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A Drink Before the War (Kenzie & Gennaro)
  
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A Drink Before the War (Kenzie & Gennaro) (Hardcover)

by Dennis Lehane (Author)
4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Hardcover: 336 pages
  • Publisher: Severn House Publishers Ltd; New edition edition (Jun 2000)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0727855379
  • ISBN-13: 978-0727855374
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 1,503,167 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category:

    #49 in  Books > Crime, Thrillers & Mystery > Authors, A-Z > L > Lehane, Dennis

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Product Description

Product Description

Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro are tough private investigators. They take on a seemingly simple assignment: uncover the whereabouts of a cleaning woman who has allegedly stolen confidential documents. However, finding the woman proves easy compared to staying alive once they have.

From the Back Cover

‘A TRULY EXCELLENT THRILLER’ Daily Telegraph

Summer in Boston.The week before Independence Day.A city steeped in history and racial strife.A city about to be ripped apart by an unspeakable scandal and a raging gang war…

Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro are tough private investigators who know the blue-collar neighbourhoods and ghettos of Boston’s Dorchester section as only natives can.Working out of an old church belfry, Kenzie and Gennaro take on a seemingly simple assignment for a prominent politician: uncover the whereabouts of Jenna Angeline, a black cleaning woman who has allegedly stolen confidential Statehouse documents.

But finding Jenna proves easy compared to staying alive once they have.The investigation escalates, implicating members of Jenna’s family and rival gang leaders, while uncovering extortion, assassination, and child prostitution extending from bombed-out ghetto streets to the highest levels of state government.

‘HIP, AND WITH A PLOT IN OVERDRIVE, RELENTLESSLY VIOLENT AND CATHARTIC’ Time Out --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

A Drink Before the War (Kenzie & Gennaro)
67% buy the item featured on this page:
A Drink Before the War (Kenzie & Gennaro) 4.2 out of 5 stars (18)
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Customer Reviews

18 Reviews
5 star:
 (10)
4 star:
 (4)
3 star:
 (3)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:
 (1)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.2 out of 5 stars (18 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars The Beginning for Dennis Lehae, 13 Sep 2003
By prisrob "pris," (New EnglandUSA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)      
This review is from: A Drink Before the War (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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31 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant, 14 Sep 2001
By Untouchable (Sydney, NSW Australia) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   
This review is from: A Drink Before the War (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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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Extraordinarily Good!!, 29 Aug 2003
This review is from: A Drink Before the War (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

4.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully written
After reading Mystic River, which in my opinion is one of the best books i ve read in my life, and probably the best one Lehane will ever write, i decided to look through this... Read more
Published 1 month ago by L. Bezzina

3.0 out of 5 stars Was this written by a clever college student?
The previous reviewers have discussed the plot so I won't get too involved with that, other than to say the book is about an Irish-American private investigator, Patrick Kenzie... Read more
Published 7 months ago by Kittycat

3.0 out of 5 stars Better to start at the beginning... ?
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. Read more
Published 8 months ago by bressons_puddle

3.0 out of 5 stars Sorry but a bit of a disappointment.
Having recently read the reviews for Dennis Lehane's books here I thought I had discovered my next "favorite author". Read more
Published 21 months ago by noggy1810

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb
Crime in not a genre I generally read, but I discovered Lehane through the recommendation of a good friend and through his work on the HBO series 'The Wire'. Read more
Published 23 months ago by Rolo

4.0 out of 5 stars A cracker - awaken your inner wiseass!
What a hugely enjoyable novel! Sure, this is a debut effort and, sure, it may be a bit episodic and, sure, it asks the reader to suspend a lot of disbelief... Read more
Published on 3 Feb 2008 by Chintan Nanavati

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding Five Star Debut
Patrick and Angie, best friends since they were kids, are all grown up and are PI partners working out of a church belfry in Boston. Read more
Published on 7 Jan 2008 by Katie Osborne

5.0 out of 5 stars Like the title suggests, an explosive story!
I first discovered Dennis Lehane passing a book display and like most people i'm sure i read the blurb, found it appealing, bought it, took it home and foolishly let it gather... Read more
Published on 14 Aug 2003 by i_gotta_bad_habit

5.0 out of 5 stars A Parker influence, but a deeper insight
There indeed is some Robert B. Parker style here, but Lehane doesn't stop there, and is not limited by that style, but goes beyond it into deeper looks into tortured souls... Read more
Published on 7 July 2003 by Neal C. Reynolds

5.0 out of 5 stars Buy this book
Dennis LeHane is undoubtedly one of the finest crime writers at the moment. In Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro he has created two characters you actually care about. Read more
Published on 17 Jan 2003 by Rob Davis

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