Freaky Deaky

Rating:
Summary: Probably the best Elmore Leonard novel
Review: 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:
Summary: twist after strange twist
Review: If you haven't read any Elmore Leonard pick this one up... you won't be disappointed

Rating:
Summary: Just too damn good
Review: If you're looking for something to read in one sitting, this is it. Going on a trip? Long flight? This one is perfect. Going on a romantic getaway with that special someone? Forget it! They'll be jealous 'cause all your time will be spent on this book. If you like Leonard, you'll love this one. If you liked the movies "get Shorty" or "Out of Sight" and want to start reading some Leonard, here's a great place to start.

Rating:
Summary: Dash For Cash
Review: If you're planning to extort money from a multi-millionaire by threatening to blow up his house (or else) you should probably make sure of at least 2 things. First, the man you're threatening should be smart enough to understand the threat. Second, your partner, who also happens to be the explosives expert, probably shouldn't be spending most of his spare time tripping on acid. Thus Elmore Leonard sets the scene for Freaky Deaky. It's his penchant for creating characters just a quarter-turn from normal that makes his stories a delight to read.

The story opens with a lunch-time meeting between Robin Abbott and Skip Gibbs, a couple of former student radicals from the 1960s and 70s. You get the impression pretty quickly that these two people are not exactly your salt of the earth types when they fondly remember their finest moment together as the time they bombed a government building. Robin smoothly leads the conversation around to how they were both captured for their roles in the bombing, the prison sentences they served and her thoughts as to who tipped the police off as to their identities and whereabouts. She's still not happy and is after revenge in the form of a restitution payout and she needs Skip's knowledge of explosives to execute her plan.

This introduces us to Woody and Ricks, as well as Woody's chauffeur, ex-Black Panther Donnell Lewis. Now, Woody is a multi-millionaire, having inherited his parent's fortune after his mother died. She didn't like Mark all that much and he only received a small endowment, much to his eternal frustration. Although Woody has all the money, he is also an alcoholic and his brain has deteriorated to the point where he is totally reliant on Mark and Donnell.

A man with a mind like Woody's coupled with his net worth sets him up as a major target for the less scrupulous people on earth and, wouldn't you know it, Mark and Donnell just happen to be those kinds of people. Their plotting and planning from within the Ricks mansion combined with Robin and Skip's activities ensure that Woody is in for a bumpy ride. The question is, will he even notice?

But wait, I haven't even mentioned the story's protagonist. Chris Mankowski is a police detective who has just transferred from the bomb squad to the sex crimes unit. By just, I mean it's his first day, when he gets dragged into the picture when a woman walks in to report that she has been raped by Woody Ricks. The fact that a former bomb squad detective just happens to be thrust into the midst of an impending bombing may seem too coincidental to accept, but it is in keeping with Leonard's sense of irony.

Chris is by far the most complete character in the story. We learn a lot about his background, his bad luck with women, his wonderfully charming relationship with his father and his passion for his job. He is also a dangerously insightful detective who reasons problems out with startling speed, although that occasionally results in him getting himself into more trouble than he counts on. In short, he is an easy protagonist to like and I found myself quietly cheering for him.

So, from the set up, it sounds as though the story is just a simple grab for cash, doesn't it? Well, it's a grab for cash all right, but it's far from simple. You see, Robin and Skip's plan involves setting up bombs around the Ricks' mansion and then threatening to set them off unless they are paid. The problem with the plan lies in the fact that Skip is tripping on acid half the time and his attention to detail is not what it could be, with unexpected results.

Elmore Leonard sets up a hectic storyline, bordering on manic, with each attempt to carry out the extortion quickly following the last. The fact that the bad guys are a mixture of insanity and incompetence provides a strong feeling of uncertainty as to who or what is going to be blown up. There are too many humorous moments to call this a thriller, but there is also too much drug-taking and violence to describe it as a light-hearted caper. I think "black comedy" is the most fitting description for Freaky Deaky.

Rating:
Summary: Leonard blows conventional writing to bits!
Review: In my opinion Elmore Leonard is the best author ever, this book is filled with unusual but beleivable characters who are true to life in every aspect.

Rating:
Summary: Trippy!
Review: Once again, Leonard writes the life of the sly, the crooked, the lost. . with such excitement, humor, and reality. An excellent book. . . no one does it quite like Leonard!

Rating:
Summary: Well done book with contemporary tricky subject matter
Review: Since most of Elmore Leonard's characters are crooks, they should be for the most part, unlikeable. On the other hand, with the choice of someone to like being almost exclusively crooks, one has to look for someone well, as least not as bad as the other characters. In this story of former sixties bombers who plan a blackmail plot, this is hard, especially after 9/11.

Before 9/11, it would be easy to root for the blackmailers, because the people they are trying to blackmail are much worse. The marks are hard-core criminals hiding behind social prominence, and one is a rapist. So it should be easy to root for the blackmailers who were double-crossed and sent to prison.

However, after 9/11, we have to look at what they went to jail for, which is bombing. Bombing is a terrorist act, whether done by Islamic fundamentalists, or 1960's radicals looking to end the Vietnam war. In either case, it puts fear into ordinary people, and often kills innocents. So if you are rooting for these folks, keep in mind what they are.

However, there is a reason to give a high rating for the book. It is easy to say that it's just another Leonard novel. But in my eyes, he has set the standard so high, even his "ordinary" work is very good. This is an "ordinary" Leonard novel.

Rating:
Summary: Well done book with contemporary tricky subject matter
Review: Since most of Elmore Leonard's characters are crooks, they should be for the most part, unlikeable. On the other hand, with the choice of someone to like being almost exclusively crooks, one has to look for someone well, as least not as bad as the other characters. In this story of former sixties bombers who plan a blackmail plot, this is hard, especially after 9/11.

Before 9/11, it would be easy to root for the blackmailers, because the people they are trying to blackmail are much worse. The marks are hard-core criminals hiding behind social prominence, and one is a rapist. So it should be easy to root for the blackmailers who were double-crossed and sent to prison.

However, after 9/11, we have to look at what they went to jail for, which is bombing. Bombing is a terrorist act, whether done by Islamic fundamentalists, or 1960's radicals looking to end the Vietnam war. In either case, it puts fear into ordinary people, and often kills innocents. So if you are rooting for these folks, keep in mind what they are.

However, there is a reason to give a high rating for the book. It is easy to say that it's just another Leonard novel. But in my eyes, he has set the standard so high, even his "ordinary" work is very good. This is an "ordinary" Leonard novel.

Rating:
Summary: Unpredictable classic from crime master Elmore Leonard.
Review: The concept of this book was great. Trying to blow up a rich half-retarded man. The characters were all unique with their individual personalities and biases. If you can't relate to at least one of these characters you just ain't a human. And you never know what'll happen next. Who'll be the next to be blown through the roof by a bundle of dynamite? The villains' plans rarely go to plan in anything written by Leonard.

Rating:
Summary: Same as always
Review: There has never been an Elmore leonard novel with a sympathetic character. They all are highly motivated by greed or lust or SOMETHING. This is no different. Don't read his books looking for sympathetic characters. Instead, read for characters with DEPTH. THAT you'll find.