Rating: 
Summary: One Case Where the Film was Probably Better
Review: This is a product of the lazy, latter-day Leonard who knows he's a great writer who can just sit back and let it flow. The onetime master of concision now takes a hundred-odd pages just to set things up.
Even his ear for dialogue has started to fade on him. Now everybody like, y'know, talks like, uhh, some kinda boob, get what I'm sayin'? The line of self-parody is lying a little too close in these pages.
He still has a hand with the quirky minor characters, though they can't carry an entire 350-page plus novel. But this one did make it clear to me why Leonard is so popular with the pomo crowd: his characters inhabit an utterly amoral universe, one with no values or standards whatsoever. Here, e.g., the protagonist is that well-known figure drawn from life, the friendly, easygoing loan shark. In your traditional crime novel--Chandler or either MacDonald can serve as examples--the action occurs against a hard-edged moral framework that is at least given lip service. Now I won't demand that every piece of fiction act as a morality play. But this was a case where I finished the thing, and kind of enjoyed the ride, but didn't like myself for it. In Leonard's recent novels, all that matters is who gets to take home the candy. And when you get right down to it, that just ain't enough.
Rating: 
Summary: Leonard's masterpiece
Review: This is Leonard's masterpiece. Excellent dialogue, memorable characters{how can you forget Chilli Palmer? Or his name}, MASTER plotting. Everything is near perfect
Rating: 
Summary: If you are looking for good writing, you won't find it here.
Review: This is the third book I've read by Leonard (I just finished "Riding the Rap") and I am totally puzzled by all the accolades this man gets. His writing style is monotonous, his characters all talk exactly like, are superficial, and Leonard's rambling and grammatically garbled sentences are hard to read. Here is an typical example: "He was there sitting at the bar when he saw her come in, just enjoying his drink like he really didn't care who she was or notice her or anything like that, just consumed with his own thoughts and his drink, hoping she would notice him so he wouldn't have to get up and go over to where she sat, she looking so good, cool, he didn't want to give her the satisfaction." Now if a character talked like that, that would be fine. But that is his way of writing no matter who the character is--they all sound exactly alike. I'm not going to waste my time with any more of his books. Even Dean Koontz can write better than this guy, for pete's sake.
Rating:
Summary: Not a bad note in the bunch
Review: This musical novel doesn't have one sour note in it. This is Leonard's best with "Tishomingo Blues" following up behind and "Mr. Paradise" right behind that. The best thing about "Get Shorty" is that Leonard manages to get you to like even the bad guys--something most other writers can't manage. G.S. is a great crime novel and by far Mr. Leonard's best. Also try "Fight Club" "Bark of the Dogwood," and "Tishomingo Blues."
Rating:
Summary: Not a bad note in the bunch
Review: This musical novel doesn't have one sour note in it. This is Leonard's best with "Tishomingo Blues" following up behind and "Mr. Paradise" right behind that. The best thing about "Get Shorty" is that Leonard manages to get you to like even the bad guys--something most other writers can't manage. G.S. is a great crime novel and by far Mr. Leonard's best. Also try "Fight Club" "Bark of the Dogwood," and "Tishomingo Blues."
Rating: 
Summary: 'Get Shorty' Isn't Short On Entertainment
Review: This sardonic Hollywood satire is an engrosing, fast, and witty crime novel. Here's the premise: loan shark Chili Palmer comes to L.A. to collect some debts. After visiting film director Harry Zimm, he doesn't break his legs but becomes his partner instead. They team up to produce a risky movie and Chili starts to make one of his own on the side. Soon, Harry's sleazy investors come into the picture and want Chili rubbed out. Chili's rival Ray Bones visits town, also with the intent on giving the slick hit man trouble. Meanwhile, Chili becomes friends with a big shot movie star and falls in love with Harry's leading lady. A fortune of cash is at stake while 'Get Shorty' evolves from one plot twist to the next. If you love movies or complex thrillers with gritty diolauge and human characters, pick up a copy of this fresh and enjoyable caper.
Rating:
Summary: A Masterful Treatment of the Crime Fiction Genre!
Review: This the first novel I have read by Elmore Leonard and I am IMPRESSED! The crackling, witty dialogue is unbelievable. Chili Palmer, the main character is a loan shark of limited education but a boundless ego, whose only source of information on the world comes as a result of being an avid movie fan. Leonard does not need to utilize violence and vulgarity to bring across the notion that Chili is a dangerous man. Leonard does it the old fashion way with incredible dialogue where the meaning is to be found in what is not said as opposed to what is. This is a must read for anybody who wants a light, delightful distaction.
Rating:
Summary: Boring without any true conclusions
Review: This was my first and likely last Elmore Leonard novel. I must have missed something but I didn't find it very suspenseful, there was no mystery, and by the end of the book there didn't appear to be any real conclusion. Chili Palmer was an alright character but come on. A collector working for a loan shark making it as a movie mogul with no experience! We should all be so lucky.
Rating:
Summary: A fun read. Better than the film.
Review: This was my first Elmore Leonard book. It had a good plot (we've all seen the movie, so we know what it is) and was quite humorous. I plan to read more books by him. I know this review is short, but I really don't have much else to say.
Rating: 
Summary: The Emperor Has No Clothes
Review: To everyone and their brother who thinks they're cool because they like Elmore Leonard, wake up and put down whatever you've been smoking! I was shocked by how poor this book was. Elmore Leonard once said he leaves out the stuff people skip. Hey, Elmore, how about leaving out the last 100 pages? Or how about all 350 of them? 1. Story -- Not interesting. Two-bit mafia guy with quirky catch phrase ["Look at me"] goes to LA and hooks up with a collection of semi-famous idiots and is being hunted by a collection of violent idiots. Never once did I look forward to picking the book up again and seeing what happened next. 2. Characters -- Lifeless. Leonard is too busy trying to make them "cool", as he is so well known for, that they come across as bland. It's 350 pages of "i'm cool," "no i'm cool," "well, OK, she's cool." "Let's go to Spago and be cool together". 3. Dialogue -- Stilted. Tries too hard to make it sound real, and so you hear leonard's voice rather than the characters' voices. 4. Conflict -- Virtually non-existent. Scenes with Catlett and Chili were almost devoid of tension and conflict. thankfully I got this book cheap and didn't drop 13 bucks on it.
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