Elmore Leonard Books

This was the first Leonard novel I've read, and I was disappointed. Maybe it's his reputation as being such a great crime writer, but the plot seemed familiar (i.e. the movie "Ruthless People" and others) and it ran out of steam at the end. I liked some of the characterization and some specific scenes, but it wasn't a great book.

Before you read Rum Punch, read this, and you'll find a pleasent surprise. thought the characters were great and the suspense was excellent. The only bad thing about it was the part where raping almost occurs.

than Leonard's usual. But of course, that's still high praise, given that he's far and away the best crime writer of this or any other generation. The first two-thirds of the way through I was captivated, enthralled, wondering why this one, like so many others, hadn't already spawned a blockbuster movie. As the remaining pages grew thinner and thinner, though, I had my answer: an anticlimactic ending in which Leonard just seemed to run out of gas. Nonetheless, if you've read the others you should certainly read this--a 4-star effort from Elmore Leonard still beats the best that anyone else working in the genre today can muster.

For anyone who saw "Jackie Brown" or read the Leonard novel on which it's based, "Rum Punch," try to get your hands on this far superior first-appearance of the loveable criminal trio, Ordell Robbie, Luis Gaza, and "that fine big woman," Melanie.

This simple story of a loveless marriage whose seams truly start showing when the docile, country club wife, Mickey is kidnapped by Ordell and Luis is good, solid, 70's era Leonard. Mickey's marriage is many ways a mirror image of the married couple at the center of Leonard's previous "marital troubles cum crim" novel, "52 Pickup." Her husband is a brute who flies to the Bahamas to dally with his street savvy mistress, Melanie, a day before he serves Mickey a divorce summons.

The husband's refusal to pay ransom becomes the epiphany for the mouselike Mickey's transformation into the smart, independent woman--in some ways, she is the chrystalis for a whole series of strong female Leonard heroines who appear in later novels.

If the story sounds like the movie "Ruthless People," you can bet that the movie was probably based in part on this novel. In fact, in the vastly inferior sequel, "Rum Punch," the characters allude to the movie when recalling the events that happened in "The Switch." Frankly, the criminal trio is much more appealing here than they were in "Punch," when they became more violent, more hardened, and more cliched.

While not the best of his classic 70's novels, "The Switch" is definitely top-drawer Leonard, filled with the same sharp dialogue that has been his stock in trade for more than forty years. If you like "The Switch," I recommend you seek out "52 Pickup" and compare the ways Leonard explores the "criminal" aspects of infidelity.

This is possibly the most enjoyable Leonard novel I have read. It really is superb, mixing violence and humour to great effect. The story is streamlined, with no unnecessary characters or plotlines, and the jokes are very funny. The ending is especially enjoyable, the type of ending you wish for but know that the author won't deliver...unless it's Elmore Leonard. It really ties things up nicely, and there's not a cliche or stereotype to be seen. That's what makes Leonard so enjoyable...it's believable people doing believable things. Funny, clever, engrossing. I couldn't put it down, and that's a cliche I don't mind using...

Book is in perfect condition and fit description exactly. Make sure to account for a long delivery time.

This is my first western literature I've read, and Elmore Leonard definitely satisfies my Western itch when I get one. These stories are exciting and full of action, and usually have twist endings. I highly recommend these stories for fans of the Western genre.

The Complete Western Stories of Elmore Leonard Exciting, fast paced short stories by a young writer who is destined to become famous. I'd recommend this collection to anyone who enjoys nitty gritty westerns with a twist.

True fans of Elmore Leonard, both in his western genre and his gritty crime/underworld genre, will need no recommendation from a total stranger to pounce on this book of his with excitement. What a wonderful addition to any library! His stories are highly readable, extremely realistic, and often result in a surprise ending that you never saw coming. And because they are short stories, they need to grab the reader's attention quickly, and they do just that. These are very enjoyable short stories, including "3:10 to Yuma". You'll be glad to own this collection. Trust me.

I bought this as a gift for my Dad, an avid Louis L'Amour fan. I wasn't sure if he would like this author, but he said it is a great read!!!!!! I am so pleased w/ my purchase and the great service @ Amazon!!!! Thank You!!!

John Russell is in many ways an archetyypal hero of the Western movie and novel-tactiturn and laconic in demeanour,whipcord tough and a man of action -yet he is a man apart from most of those around him by virtue of having been raised by Apaches .He was captured by them as a boy and subsequently adopted by a white man, a supply wagon owner ,thus having experience of both the ways of the whites and the Apaches.
He is not the narrator of this tale however -a lot that falls on Carl allen ,a passenger on a stagecoach bound for Delgado where russell is going to see if he can fully embrace white customs and live as a white man .Allen is in awe of Russell but by no means uncritical of him or his manner .The journey is complicated by the presence on board the stage of an embezzling banker ,something which is known to a band of outlaws who lay siege to the coach and its passengers ,and are prepared to kill if need be to get their hands on the loot.

The result is grim chess match as standoffs and shootouts ensue but the emphasis is as much on the psychological and interpersonal tensions as it is on physical violence .The prose is lean ,mean and economical ,the action scenes punchy and direct and the characterisation way above normal for the genre .
Russell is a true ,if deeply flawed hero ,as he possess tha courage to do what he felt had to be done -others fall short of the mark.

Gripping and edgily compulsive reading -please dont miss it if you have any love for great storytelling

Elmore Leonard's HOMBRE is, irrespective of genre, an absolute classic of the novel form. In my opinion it's the best example since THE GREAT GATSBY of what I'd loosely term "self-effacing first person narrative", by which I mean narrative wherein the author so contrives things that the narrator - Carl Allen in HOMBRE - is not the main character or event in the story. Personally I think this tends to make for a greater semblance of objectivity since the person telling the story necessarily remains, like the reader, on the periphery of the central events.

I would unreservedly recommend Elmore Leonard's 's westerns to anybody interested in "a good read"- but especially to any reader who's completed his "modern" books. It's not that I'm a fan of the western genre in particular, but Elmore Leonard's output is infinitely superior to the norm. With great dialogue and memorable characters they make for a very tight read: more like Hemingway than Louis L'Amour.

There's a sort of underlying thematic quality to HOMBRE (to VALDEZ IS COMING, too) wherein the young United States is itself the hero - or heroine, as the case may be. For example, Gay Erin in VALDEZ shucks off her attachment to the small shopkeeper and the cattle baron in favour of the man of honour . . . and the man of honour (VALDEZ, HOMBRE), social outcast though he may temporarily be, is able to come into his own precisely because he was born in the Land of the Free.

You just know this ain't gonna happen in downtown Detroit or present day Dade County FLA.

Beats me why WHEN THE WOMEN COME OUT TO DANCE had to reprise so many stories out of THE TONTO WOMAN when there are so many uncollected Elmore Leonard western stories out there just waiting to be corraled.

PS If you like the narrative voice in HOMBRE, mosey on over to Arkansas and Missouri and check out TRUE GRIT by Charles Portis. It's another classic of the western genre with a quite differently stunning first person narrative voice. Meanwhile, here's a spoof reprise of that scene from the film where Richard Boone stomps into the stagecoach office and confronts Paul Newman . . .

`Frank Braden,' he said. His hands spread out along the counter.
I said, `Yessir? As if I still worked for the Sweetmary Library Service. Hell, I shouldn't have been behind the counter but I'd dropped off to sleep reading the latest John Grisham (hate the books; love the movies).
`Write it down for EL's EO.'
`I'm sorry.'
`I said: "Write it down for Elmore Leonard's entire opus.'
`That's a special batch.'
`I heard. That's why I'm having it.'
I looked down at the four orange library cards on the counter, lining them up evenly. `I'm afraid that one's taken. Four here and those two. That's all we could get a-hold of.'
`You can get another one,' he said. Telling me, not asking. `Sunny side up, easy on the adverbs, exclamation points and hooptedoodle.'
`Well, I don't see how.'
`On top of what you ordered.'
`We got half a dozen is all. That's a library service rule. I was just telling these boys here. Certain people can read . . .'
`You say they've got 'em?'
`Yessir. Both of them.'
He turned without another word and walked over to John Russell with that clumpy thumping sound as the Max Brands, Louis L'Amours and Zane Grays hit the library floor. He still had the Jack Schaefers slung low in his left hand: SHANE, THE KEAN LAND, THE COLLECTED SHORT STORIES. You can say what you want about Frank Braden but he was nobody's fool.
He said, "That boy at the counter said you got the Forty less One.'
`Uh?' said John Russell.
`Elmore Leonard's stuff.'
`John Russell opened his hand on his lap. `This?'
`That's it. And the others. You give them to me and grab a Stephen King.'
`I have to take them,' Russell said.
`No, you want is all. But it would be better if you waited. You can read Captain Corelli, get drunk. How does that sound?'
`I have to take these,' John Russell said. `I have to take these and I want to take them.'
`Leave him alone,' the ex-soldier said then. `We were first in line, you find your own batch of books.'
Frank Braden looked at him. `What did you say?'
`I said why don't you leave him alone.' His tone changed. All of a sudden it sounded friendlier, more reasonable. `He wants the Forty less One, let him take them,' the ex-soldier said.
You heard the clumpy thumping sound again as Frank Braden shifted to face the ex-soldier and Charles Portis' TRUE GRIT hit the ground. He scooped it up again, stacked it alongside the Schaefers, stared at him and said, `I guess I'll have your Forty less One instead.'
The ex-soldier hadn't moved, his big hands resting on his knees, his feet propped on the canvas bag that contained the thirty-nine books. `You just walk in,' he said, `and take somebody else's Forty less One?'
Braden's pointed hat brim moved up and down. `That's the way it is.'
`Shhhhhhhhhhhhhh!' I said - exclaimed even - thinking I was still in the employ of the Sweetmary Library Service.

'Hombre' is another entry in the western genre from Elmore Leonard. This novel tells the story of a man named John Russell that was raised as an Apache. He owns some property that he needs to sell and is about to take a stage coach ride with one Mr. Mendez to get where he is going. Quickly, several other passengers join the coach. When they discover Russell's background, they refuse to allow him to ride in the coach with him. It doesn't take too long for the coach to get into trouble when it becomes obvious that Mr. Russell is not the only one who isn't as he appears.

This is a good Western. The scenes are laid out well be Leonard and unfold nicley. For the most part, the characters are what you expect in a Western given their backgrounds. The various prejudices of the white man against the Apache's are obvious. In other words, the characters match the time period.

This novel has a moral that we've all heard before. Leonard simply repackages it. In addition to not judging a book by its cover, you need to walk a mile in its shoes. That is the lesson to be learned from this novel, which will become apparent by the time you get to the end.

As is usual, Leonard has created some wonderful characters. In addition to Russell, there is "the McLaren" girl who has her own ties to the Apaches. She had been kidnapped by them, and while she resents them, she has learned a few things from them. There is Dr. and Mrs. Favor. Dr. Favor isn't quite the good doctor, and his wife doesn't quite obey the rules of polite society. Mr. Mendez is the Mexican coach driver, and kind of a mentor to Russell. There are a few colorful bad guys that round out a diverse cast.

This isn't Leonard's best novel, but it is a very good one. Anyone that enjoys Leonard's work should like this. I'd also recommend it to fans of Westerns.

Grade: 4 stars.

I'm new to the Western genre. After a few L'Amours, a friend put me on to Leonard's Westerns. So I'm reading them; they are a world apart (and very much a better one) than the good but stolid L'Amour.
I read Hombre just after Valdez is Coming, and now I'm going through the Leonard western list; he's my definite favorite for the time being.
Hombre is a distinctly moral tale. The moral punch comes suddenly and unexpectedly at the end. The hero (not anti-hero, in my opinion; here I differ from an earlier reviewer)is so laconic that you don't get much foreshadowing of his actions until they happen. This is a style I very much like, instead of the author's own ruminations through the thoughts and bloviations of his protagonist-- a major L'Amour characteristic. (I suppose I shouldn't dwell on L'Amour, but he's my only other Western author so far; and he's a solid 3-star writer, a very respectable thing to be.)
Leonard is very spare in his writing and very suited to the Western, in my mind. I'll be getting the well-regard Paul Newman movie, which I've never seen.

No writer chronicles the battles of misfits, underdogs, and renegades like Leonard. In Hombre, Leonard captures a land where the rich, the poor, and the wandering come together as equals __ and where honor is earned by courage and by blood.

Two old friends who used to track down killers as a team now face each other in a small war. Brendan Early leads the mining company gang v.s. Dana Moon and the gang called the people of the mountain. This is an action packed story of gunfights all the way.

In general I do not read Elmore Leonard. So I approached this book w/some tepidation.Not to worry... 2 old friends wind up on opposite sides when a mining company wants to run some landowners off their property. Sure it's a standard western plot, but it comes alive in Leonard's capable hands. More details about the plot can be garnered from other reviews. The book has a feeling of great authenticity. The lead characters are both very well drawn ( you can see them in your mind & their actions are consistent w/their character.). The plot moves at a fast clip. I wish Leonard would return to Western writng. this book is availablle by itself, or in one of his Western Roundups.

It's worth a try for any western novel fan, but I thought that the plot dragged, & I didn't care for the prose. William W. Johnstone's books make for a better read.

Since I was given three of Elmore Leonards westerns by a good friend of mine I have been buying and reading them often. As yet I have not read a bad one. So far they are ALL GOOD.

I have a problem. I came to the Western recently, sort of as an accident after getting involved in single-action revolver shooting. I started with L'Amour, as perhaps most newcomers do, because he's so well known and has so many titles out there. I read a few; they're good, solid 3-star books. Then a friend says: "Elmore Leonard wrote mysteries. Read them. Start with Valdez is Coming". So I did, then with Hombre, and now with Gunsights.
Gunsights is a "land war" Western with several twists; it's really a buddy story where the pals, tough gunfighters of different temperaments who've been through a lot together, end up on opposite sides of the war later on in their careers. They work it out.
The narrative shifts points of view and provides the backstory in flashbacks during the main thread of the tale; this is handled very well by Leonard, as is his use of newspapermen covering the "war"; which gives a "late West" flavor that lends a sense of irony sometimes. The narrative structure is very different than "Valdez is Coming" or "Hombre", but is very effective.
But Leonard's genius is in the way he lets the story speak through the characters' words and actions. He eschews all of the internal soliloquies in the protagonists thoughts that are usually only an author's way of making heavy-handed points. This seems uncommon in this genre. He lacks utterly the unrealistic sentimentality of L'Amour (and many other Western writers better than L'Amour, such as Elmer Kelton), and yet his stories are not dark, and often have strong moral points to make. But they are integral to the action of the story itself, which is the thing.
My problem? Where do I find someone as good in this genre when I'm done with Elmore Leonard?

Elmore Leonard's western stuff is as good or better than his modern day crime-fiction.This collection is excellent, and will not disappoint any Leonard fan.

A delightful collection of Western short stories by a master. You'll find the original for the movie "3:10 to Yuma," plus at least one Randolph Scott thriller. I understand "Tonto Woman" is now a movie and up for an Academy Award.

Elmore Leonard's short stories convey more plot, action, and true adventure than most action writer's best books. Here you don't get stock characters, lackluster descriptions or stilted dialogue instead you get a convincing look into a time long gone but hardly forgotten. The 'Old West' breaths again thanks to Leonard and for those who are just expecting to find just 'cowboy' stories you'll be pleased to find a craftsman storyteller carving out his best. So sit back and have an adventure or two courtesy of one damn good writer.

A recent newcomer to the Western genre, I was told by a friend to pick up Elmore Leonard's westerns. I knew of Leonard's crime stories, of course, but hadn't read him.
Quickly I have become a major fan. The other names in the Western genre can't touch Leonard. This is a great collection of short stories.
I'm rapidly going through the Leonard canon of Westerns and will be very sorry when I get to the end...

As a devoted Elmore Leonard fan, I jump at any opportunity to read anything of his. When I saw this collection of mostly 50's western short stories, I did not quite know what to expect. But, I should have know that Elmore Leonard's work would contain the same interesting characters that I have grown to expect.

It was interesting to read some of his early work.

"Three-Ten To Yuma" was an interesting story... I remember the movie that was made from the idea of this story. "Only Good Ones" is a great story that Leonard later wrote into a full blown novel "Valdez Is Coming".... and made into a top notch movie with Burt Lancaster in the title roll.

I particularly liked "Trouble At Rindo's Station".

I highly reccomend this collection to any Elmore Leonard fan and hope that others not familiar with his work will check it out and perhaps read other things he has written.... "Hombre" is one of the best westerns ever written. And please try his later works when he switched from writing westerns to crime stories. He still has the same rich characters and great dialogue.

If you enjoy Elmore Leonard (even if you're not a fan of "westerns"), buy this book.

Scalp-taking murderers, crooked soldiers, a enigmatic protagonist, Apaches (friendly and hostile), this book paints an excellent picture of an Old West far removed from the usual Louis L'amour homogenization.

One of the first "revisionists" to write in a way showing Indians, Mexicans (and others usually portrayed as "less" than the "American" hero) as human beings with an actual story behind their actions, Elmore Leonard is one of the most entertainng writers of all time.

The in-depth (yet concise) characterizations, the believable, suddenly violent action sequences, and most especially, a great story with no way to guess what will happen next...These are pure Leonard.

This is actually the first Elmore Leonard novel I've read despite having been a fan of several films based on his crime novels rather than his westerns (e.g., Out of Sight, Jackie Brown, Get Shorty. I was in the mood for a western, however, so I picked this one up. For a novel released in 1953, I certainly wasn't expecting something this dark and violent. The Bounty Hunters seems to anticipate the spaghetti westerns of Sergio Leone by over a decade. The story is fairly simple, but it's handled so capably that it still feels fresh over fifty years later. The only problems I had with the story were the stereotypical representations of the Apaches and the Mexicans. What helps to offset this, however, is that the titular bounty hunters are, in fact, the most evil sons of guns in the entire book. They're characters you can't wait to see get their bloody comeuppance. Honestly, by the end, I was cheering for the Apaches,--lead Apache Soldado is such an intelligent and capable character that I found it hard not to cheer for him--and I believe Leonard has a bit of admiration for them himself. (Whether or not that admiration translates into a balanced depiction is another matter entirely.) I highly enjoyed this book, and I look forward to reading more of Leonard's western fiction. Who knows; maybe I'll eventually get around to reading some of his crime novels.

It isn't very often that I get time to read fiction anymore, but when I read a good book I feel a certain responsibility to let people know about it. I'm James Drury, and I've played in plenty of Western shows myself. For those of you who don't know me I portrayed The Virginian on NBC television for many years. So I hope that qualifies me to leave a review on a Western book. Of course I could say the same thing about any Elmore Leonard book I've had the pleasure of reading, but the Bounty Hunters was great. It was short and to the point, but Leonard has this way of giving you such a great feel for the country and old West settings it just makes the book pleasant. He excels at making us see what he does in very few words. I have read all of the Western novels of Kirby Jonas on audio, and while I of course think he is my favorite author of Westerns, I have to say I have never read a bad Elmore Leonard book, and The Bounty Hunters is no exception. I don't know Leonard's history as far as how he does his research. I know Kirby Jonas lived in southeast Arizona when he was working on his first books, however, and it seems to me that Leonard has done a large amount of work in getting the facts about the Arizona and Mexico country down pat. I guess I've gotten into the habit of comparing every Western author not to Louis L'Amour but to Kirby Jonas, and although I would never put Leonard above Jonas I would sure say his books would "do to ride the river," with Jonas', so to speak. Give the Bounty Hunters a try. Right now I'm starting into Escape from Five Shadows, and it already holds great promise!

Dave Flynn is sent to bring the Apache Soldado Viejo out of Mexico and to Arizona. He is ordered to take a new Lt., R D Bowers wtih him. Viejo will be hard to find and harder to bring back. They are sent by Colonel Deneen. He has a grudge against Flynn from years ago. They are aided by Joe Madora, a scout friend of Flynns. Besides Viejo they run into Curt Lazair, a scalp hunter. He takes Mexican scalps and swears they are Apache, in order to get the bounty. There is also a crooked Lt. with soldiers under his command. This Lt. is buying the scalps from Lazair. It all comes together pretty quickly at the end. Does Bowers come through? Will Flynn and company find Viejo and Lazair? What finally happenes to Deneen? The book is fairly fast moving, it will hold your attention. If you like a western with a lot of gun fights, Indians and good and bad Mexicans, you will like this.

Besides writting great modern day novels Elmore Leonard can and does wirte great Westerns. "The Bounty Hunter" is a great read. I believe this was one of his frist novels if not the first. Keep up the good work Elmore. It is a pleasure to read anything you write.

I have read all of Elmore Leonard's novels except the Western ones, which I was not attracted to, however I have now read three of them and they are great too. You just can't go wrong with Leonard.

I'm not a big fan of western, and seldom buy short story collections. That said, I'm a huge Elmore leonard fan, and it seems that no matter what genre he is writing, or what form (short stories), he almost never misses.

Many of the stories here are traditional westerns like the kind pulps used to publish, but Leonard always gives way more than the average writer no matter the form. Several didn't seem up to the usual standards except where dialogue crackles and gives the story a jolt of life even with a soft plot. But as $8 paperbacks go, even if half the stories are satisfying - for me more like two thirds - the cost is well worth it. All the stories share the Leonard style, and the kind of sparce writing he has created makes them come alive.

Surprising twists mixed with interesting plots and tense drama, even in the western genre make this collection well worth the effort.

Who woulda thunk one of America's top mystery writers started out writing westerns? Back in the '50s, Elmore Leonard cranked out a number of western short stories and novels, the short stories subsequently being collected in the 2004 hardcover book entitled COMPLETE WESTERN STORIES OF ELMORE LEONARD. This book is one of at least three PBs featuring some of the stories from that 2004 volume.

BLOOD MONEY features seven stories. To be honest, they aren't all that memorable. For one thing, the characters aren't very well-developed. I enjoyed the villain in 'The Longest Day of His Life' story but the story's hero didn't ring true. He seemed much too contemporary, much too glib. 'Apache Medicine' was the story I liked best wherein a Cavalry Scout cleverly kills two birds with one stone. Another story - 'Red Hell Hits Canyon Diablo' - started out well, involving a Cavalry troop looking for a deserter only to be ambushed by Indians. Then the story went Hollywood with the Indians-Cavalry standoff being decided by a mescal drinking contest! Sorry, Elmore, I just couldn't suspend my disbelief that far.

Likewise Leonard didn't evoke the setting of the old West as effectively as, say, Frank Bonham or Fred Grove or Ray Hogan.

In some ways, I think the stories didn't trip my trigger because they're too short, too terse. The skeleton is there but there ain't much meat on the bones.

But, at $5.99, what the heck. Buy a copy; you may like it.

I don't know if it's ever been a huge genre, but the western has definitely diminished over the years. At this point, most major bookstores don't even list it in a separate area anymore. The number of western authors who are commonly recognizable names can probably be counted off on a single hand: certainly Louis L'Amour and Zane Grey, and if you're of a more literary bent, Cormac McCarthy. For most people, the name Elmore Leonard invokes thoughts of urban crime stories, but long before he made a name in mysteries, he was also a western writer.

Blood Money and Other Stories is a collection of Leonard's western stories from the 1950s. The opening story, Apache Medicine deals with a cavalry scout's encounter with a son of an Apache chief. Red Hell Hits Diablo Canyon is another cavalry and Indians story. The Last Shot is a Civil War story; Blood Money deals with bank robbers under siege; Saint With a Six-Gun is the story of a young man recruited to be a prison guard for a wily but doomed convict; Man with the Iron Arm is the tale of redemption for a Civil War veteran and The Longest Day of His Life chronicles a day in which a railroad man is robbed, finds love and confronts some old enemies.

All these stories are pretty short; the longest is less than fifty pages of relatively large print. For those familiar with Leonard's later works, there may be a sense of disappointment. These tales were written when Leonard was still honing his craft, and his dynamic dialogue and sly humor is not really present. There is, however, nothing really wrong with any of these stories; even early Leonard is well-written. True to the classic western, there is plenty of action.

I've read a lot of Leonard's western stories, and while I prefer his novels in this genre, even the short stories are entertaining. If you are a fan of either westerns or Leonard, this collection is worth reading.

It's unusual for me to read a Western. Movies and TV series, great! But Western books? It's rare for me to read one.

I liked SHANE. I liked a book my brother loaned me about 25 or 30 years ago about a lawman who refused to use a gun. I had the privilege of editing for Dusty Rhodes. I also loved TRIED AND TRUE, which I read for Books Unbound, and I apologize to the author for forgetting her name, but I'm writing this review while I'm without Internet access.

Those are the only Westerns I've enjoyed reading, except for one I recently reviewed by Elmore Leonard. I found this one in Shanghai last week, and it's not as good as all that, but it's readable enough. I wouldn't make a special point of finding it, though.

Elmore Leonard's 'The Bounty Hunters' is one of his first novels. As a western, it is a great tale of cowboys and Indians. Dave Flynn is a former soldier that has an ongoing dislike for a superior officer. This officer sends Flynn and a young lieutenant named Bowers into Mexico to track down Saldado, a rogue apache. From there, 'The Bounty Hunters' unfolds into an expansive western adventure.

Not only do Flynn and Bowers have to track down Saldado, they have to look over their shoulders for Frank Rellis, who Flynn showed up in the bar back in the States. Before Rellis left town, he shot one of Flynn's friends. As they venture into Mexico, they discover a scalper that is taking more than Apache scalps for bounties awarded in the village of Soyopa. Speaking of the village, it has its own problems with a missing family and a corrupt government. Along the way, Flynn finds a love interest.

This book is classic Leonard. It introduces many of the hallmarks that make Leonard novels so enjoyable. It also introduces some of the stock character types (the bad guy that isn't all there, his henchman that makes a turn for the good, the sidekick that comes into his own, etc.). The dialogue is also first rate, although some of the conversation about the apache is a bit generic. My only disappointment came in some of the action scenes that were not really clear as to what was happening.

I recommend this novel for any Leonard fan or fans of Westerns. Its good reading for a plane ride or if you are in need of something to do on a lazy afternoon. When you're done, check out Leonard's crime work.

Elmore Leonard is an interesting author. He's been around since the '50s (the first book in the collection, The Bounty Hunters, was originally published in 1953) and is still as hip and cool as ever. He's also probably had more of his books turned into movies than any other man alive: at least six by my count, and I'm sure I'm missing some. This book is a collection of three of his earlier westerns, the above mentioned The Bounty Hunters, and Forty Lashes Less One and Gunsights. All three novels are recognisably Leonard: you could almost tell who wrote them without reading the author's name on the cover.

The Bounty Hunters has a typical Leonard plot. A cavalry scout and a green US army Lieutenant are sent into Mexico, incognito, to capture a renegade Apache. Complications set in when corrupt Rurales (local Mexican police), a group of angry local villagers, and the title group of bounty hunters (whites who kill Apaches for cash from the Mexican Government) all collide with our two heroes. The one part where this novel fell a bit short for me was in the mild language. In the '50s, Leonard couldn't use profanity or obscenity, and it rings a bit false now.

Forty Lashes Less One is a prison break novel. It's only sort of a Western, being set in 1909, but only the appearance of an automobile breaks the landscape of what would otherwise be a Western. Two convicts, one black, the other an American Indian, are thrown together, first to fight, later as allies, by circumstances beyond their control in a brutal prison in the desert Southwest. Various groups are competing for various things, with a guard who peeks at the women prisoners, a prisoner who pretty much runs the place---he thinks, a new prison warden who wants to redeem those under his charge, and various prisoners scheming to escape, of course. It takes a bit to get going, but the payoff is worth the wait.

Gunsights is about a range war. It's the typical story: the people on the land don't own it, and the land owners don't want them to stay. What makes the story interesting is that the author manages to maneuver two good friends into opposite sides of the fight. Things are reminiscent of The Bounty Hunters; one of the friends is a former army scout, the other's a retired cavalry officer. There are various factions with different agendas wandering through the story: the two men kill several people early on, and spend half the book fighting off their relatives later. The story has a fun and workmanlike progress to it, and you almost can see the ending coming.

All three of these novels are short, all three are good, all three are worth reading. I would recommend this especially for a long plane ride or a short weekend vacation: great escapist reading.

I have yet to figure out what it is about his writing, but Elmore Leonard creates characters that I cannot stop reading. I just can't put the book down once I start. It's a set of early Westerns that are a must-read for new Leonard fans. If you loved his more modern creations like Raylan Givens, Chili Palmer, and Ordell Robbie, give his older stuff a try. Maybe it'll even hook you on Westerns as a genre. Excellent stuff.

book looks just like new. arrived promptly and packaged well...excellent service. highly recommended seller. good book, too. 3:10 to Yuma is a a great short story...more interesting and complex than either movie version (although I liked both). i recommend the book and the seller.

This is the third collection of Leonard short stories to be culled from his hardcover COMPLETE WESTERN STORIES OF ELMORE LEONARD. The seven stories in this book were published between 1952 to 1956.

To be frank, other reviewers have been more fulsome in their praise of Leonard's western stories. I think his stories are good, sometimes very good but rarely what I would term excellent. They are too short, too lacking in grit to win me over completely.

Having said that, the stories in this collection are nicely done, workmanlike tales of a cowardly cavalryman who winds up winning a Medal of Honor, a hardscrabble farm couple who, working together, triumph over desperados, a search for a Lost Dutchman mine and so on. The longest story - 'The Captives' - is the best in the bunch. Leonard has space to fill out the characters and details, which make for a well-told story.

I bought the book because it contains the story 'Three-Ten to Yuma,' one of my favorite western movies. I wanted to see how the source material compared to the movie. In this case the movie was better since the screenwriter supplied a nice twist at movie's end that elevated the story from a routine oater to something else.

In any case, whether you are a confirmed Leonard fan or not, you will enjoy the tales in this book.

i'm not sure why the author chose to write a new, short version of 3:10 to yuma, but that is what you get in this collection. it is not much like the '50s version (or the 2007 movie for that matter). he has applied the train ride to a different set of characters. my guess is it is a marketing strategy dreamed up by the publisher using the title "3:10 to yuma" to sell the book. while overall, i enjoyed this collection, i would still like to read leonard's original story.

In a shift from his main character, Lucas Davenport who plays a minor role, this novel features one of his team who investigates on his own a vicious murderer. The opening scene is terrifying. The complicated plot unfolds slowly with lots of twists. Consistent with Sandford's previous novels, there is much tedious police work to be done in an effort to determine who the killer is. The final scene is full of surprise. The culminating moment in the novel where the villain is pursued by the protagonist is exciting. This book is a fine addition to the series by the writer. I've purchased all of his books. It's recommended to those who like this type of novel or to those who are seeking a different treatment of detective stories, or just enjoy skillful writing with original plots.

Readers of John Sandford's "Prey" series might remember Virgil Flowers making some brief appearances at Lucas Davenport's side. Now Davenport has given Flowers free reign as a member of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. Davenport has assured Flowers that he will only get the difficult cases.

Agent Flowers has been assigned some murder cases in the southwest corner of the state. On his way to his assignment he stops to join officials and gawkers who are watching a fatal house fire. As Flowers begins to investigate his original assignment, the killing of a doctor and his wife, the agent begins to suspect that these murders are connected to the person killed in the house fire. As more dead bodies begin to show up, the more certain Flowers becomes.

In the small town everybody seems to know everybody else's business and background. As a result there is no shortage of suspects in the murders. The murderer might even be Sheriff Stryker who called Flowers in on the case in the first place...or the Sheriff's beautiful sister who Flowers has started a relationship with.

I confess that I am prejudiced...John Sandford is among my favorite writers. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The mystery is pretty good. The action is good. The one-liners thrown into conversations from time to time are entertaining. The solution to the mystery is not the tidy package that ends most novels. I suspect that is the way it is in actual police work...at least in the difficult cases.

"Dark of the Moon" is more like one of Sandford's "Prey" novels than it is the "Kidd" novels. I suspect that if you enjoyed any of the Prey novels that you will like "Dark of the Moon."

I have read all of Sanford's "Prey" series and some of his other books as well...he has his formula down to a science in "Dark of the Moon" and it is his best one ever in my opinion. Super fast-paced, lots of plot twists, witty dialouge and an explosive ending.

I can't keep track of all the titles I've read in the Prey series, very often buying the hard cover because I can't wait for the paperback to come out. I'm usually hooked on the first page and then have trouble putting it down until it's finished, after which time I'll never pick it up again. So I always half wonder why I keep buying these books, but there must be something about them I enjoy. I guess they're like watching TV or eating fast food--to site a couple of obvious comparisons.

I actually didn't feel that way after finishing the last in this series. The quality of "Invisible Prey" was just a notch higher than usual. Normally the writing gets a bit lazy and perfunctory somewhere between the precisely constructed, intriguing beginning and the overall suspenseful story that keeps you rapidly turning the pages to see how things will eventually play out. But I almost savored parts of "Invisible Prey", especially certain unnecessary touches, such as the way the author would throw in a two or three paragraph interlude of Lucas getting up early and driving the Interstate for an hour or so to spend the morning fishing on the river in a borrowed boat. Also, the killers in this story were intelligent, interesting characters---two antique dealers, one a big man who always dressed like an effete in a fashion magazine, and a woman who was much smaller but the smarter of the two, constantly scheming and even contemplating killing her partner if it would suit her purposes.

This last book started in the same way as all the others, with one of those paragraphs that immediately pique your interest in such a deceptively effortless way that I have to quote it in its entirety: "Six garbage bags full of red cedar shavings, purchased two at a time for a dollar a bag, at midnight, at the self-serve shed at Dunstead & Daughter Custom Furniture, serving your fine cabinetry needs since 1986. No cameras, no lights, no attendant, no theft, no problem."

That's the point where I close the cover and make a snap decision to buy the book, since I've never been disappointed in the past. This time I was. I thought "The Dark of the Moon" appeared very soon after "Invisible Prey", and in fact they both were published in 2007. Another curious thing was an acknowledgment at the start in which Sanford admits he had help from another author. That might be the reason right there.

It says something that the book I finished just previous to this one was "The Pillars of the Earth" by Ken Follett, a 971-page historical novel which I read a few pages of every night before falling asleep, but had no problem immediately picking up the thread of the story the following night and never once found it confusing or tedious. This latest John Sanford was the total opposite. I constantly had to remind myself of where the story had left off; the killer was not interesting, and in a sort of whodunit style, he isn't even identified until the very end, by which time you're not sure you really care. Don't waste your money on this one.

Unlike many prolific writers, Sandford seems to come freshly to each new book. His characters are so real, his ear for dialogue just dead on and his stories completely engrossing. He absolutely deserves more credit than he gets. Cormac McCarthy, eat your heart out.