A Drink Before the War vs Darkness, Take My Hand: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Massachusetts, Boston, Private investigators, Mystery, Fiction
A Drink Before the War
Taking on a seemingly simple assignment to pinpoint the whereabouts of a cleaning woman who has allegedly stolen confidential State House documents, private investigators Patrick Mckenzie and Angela Gennaro uncover a…
vs
Darkness, Take My Hand
The master of the new noir, Dennis Lehane magnificently evokes the dignity and savagery of working-class Boston in this terrifying tale of darkness and redemption. Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro's latest client is a…
The verdict
- Readers rate Darkness, Take My Hand highest: Darkness, Take My Hand 4.4 · A Drink Before the War 4.1.
- A Drink Before the War is the quickest read — about 6 hours vs 9 for Darkness, Take My Hand.
- A Drink Before the War has the widest readership — 1372 ratings behind its score.
- A Drink Before the War runs the darker storyline; Darkness, Take My Hand stays the lighter read.
How to choose
Want a one-evening read?
A Drink Before the War
≈ 6h vs 9h for Darkness, Take My Hand
Just want the better-reviewed one?
Darkness, Take My Hand
4.4 vs 4.1 from readers
In the mood for something dark?
A Drink Before the War
a darker storyline than Darkness, Take My Hand
Want something lighter?
Darkness, Take My Hand
an easier tone than A Drink Before the War
Scores by source
| A Drink Before the War | Darkness, Take My Hand | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 4.2 (1372) | — |
| Hardcover | 3.8 (96) | 4.1 (64) |
| Google Books | 4.0 (1) | 4.0 (8) |
| Apple Books | 4.0 (551) | 4.5 (548) |
Reception
| A Drink Before the War | Darkness, Take My Hand | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 1372 | 548 |
| Editions | 26 | 28 |
| Citations | 1 | — |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 795 | — |
| Pages | 336 | 511 |