Dennis Lehane grew up in the Boston area is is most well-known for his dramatic portryals of lower and lower middle class life in and around Boston. Some of his works include Mystic River, Shutter Island, and Gone Baby Gone. A Drink Before the War is the start of a trilogy following two Boston private investigators. Patrick and Angela take a case involving stolen photos from a senator's office at the State House. The photos will ruin the Senator and a hunt for the photos and the guilty parties starts with the murder of the cleaning woman for the Senator's office.
I love Dennis Lehane and while I recommend this book, it is definitely not his best work. He typically grapples with more in depth issues and themes in his writing culminating in a mind blowing ending. The clues are all there if you are skillful enough to put them together before the end. If you have not read Lehane I would suggest Mystic River or Shutter Island to start. In A Drink Before the War he tries too hard at times. Some of the circumstances are a little ridiculous and he tries to overemphasize Patrick's personality and character. Lehane tries to sell the Boston crime and racial scene to the reader more than the actual story at times. He comes off as a little artificial compared to his other works previously mentioned. Overall, a good story and recommended for a Lehane fan, but not for a newcomer. 2 of 5 Red Hunting Caps
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