Some of this book was very difficult to read and Lehane's descriptive abilities make them almost visible. It turns out that the cleaning woman is the wife of one gang leader and the mother of another and her death sparks a gang war that has never been seen before. Then the cleaning woman is gunned down in front of Kenzie. They find her but she convinces them that the documents are so important that they should see them before they decide whether to turn them over to the clients. They are hired by some state senators to find a cleaning woman who took off with some documents from the Senate Building. Patrick Kenzie and Angie Gennaro are partners in a private detective firm. It is set in Boston but a Boston that is completely different from Cheers and Harvard. For a first book, this is amazing, although, since I have read some of his later works, I was not surprised. This is Lehane's first book written in 1994, long before his smash hit of Mystic River. And I am enjoying the reads!Phillip TomassoAuthor of the Severed Empire Seriesand The Vaccination Trilogy Read more While years ago I'd read Mystic River, and Shutter Island, I am mad that it has taken me this long to get back into Lehane's books. Bodies start piling up.With an amazing cast of characters, from detectives, and journalists, to reliable crooks, and state resources, the taut thriller is an amazing read.

It isn't just the politicians after the 'documents.' There are two, major, rival gangs interested in obtaining the information. As Kenzie and Gennaro find them selves in danger at every turn.

He wants to dig,and find answers to the new string of questions that keep coming to mind.When it turns out the documents are actually gut-wrenching, compromising photographs, the focus of the entire case shifts. The politicians remind him a lot of his father, and maybe that is why isn't satisfied with just doing the job he was hired to do. Unfortunately, Kenzie also wants answers. When they find the missing maid, technically their job is done. Not to mention, Kenzie's deceased father is something of a legend, a Hero firefighter who saved two kids from a burning high rise.Problem is, no one told Kenzie or Gennaro exactly what the documents were. Bringing in P.I.s keeps the police out of it, and unwanted attention is the last thing they want, or need.

They figure the best chance at finding the woman and getting back what had been taken would be if they hired Kenzie and Gennaro for the job. When the cleaning lady at the State House goes missing on the same day as some sensitive documents, three politicians simply put one and one together. Dennis LehaneA DRINK BEFORE THE WARHarcourt Brace & Company, 1994267 pagesCrime / Private EyeA DRINK BEFORE THE WAR is Dennis Lehane's debut novel, and the first featuring P.I.s Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro.Boston.

A drink before the war by dennis lehane