The Drop

...magnificent, this story. And the dialogue -- so stunningly real, clever, and captivating, that I could almost actually see and hear it. Deliciously slow cooked with tension, the plot pulled me along with the certainty that bad things would happen and a secret or three would be revealed, but I kind of didn't want to know because I didn't want it to end. That's good stuff. And who doesn't like a story with a dog?

Bob Saginowski "just tends the bar." Cousin Marv used to own the bar but has been bought out by bigger badder criminals and can't get respect from anyone around him. Eric Deeds considers himself a big bad criminal and wants Bob to return his pit bull puppy, which Bob claimed from a garbage can after Eric beat it nearly to death. These three characters (and the dog) fuel the plot of THE DROP, which revolves around Cousin Marv's bar, a "drop bar" where mob money is sometimes temporarily hidden from the police. It is unusual Lehane in its sparseness (only 250 pages), but it is classic Lehane in its characterizations, setting, and dialogue. I deliberately read this book before watching the film, though I realize the film existed first. I wanted to read it as a novel and not allow my experience to be colored by others' complaints that "it's like reading a movie." And I'm glad I did. Had I watched the movie first, I might have liked the book less. No arguing this book is short on the introspective character development found in other Lehane works. We don't know much about Bob for most of the story, although he has the most page time and we are ostensibly in his head. We don't know any of the characters from their thoughts; we only know them when they act. However, this removed point of view is no accident. Revelations about Bob's character wouldn't have been revelations if he'd have been as forthcoming internally as, say, Patrick Kenzie. Lehane wants us to be surprised by Bob. It's an interesting choice, especially from this author, but if you read the book through the lens of this choice, it works. So for what it is, I enjoyed the book. I also enjoyed the film (and Tom Hardy's genius). The final scenes are different in important ways, and I prefer the film's closing dialogue to the book's (for one thing, I respect Nadia more in the film, based on those ending exchanges). But both skillfully create a slow build of tension that culminates in a trademark Lehane explosion of violence at the end. Both ask questions Lehane often asks--about redemption, secrets, right vs. wrong and where the lines are really drawn between them.

This is a dark but strangely enticing story set in Boston where the city becomes a lonely backdrop to the characters whose only hope is to stay one foot ahead of the Chechens and their past. The characters seem to have no redeeming value, yet Lehane makes us cheer for them. He's such a good writer that you don't ever want to put the book down. The last page restored the hope I lost in the protagonist while getting to know him as I read.

More of a novella then a novel. It centers on a barkeep that works on the outskirts of boston. The bar in question is place where the mob holds some of its cash for a breif period. A lot of people want that money, and the drama that unfolds is about that. The barkeep is a man that feels a bit lonely, and along the way comes across a dog that makes him happy. From his point of view, the violence around the bar only interferes with his budding relationship with the dog. Other interesting characters appear along the way. Ultimately, this slim volume suffers from a lack of detail. More time could have been devoted to fleshing out other characters, like the woman who helps him raise the dog. But it does well in its descriptions of Boston, always a strength of Dennis Lehane. The plot is thick, with alot at stake. I never once questioned a character's motivations. However the denoument seems unearned, almost making little sense with what we know. When it happened, i scratched my head trying to understand the meaning, but couldnt decide what it all meant. Usually Dennis does a better job of conveying thematic content. But oh well. Altogether, this a fine boston noir and worthy of a read.

Bob Saginowski is an intriguing character. He’s a bartender who works in a “drop” bar where Chechen mobsters deposit their drug, gambling, and prostitution money as a way to avoid the DEA catching them with thousands, if not millions, in cash. Bob is a lonely guy who doesn’t do well with women; he’s tried church picnics and such, but nothing seems to work. His titular boss, Uncle Marv, orders him to collect the bar tab from a regular from a nearby senior citizens home who nurses a Tom Collins for hours to avoid going back to the home. Bob has saved his money and has no problem paying the tab for the old woman. He also finds a puppy in a garbage can that has been abused and left for dead. The can belongs to a woman named Nadia who teaches Bob how to care for the dog. Bob doesn’t even get mad when the dog craps on his mother’s rug. Nadia has a dirt bag ex-boyfriend who claims the dog is his and he wants it back. Then there’s a hold up, and Bob blabs to the cops about what one of the guys looked like. Uncle Marv, Bob’s cousin, once ran his own “crew”; Bob was one of the hard guys who worked for Marv. That’s the first indication we get that Bob may not be who we think he is. Bob goes to church every day; coincidentally the detective investigating the hold-up also attends the same church. There’s an unsolved case. Richie Whelan, a regular at the bar, disappeared, and is presumed dead. Detective Torres, suspects that Bob had something to do with, because he never takes communion. Torres has been demoted from the homicide unit, and he has an extra incentive to solve the case. Lehane is one of our better writers because he presents an ethical dilemma. Can someone who has committed a horrible crime still be a good person? Can he redeem himself? Robert Browning covered the same territory when he used the term “Tender Murderer” in one of his poems.

I put off buying this book because of all the negative remarks about it being a screen play. SO WHAT? I found it to be a great story about two relatives who are part of the criminal strata of South Boston. The story had me hooked from the start and it moved at lightening speed, the way books should. There was no unnecessary descriptions to help pad the number of pages or musings by the characters or author. It was a sit down, strap yourself in and enjoy kind of book. I usually can guess the end of the story half way through, but I am happy to say, I never saw this coming. Lehane, as usual, did not disappoint.

I first happened across the movie of this name, with Tom Hardy, on cable TV one night. After watching it for a few minutes I was hooked, and watched it to the end.The main character and the premise (a nobody bartender rescues an abused puppy from a psychopath) got me, but the dialogue and script were so good it compelled me to watch. When the credits rolled, it all made sense -- it was written by Dennis LeHane, of Mystic River and Shutter Island fame. I couldn't wait to read the book, and enjoyed it even more when I had the leisure to savor the writing. I can't recommend it highly enough, the characters are unforgettable, and so is the darkly twisty plot.

It all started with a puppy. Bob Saginowski is a sad-sack bartender, living in the house he grew up in, spending his time shuffling between work, home, and mass at his childhood church. He's a loner; his only real companion (and that's a bit of a stretch) is his cousin Marv, who used to own the bar Bob works at, although the bar is now really owned by Chechen mobsters. Bob spends his days wishing for a way out of his loneliness, and he's hiding a secret or two as well. One cold winter night while walking home from work, he finds a badly beaten puppy in a trash can. Although the responsibility of caring for something scares him, he rescues the dog and ultimately bringing it home with him. When he finds the dog he also encounters Nadia, a world-weary woman who has seen more than her share of problems. Without expecting it, he finds himself caring for both Nadia and the dog and is utterly unprepared for how it feels. But all is not rosy for Bob—not only is his church closing, but the bar gets robbed, he catches the eye of a dogged cop determined to make something of himself again, and the dog's original owner, an unstable ex-con with an agenda of his own, returns and wants what he believes is his. It's more than enough to make Bob wonder what path he should follow, and what the consequences of his actions will be. Dennis Lehane is one of my favorite authors of all time. While this isn't as good as Mystic River or a number of his Kenzie and Gennaro novels, I really like Lehane best when his writing leans more toward grittier, violent character studies than some of the historic material he's covered in his last two books. I love his use of language, both in dialogue and description, and while not everything that happens in the book is surprising, he still knows how to create some good tension. I learned after I read The Drop (in a little more than one day) that it is an expansion of a short story Lehane wrote in 2009, which explains why, even at just under 250 pages, I felt the book was a little short, and would have liked more time with Bob, Marv, Nadia, and even Detective Torres. There was a lot of intriguing material that could have been developed further, although I didn't feel as if the book ended abruptly or was too short. I forgot that a movie adaptation of this book is due out later this year. While I try not to read books that close to a movie adaptation (especially one with a little suspense in it), I'm looking forward to seeing how the actors bring to life the characters I've pictured in my head. If you're not planning to see the movie, and you enjoy crime novels, this is one to read. It's a fast read, it's well-written, and most importantly, it's good to have Dennis Lehane back in his element. (Of course, now I want another book, Dennis.)