Maximum Bob

Rating:
Summary: Maximum Read
Review: I read this book because I knew Leonard was a master of pacing and I wanted a refresher course. I wasn't expecting the tapestry of characters, the elegant choreography of the plot, the inevitability of both the violence and the redemption at the end. This is sophisticated writing that rocks so well on the page you don't notice how fine it is. If you want to know how to write, study Leonard and Maximum Bob.

Rating:
Summary: An Enjoyable Book
Review: Judge Bob Gibbs takes his job seriously. So much so that he tends to mete out the maximum punishment possible to offenders brought before him, earning him the nickname "Maximum Bob".

The book's protagonist is Kathy Baker who works as a probation officer which puts her in occasional contact with Judge Gibbs. It seems that Judge Gibbs takes a liking to her, so much so that he comes up with a very imaginative way to remove his wife from the picture to leave him free to pursue Kathy. What has escaped the lust-filled judge's attention is that his affection is not being returned.

As a probation officer, her job also puts Kathy in contact with criminals and this is where the third main character is introduced. Elvin Crowe is a mean piece of work who has recently been released from prison and it's obvious the rehabilitation didn't stick. Elvin somehow comes across someone who is willing to pay him to kill Judge Gibbs, who just happened to be the presiding judge during Elvin's case in which he drew...yep, that's right, the maximum penalty.

It was hard to decide how to treat this book. While it contains quite a few scenes that border on the farcical thanks to some offbeat characterisations, there is also the ever-present undertone of menace tinged with despair. What kept wrenching me back whenever I began losing myself in the book's humour was the realisation that lives were constantly in danger.

Maximum Bob is an enjoyable book exposing us to Florida complete with heat, psychos, druggies and alligators.

Rating:
Summary: A LOT OF SLOW MOVING PAGES!
Review: Judge Bob Gibbs, otherwise known as Maximum Bob, usually sentences anyone for to long. Now he may pay. He is also someone you hope will get whats coming to him before the book ends. Kathy Baker, a probation officer, ends up being the girl he wants. An alligator makes the scene, scaring Bobs wife into leaving. Elvin and Dale Crowe Jr. are the real bad men, mainly Elvin. They are funny as well as bad. The book moves very slowly in lots of places. I never did find out what happened to Crown Jr. It justs leave a lot to be desired. Leonard has done better. The ending could have been better if one more person had been taken care of. Which one? Have to read to see.

Rating:
Summary: Not Altogether a Maximum Bore
Review: Lets' get straight to it. This book has wit. It has quintessential Leonard dialogue. It is quick-paced. It has Leonard's intimate understanding of the low-lifes in our society.

But, none of those qualities are excluded in any of Leonards novels.

So what is the matter? You come to expect all those things going into reading Elmore Leonard's books. Either because he has been recommended to you, or you have been a life long fan so you know what to expect. But, this book is still not the best of his bunch.

Why? For one, it simply is not memorable.

Sure, the judge is a memorable character and a year from now, if I try to explain this book to someone, Judge Gibbs will be the central memory. Of course the book is named after him, so he should stand-out in this book. Yet, all the other characters lack a certain spark that Leonard is known for. Any of the other supporting characters could wind up in his other books. It's almost like he is recycling old character ideas from previous books. Perhaps ones that never fit into another story, but he liked them so much he blended them all into this book.

Elmore Leonard is pure guilty pleasure. His books translate well into this era because of his ear for speech, his heart-racing pace and his understanding of the low-life in today's Jerry Springer/COPS society. It's no wonder than dozens of screen writers have emulated him in the past 20 years. Its not hard to see Leonard's influence in any of today's action/crime movies.

You may enjoy "Maximum Bob," as I did, but it won't be the Leonard novel that you will savor and re-read at a later date. 3 stars because it's still enjoyable, but not memorable.

Rating:
Summary: Not Altogether a Maximum Bore
Review: Lets' get straight to it. This book has wit. It has quintessential Leonard dialogue. It is quick-paced. It has Leonard's intimate understanding of the low-lifes in our society.

But, none of those qualities are excluded in any of Leonards novels.

So what is the matter? You come to expect all those things going into reading Elmore Leonard's books. Either because he has been recommended to you, or you have been a life long fan so you know what to expect. But, this book is still not the best of his bunch.

Why? For one, it simply is not memorable.

Sure, the judge is a memorable character and a year from now, if I try to explain this book to someone, Judge Gibbs will be the central memory. Of course the book is named after him, so he should stand-out in this book. Yet, all the other characters lack a certain spark that Leonard is known for. Any of the other supporting characters could wind up in his other books. It's almost like he is recycling old character ideas from previous books. Perhaps ones that never fit into another story, but he liked them so much he blended them all into this book.

Elmore Leonard is pure guilty pleasure. His books translate well into this era because of his ear for speech, his heart-racing pace and his understanding of the low-life in today's Jerry Springer/COPS society. It's no wonder than dozens of screen writers have emulated him in the past 20 years. Its not hard to see Leonard's influence in any of today's action/crime movies.

You may enjoy "Maximum Bob," as I did, but it won't be the Leonard novel that you will savor and re-read at a later date. 3 stars because it's still enjoyable, but not memorable.

Rating:
Summary: GREAT BOOK! GREAT AUTHOR!
Review: MAXIMUM BOB IS AWESOME!!! READ THIS BOOK BECAUSE YOU WILL LOVE IT, OR MAYBE NOT BUT THAT IS YOUR OPINION. ALSO READ PRONTO, RIDING THE RAP, RUM PUNCH, AND EVERY OTHER ONE HE HAS WRITTEN BECAUSE HE IS THE MOST ENTERTAINING AUTHOR OF HIS TIME!

Rating:
Summary: Good characters; Great dialogue; Very uneven
Review: Maximum Bob's a frightening Judge to end up with if you're a defense attorney. An old fashioned hanging judge, he makes State's Attorneys relax, police witnesses calm down, and defendants shiver. He's also kind a promiscuous man, chasing women with utter disregard for the EEOC and HR. Along comes Kathy Baker, a DOC (Department of Corrections) Probation Officer. She's like many of the Leonard heroines, attractive, gritty and while not amoral clearly someone willing to go all the way to get her man. This is excellent news for Sergeant Gary Hammond, one of the good guys. The bad news for Elvin Crowe and his nephew Dale, two lifetime, recidivist convicts, is that she also means them.

The alligator, Dickey Campeau, Leanne, Earlene, Dr. Tommy, Wesley and Hector all add to the United Nations mish-mash of dysfunction, crime, love and humor.

The dialogue, always a Leonard strong suit, gets better and better. Unfortunately, the plot seems unfocused. It takes a long time to get up a head of steam. We keep floundering around the set-up. What's Elvin going to do? What's Gary going to do? Is Leanne coming home? Is there a second alligator? But then it speeds up and we are led to believe that now, finally, the thrilling climax . . . . only to discover that it slows down . . .to speed up. Tedious. And a lot of unanswered issues and characters.

That's why they give awards to film editing. There was none here.

Good for the charcters and the dialogue; poor for the story and the finale. Larry Scantlebury

Rating:
Summary: memorable characters, disappointing novel
Review: There are few enough decent television series these days for us to be able to let a good one slip away. Unfortunately, the TV version of Maximum Bob, starring Beau Bridges, lasted only a few short weeks. Unfortunate because in this book Elmore Leonard introduces an interesting cast of characters, Kathy Baker, one of his rare female leads, is okay, but Bob "Maximum Bob" Gibbs, a notoriously lecherous and racist judge prone to harsh sentences, and Leanne, the judge's wife, former mermaid at the Weeki Wachee aqua bar, who--since a close encounter with an alligator--has developed a psychic link with a twelve year old slave girl, are both terrific.

These characters, and a copious serving of lowlifes, combine with Leonard's trademark dialogue to make for a colorful story. However, the plot just kind of meanders towards a conclusion and the prodigious final body count seems to reflect the author's desire to end the tale rather than any necessary mechanics of the plot.

Television, which is almost totally character and dialogue driven, and where lack of a coherent plot is to be expected, was an ideal medium for this collection of oddballs. Alas, the show disappeared quickly and though several folks in this intermittently amusing novel are memorable, it doesn't rank among Elmore Leonard's best efforts.

GRADE : B-

Rating:
Summary: memorable characters, disappointing novel
Review: There are few enough decent television series these days for us to be able to let a good one slip away. Unfortunately, the TV version of Maximum Bob, starring Beau Bridges, lasted only a few short weeks. Unfortunate because in this book Elmore Leonard introduces an interesting cast of characters, Kathy Baker, one of his rare female leads, is okay, but Bob "Maximum Bob" Gibbs, a notoriously lecherous and racist judge prone to harsh sentences, and Leanne, the judge's wife, former mermaid at the Weeki Wachee aqua bar, who--since a close encounter with an alligator--has developed a psychic link with a twelve year old slave girl, are both terrific.

These characters, and a copious serving of lowlifes, combine with Leonard's trademark dialogue to make for a colorful story. However, the plot just kind of meanders towards a conclusion and the prodigious final body count seems to reflect the author's desire to end the tale rather than any necessary mechanics of the plot.

Television, which is almost totally character and dialogue driven, and where lack of a coherent plot is to be expected, was an ideal medium for this collection of oddballs. Alas, the show disappeared quickly and though several folks in this intermittently amusing novel are memorable, it doesn't rank among Elmore Leonard's best efforts.

GRADE : B-

Rating:
Summary: Not what I expected!!
Review: This is the first Leonard book that I have read, and it did not do much for me. I was expecting something along the lines of Hall or Hiaasen, but this did not come close. I did not care enough about any of the characters, and did not find any of them funny or interesting. I will try another Leonard novel at some point, but now I think I will check out Laurence Shames, who like Hall and Hiaasen, always makes me laugh.