A DRINK BEFORE THE WAR by Dennis Lehane

I’ve finally read Dennis Lehane’s first novel after having been a fan for some time.  Despite the inherent violence in this novel, the dialog between private investigators Patrick Kenzie and Angie Gennaro is sometimes witty, sort of like Nelson DeMille. However, the plot is gritty, taking place in some not-so-savory Boston neighborhoods, where a gang war is going on.  A couple of state senators have hired our PI duo to recover some pilfered documents, but their quest leads them into some dark and dirty places.  Angie has a husband who routinely beats her, and her professional life is even more dangerous.  Kenzie provides the comic relief and has a bunch of well-placed friends who will go to bat for him when the going gets tough.  Together they are a very winning combination.  I read Gone Baby Gone years ago, but now I’m going to be on a mission to see if all of the books in this series are as good as this one.  Sometimes I think authors get a little lazy after enjoying some success, or they abandon the type of novel that earned them success in the first place.  That may be the case with Lehane, as this book was so much fresher and more engrossing than some of his more ponderous later stuff.  Or maybe writers just become bored with the same old characters and same old formula.  Or maybe they don’t want to be pigeonholed.  In any case, I’m glad there are several more Kenzie/Gennaro books for me to relish in the not-too-distant future.