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Title: Freaky Deaky by Elmore Leonard ISBN: 0-06-008955-5 Publisher: HarperTorch Pub. Date: 01 October, 2002 Format: Mass Market Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $7.50 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.17 (29 reviews)
Rating: 3
Summary: Slightly Better than Usual
Comment: I'd have to rate this one marginally better than most of Leonard's stuff, which is to say decent, but not outstanding. Set in Detroi, the story centers on the schemes of a pair of former student radicals from '69-70 or so who meet up again some 15-20 years later. The nastier of the two is Robin, who seems to be dying to recapture the excitement of those heady days, so she convinces former lover, and explosives whiz, Skip to help her blackmail the rich brothers who got them put in jail for three years long ago. Meanwhile, a former member of the police bomb squad is helping a woman trying to bring rape charges against one of the brothers. Mixed into it all is a former Black Panther who is now bodyguard/chauffeur/butler to one of the brothers. Lots of double and tripple-crossing ensues, and in typical Leonard fashion, the criminals are simultaneously clever in planning, and sloppy in executing their schemes. Of course no one speaks normally, as wisecracking and attitude color every line of dialogue. One downside is that there is a subplot the book leads off with that has too much of a coincidental connection with the rest of the characters, and serves to introduce the main character, Chris, is an entirely unnecessary way. Also, the offhand treatment of Gretta/Ginger's rape strikes one as rather awkward and clumsy, if not downright offensive to some. Still, it's better than most of his other books I've read, and a pretty safe bet for a few hours on the plane or beach.
Rating: 5
Summary: Probably the best Elmore Leonard novel
Comment: 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.
Rating: 5
Summary: A wonderful page turner
Comment: I read this book in one sitting as I could not tear myself away from it. Mr. Leonard is a great writer heeding tot he old E.B. White rules from Elements of Style - omit needless words. He mixes drama with probably the best dialogue writing.
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Title: Glitz by Elmore Leonard ISBN: 0060089539 Publisher: HarperTorch Pub. Date: 01 October, 2002 List Price(USD): $7.50 |
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Title: Killshot by Elmore Leonard ISBN: 0060512245 Publisher: HarperTorch Pub. Date: 28 January, 2003 List Price(USD): $7.50 |
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Title: Unknown Man #89 by Elmore Leonard ISBN: 0060082216 Publisher: HarperTorch Pub. Date: 01 June, 2002 List Price(USD): $7.50 |
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Title: Tishomingo Blues by Elmore Leonard ISBN: 0060083948 Publisher: HarperTorch Pub. Date: 31 December, 2002 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: Rum Punch by Elmore Leonard ISBN: 0060082194 Publisher: HarperTorch Pub. Date: 01 June, 2002 List Price(USD): $7.50 |
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