The light tone and whipsaw banter, however, can't carry the pace when the action later slows in this mystery that starts with a bang and goes on shooting-but doesn't hit the bull's eye. Print Word PDF This section contains 589 words (approx. Lehane leaps right into the action more gradually, we learn about Pat's abusive father, Angie's abusive husband and the attraction smoldering between the two principals. Dennis Lehane This Study Guide consists of approximately 50 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more - everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of A Drink Before the War. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH), 22. While helping Patrick, Jenna is gunned down in a hail of Uzi fire gang war is quickly declared, and the two detectives aim for a plan that will avenge the innocent and punish the guilty. A Drink Before the War BUY THIS BOOK A Drink Before the War Dennis Lehane. The investigation escalates, uncovering a web of corruption extending from bombed-out ghetto streets to the highest levels of state government. She does have a son and a husband who lead rival black street gangs, an angry sister and a photo of one of the pols with her husband in a hotel room. Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro, two young, smart-mouthed Boston PIs, are hired by a trio of prominent macho politicians to find a State House cleaning woman who may have purloined some important ``documents.'' The pair quickly learns that Jenna Angeline has no documents.

Lehane's assured debut avoids several common first-mystery flaws before stalling on a less ordinary one.

A Drink Before the War by Dennis Lehane