I found this book on a book trading site a few years ago and know that I obtained it because it contains the story "Fire in the Hole" which was the basis for the TV series Justified. Justified was one of my favorite TV crime shows but it ended its run in 2015! I can hardly believe its been off the air for 5 years but I still consider it one of the best crime action dramas ever made.
Not sure why it took me so long to read this collection of stories by Leonard. I enjoyed all of them and "Fire in the Hole" was well-adapted for the Justified series. It features Raylan Givens, a federal marshal who returns to his native Kentucky after serving in Florida. He was actually featured in two earlier Leonard novels, PRONTO and RIDING THE RAP. But he really comes into his own when he returns to Kentucky and goes after his old high school acquaintance, Boyd Crowder, who is now a neo-Nazi racist who blew up a church in Cincinnati. High marks for this story which is really a novella of near 60 pages.
The other stories in this collection are also very good. "Sparks" tells the story of an insurance investigator that is reluctant to act against a probable arsonist. "Chickasaw Charlie Hoke" features a character who also appeared in Leonard's novel TISHIMINGO BLUES, a retired Indian baseball player. I read Blues a few years ago and remember enjoying it. "When the Women Come Out to Dance" is one of the most intriguing of the stories about a wealthy unhappily married woman who makes friends with a Latino housekeeper but for what reasons? "Karen Makes Out" is another story which features a character from another of Leonard's novels, OUT OF SIGHT, a female Federal Marshal. There are also included a couple of Leonard's western stories, "Hurrah for Capt. Early" and "The Tonto Woman" which tells of a woman who was captured and tattooed by Indians and is befriended by a Mexican cattle rustler. And finally, "Tenkiller" is the story of Ben Webster, a former rodeo bull rider and movie stuntman and his confrontation with a criminal family who has taken over his property in Oklahoma.
I have read several of Leonard's novels and have been a fan since back in the 1980's. This is the first collection of his stories that I have read and I enjoyed them as much as his novels. I have a copy of RIDING THE RAP that I'll be reading soon and will look forward to reading some others of his novels that I have missed.
Not sure why it took me so long to read this collection of stories by Leonard. I enjoyed all of them and "Fire in the Hole" was well-adapted for the Justified series. It features Raylan Givens, a federal marshal who returns to his native Kentucky after serving in Florida. He was actually featured in two earlier Leonard novels, PRONTO and RIDING THE RAP. But he really comes into his own when he returns to Kentucky and goes after his old high school acquaintance, Boyd Crowder, who is now a neo-Nazi racist who blew up a church in Cincinnati. High marks for this story which is really a novella of near 60 pages.
The other stories in this collection are also very good. "Sparks" tells the story of an insurance investigator that is reluctant to act against a probable arsonist. "Chickasaw Charlie Hoke" features a character who also appeared in Leonard's novel TISHIMINGO BLUES, a retired Indian baseball player. I read Blues a few years ago and remember enjoying it. "When the Women Come Out to Dance" is one of the most intriguing of the stories about a wealthy unhappily married woman who makes friends with a Latino housekeeper but for what reasons? "Karen Makes Out" is another story which features a character from another of Leonard's novels, OUT OF SIGHT, a female Federal Marshal. There are also included a couple of Leonard's western stories, "Hurrah for Capt. Early" and "The Tonto Woman" which tells of a woman who was captured and tattooed by Indians and is befriended by a Mexican cattle rustler. And finally, "Tenkiller" is the story of Ben Webster, a former rodeo bull rider and movie stuntman and his confrontation with a criminal family who has taken over his property in Oklahoma.
I have read several of Leonard's novels and have been a fan since back in the 1980's. This is the first collection of his stories that I have read and I enjoyed them as much as his novels. I have a copy of RIDING THE RAP that I'll be reading soon and will look forward to reading some others of his novels that I have missed.
Elmore Leonard is a compelling storyteller. From women asserting themselves to the escapades of low-lifes, you'll enjoy these tales.
This collection of 9 short stories is very entertaining! The stories are hilarious and thrilling to read!
It turns out this is the exact same book as Fire in the Hole. If you have read one, you can skip the other.
