A Drink Before the War

October 31, 1994
Lehane's assured debut avoids several common first-mystery flaws before stalling on a less ordinary one. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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.

Narrator Jonathan Davis introduces two Boston P.I.s, Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro, and their blue-collar street smarts, disdain for authority, and fierce belief in right and wrong. Against a backdrop of racial tensions, Lehane's 1996 debut novel focuses on a political cover-up involving a child sexual abuse scandal. Kenzie and Gennaro are likable, multifaceted, dysfunctional smart-asses, so Davis wisely lets their tight dialogue star. In lieu of portraying them with thick Boston accents, Davis utilizes an effortless, accent-free bantering tone that further emphasizes their smoldering sexual chemistry and lifelong friendship. However, Davis appropriately uses accents for supporting characters. Overall, Davis's voice and narration style are well suited to this gritty story. A.R.H. (c) AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine