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A Drink Before The War
 
 
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A Drink Before The War [Kindle Edition]

Dennis Lehane (Author)
4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
Print List Price: £7.99
Kindle Price: £5.22 includes VAT* & free wireless delivery via Amazon Whispernet
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Product Description

Review

"Hip, and with a plot in overdrive, relentlessly violent and cathartic" (Time Out)

"Truly excellent" (Daily Telegraph)

Book Description

The first in Lehane's electrifying crime series featuring the duo Kenzie and Gennaro
See all Product Description

Product details

  • Format: Kindle Edition
  • File Size: 397 KB
  • Print Length: 302 pages
  • Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0156029022
  • Publisher: Transworld Digital; New Ed edition (30 Jun 2011)
  • Sold by: Amazon Media EU S.à r.l.
  • Language: English
  • ASIN: B004ZLS5QQ
  • Text-to-Speech: Enabled
  • X-Ray: Not Enabled
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #31,461 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

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› Visit Amazon's Dennis Lehane Page
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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
38 of 39 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant 14 Sep 2001
By Untouchable
Format:Paperback
This is Lehane's first book, and what a devastatingly brilliant book it is too. It introduces us to Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro and their private investigation business in their hometown of Boston. The Boston we get to see, though, is the lower working class and slum areas of town. This is a hardboiled thriller to the core. Patrick Kenzie is haunted by memories of his abusive father; Angie Gennaro is married to an abusive husband. Together they have a fantastic chemistry in which they can virtually read each other's minds.

Kenzie and Gennaro are hired by a local Senator to find a black cleaning woman who was in his employ until she disappeared with some important documents. The case is simple, find the woman and return the documents. The woman is found, but from this point on, things start to go wrong, and it's clear that Kenzie and Gennaro haven't been told the whole story. They soon find themselves caught up in a gangland war where survival is looking less and less likely.

The dialogue is witty and sharp, the story is very well paced and the characters are very believable and all too real-life. I have read all the other Kenzie-Gennaro books before this one (shame on me for reading this out of order) and rate it very highly in comparison. In actual fact, it would have been of great benefit if I had have read this book first as it puts into perspective events that occur in the later books.

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21 of 22 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars The Beginning for Dennis Lehae 13 Sep 2003
By prisrob TOP 500 REVIEWER VINE™ VOICE
Format:Paperback
To find a great mystery writer is akin to a great bottle of wine for me. Dennis Lehane is one of the best mystery writers around. His stories center around Boston and South Boston is the neighborhood. In "A Drink Before the War" we meet Patrick Kenzie and Anglea Gennaro- a private detective team. Both are locked into their own mysteries- that of abvuse- Patick abuse from his father, a powerful man in his own right. And Angela abuse from her husband. The hint of a relationship is there, but it is subtle and nothing is out in the open.
This mystery opens with a cleaning woman who has stolen papers from an important Boston politico. She asks for assistance and as the storyline deepens- race relations between black and white come to the fore. The streets of Boston are explored and explained. There is violence in this mystery and some of it is not pleasant but somehow opens the mystery to deeper understanding. The writing is superb. This is the beginning of a series exploring Patrick and Angela's relationship and their business partnership. Come along on the journey of Dennis Lehane into the streets and neighborhood of Boston. One of the best writers available- collect all of his books. You will thank me. prisrob
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars Better to start at the beginning... ? 16 May 2009
By bressons_puddle
Format:Paperback
This was Lehane's first novel and, as the book introduces his private investigators Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro, it also became the start of a series. It therefore almost makes sense to start reading Lehane here because readers who come at this book backwards, having first read Mystic River, will probably be slightly disappointed because Mystic River is a much more developed and substantial read.

However, whilst 'A Drink Before The War' is undoubtedly the work of a writer flexing his muscles for bigger and better things to come, it is also worth reading on its own terms because it is a pacey and entertaining thriller with a strong sense of place and character and, although it won't fulfil, it certainly won't disappoint.

In short, this is a very tasty snack rather than a sustaining meal. An undemanding but excellent page turner. Great for a long lazy day and recommended on that basis.
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars My first Lehane; it certainly won't be my last! 28 April 2000
By stugar@zoom.co.uk
Format:Paperback
Dennis Lehane's first book, "A Drink Before The War" is a really startling debut into thriller crime fiction. It's not that surprising if a first book is ever so slightly hesitant, perhaps because an author is feeling his way. That doesn't happen in "A Drink Before The War" - it's completely into its stride from just about the first page. I was expecting (and, to be honest, hoping) for the laid-back humour of Robert Crais and, to be sure, it was there but mostly subdued. No matter though; the story got up to speed within a page or two and from then on it didn't let up. Even the occasional and brief paragraph of philosophy, as Lehane stares moodily at American life, doesn't slow things up. If I have a mild complaint at all, it's founded on the relentlessly accurate (I think) description of Boston's highways and byways as private investigators Kenzie and Gennaro move around. For anyone living in Boston, or even slightly familiar with the city, the realism must be rewarding. Sadly, I've never been there but I certainly felt I had after I'd finished reading. Which means, I suppose, that the descriptions did just what they were supposed to do - pull me into the story. "A Drink Before The War" is a great read and well worth it.
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10 of 12 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Extraordinarily Good!! 29 Aug 2003
By "roonetta"
Format:Paperback
This is the third Lehane novel I have read (and yes, I know it should have been the first!). It is a well paced, witty and sharp and I couldn't put it down. Patrick Kenzie is a PI who always seems to have a "wise ass" comment and together with his partner and long time friend Angie Gennaro are hired to solve various crimes. I have read PI novels before, but most of the main characters are male and, while there is nothing wrong with this, you have to admire Lehane who has developed a gutsy female PI who can kick ass with the best of them. Actually, there are times in the book when her balls are bigger than Kenzie's! Superior stuff, an exceptionally good PI novel. Oh, and by the way - BUBBA ROCKS!!!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Thank Goodness
I was so disappointed by Gone Baby Gone, luckily I decided to give Lehane 1 more chance! Loved the book, love Kenzie. Smart, witty and a wonderful ride.
Published 1 month ago by The Reader
5.0 out of 5 stars A masterpiece
An unbelievably readable book. So much to enjoy - the characterisation was fantastic. You find yourself really caring about the subjects and I could not wait to get on the train... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Stephen Hickman
5.0 out of 5 stars A brilliant read!
I have read a few Denis Lehane books but actually missed this first book in the Kenzie Gennaro series. A great plot, good rounded characters with an obvious chemistry between them. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Catherine Murphy
4.0 out of 5 stars A drink before the war
I enjoyed reading this book. Dennis Leanne is a great writer and this story didn't disappoint

Would recommend it thoroughly.
Published 5 months ago by Lesley Kettles
1.0 out of 5 stars How did the publisher agree to publish this?
Possibly the worst book I have ever picked up. Sadly one cannot award zero stars!
Plot: so thin it was almost impossible to follow. Read more
Published 9 months ago by cranleigh boy
4.0 out of 5 stars Boston Greene and the investigation of a missing person
Patrick Kenzie and Angie Gennaro are Boston private investigators operating out of an office in a church belfry in Dorchester. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Aidan J. McQuade
5.0 out of 5 stars Good read
superb read I think this was the first Kenzie and gennaro one of the best.Some of the later ones were better but the last one moonlight mile was in my opinion the worst,but still... Read more
Published 15 months ago by sam
3.0 out of 5 stars Good
I came upon this after reading Shutter Island and I was expecting so much more. However, I stuck with it and I did enjoy it enough to buy the rest of the Kenzie/Gremmaro series. Read more
Published 16 months ago by London Girl
5.0 out of 5 stars Austere.Shocking. Redemptive. Superb introduction to Lehane's Boston.
In the tradition of wise-cracking detectives throughout the years, Patrick Kenzie is the archetypical Private detective. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Paul Hansper-Cowgill
3.0 out of 5 stars a drink before the war
I couldn't help but feel a wee bit old when reading this book. Set in 1993, the cars had cassette players and there were no mobile phones or internet to be seen. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Ali
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