I do so dig Elmore Leonard. I’m no officionado, but what Leonard does well, he does really well. Here, as always, the dialogue is first rate. The mood and banter between the not-so-brilliant criminals is at times hilarious, at times menacing, but always full of the spark of life, even if it is the low-life only to be found in the Detroit gutter — or the fairways of the suburban country club. That Leonard introduced a sympathetic touch of 70s feminism throughout this (1978) noir, not to mention a masterful plot switch in the last chapter, makes me hail Leonard as the caper king. The king is dead. Long live the king, whatever the hell that is supposed to mean.
No. 21 of 100 books I intend to read and review in 2020.
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Patrick Sherriff is an Englishman who survived 13 years working for newspapers in the US, UK and Japan. Between teaching English lessons at his conversation school in Abiko, Japan, with his wife, he writes and illustrates textbooks for non-native speakers of English, releases Hana Walker mystery novels, short stories, essays and a monthly newsletter highlighting good fiction published in English about Japan. Saku’s Random Book Club is his latest project to spend more time with books.
Patrick Sherriff 