A Drink Before the War/Darkness, Take My Hand

This was my first introduction to Dennis Lehane's novels. I had watched Shutter Island and Gone, Baby, Gone, and was intrigued enough to pick this up. I am glad I did. Lehane does a great job drawing you into the stories by crafting fantastic characters. Kenzie's sharp tongue and clever wit reminded me much of Archie Goodwin from Rex Stout's classic Nero Wolfe series. The stories themselves were also well done, and the book was my constant companion for the week as I was compelled to take every free moment to continue reading. He portrays the world as a stark, cruel place. In some parts, especially in A Drink Before the War, the mystery takes a back seat to just the drama of the hard life that his characters are a part of. Overall, they were two very gripping stories very conveniently priced, and I plan to continue reading Lehane.

Lehane is now my favorite author. I love his sense of humor, and he keeps the sex fairly clean and romantic. Not a lot of curse words, but what is there fits the circumstance. Take My Hand has gore that would normally turn me away, but the way Lehane presents it, I can deal with it. Not sure I'd be willing to from a less skilled author.I have just loaded up on Lehane books, so I won't be running out anytime soon. Thank you Dennis for giving me a much better option than television propaganda.

I read many of the reviews by other people and thought I would give him a try. This author is a great story teller and has become my favorite author. I had to buy the rest of the series, as well as his other books. I know that "Gone Baby Gone" was made into a movie; I think the characters of Angie Gennaro and Patrick Kenzie would make a great series on cable. HBO where are you? There is a lot of action and the relationship of the two characters makes for compelling reading. I highly recommend this to anyone that likes great story telling.

Even though I was astounded at the level of evil that the antagonists personify in these two books, I found them both hard to put down. The main characters are well developed and have feelings, flaws, and setbacks. If you are up for the challenge of reading some difficult material (in terms of cringe value), I recommend this one book that contains 2 novels. I have really enjoyed other Dennis Lehane books and backtracked his publishing list to find this series to try. It didn't disappoint and I cannot wait to tackle the other books in this series.

I've just finished reading hese two and i couldn't put them down. If your a fan of crime/thriler genre or are just after a good read then i recommend these, very well written. I thought that maybe it would fall into popular fiction like tom clancy or james patterson but this completely blows that type of stuff out of the water, this is more in the vein of raymond chandler. I can also recommend Shutter Island the other Lehane book i've read (great movie too!). I am now looking forward to reading the rest of this series

This is two books in one binding. They are two of the most interestingstories I have ever read. I regretted it very much when I came to theending of each one because I would have liked to continue readingthe same stories regardless of the length. Dennis Lehane has writtenexceedingly interesting stories here with fine plots and outstanding characters.If you haven't read these two so far,by all means do so while they are stillavailable. It is very difficult to stop reading either one when it is time to eat.

I read both the novels in this book over a single weekend and don't have any regrets. Great characters, interesting and well designed situations and plot lines, and always feels realistic -- although horrifying on occasion. I have been in the Boston area for quite some time, so all of the locations are at least somewhat familiar, but I think that just added to my appreciation for stories that were already fine suspense/action fiction. You begin to miss the main characters as soon as you've finished the book. I've already ordered 4 more Lehane titles.

I can identify with some aspects of the narrator's background, Patrick Kenzie, so these books really resonate with me. Add to that a gripping, well plotted story with authentic Boston characters and you have two stories that I wish I could have written.

A Drink Before the War/Darkness, Take My Hand This is two novels in one book, intoducing Patrick Kenzie and Angie Gennara(2 private investigators).I ordered this after reading Dennis Lehane's latest novel.These I believe are the first two books in the series introducing these 2 private eyes, who appeared in the film Gone, Baby, Gone. I really enjoyed the film and thought i would start at the beginning of the series.I found both stories really gripping albeit the last story was rather brutal in parts, which is not my cup of tea. However i couldn't put the book down. There are quite a few twists and turns which keep you guessing and that get you absorbed in the book. i will defintely be finishing the rest of this series and would recommend this book. A Drink Before the War/Darkness, Take My Hand

A Drink Before the War/Darkness, Take My Hand I HAVE FINISHED THE FIRST OF THE 2 BOOKS AND AM INTO THE SECOND. A REALLY GOOD READ. Crisply written, good characters.A first rate crime writer.I like it lots and will buy more of his books very soon. A Drink Before the War/Darkness, Take My Hand

These first two Kenzie and Gennaro books in one volume are a great introduction to Dennis Lehane's work. I rate him up there with Michael Connelly and Robert Crais.

This is a very good book and would recommend it to everyone to read. He has a very good way of drawing you into the story and keeping you wanting more. Think you should read it from the beginning so start with a drink before war as its the first book in the series but worth reading any of them.

The book was little more worn than I expected (as described) in the used section, however the book was still in good enough shape, and the read was compelling and fun.