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The “Kenzie & Gennaro” series by mystery author Dennis Lehane is about two private investigators in the city of Boston. Their full names are Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro. Growing up, they knew each other and were friends. The pair are now more than friends, and have an off again, on again relationship. Through it all, they are able to work with one another and run their own detective agency as private investigators. In book six, “Moonlight Mile”, it is revealed that the pair has gotten married and had a child.
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Order of Kenzie & Gennaro Series
| # | Read | Title | Published | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A Drink Before the War | 1994 | Description / Buy | |
| 2 | Darkness, Take My Hand | 1996 | Description / Buy | |
| 3 | Sacred | 1997 | Description / Buy | |
| 4 | Gone, Baby, Gone | 1998 | Description / Buy | |
| 5 | Prayers for Rain | 1999 | Description / Buy | |
| 6 | Moonlight Mile | 2010 | Description / Buy |
This is the series that started Lehane’s writing career. The first five novels in the series are Lehane’s first five published works. The title of the novel is spoken by a character in the middle part of the book. It was also taken from an episode of the popular show “Fawlty Towers” called “The Germans”. At the start of the novel, Angela is married to an abusive man named Phil, that used to be friends with Patrick. The pair work out of an office in a neighborhood church.
KENZIE AND GENNARO AWARDS
The first book in the series “A Drink Before the War” won a Shamus Award for best first detective novel.
KENZIE AND GENNARO BOOKS INTO MOVIES
The fourth novel in the series, which is called “Gone, Baby Gone” was turned into a movie in the year 2007. The movie was released as “Gone Baby Gone”. It was directed and co-written by Ben Affleck and starred Casey Affleck (as Patrick Kenzie) and Michelle Monaghan (playing Angie Gennaro). The film received rave reviews. Not just from fans and critics, but from Dennis Lehane too. It is the only adaptation of one of his works that he knows he likes and liked right away.
BEST KENZIE AND GENNARO BOOKS
For those looking to get into the “Kenzo and Gennaro” series by Dennis Lehane, this section will help with that. It will go over the novels “A Drink Before the War”, “Darkness, Take My Hand”, and “Sacred”.
A Drink Before the War: This is the first novel in the “Kenzie and Gennaro” series and was released in the year 1994. A group of powerful politicians in Boston are willing and able to pay Kenzie and Gennaro a lot of money to do what seems to be a small job. They have to find a missing cleaning woman who stole some documents that were secret. They both learn the crime is nothing ordinary. It is about getting some justice. Right and wrong enter into things too. In Boston, finding out the truth is more than just something dirty, but also deadly.
Darkness, Take My Hand: This is the second novel in the “Kenzie and Gennaro” series and was released in the year 1996. Kenzie and Gennaro have a new client that is a big psychiatrist in Boston that is running scared away from the Irish mob. The two detectives know a little something about retribution. This is because they come from the mean streets and blue-collar world of Dorchester, and they have witnessed what desperation and darkness is inside those that have had it unfortunate. They are about to be hit, however, by something they are unprepared. Secrets kept for a long time come out, which sets off a chain of some nasty murders that will upset a lot of things and stain things. Even the truth.
Sacred: This is the third novel in the “Kenzie and Gennaro” series and was released in the year 1998. A beautiful woman, who is still in mourning, disappears without leaving a trace of where she went behind her. So did the detective that was hired to find her, along with a bunch of money. This is where Kenzie and Gennaro come in to things. They have seen it all and survived. They are lead into unexpected territory. Nothing is sacred, trusting anyone could get them killed at any moment, and there are a lot of lies and corruption. But what else is new for these two?
OTHER BOOK SERIES YOU MAY LIKE
“Harry Bosch” series by Michael Connelly. There are now over twenty novels in this police procedural series. It stars a veteran homicide detective with the LAPD.
“Elvis Cole” series by Robert Crais. This series is about a tough wise cracking ex- Ranger that has an urge he cannot shake to do the right thing. He becomes a private detective and has Joe Pike, another detective helping him out.
What Is The Next Book in The Kenzie & Gennaro Series?
There doesn't seem to be an upcoming book in The Kenzie & Gennaro Series. The newest book is Moonlight Mile and was released on November, 2nd 2010.