Blood Money and Other Stories [Mass Market Paperback]

Elmore Leonard (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 26, 2006

Before he brilliantly traversed the gritty landscapes of underworld Detroit and Miami, the incomparable Elmore Leonard wrote breathtaking adventures set in America's nineteenth-century western frontier—elevating a popular genre with his now-trademark twisting plots, rich characterizations, and scalpel-sharp dialogue.

For every story of inspiring moral courage in America's untamed West, there's one of greed and duplicity, of corrupted souls willingly sacrificed to a merciless deity of ill-gotten gold. The New York Times-bestselling Grand Master brings us seven unforgettable western tales of noble stands and cowardly compromises—and battles of will more devastating than a blazing gunfight.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Leonard has penned some of the best western fiction ever.” (USA Today )

“Even the earliest of his western yarns show Leonard to be a master storyteller.” (Los Angeles Times )

About the Author

Elmore Leonard has written more than forty books during his highly successful writing career, including the bestsellers Road Dogs, Up in Honey’s Room, The Hot Kid, Mr. Paradise, Tishomingo Blues, and the critically acclaimed collection of short stories When the Women Come Out to Dance. Many of his books have been made into movies, including Get Shorty, Out of Sight, and Be Cool. Justified, the hit series from FX, is based on Leonard’s character Raylan Givens, who appears in Riding the Rap, Pronto, the short story “Fire in the Hole,” and now Raylan. Leonard is the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from PEN USA and the Grand Master Award of the Mystery Writers of America. He lives in Bloomfield Village, Michigan.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: HarperTorch (September 26, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061121630
• ISBN-13: 978-0061121630
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 0.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #589,196 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Elmore Leonard has written more than forty novels, including bestsellers Up in Honey's Room, The Hot Kid, Mr. Paradise, Tishomingo Blues, Pagan Babies, and Glitz. Many of his books have been made into movies, including Get Shorty and Out of Sight. He lives with his wife, Christine, in Bloomfield Village, Michigan.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Old Leonard in the Old West, November 14, 2006

By 

mrliteral - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Blood Money and Other Stories (Mass Market Paperback)

I don't know if it's ever been a huge genre, but the western has definitely diminished over the years. At this point, most major bookstores don't even list it in a separate area anymore. The number of western authors who are commonly recognizable names can probably be counted off on a single hand: certainly Louis L'Amour and Zane Grey, and if you're of a more literary bent, Cormac McCarthy. For most people, the name Elmore Leonard invokes thoughts of urban crime stories, but long before he made a name in mysteries, he was also a western writer.

Blood Money and Other Stories is a collection of Leonard's western stories from the 1950s. The opening story, Apache Medicine deals with a cavalry scout's encounter with a son of an Apache chief. Red Hell Hits Diablo Canyon is another cavalry and Indians story. The Last Shot is a Civil War story; Blood Money deals with bank robbers under siege; Saint With a Six-Gun is the story of a young man recruited to be a prison guard for a wily but doomed convict; Man with the Iron Arm is the tale of redemption for a Civil War veteran and The Longest Day of His Life chronicles a day in which a railroad man is robbed, finds love and confronts some old enemies.

All these stories are pretty short; the longest is less than fifty pages of relatively large print. For those familiar with Leonard's later works, there may be a sense of disappointment. These tales were written when Leonard was still honing his craft, and his dynamic dialogue and sly humor is not really present. There is, however, nothing really wrong with any of these stories; even early Leonard is well-written. True to the classic western, there is plenty of action.

I've read a lot of Leonard's western stories, and while I prefer his novels in this genre, even the short stories are entertaining. If you are a fan of either westerns or Leonard, this collection is worth reading.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Western Action from a Mystery Master!, October 12, 2006

By 

Michael OConnor "Wordsmith" (Wausau, WI USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Blood Money and Other Stories (Mass Market Paperback)

Who woulda thunk one of America's top mystery writers started out writing westerns? Back in the '50s, Elmore Leonard cranked out a number of western short stories and novels, the short stories subsequently being collected in the 2004 hardcover book entitled COMPLETE WESTERN STORIES OF ELMORE LEONARD. This book is one of at least three PBs featuring some of the stories from that 2004 volume.

BLOOD MONEY features seven stories. To be honest, they aren't all that memorable. For one thing, the characters aren't very well-developed. I enjoyed the villain in 'The Longest Day of His Life' story but the story's hero didn't ring true. He seemed much too contemporary, much too glib. 'Apache Medicine' was the story I liked best wherein a Cavalry Scout cleverly kills two birds with one stone. Another story - 'Red Hell Hits Canyon Diablo' - started out well, involving a Cavalry troop looking for a deserter only to be ambushed by Indians. Then the story went Hollywood with the Indians-Cavalry standoff being decided by a mescal drinking contest! Sorry, Elmore, I just couldn't suspend my disbelief that far.

Likewise Leonard didn't evoke the setting of the old West as effectively as, say, Frank Bonham or Fred Grove or Ray Hogan.

In some ways, I think the stories didn't trip my trigger because they're too short, too terse. The skeleton is there but there ain't much meat on the bones.

But, at $5.99, what the heck. Buy a copy; you may like it.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Leonard is always great, May 15, 2007

By 

Peter A. Moulton "Petmo" (Columbia, MD) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Blood Money and Other Stories (Mass Market Paperback)

I have read all of Elmore Leonard's novels except the Western ones, which I was not attracted to, however I have now read three of them and they are great too. You just can't go wrong with Leonard.