Freaky Deaky

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.

I've read just about all of Elmore Leonard's thrillers up to "Maximum Bob"; I've missed many of the recent ones, not for any particular reason, just haven't picked them up.His early works -- "52 Pick-Up," "Unknown Man #89," and "City Primeval," among others -- display a very gritty, street smart view of tough guys. Starting around the time of "Get Shorty," he seemed to lose some of the grit, replacing it with sharp humor, while retaining the street smart view. It was as if he were writing with a slight tinge of Carl Hiaasen."Freaky Deaky" straddles those two eras. It's got the humor but also the grittiness. The plot revolves around four characters, two "good guys" and two "bad guys." (Actually, a bad guy and a bad woman.) The two good guys are police detectives formerly on the bomb squad, and the others are 60s radicals who never grew up. As in any Leonard novel, the two pairs are in a collision course toward each other, with a slam-bang climax. The dialogue crackles (Leonard has a terrific ear for dialogue), and the characters are sharply drawn.

Goes down super smooth. This is vintage Leonard: frenetic, full of bad guys with bigger plans than abilities. The dialogue is typically crisp, the plotting brisk, the entire book funny. Leonard captures urban crime in the 1980s brilliantly here. FREAKY DEAKY is cheap, grimy fun, this time with an ending that is quite literally explosive. Another perfect book. Leonard has quite the touch.

There has never been an Elmore leonard novel with a sympathetic character. They all are highly motivated by greed or lust or SOMETHING. This is no different. Don't read his books looking for sympathetic characters. Instead, read for characters with DEPTH. THAT you'll find.

Once again, Leonard writes the life of the sly, the crooked, the lost. . with such excitement, humor, and reality. An excellent book. . . no one does it quite like Leonard!