The Moonshine War

Rating:
Summary: Grade A Leonard
Review: "The Moonshine War," is Grade-A Leonard. Written in 1969, one could say it was written at a time when Leonard was still a wonderful secret, and not yet a trendy discovery for People Magazine. What makes "The Moonshine War" a bit different than some of Leonard's crime novels, is that it is set in the not too distant past - 1931. So to some extent it is a historical novel. The setting is Eastern Kentucky. True, Leonard skates pretty lightly over the regional specifics (dialect, land descriptions, etc.) - the kind of things that make Faulkner or Cormac McCarthy so authentic in a literary sense. But Leonard does throw enough in to make it thriller believable. Authentic details regarding the making of moonshine, historical nods, such as the Spanish flu, WW 1, and the kind of overalls men wore, for the most part root the reader well enough. The characters are as solid as any Leonard has created. Son Martin, the novel's hero, is your typical Leonard tough-guy. Quiet, operating on the edge of things, something of an outlaw himself. The bad guys are what you would expect. Vicious, erratic, and often kind of stupid. Of particular note, however, is Dr. Taulbee, a murderous bootlegger, who is smarter than your average Leonard criminal, and a difficult opponent for Son Martin. But he has a weak spot - Miley, a beautiful (and amoral) prostitute, who's along for the ride, though she's always looking for a reliable man. Son, with his internal code of honor, is closer to fitting that description than the good doctor, and Miley, who recognized this, is in her own way a more admirable character than Mrs. Lyons, Son's long-running love interest from town.

The plot in "The Moonshine War," is pretty simple: bootleggers trying to steal Son's hidden whiskey, and Son's reluctance to let that happen. There are echoes of "High Noon," as Son's friends and neighbors abandon him to the bootleggers. One questions whether mountain folks would abandon one of their own to an assault from outsiders, but Leonard seems to anticipate this, when he has a neighbor of Son's tell him that the difference in their predicament is that Son has no family being threatened. In essence, to what extent Son cares for his neighbors is thus returned, in kind, which makes the ending appropriate, and well done. Leonard's endings can sometimes be disappointing. I have remarked on this myself ("52 Pickup"). But my complaint had more to do with the fireworks leading up to the end of that novel. If you look at the range of Leonard's work, you see an author who likes the open ended ending. It is a deliberate artistic choice by Leonard. At his best (for example, "Valdez is Coming," "City Primeval") he leaves the reader with a vivid, even mythic, tableau that invites the reader in. Leonard loves his High Noon moments, and will often freeze it, in novel after novel, like a photograph of opponents squared away on Main Street, guns drawn, with the sun beating down. "The Moonshine War," to my mind sits up there with the best of Leonard.



Rating:
Summary: Intriguing characters, good suspense
Review: I picked up this older Elmore Leonard at a used book sale -- very glad I did. It is one of the best Leonard books I've read. The main (male) character is a strong, silent type -- even more inscrutable than many of Leonard's other leading men. And there's a nice mixed bag of bad guys. The plot has very good momentum, and though it may seem to end somewhat "abruptly" I liked the ending because it wasn't pat.

Rating:
Summary: As good as Cold Mountain
Review: Loved the dialogue, loved the characters, loved the plot. I could taste the sour mash that oozed from the stills in this unabashingly witty novel.Son Martin is another in a long line of Leonard characters that are unforgettable. The little creep, Duel was contemptible and I cheered when he met his demise. The two women characters were stereotypical, but amusing.The Doctor was a nasty villain and the prohibition man was a perfect counterpoint between the Doctor and Son, our hero. I am hooked on Leonard. Looking forward to his next novel.

Rating:
Summary: One of my all-time favorites
Review: Maybe I'm biased because I'm from Kentucky and my mother's side of the family ran a still during prohibition. Nonetheless, this book dazzled me. The story and characters are of course fantastic, even gauged against Leonard's many other fine novels. But, the language and dialogue make Moonshine War a really phenomenal experience. As you read it, you can feel Kentucky staring back at you from the pages.

If you've paged down this far, then you've already heard about the unique ending. Albeit abrupt, the ending still justifies the rest of the story. Pick up this hot little story in paperback and enjoy.

Rating:
Summary: One of my all-time favorites
Review: Maybe I'm biased because I'm from Kentucky and my mother's side of the family ran a still during prohibition. Nonetheless, this book dazzled me. The story and characters are of course fantastic, even gauged against Leonard's many other fine novels. But, the language and dialogue make Moonshine War a really phenomenal experience. As you read it, you can feel Kentucky staring back at you from the pages.

If you've paged down this far, then you've already heard about the unique ending. Albeit abrupt, the ending still justifies the rest of the story. Pick up this hot little story in paperback and enjoy.

Rating:
Summary: GOOD BOOK--BAD ENDING!!!!!
Review: Son Martin has 150 barrels of mooonshine that have been ageing for eight years. It is time to go to market and then Frank Long shows up. He is an old Army buddy plus a Prohibition Agent. Does not take long for Frank to realize he needs to be a partner with Son and get his share of the whiskey money and forget about being an Agent. He calls Dr. Emmett Taulbee, a former dentist and now a mooonshiner his self, to help. Befor long Taulbee, Dual Meaders, his hired killer, an others take over. There is lot of breaking up stills and shooting before it all ends. Son is tough and smart, will he win out? A lot of action, a quick read and you won't want to put it down. I was thinking five stars until the last few pages. It seems like the book just quit. There was no real ending. There are a least four people, that you care about, that you don't know what happened to them. I won't name them so it won't ruin the book for you. I guess it is a five if you write your own ending.

Rating:
Summary: Intriguing characters, good suspense
Review: This is my first Leonard book and I have to say I was astounded. I have read a lot in the past and never before had I unwittingly invested so much emotion into a piece of art. In the course of the last few chapters, I found myself yelling obscenities, crying tears of joy, and laughing my head off. He is more than just a crime writer. He is a genius.