developing his...more
1)A Drink Before the War
2)Darkness Take My Hand (my absolute favorite of his)
3)Sacred
4)Gone Baby Gone
5)Prayers for Rain
The above five are the story of two detectives, Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro; the setting is Dorchester MA, which is a neighborhood in Boston. Lehane, a native of Boston, is great at describing his hometown, and also is wonderful at developing his...more
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Read in July, 2007
recommends it for:
fans of the literary crime novel
I have a similar experience reading Lehane as I do reading Burke. They have a thicker prose style than the lightning fast reads of Leonard or Ellroy. What slows them down is their intense fascination with their settings- the mean streets of Boston and New Orleans- and with the thought processes of their narrating detectives. However much these grounded ruminations slow the beginnings, they repay vast rewards as their books progress. Your affection for the cities and the people deepens. By the ti...more
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Read in January, 2005
Pas mon préféré de Lehane mais fort agréable à lire. L’histoire dure, assez noire, est sans doute moins originale et trépidante que Mystic River ou encore Shutter Island. Néanmoins le langage et le style de Lehane sont un vrai régal, les dialogues incisifs et plein d’humour, les personnages attachants, et leur psychologie recherchée.
Racontée par Patrick Kensie, détective au passé douloureux, privé viril mais ayant ses failles, cette histoire est la première du duo Kensie/Genn...more
Racontée par Patrick Kensie, détective au passé douloureux, privé viril mais ayant ses failles, cette histoire est la première du duo Kensie/Genn...more
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Love it. I didn't know what to expect. I had seen the movie of "Mystic River" and thought it was one of the more overrated movies. And I enjoyed the movie of "Gone Baby Gone", but no one else seemed to.
I really liked this book. Main characters are the same from "Gone Baby Gone", but this is the first book, while GBG is the fourth. Good mystery, lots of secrets from the past affecting the characters actions today. Lehane is pretty violent, but it fits into the c...more
I really liked this book. Main characters are the same from "Gone Baby Gone", but this is the first book, while GBG is the fourth. Good mystery, lots of secrets from the past affecting the characters actions today. Lehane is pretty violent, but it fits into the c...more
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Read in April, 2007
recommends it for:
Light noir fans
Modern noir. Not as beautiful as Chandler, but more recognizable from modern life.
Lehane is at his best describing the racial tension in his work. His evocation of working class Boston is strong, and the racial divide is real. He tries to listen to all of the standard lines and reply to them. He fails, but he tries.
But, like most noir, the good guys are too good, the bad guys too bad. His desperate gangsters have no love to them, and his good guys don't really know hate.
It's easy rea...more
Lehane is at his best describing the racial tension in his work. His evocation of working class Boston is strong, and the racial divide is real. He tries to listen to all of the standard lines and reply to them. He fails, but he tries.
But, like most noir, the good guys are too good, the bad guys too bad. His desperate gangsters have no love to them, and his good guys don't really know hate.
It's easy rea...more
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I thought this was a pretty good first novel. The story keeps moving at a brisk pace and there are a few good twists throughout. Not to mention that it was interesting having two private investigators work the case, as opposed to the usual lone protagonist. That being said, it seemed like all of the obstacles were overcome a little too easy. Not to mention that there was a tremendous amount of social commentary about Boston which didn't need to be laid on so thick. All in all, a quick read an...more
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Read in January, 2008
This is Dennis Lehane's first Patrick Kenzie/Angie Gennaro novel. After seeing the movie "Gone Baby Gone" (which is based on his novel by the same name, and featuring the aforementioned characters) I became interested in checking out some of their stories. This novel deals with a lot of race issues, and also spends a lot of time introducing the characters and giving a good glimpse of the harder side of Boston. It's a good read, and I look forward to eventually reading the rest of the K...more
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Read in December, 2007
After watching "Mystic River" and "Gone Baby Gone," I was intrigued to read some Dennis Lehane. I decided to start with this, his first book. It is the introduction to the recurring characters that eventually appear in "Gone Baby Gone," private investigators Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro. I have since read all 5 of the novels with these characters and "A Drink Before The War" is my favorite of the series. It deals with some interesting political and cl
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I'm a big Dennis Lehane fan, all of the books in this series as well as others, like Mystic River. The exception is Shutter Island, I didn't like it very much. An interesting premise but left me feeling kind of cheated at the end. Even darker than usual. This was a reread, I picked it up to read again after seeing the movie Gone Baby Gone. Very good movie, again very Lehane dark. The books have the same darkness in the end, but there's some funny wiseguy humor along the way.
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Read in November, 2007
Dennis Lehane’s first novel brings us two great characters–Patrick Kenzie and Angie Gennaro–his P.I. protagonists that get embroiled in political cover-up and gang war amongst a racially riled Boston.
The book has its uneven moments and a few convoluted action sequences, but the blue collar streets of Boston, Lehane’s protagonists, and the snap of the realistic dialogue keep the reader moving along.
I think I'll be checking out more of Lehane's works after this.
The book has its uneven moments and a few convoluted action sequences, but the blue collar streets of Boston, Lehane’s protagonists, and the snap of the realistic dialogue keep the reader moving along.
I think I'll be checking out more of Lehane's works after this.
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The first of the Patrick Kenzie/Angela Gennaro series, A Drink Before the War is one of the best noir mysteries I have ever read. It is told in an almost flawless style, managing to be funny and intense all at once and provoke deep and meaningful discussion about race relations and class issues. That and it has a great twist that caught me off guard. If you are a fan of mysteries or of the movie version of Gone Baby Gone, this is a must read.
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Read in January, 2008
I've already said it, but I'll say it again, if it didn't make me sound like an arrogant douche, I'd say LeHane's debut reminds me of me. While a little out of time, since it takes place during gang wars in 1994, the book is compellingly readable, told from a suitably smart-arse perspective, and very very well captured and told. Vastly better than my prior Lehane experience, and I am now a fan.
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Dennis Lehane is awesome! I've previously read Mystic River and Gone Baby Gone. Loved them both. This book is before Gone Baby Gone. Always an unexpected twist at the end of his books. Love that. The only drawback was that I've seen the Gone Baby Gone movies and while it was ok to imagine Casey Affleck as I was reading, the girl who played Angie wasn't tough enough to picture for this book!
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Read in January, 2008
Lehane's writing is powerful. I'm an enormous fan. Last year, I read "Mystic River" and "Gone, Baby Gone," and I think this work was as powerful, if not more than those works. I'm setting out to read everything Lehane has ever written, especially the Kenzie and Generro novels. Two down, three more to go.
I would recommend this to anyone interested in a strong mystery novel.
I would recommend this to anyone interested in a strong mystery novel.
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Read in February, 2008
I highly recommend this series by Dennis Lehane. I started reading these books right after I saw the movie 'Gone, Baby, Gone'. It took me a while to find these books in the store (they basically only had the book the movie was based on, and I was interested in the other stories). These books remind me a little of Robert Parker's Spenser novels, but a tad darker in their tone.
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