Elmore Leonard Books

This refers to the CD version of the "Hot Kid": Arliss Howard seems to wring every nuance out of this terrific Leonard novel. So rich.

Pretty Boy Floyd
This novel is Elmore Leonard's "Pretty Boy Floyd", only the " Hot Kid" is U.S. Marshal Carl Webster.
This story seems to be one of dogs fighting wolves in human terms. The author is a scholar who has done his homework on names and dates. This wild depression era of the popular bank robbers is told from a cop's point of view. About hard men and real people this is a very readable
book in which Elmore Leonard comes down on the diametrically opposite side he took in "Valdez is Coming" Valdez Is Coming and is probably better even than Pretty Boy Floyd in plot and content.

What can one say about Elmore Leonard that hasn't already been said by someone else? A very good read as always with Mr. Leonard, well developed characters & the most realistic dialog you will ever read. I've been a fan of his for many years. Not everything he writes is good but it's always enjoyable. Hint: Don't necessarily read Elmore Leonard for the story, sometimes it's not there; but always, ALWAYS, pay close attention to the characters, for that is always where the fun (and story) is.

A new direction for Elmore Leonard, both as a period story and in the development of a low-life and a lawman. A great read, very spare and a great change from the scammers of the last few books.

I am an avid Elmore Leonard fan. I have read probably two dozen of his books, and I consider some of those books to be among the best crime fiction ever written. This book, however, is not one of them. It is almost a throwback to one of his earlier books, "The Moonshine Wars," which was also set in the 1930s. Here Leonard moves away from the usual urban lowlifes, petty criminals, and police detectives of our modern big cities and retreats to the depression-era midwest in which a slew of petty criminals achieved notoriety, and often an early death, by robbing banks. Mention is made of Dillinger, Pretty Boy Floyd, Baby Face Nelson, Machine Gun Kelly, and Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker. But they are mentioned only in passing. To move the story along, Leonard creates two fictional antagonists: Carl Webster, a US Marshal, and Jack Belmont, the son of a wealthy father, who decides to turn to a life of crime. There are several interesting plot twists, but the outcome is inevitable and predictable. What is missing here is Leonard's ear for dialogue that characterizes his urban novels. But even lesser Leonard is still a pretty good read.

The first thing I have to point out is that 'Rum Punch' was adapted to the big screen by Quentin Tarantino for his film, Jackie Brown.

With that in mind, it is very difficult to separate the two. In the beginning. Once you get beyond the fact that the two are only passingly similar, then you can really get into the book. Somehow, the characters in Leonard's novel are more treacherous than in the movie, and Leonard's ability to use the criminal patois is unmatched.

'Rum Punch' is simply a great crime novel, filled with the sort of vividly-drawn characters and violent plot twists that we've all come to expect from him. His books always seem fresh and new and wonderful, and this one is no exception.

I'd suggest 'Rum Punch' to any fan of Leonard's and anyone who has or hasn't seen the movie Jackie Brown.

this is the book that quinten tarrintinos movie Jackie Brown came from. it was a good read and alot like the movie. its about a flight attendant that gets busted transporting coke into the USA. she strikes a deal with the ATF to set up a gun smuggler that she knows... what happens.. ? read it and find out!

Rum Punch is a pretty good representation of Elmore Leonard's style. The story focuses on a flight attendant attempting to bring half a million dollars into the country, and then in true Leonard style, all the colorful characters (some on the side of law, others not) who try to gets their hands on the money.

The book features some strong dialogue, particularly when the gun runner Ordell Robbie is speaking. Another strong element is the way that Leonard easily switches perspective--from the flight attendant to the gun runner to an ex-con to a bails bondsman. While the book is good, it is not on the same level of Leonard's Get Shorty. I think the book's one flaw is that while the twists are good and the story rings true, there is nothing particularly unique about the story.

The book was made into a movie titled Jackie Brown, which despite changing the title and locale (from South Florida to Los Angeles), is surprisingly faithful to the book. The movie is okay, but the book is better.

I enjoyed the film based on this novel, but couldn't get into reading it. I don't know why, maybe it's just me. Maybe because the characters in the movie were changed too much...I don't know...but I just lost track of the book less than half way through.

I'm a big fan of Elmore Leonard and Rum Punch is one of his best.

The plot: Jackie Burke, a down-on-her luck airline attendant is forced to help authorities nail gunrunner Ordell Robbie after she's caught sneaking cash into the country for him. Of course in an Elmore Leonard novel, double crossing is the name of the game and Jackie, with the help of bail bondsman Max Cherry, devises a plan to take the money and run.

This novel has everything we come to expect from a Leonard novel. Great dialogue, memorable characters, and a plot full of zigs and zags. The cops are a little shady and the criminals are as likely to kill one another as they are to kill the good guys. Rum Punch is an unpredictable, rollicking ride; sometimes laugh out loud funny, always entertaining. A great read, from cover to cover.

I don't know how Out of Sight made the New York Times bestseller list when it came out. This book could have been written by a high schooler. The plot is nothing to write home about and Elmore's writing style is sub-par. The book lacks suspense. I knew (and you will, too) exactly how the book was going to end about 10 pages into it. The book is also lacking in emotion and description. It reads like this: Foly said, "..." She said, "..." He said, "..." The she said, "..." Get the idea? The book is a very easy read that could maybe entertain you for the weekend, but don't expect to be wowed by "the best crime novelist of our time".

This is my favorite Elmore Leonard book to date. now, i have only read three of his books, but I find comic crime novels to not be that interesting. However, I loved the movie and that that I should try the book. The book lived up to the hype. It had a movement that just flowed off the pages. The characters were well rounded, interesting and funny. You really felt the connection between Jack Foley and Karen Sisco, even though one was a bank robber and escaped convict and the other was a US Marshal. If you read just one Elmore Leonard book, read Out of Sight.

This book was poorly written. Its plot was somewhat implausible and the characters were anything but dynamic. It seemed more like a screenplay thinly disguised as a novel, as it possessed very little literary merit. I would not recommend this book to anyone who values his or her leisure time.

If you have never read Elmore Leonard, this is a good place to start. A bank robber named Jack Foley escapes from prison with the help of his longtime partner Buddy. Federal marshall Karen Sisco attempts to stop the escape, but Buddy thwarts her attempt and forces her into the trunk of the getaway car with Foley. In the trunk, Foley and Sisco make a connection talking about things like robbing banks and movies. Soon, Sisco gets away, and the remaining story centers on Foley attempting one last job and Sisco trying to catch him (all the while dealing with the romantic and emotional connection that she shares with Foley).

The story is pretty darn good. And there is a wide range of characters with well drawn criminals ranging from silly, all talk screw-ups like a stoner named Glenn to a real violent, psychotic bad guy named Maurice. The dialogue is funny, and the very quick, clever twists of story/plot make the story a pretty good, engaging read.

This novel was later made into a movie by Steven Soderbergh. Even though the book is good, the movie is much better. While the tone and story are pretty similar, Soderbergh makes some welcome changes. First of all, the Leonard novel is told pretty straightforward. Soderbergh, however, mixes up the narrative using flashbacks that allow Soderbergh to develop the characters. Also, Soderbergh enhances certain scenes by adding suspense and humor (such as the climax that is really suspenseful and hilarious in the movie but by-the-numbers in the book). Finally, the film is shot well and features one great performance after another (George Clooney, Jennifer Lopez, Don Cheadle, Steve Zahn, Ving Rhames, Dennis Farina, Albert Brooks, Catherine Keener, Luis Guzman).

Starting in a Florida prison, the opening few chapters of OUT OF SIGHT are set as a frenetic pace as bank robber extraordinaire, Jack Foley plans and executes a daring escape. Helping him in his bid for freedom is his former partner in crime, Buddy who is waiting with a car in the prison car park. Also waiting in the car park happens to be US Marshall Karen Sisco who is sitting in her car, preparing to enter the facility when Foley makes his unexpected appearance. Quickly overpowering her, they stuff her in the trunk of her car with Foley climbing in behind her and Buddy slipping behind the wheel to affect the getaway.

Unbelievably cool in the crisis involved in the jail break, Foley attempts to engage Karen in conversation, even wondering aloud whether it might be possible, if circumstances were different, for the two of them to become attracted to one another. Karen of course is incredulous and wants nothing to do with the escaped prisoner, apart from capturing him and delivering him back to prison. Thinking on the events later, after escaping from Buddy and Foley, she does find herself impressed with Foley's cool head under pressure.

There is a brief lull in the action as we recover from the excitement of the opening scenes and the thought of the next score is placed in Foley's head. This takes the form of a robbery target in Detroit, supposedly a low-risk venture made easier by some local help. After narrowly escaping capture from the US Marshalls that includes another run-in with Karen Sisco, he decides that it's time for a change of scenery and he and Buddy heads north.

By this time, it becomes obvious that there's some sort of weird fascination between Jack Foley and Karen Sisco taking place. They're somehow drawn to one another, even though they are on directly opposite sides of the law.

In Detroit, Foley and Buddy are out of their comfort zones. They don't know the city, they don't know the people and it's just started to snow. They hook up with a truly dangerous fellow ex-con named Maurice. He is their aforementioned local help, but they realise that the low-risk operation is shaping up as anything but. With nothing better on offer and against their better judgement, they go ahead with the plan but are extremely wary.

Meanwhile Karen Sisco has tracked Foley to Detroit after some very slick detective work, and after talking her way onto the Foley case. The inevitability of their meeting is obvious. What remains up in the air is what will happen after they meet and when it comes to plots created by Elmore Leonard, this means that the story could lead anywhere from here.

On the surface this is told in a light, breezy tone thanks mainly to the cool behaviour of Foley in times of crisis backed up by Buddy's comical acceptance of Foley's decisions, no matter how unusual they seemed. When the setting changed to the colder wintry city of Detroit, the tone darkened considerably to reflect the dangerous Maurice, with whom they have to deal. You get a definite sense that the significant scenes are going to take place in Detroit thanks to these strong mood changes.

Elmore Leonard mixes an easy conversational tone with tight, tough dialogue. He manages to give each of his characters their own distinctive voice thanks to his clever use of phraseology. Even though Foley and Buddy are ex-cons, in this book they can be considered the good guys and their language reflects this through a minimum of swearing and slang. In glaring comparison, we find that the Detroit "bad guys" such as Maurice, although also ex-cons, litter their dialogue with constant and extreme profanities. It's a simple but effective way to differentiate the difference between bad and downright evil.

Ultimately, OUT OF SIGHT is a love story. Sure it's an unusual love story in the extreme, but a love story just the same. With plenty of action taking place on the periphery of the Foley and Sisco mating dance, it's an absorbing book that provided me with an unexpected ending.

I like Elmore Leonard, but this one is ultimately unsatisfying. Too many long scenes of two characters discussing things they did in the 60's. Too many scenes of characters discussing whether A1 or ketchup is better on a hamburger. The cop is an unlikeable loser living at home with his folks. No depth to his characterization. Too much depth on the hippies.

Worst of all, an underwhelming ending. I was left with "That's it??" You've got all these sleaze bag characters in one room, and that's the best you could think of??

Skip it unless desperate.

Set in Detroit, Freaky Deaky is more than a crime novel. Leonard weaves memories of the Sixties throughout effortlessly and, like Rum Punch, is as much about growing older as it is about bombs and thugs.

As usual, it's not the big things that make this Elmore Leonard novel enjoyable. It's the little things that impress, like speech patterns. He definitely has the best ear for dialogue of anybody I've ever read, and the trend of realisitic talk continues here. Each character has an individual accent and speech pattern, which helps in a novle with so many characters.

You almost forget about the crime drama with all of the human drama that goes on, and I mean that in a sincee and positive way.

However, I have to say that this is not my favorite EL novel, and it is certainly not a good starting point for anyone just getting into his world of crime. Don't get me wrong, it's still a great book, but there are others that are better. When you've written as many books as Mr. Leonard, that tends to happen.

The biggest problem is that it's just too long. If twenty or fifty pages had been cut out, then it would have been a lot tighter and would move a lot faster. That's really the only problem with the book. Overall, it's a good read and not disappointing, but something about it leaves you wanting more.

A trio of former 60s radicals, who were always more thrill-seeking opportunists than truly idealistic revolutionaries, orbit an alcoholic millionaire who seems to have only a handful of brain cells remaining. They are all scheming to get their hands on his money. Some of their schemes involve explosives, which leads to the accidental involvement of a former Bomb Squad officer and an aspiring starlet. Once Elmore Leonard gets these characters and their conflicting agendas bouncing off one another, a solid, entertaining thriller is the result. This is my first Leonard novel, and I'm pleased to find that his reputation for masterful dialogue is richly deserved. All of the characters are well-drawn, but Woody, the millionaire, is a particularly brilliant invention. The climax seems a bit abrupt, though it has the virtue of being poetically just.

Funny how things happen. First, you're a cop; then you're not. You got an acting dream; then it's more than a dream. You got some dynamite; then, it's not there. Funny how Elmore Leonard makes things disappear in FREAKY DEAKY.

You gotta like the atmosphere he creates in Detroit: kinda grungy, sort of scummy, maybe a bit too scary for suburbanites. The highways get you everywhere so quick, maybe better than L.A. And Leonard says there's more to see in L.A., but, then, he likes Detroit more, don't you know?

The plot involves stunt men, the movies, a broken down cop with smarts, and two women who might or might not enjoy sex. Depends on their mood. And, oh ya, a servant lurks around with some steeet savvy, always good to have in Detroit City.

Elmore's got a good one here. Full of tension and cop humor. It's cool, if you stay cool, seems to be his message. And when you're holding dynamite, don't you think you should be as cool as possible?

Reviewed by Larry Rochelle, author of BLUE ICE. GULF GHOST, BOURBON AND BLISS, DEATH AND DEVOTION and CRACKED CRYSTALS.

Chris is a cop in Detroit who is transferring from the bomb squad to sex crimes. He never imagines that right off the bat in his new division he will come across a victim that completely enchants him. But her complaint of rape leads him to be mixed up with a whole host of characters that are up to no good. Written in 1988, the story and characters reference much of the activites of the 60s and 70s and all somehow relate to each other and the time they spent at the University of Michigan protesting and getting high.

Leonard winds an interesting tale and creates characters that are larger than life. The best way to describe the story line is bizarre. The reader cannot anticipate what will happen next, but at the same time, the twists are not cliffhangers, but simply twists. This book is very hard to describe in that it is a quick read, but does not really suck you in. It just kind of is. It is worth the read, but I am curious to compare this to other Elmore Leonard books. I am not sure that he is for me.

Ellmore Leonard can't be beat for character development and pacing, but he's asleep at the wheel on this one. Good to see Raylan Givens in action again. He's even more confident in this book. The bad guy, Chip Ganz, wasn't completely believable, but his no good sidekicks were. Lots of cross/double cross action. I'm ambiguous about the psychic character (which is probably how the author meant her to be).

This is my favorite of the six Elmore Leonard books I have read. The dialogue is pure genius, the best I've ever read in any crime book.

If any of you have read an Elmore Leonard novel, you know that he has a talent for being able to draw you in, but doesn't use writing formulas. He also uses REALLY realistic dialogue, stuff people would actually say.

Riding the Rap is a crime novel, through and through, about three deadbeats, Chip Ganz, a real sleaze who will go to huggers gatherings, pick up a teenager and call their parents for a ransom, Louis Lewis, an average criminal who is smarter that he lets on, and Bobby Deo, a bounty hunter who carries garden pruners instead of a gun. They kidnap a rich retired bookie, Harry Arno, who just so happens to be the pampered friend/ ex-lover of Joyce, the current love interest of Raylan Givens, a U.S. marshal, who disfavors Harry. When Harry disappears, Joyce convinces Raylan to look around for Harry and try to find him. Raylan's trail leads to Reverend Dawn Navarro, a certified medium and spiritualist (psychic), who has a suspicious role in the kidnapping. As Raylan comes closer and closer to solving the mystery and finding Harry, the three thugs argue and scheme behind each others' backs and generally have trouble doing anything.

The story finds has a thrilling and unexpected climax and a good pace, and has its fair share of twists and turns along the way. I think that most people my age (13) will enjoy it, although it is an adult book, so it does contain some adult content, which may not be appropriate for some. Other than that it's a good quality book, but not classic literature by any means.

If someone was to write a full-length parody of Elmore Leonard's series of South Florida crime novels, echoing the rap some give about his tough-guy patois, cardboard characterization, and violently lurching plot shifts, they could ding him up hardly as much as Leonard's own 1995 novel "Riding The Rap".

It's another day for U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens when his girlfriend Joyce asks him to look into the disappearance of her friend, a bookie named Harry Arno. Turns out Arno's kidnapped by some scuzzy reefer toker named Chip with the help of two ex-cons. Their plan: Break Arno into giving up some loot he has stashed offshore. Can Givens find Arno before the crooks get the goods or kill Arno trying?

"Riding The Rap" gets off to a promising if somewhat under-revved start, developing the main setting of Chip's rundown Miami mansion (he lives there while his mother rots in a nursing home) and a female friend named Reverend Dawn who reads fortunes at a cafe. She's the one spark of early life character-wise, as Chip and his buds come off like dim retreads from other Leonard books, especially "Rum Punch" but also "The Hidden" and "Glitz". They idle away a lot of time talking tough and turning nasty as Raylan moves in and turns up the heat.

As psychics go, Dawn is pretty good. So is Raylan, who like many Leonard protagonists is always a move or two ahead of everyone else and ready with a dry wisecrack. Usually, though, the plots are better and the dialogue sharper for you not to mind that so.

"What you'll have to do now is ride the rap, as they say," Raylan says early on to some carjackers who fail to get the drop on him. "It's all anybody has to do." I don't know what that means either, but it certainly sounds tough, don't it?

Actually, Raylan's banter plays better than that of the villains. After one of them blows another away, he has the nerve to tell someone else he "fired" the guy.

Like I say, Leonard critics can have a field day with this novel, crammed with Leonard's literary offenses and almost none of his strengths. Arno is introduced at some length as an alcoholic, as if that will be a plot point or a source of drama later. But it never comes up again. Chip's partners hold up a convenience store, which gets Raylan's notice, but that strand too is left dangling in the breeze.

The plot does move, mostly because Leonard keeps having his characters do sudden things with no explanation. It makes for an interesting read, but leaves a few unanswered questions. Why, if Dawn is so psychic, does she hang out with a bunch of homicidal losers? Why would anyone take Chip's side in a crackpot scheme like this? Why does Raylan put his life on the line for any of these people he sees right through?

Look, it's Leonard, so you're going to have fun reading it. Just not a lot, and it doesn't come close to coming together at the end. Maybe he was playing with his critics on this one, a possibility suggested by the title. Whatever his motive, Leonard was typing more than writing here, and the result is dispiriting.

"Riding the Rap" by Elmore Leonard is the sequel to his novel "Pronto" which I think it easily Leonard's funniest novel out of the ones that I have read. "Riding the Rap"
is not as funny as it's predecessor, but it's just as entertaining. We pick up with Harry Arno. Harry is an ex-bookie who has now retired from the business but is going around collecting outstanding debts with help from gardener turned gangster Bobby Deo. When Bobby goes to pick up a debt from a man named Chip Ganz, Chip gives Bobby a proposition (kidnap Harry and steal his three million dollar fortune) Bobby obliges. With the help of one of Chips "henchmen" whose name is Louis Lewis and a beautiful fortune teller named Dawn Navarro, Chip kidnaps Harry and puts him in his attic. They don't think anyone will care that Harry is missing, but they end up being wrong.
Harry's ex-girlfriend Joyce (Joy, when she was a topless dancer) misses him and asks her current boyfriend, cowboy hat wearing US Marshall Raylan Givens.
Raylan doesn't really care that Harry is missing but agrees to Joyce's request and begins to try to track down Harry. Now, Riding the Rap, is equipped with all of Leonard's spectacular dialouge, plot twists, and offbeat characters and it is just as good as "Pronto" but I just think "Pronto" was funnier. Due to the fact that the characters
Tommy Bucks and Nicky Testa (who hilariously critisized each other in "Pronto" are absent for reasons you'll discover after reading "Pronto"). But still a great read...
B+.

It is almost impossible to gage Elmore Leonard on his own merits anymore, as there have been so many people eager to copy his style. His books elevate the crime story to something more than a simple genre yarn, and I'm sure that he's aware of such a fact.

'Killshot' is no different. While other novels of his can be construed as being about 'people' (or 'characters') instead of 'things', I don't think such an argument can be made for 'Killshot'. While crime and character are not necessarily mutually exclusive in the book, 'Killshot' seems to be about more than just the characters or the crime. There exists in the book a lot more nuance than readers of genre fiction are used to. The Colsons, Degas, even Donna, possess that very touch of nuance that takes the book from good to memorable.

As always, Elmore Leonard doesn't allow you to care about the characters. He FORCES you to feel for them, even the more heinous of them. And he does so in a way that you, as the reader, are unaware of until later in the book. It's absolutely genius. Armand Degas - sorry, Colsons - steals every scene and pretty much the book as a whole. Although ever character is finely drawn, Degas may be the finest of them all.

I highly recommend this book to any crime fiction reader and especially to any reader of Leonard's who hasn't tackled this book.

I've read all of Elmore Leonard's westerns and especially liked VALDEZ IS COMING and FORTY LASHES LESS ONE. STICK was my first crime novel and is very good, but KILLSHOT is great! One of the most suspenseful and engaging books I've read.

Was not familiar with this author's work before (although movies have been made for several of his books). Thought this book was a great lark! A well-written action story with memorable characters. A wry sense of humor pervades the story-line. I found it hard to put down and have now put Elmore Thomas on my author's list for more reads by this creative writer.

Rider Strong reads this book with an impassioned, evocative style. I really like the way he reads one of the main characters, Armand Degas, an Ojibway. He gets the deep tone and cadence down pat. It must have been how Elmore Leonard heard the character as he was writing Armand.

The ADHD-type 35-year old adolescent criminal Ritchie is read in a snotty tone with a sniveling pace - perfect.

While it's often hard for men to voice women's characters, I thought Rider Strong did a decent job with the women of this story. Leonard's female characters are some of my favorite literary women. Killshot's Carmen Colson is realistically feminine, brave AND human all at once.

Since I am a fan of the movie adaptations of Elmore Leonard's works ("Jackie Brown," "Be Cool") I've been wanting to start reading his books. This is the first I've read and I was most impressed with his writing style.

I was amused to find him not at all sympathetic toward police or U.S. Marshals, although he did seem to like his FBI character; in fact, if anything, he seemed most sympathetic toward Blackbird, his assassin character. Despite gaping holes in this character, his was the most filled in one in the bunch and by the end you almost found yourself wondering if he could be redeemed.

The Colsons, the couple who find themselves on the run after accidentally being caught in the middle of an attempted protection shake-down by an ex-prisoner, Richie Nix, and Blackbird, are presented initially as the perfect married couple, but as the strain of the chase gets to them, the strains they have kept hidden within their marriage start to come out. Perhaps to a certain degree this book is about how everyone faces the strain of day-to-day living by hiding how they feel? I hesitate to say, as I believe everyone will get something different from this book - however, I feel that there may be a deeper meaning hidden within this story.

I can't wait to go on and read more of Mr. Leonard's books, and accumulate more of them as well - I only have two more at this time, but will be on the lookout for more at my favorite 2nd hand and discount stores (which is generally where I buy my books - otherwise, as many books as I buy, I'd be in severe trouble . . . )

Guns and the names of guns, their heft and feel, the damage they could or might do. Elmore Leonard has a theme here. I'm not sure if the title, PRONTO, is only a cowboy term or a gun name or the speed at which a gun can be used.

But the theme is, "NRA types will love these guns."

A corolary: "Poets will love the allusions to poets even if they've never read The Cantos by Pound or stuff by Guest." It's the poetry that counts.

Then, there are some mighty fine women imbedded for romantic effect, even though their intended guys might be a little weird or mobbed-up.

This is not Detroit City, no way. Leonard has us in Miami Beach this time, soaking up food, drink and memories. Oh, and a little side trip to Italy. Nice atmosphere.

And if you like stare-down contests, there's a great one in the last act. Stay for it.

Review by Larry Rochelle, Author of the crime dramas BLUE ICE, GULF GHOST, DEATH AND DEVOTION and BOURBON AND BLISS.

"Pronto" while not Leonards best novel could easily be his funniest novel. Leonard is the Quentin Tarantino of books, by that I mean he is best known for his dialogue. The dialogue is Pronto is some of his best and wittiest. The book is about Harry Arno, a sports bookie who works for Jimmy Cap. Unknown to Jimmy, Harry has been skimming from him for a long time and is finally ready to retire and move to Rapallo, Italy where he shot a man during the war. Problem is the feds have set up a way to get Jimmy Cap and by doing this they have convinced him that Harry has been skimming more than he actually has. Now Jimmy wants Tommy Bucks (a.k.a The Zip) to catch Harry, but Harry has already ran off to Rapallo with his girlfriend Joyce (Joy when she was a topless dancer)
But now Harry has cowboy-hat wearing US Marshall Raylan Givens on his tail and he's stuck in a tight spot with both Givens and The Zip after him. B-.

Miami Beach bookie Harry Arno is used to playing the odds, skimming money from gangster Jimmy "Cap" Capotorto, and socking away a cool million in a Swiss bank account. The game turns sour, however, when the FBI tips off the mob about Arno's skimming in an attempt to scare and `flip' Harry into becoming a federal witness against Cap. After Cap orders the hit, Harry shoots one of Cap's trigger men and flees to Italy, where he dreams of living an idyllic existence with his girlfriend Joyce in a villa by the sea. Following Harry to Italy is mob enforcer Tommy Bucks and U.S. Marshall Raylan Givens.

Elmore Leonard is the best-selling author of more than three dozen novels. His work is often pipelined straight to Hollywood, where his novels have been adapted for several blockbuster films such as Get Shorty, Out of Sight, and Jackie Brown (Rum Punch).

`Pronto' is a strange pot-boiler, the plot driven by three characters: Harry, Tommy, and Raylan. Harry is constantly reminiscing about World War II; Tommy carries a picture of the old crime boss Frank Costello in his wallet; Raylan is a cowboy. All three men are anachronisms, stuck in a world without honor, while pining for a nobler past.

Unfortunately, `Pronto' is primarily the story of Harry Arno, one of the most unlikable protagonists in contemporary fiction. Harry is a self-centered jerk and liar, so lacking in human grace that he seems almost autistic, unable to relate to anyone. Note the following line, after the fortyish, childless Joyce admits to Harry a yearning to be a mother:

"You're not the mommy type, kiddo."

After Joyce's hotel room is trashed by Mafia killers, she mentions Raylan's kindness after he brings her luggage to the villa. Harry replies:

"He's used to picking up suitcases, doing the heavy work. It's the kind of law enforcement he's in."

There's an emotional deadness in Harry that makes the flesh crawl. Leonard has purposely cast Harry this way, perhaps as a literary stunt, yet it ultimately cripples what could have been an excellent thriller. When a reader becomes alienated from the novel's main character, any emotional investment in the story is lost. Readers will also wonder why Raylan and Joyce care so much about Harry, who treats both with condescending disdain. After one hundred pages into `Pronto', most will be rooting for Tommy Bucks, vainly hoping that he will blow Harry's head off.

Nevertheless, Leonard has an uncanny gift for staging dramatic action sequences that keeps the reader turning pages until the final bloody climax. When depicting the dark side of human nature, Leonard is masterful; yet he flounders when depicting noble men and women. Raylan is the sheriff in this spaghetti western, and Joyce is the long-suffering hooker with the heart of gold. Yet neither seems as real as Tommy Bucks, the most compelling character in `Pronto', whose motive and ambition is clear and focused.

`Pronto' is a clever and entertaining novel, yet one senses that a piece is missing, a center to hold everything together. That missing piece is Harry Arno, who is as lifeless and vapid at the end of this novel as he was at the beginning.

PRONTO by Elmore Leonard is a joyride of a story about Harry Arno, an over the hills Miami bookmaker. Harry plans to retire in Italy on money he skimmed from his corpulent mob boss, Jimmy "Cap" Capotorto. The feds want Jimmy Cap so they set up Harry to give information about Cap's activities by putting out the word about his skimming activities. An assassin is sent to get Harry but he's faster with a gun. In a final jab at the law, before he skips town, Harry gives the slip to U. S. Marshal Raylan Givens for the second time since they first met six years ago. In addition, "Zip", another mob affiliate, wants to take over Harry's action, so he tells Cap that he'll take out Harry in Italy. Consequently, Harry has so many people following him that the small village of Rapallo, Italy, becomes inundated with U. S. mobsters and federal agents plus Harry's old girlfriend, ex-stripper, Joyce. During all of these events, the sixty-six year old Harry starts drinking seriously again which causes the situation to deteriorate fast. Harry is in real danger of losing his life, as are several of the other players.

Leonard wrote twenty-three books before being discovered by the bestseller market in l983, the year LA BRAVA was published and won the Edgar Award. In l953, his first novel, THE BOUNTY HUNTERS, was published, but the market for westerns began to dry up. Leonard is best known for his crime novels.

All of the characters in PRONTO are drawn with clarity and colors so vivid the reader would know each one if he or she ran into them on the street. U. S. Marshal Raylan Givens is a fast-draw cowboy of the Old West variety. His cream cowboy hat bobbing aloft alerts readers to his entry in any combat zone. Though Raylan laments his inability to express himself emotionally, readers come to know him and root for his success where Harry is concerned. In addition, the inclusion of the Ezra Pound stories add more spice to the understanding of Harry and his reasons for retiring to Italy. How could anyone resist researching Pound's poetry after reading a line like: "Dinklage, where art thou, with, or without, your von?" (My dictionary says "von" is a German word that indicates nobility or place of origin.) It's a nonsensical and hilarious question. Never mind what Pound meant.

PRONTO is snazzy. It's loaded with notable characters and an enticing plot. The passage where Gloria, Jimmy Caps girlfriend, tells Nick Testa about Jimmy Cap's reason for wanting to visit Butterfly World is funny. The same story is repeated later from Jimmy's viewpoint. It's still funny. But Leonard's prose might be a small problem for some readers. It reads like people talk and think at the same time. His use of the language as a tool for his stories is brilliant. However, high school sophomore English students should probably not read Leonard for a few years as many of them already use sentence fragments and run-ons without his genius.

Leonard's novels are addicitive. Try GET SHORTY which was made into a movie starring John Travolta in l995. BE COOL is the follow-up to GET SHORTY. Some of his other novels are BANDITS, FREAKY DEAKY and KILLSHOT.

Harry Arno, a bookie in Miami, quietly lives the good life with a sometime girlfriend, Joyce Patton. He's skimmed money from the top of his operation without the knowledge of his boss, Jimmy "Cap" Capotorto, for years and has managed to salt away nearly a cool million toward his retirement. If everything had gone the way Harry had wanted, he would have retired and moved to Rapallo, Italy, where he once saw and briefly talked to the poet, Ezra Pound. Harry was in the army at the time, and Pound was incarcerated. That was also the first time Harry killed a man. Things go sour for Harry when the Justice Department sets him up by having a snitch tell Jimmy Cap that Harry has been skimming. Everybody knows bookies skim, but nobody's supposed to be able to prove it. The Justice Department figures that Jimmy Cap will try to have Harry killed, which will force Harry to ask for witness protection and turn evidence against Jimmy Cap. Harry remains optimistic about working things out-until he has to kill a gunman sent by Jimmy Cap. United States Marshal Raylan Givens is sent to protect Harry and try to get him to come in. Raylan has a past with Harry: six years ago Raylan was escorting Harry to a court date in Chicago when Harry gave him the slip in the Atlanta airport. Raylan is an old West kind of marshal, the kind who always gets his man, so bringing Harry in this time is kind of a point of honor thing and an attempt to clean his blemished record. So when Harry gives Raylan the slip again and disappears off to Rapallo, Italy, the marshal feels compelled to go after him-even if it means stepping into the line of fire of Tommy Bitonti, Jimmy Cap's main enforcer. Tommy Bitonti-also called Tommy Bucks and the Zip-has his own axe to grind. If Harry ends up dead, the Zip gets to take over the bookie operation, which is going to mean a lot more money. Harry's on the run in Italy, and Raylan and the Zip are on a collision course.

Elmore Leonard is America's premiere crime novelist. With dozens of novels written and more movie and television deals coming every day, Leonard has become a household name. Quentin Tarantino acknowledged Leonard's influence when the young director scripted and directed PULP FICTION, and made Leonard's novel RUM PUNCH into the movie, JACKY BROWN. Early in his long career, Leonard wrote pulp western stories, then moved into the paperback market after the pulps died in the 1950s. His early western novels and pulp novellas, HOMBRE, 3:10 TO YUMA, THE LAW AT RANDADO, LAST STAND AT SABRE RIVER, and VALDEZ IS COMING were all made into movies. He wrote original western scripts for JOE KIDD, HIGH NOON PART II, and DESPERADO. Several of his crime novels, including STICK, 52 PICKUP, GLITZ, CAT CHASER, SPLIT IMAGES, GET SHORTY, PRONTO, GOLD COAST, RUM PUNCH, and OUT OF SIGHT, were made into movies. MAXIMUM BOB was made into a television series. He began his journalism career as a crime reporter in Detroit, where he worked the graveyard shift and got to know both the police officers and the criminals in the city. When his writing career took off, he started writing novels and screenplays full-time, eventually moving down to Florida where he currently lives and works.

PRONTO is a greatly simple and simply great novel. Leonard introduces his three main characters and gets them moving against each other. In the beginning, there are no clear rules or definitions between them. Harry, Raylan, and the Zip will use anyone or anything to achieve the ends each desires. Of them all, Raylan seems to be the more altruistic, but even he is not without his flaws. Joyce Patton, Harry's girlfriend, is well-drawn and carries her own depth even though she is primarily there to move the plot and action along, as well as to bring out different facets of Harry and Raylan. No Elmore Leonard novel would be complete without the cast of extras that make up the team that brings his world to life. Even these extras take on real dimensions, and the reader knows those people well, knows what they will and won't do. The dialogue is amazing, a blend of realistic street and egocentric comments and declarations that bring the characters, the scenes, and the plot to rich, crisp life. Harry, at best, is a gruff, barely likeable guy, but he rings true. Readers have known guys like him, and the fascination of what's going to happen next to a guy like Harry keeps the reader turning pages. Raylan Givens, carrying the hero's task of being the cavalry and straight-shooter, stumbles and falls a little by not stepping fully into the role, but his no-nonsense rawhide cowboy manners are a tip of the hat to the American West that spawned such men. The Zip, although he is the bad guy, carries a lot of the humor by heckling Nicky Testa, Jimmy Cap's right-hand guy, and comes across as a real person because he's only reaching for what he desires that can be his.

The pacing seemed a little off at times in this novel when compared to past Leonard books. Jimmy Cap never quite came across as the awe-inspiring menace he perhaps should have been. And the ending came a little too quickly. Also, seeing more of what happened to Raylan after the final confrontation would have been welcome.

Fans of James Lee Burke, Robert B. Parker, Robert Crais, Donald Westlake, and Carl Hiaasen will find a new treasure in Elmore Leonard if they haven't already discovered this author.

As the title suggests, "Glitz" is Elmore Leonard giving you ambiance from double barrels. You get Puerto Rico, home of tropical drinks and crazy tourists, where life is cheap amid postcard vistas. You get Atlantic City, a decayed relic of another time made anew with casinos that advertise visitor winnings on giant billboards.

"Yeah? And how much of it did the suckers put back in? They didn't say."

At the center, you get Vincent Mora, a Miami Beach police detective whose idea of medical leave after being shot in the hip involves taking stock of the killing of a woman friend who fell 18 stories from a high rise condominium building. Nothing phases Vincent, whether doing battle with the Atlantic City mob or pushing the buttons of a freak he sent up in the past. He always plays it cool.

"Your house could be on fire, but I'd never tell from your voice, would I?" he is told.

For Leonard's detractors, put off by his singular success among crime-fiction novelists, Vincent would be Exhibit A. Too tough, too collected, they say, and they have a point. Other storytellers examine their protagonists' fears as a way of pushing the tension. Leonard pretends it doesn't exist, or brushes it off with a shrug.

But you get great moments from such disengagement, like the way Mora sizes up a casino tough guy: "Vincent liked the way Jackie came right at him. Fat little guy with his pinkie ring, his pictures of stars - wanting to sound tough, hip - with lifts in his alligator shoes...He had known many Jackie Garbos in Miami Beach; they were fun. You could act just a little naive and they'd perform for you."

"Glitz" was first published in 1985, and when I saw it in paperback a year later, something about that original Meyer/Ziemienski cover grabbed me. Pink and brown Spanish hacienda behind gunmetal Rolls and palm trees, title in neon, all smacked of "Miami Vice", the hot show of the time. No earth tones, just like the series. Reading it, I discovered it was exactly that. Vincent needs a shave like Sonny Crockett, and goes to work on the bad guys with subterfuge and humor that strains belief but keeps you wanting more. Leonard had anticipated the TV series some years before, with a comic pitch session about undercover narc cops in "Stick", and here he was raking in the chips.

To say "Glitz" is an effective immersion in style is not to deny it has faults. There's a subplot involving Vincent's dealings with a casino owner's wife that comes out of nowhere and dissipates, as if Leonard thought he needed to further display Vincent's studliness. Later, he scores a needed ally in an ex-football player simply by outmachoing the fellow into taking his side.

But Vincent Mora, despite his one-dimensionality, never disappoints for entertainment. Leonard gives him a worthy adversary in a momma's boy named Teddy who hardly lives up to his name. Leonard always does villains well, and in Teddy you get one of his best.

I enjoyed "Glitz" and you will, too, provided you let it wash over you like a Gloria Estefan song and don't sweat the details. Leonard has written better books, but it's easy to get lost in the glow of this exercise in consummate star power.

Without a doubt the reigning master of American crime ficton, Elmore Leonard wrote a funny, fascinating thriller in the mid 1980s, "Glitz", which remains as satisfying a read today as it was when it was published originally back in 1985. Leonard has always had a splendid ear for dialogue and crafting realistic plots; both of which are shown quite well in this novel. In Teddy Magyk, Leonard his wrought one of his funniest, creepiest villains that I've run across, making him a hilarious comedic foil to his nemesis - and hero - veteran Miami cop Vincent Mora. I was impressed too with Leonard's vivid depictions of Puerto Rico and Atlantic City, New Jersey, where most of the plot takes place. Readers will be taken on a hilarious rollercoaster ride, in which Leonard deftly judges the absurdly funny and deadly serious aspects of his tale, offering us intriguing, multi-dimenionsal characters like former NFL player - now Atlantic City bouncer - DeLeon Johnson, singer Linda Moon and, of course, Vincent Mora. On one level, "Glitz" may be seen merely as a delightfully breezy, often fast-paced, crime thriller, with unexpected twists and turns; however, given Leonard's ample literary gifts, it should be regarded as among the best crime fiction novels written in the 1980s.

I read this book in one day. I waited another day then read Elmore Leonard's "LaBrava". An hour after I finished the second book I hardly remembered anything about either one of them- they are both just so easy to forget. I'm afraid the reviewers who claim Leonard is so great at characterization have never read a really good book or have spent too much time in front of a TV. It is not that the writing is bad, it just doesn't have any depth. The best thing I can say about Glitz is that the bad guy is really creepy, and that's a compliment. But that's not reason enough to spend money and time on this kind of fluff.

After reading Horning's "Mystery Lovers Book of Quotes" I decided to branch out from Sue Grafton, P.D. James, etc. & try on some different authors. Elmore's "Glitz" & "LaBrava" got good writeups so... Interesting. This book has a strong story without lots of unnecessary details (or padding). The main character & his friends are very sympathetic IHMO & their relationships seem to click well. I'd like to read more adventures of Lt. Vincent Mora. The "bad guys" are a bit stereotyped with little psychological background or explanation. But the "gray area" folks such as Jackie Garbo & the Donovans seemed a bit more fleshed out. My favorite character is the Moose. IMHO the strength of the book is primarily in the characterization. Leonard seems to project a definite yet complex image of each using very little description. Also, the plot is made interesting with the various venues and supporting characters. I enjoyed it and intend to read more of Leonard's works.

Glitz by Elmore Leonard was suggested reading by a huge fan of Leonard's.I took the bait, bought it and read it. I can now understand the hype over Leonard's novels.
The grits and glitz make readers cringe and go blind but mostly laugh their heads off at this down and dirty story teller's ability to move the story along with realistic dialogue and outrageous actions.
I look forward to cracking open other novels by this genius of deviance.

Excellent, really more of a novella than a novel. The "August" character is prevented, I'm thankful, from taking over the story. Nice to see that Dutch has thrown in some descriptions of settings and some narrative passages to go with all the dialog this time.

I loved this book because for once EL has a direction which he follows. The main character Juvenal is vintage EL but with a human side. You can say he searches himself through the adventure taken by his main protagonist. Difficult to come to terms with at first, the final outburst of orginality makes the waiting worthwhile.

Highly recommended.

If only I had read this book back in the 70's, then it may have had an impact on me, somehow. But seeing as to the fact that I'm approaching 80, and will soon be too old to actually appreciate the sub-text of this wonderful novel - I'd have to say that tho' it is one of EL's best books he'd ever written, I would have to agree with my wife who keeps telling me to put the book down and connect myself back to reality.

The only problem I have with this book is that it's too short. Perhaps where it ends is the right point, because it makes you think for yourself what actually happened, and what whould happen to the main characters after the incident. But take it as a compliment that I wanted to read more about these characters.

The story is about a stigmatic who may also have healing powers. One of the good points of the book is that they explain the phenomenon of those who have stigmata. For those uninitiated, this is the condition where humans periodically experience the wounds suffered by Christ at his crucifixtion. They actually get holes in their hands and bleed. This has been documented enough to prove it does indeed exist. Whether it is due to an extreme power of self-suggestion or an actual miracle I will leave to the reader.

Ditto with the healing power. The main character seemingly has this, and Leonard teases us by not showing any healing until the end, and that is even written to make us wonder. It does, however, have the actual stigmata occur, and when it does, it is powerful writing by the author.

Of course, being a Leonard novel, you have to surround him with a cast of con men and hucksters that see how they can benefit from this. What is tantalizing is that we never really know if the central character is good or just another con man. We think he's good, and we want to believe he's good, but Leonard just leaves little hints to make us wonder ourselves.

I'll also not reveal if he's a good man or not, and for that matter, I might be wrong myself. I highly recommend you read it and make your own decision.

The book was actually written in the 1977 but took 10 years to get published because of the religious undertones. I honestly don't understand what the fuss was about but then again that was over 20 years ago. It's a story about a man, Juvenal, who has the ability to heal the sick and when he does heal them he gets the wounds of Jesus, stigmata. Juvenal does not claim to be a saint however the rest of the world disagrees. All Juvenal wants to help those in need and to be left alone. However, there are too many people who want a piece of him. They want to exploit this miracle for a profit. And then there's Lynne... with Lynne Juvenal has found a soulmate, someone who he can talk to and who understand him. Now this 'saint' has a girlfriend and people are up in arms. Should Juvenal live his life for the Church or for himself?

I highly recommend this book; it's a fairly quick read and very unique story.

I was surprised at how well the book looked. I often get paperback books through Amazon, but this on was hard cover and in excellent condition. My nephew loved the fact that he had "A book like the ones in the Library" (his words) made him very happy, and me the favorite Aunt.

I really liked this book. I don't usually like books with talking animals, but as I read on, I found it's not really about dogs, it could relate to people, us, as well. I liked this book, and hope you like it too.

Elmore Leonard is, of course, renowned for his realistic adult crime books, in which his amazing dialogue conveys the seamy side of the criminal caper genre. When I saw he had written a book for kids, I knew it would be perfect for my 12-year old son,who craves the dark humor and lack of sachrine that typify Leonard.

We listened to this book together on tape. It is not a crime caper at all, but we were not disappointed. The book is considerably less dark than his work for adults (a change I frankly enjoyed), but the lean Leonard writing, the skill at avoiding undue sentiment and the dark humor all carried over. We couldn't put it down, so to speak. A clear winner.

There was one matter, though, that disconcerted me. The book is concerned with two worlds: the domestic, behave-yourself world of Dogs, and the dangerous, do-what-you-want world of Coyotes. For some reason, Leonard injected race into this characterization--the Coyotes seem African-American. They have black names (Antwan,Cletus) and use black vernacular -- words like "homes" and "crew" for friend and gang, sister for female Coyote and so on. This Coyotes-as-African-Americans is reenforced in the book-on-tape version by the vocalization of Neil Patrick Harris. The Coyotes are not portrayed negatively in the book---ultimately their freedom and independence is given the highest value, and the Coyote hero is consistently cool and able. But there is a stereotyped aspect to the cultural characterization, and I found it unsettling---not quite sure what to make of it or why Leonard put it in there. There's some subtle racial image being portrayed here that parents may at least want to be aware of.

I was going to buy this book for my friend for her birthday. But after I bought it and started reading it, I couldn't let go of it! So I ended up buying 2 copies. One for my friend, and one for me.

This book is so funny and I love how, for a change, the book tells the story from an animal's point of view. It really got you thinking about how a coyote's life is compared to a pet dog's. This book is great for reading when you're bored. You'll start off planning to read for only a few minutes but then you get addicted and end up reading for hours!

Elmore Leonard's A Coyote's in the House is a fun read and I recommend it for folks both young and old with one small reservation. Thinking about the book with my adult analytical mind disengaged, I found the story of Antwan the coyote, Buddy the movie star dog, and Miss Betty the show poodle to be a fun fast read. The story takes place in the Hollywood Hills where Antwan the coyote lives in the hills and Buddy the movie star dog lives in the house his family bought using the money Buddy made in the movies. Antwan and Buddy become friends and through the course of the story go through a series of adventures and switch rolls. My usual dislike of anthropomorphized animals did not wreck my enjoyment of this story. Now my reservation [adult analytical mind reengaged] - I found that Leonard's choice of names for the characters and use of urban dialect [inconsistently] for certain characters raised my stereotype hackles. When Leonard uses broad stereotypes in his adult novels, the audience is adult and sophisticated enough to get the point. It concerns me that a slightly less sophisticated young reader might get the wrong message from the characters in A Coyote in the House. I recommend that if you are an adult thinking of getting a copy of A Coyote's in the House for a young reader, scan a copy first to see whether you feel my reservation might be valid. Better yet, read it, enjoy it, and then decide whether to hand it down to the young reader.