Killshot

...but the middle sags and bulges like a beer belly in a prom dress. Also, I felt like he relied too much on coincidence as a plot device. Still, no one alive writes crime fiction like this man.

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 . . . )

The key character in Leonard's "Killshot" is Carmen, the wife of a steelworker. She has a strong heart, a love of her somewhat uncommunitive husband, and a strong belief in defending her home. Detroit is again the setting for this mob-related thriller, and Leonard has invented two truly scary killers, Richie and Blackbird. Carmen must stare down these killers and defend her home. Whether she can do this while alone remains unknown until the end. The atmosphere of Detroit is somewhat modified as Carmen and her husband enter the Witness Protection Program and leave for Cape Girardeau, Missouri, along the Mississippi River. Some of the most interesting scenes take place when her husband goes on the river in his new job, and Carmen is left behind again, all alone. A movie of "Killshot" is being produced now, with second unit shooting in Cape Girardeau. Movie and Elmore Leonard buffs are sure to hope that the intensity of this thriller can be captured well on film. Larry Rochelle, Author of the Palmer Morel Mystery Series: BLUE ICE, GULF GHOST, BOURBON AND BLISS, DEATH AND DEVOTION and DANCE WITH THE PONY

"Killshot" is a fast-paced, edgy and action-filled novel with strong emphasis on character, which is what one expects from Elmore Leonard. Leonard effectively paints telling portraits complete with physical details, emotions and mannerisms, and he never short-changes on plot or suspense. This book hums along. The killers are reprehensible, but Leonard makes them human, with their own particular vulnerabilities. Richie Nix is a sociopath seeing people only as objects to be used or eliminated. The Bird is somewhat more empathetic, but a cold, bloodless professional killer nonetheless. Carmen and Wayne Colson are a married couple who get caught up in a shakedown scam by mistake, and they end up having the two killers on their trail. Leonard does an outstanding job with minor characters as well giving them pivotal roles, especially Donna, the woman who becomes a lover to both killers, and the egotistical deputy sheriff. While the reader might find him or herself rooting more against the evilness of Richie or Bird, rather than for any compelling traits in the Colson's, there is more than enough tension inherent in "Killshot" to make this a very good read.

This is what Elmore Leonard churns out better than about any other modern writer I've read. This book isn't about what it's about, it's about HOW it's about it. So in otherwords, forget the plot and just watch some cool people interact very realistically. The funniest murder in an Elmore Leonard novel to date (two words: chewing gum) and it's a great thriller in a sense as well. So, yeah, it's a very simple structure, where you are introduced to a couple of characters and then a conflict early on, but the conlfict takes the back burner as you hear some great dialogue, tense situations, and comic underpinnings.