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Summary: A MESSAGE TO DELACORTE PRESS (AND PENGUIN BOOKS)
Review: Isn`t it about time this brilliant thriller was back in print ? Jack Ryan from "The Big Bounce" is now one of the best process servers in Detroit ,hired to find the heir to some stock his target ,the worst kind of lowlife ,turns up dead .However he has a wife and other people are interested in the stock which passes to her and it just gets better .One of Leonards best its impossible to put it down once you start .SO HOW ABOUT IT GUYS ?
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Summary: Desperate people, violence, vivid dialogue -- a must-read!
Review: Leonard is an experienced writer who knows precisely how to sketch the human frailties of his characters. Jack Ryan is the process-server so good at finding people that he's approached by some shady businessmen to locate a woman with a ruinous drinking problem. What's at stake is the money and maybe a chance for something that can pass for love, but the gallery of crooks includes a violent ex-con and an amoral wheeler-dealer. The text reads truer than life; this is surely an Elmore Leonard classic
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Summary: One of the subtler noir books in my memory
Review: The most pleasant surprise upon reading "Unknown Man #89" was the subtlety with which it it was composed. The story doesn't force itself upon you, it occurs naturally, and takes you with it. But the best aspect of the novel (not surprising if you are an Elmore Leonard fan) is that the simple, yet highly entertaining and very unique plot takes a backseat to the characters. Moreso than most other (let us be honest) pulp fiction you not only care for the characters, you also really care for their plight. Another special note must be made of the realistic depiction of alcoholism, which is as important an antagonist as the other (very memorable) "villains" involved. A perfect page turner for lazy days, or just those boring lunchbreaks.
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Summary: Early Elmore is great stuff!
Review: This is the kind of writing that made Elmore Leonard famous. Shady characters hanging around Detroit, mingling with hardened criminals. As always, Leonard's characters are interesting and unique, and his dialogue is fantastic. He has a talent for describing characters and settings without over-describing them that fuels the imagination, making the reading that much more interesting.Jack Ryan is a process server who has taken a strange (yet lucrative) job offer, looking for a man who is hard to find. What he finds is a scary guy whose associations both attract and endager Ryan. He meets a girl who he starts to like, a boss he starts to dislike, and an ex-con who he's just trying to get rid of. The resulting action is a series of crosses and double-crosses that never stops entertaining the reader. Though there were a couple of plot elements that fell into place a little too easily (disposing of one love interest and the final showdown between all the bad guys), I really enjoyed this book. Just when you think that there's nowhere left for the characters to go, Leonard twists the plot a little, making for some very entertaining reading from the very beginning. For fans of Leonard, or even those unfamiliar with Leonard's work, this is a great read.
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Summary: Early Elmore is great stuff!
Review: This is the kind of writing that made Elmore Leonard famous. Shady characters hanging around Detroit, mingling with hardened criminals. As always, Leonard's characters are interesting and unique, and his dialogue is fantastic. He has a talent for describing characters and settings without over-describing them that fuels the imagination, making the reading that much more interesting. Jack Ryan is a process server who has taken a strange (yet lucrative) job offer, looking for a man who is hard to find. What he finds is a scary guy whose associations both attract and endager Ryan. He meets a girl who he starts to like, a boss he starts to dislike, and an ex-con who he's just trying to get rid of. The resulting action is a series of crosses and double-crosses that never stops entertaining the reader. Though there were a couple of plot elements that fell into place a little too easily (disposing of one love interest and the final showdown between all the bad guys), I really enjoyed this book. Just when you think that there's nowhere left for the characters to go, Leonard twists the plot a little, making for some very entertaining reading from the very beginning. For fans of Leonard, or even those unfamiliar with Leonard's work, this is a great read.
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Summary: Twenty five years later it's still a great read
Review: Written in the '70s, "Unknown Man" established a template that has endured into the new century: super cool male lead, troubled but likeable damsel in distress and a couple of black guys with baggage. Jack Ryan, Detroit process server with a street smart, easy going manner that lets him rise above the ugliness of his business, is a character from whom Rayland Givens and Chili Palmer will naturally evolve. Jay Wilt, one of Jack's sleazier clients, hires him to find Robert Leary, Jr. with a last known Detroit address from 1941. Robert is not at all what the early description suggests, and Jack is not the only one looking for him. A hardened street dude named Virgil took the rap for a robbery he and "Bobby" committed, and he's determined to het his money or get even. Along the way Jack finds Lee, a hopelessly drunk bar fly. Jack is a recovering alcoholic who has slipped more than once. When he reaches out to pull Lee out of the gutter, the darkness and reality of what they both are going through contrast with the otherwise too cool to be true plot, but it doesn't weigh the story down. Lee cleans up just fine becoming Denise. Jack is saving her, falling for her and either hiding her from or finding her for the man from New Orleans who wants to share Robert Leary's lost inheritance with her. The story builds to a climax of unusual alliances, great street action and an Elmore Leonard good guy facing off with a bad guy who might be just as cool under pressure. You won't guess the ending, you don't need to - but if you're an Elmore Leonard fan, you won't be surprised by it.
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