A Drink Before the War (Hardcover)

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

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.

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.