The Drop

After a lonely barman, Bob, rescues an abused puppy from a trashcan, his mundane world is turned upside down. He befriends an emotionally scarred woman, which puts him at odds with her ex, and unknowingly gets drawn into a con against the Chechen Mafia that uses the bar for money drops.

Lehane is masterful at creating flawed characters that pins readers to the text. As a short novel, The Drop is loaded with punchy dialogue, rapid characterisation, and off-beat humour. However, it’s barman Bob’s stoic presence that makes this such a fascinating read. He fades sublimely into the gloomy Boston… show more.

Chovka Umarov is a Chechen mobster who runs a gambling racket through local bars in Boston. He’s not the main character of the book, but he’s the underlying tension that makes the novel flourish. Cousin Marv owns a local dive bar and Bob is a bartender who may or may not be on the spectrum. Bob makes some strange decisions, while Marv tries to understand what he is up to. You get so wrapped up in these characters that you are knocked off your chair at the ending. They also made a movie about this starring James Gandolfini as Cousin… show more.