Customer Reviews

Glitz: A Novel

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

'Glitz' is the work of a novelist who knows exactly what he's doing. The plotting is strong without ever seeming contrived; the characters, with the possible exception of Vincent Mora, who's a little too good to be believable, are all arrestingly real; and the backdrops -- Puerto Rico, Atlantic City, Miami -- are vivdly painted in. The plot here is a little knottier than in some of Leonard's later books, but is none the worse for that; his comedy, too, is more subtle. All crime fiction is really a guilty pleasure, but that doesn't mean there's not room within the genre for originality and craftsmanship. Leonard isn't Tolstoy, and doesn't have any illusions about his stature, but on his own turf he is a master, and worth ten novelists who've buried their heads in Derrida and Lacan. Like his protagonist, Leonard knows all the angles. You'll finish this novel with a broad smile on your face, and a desire to read all of Leonard's work.

Elmore Leonard is definitely my favorite author. The way he cruises through the text and keeps you hooked along every word is a talent only he posesses. GLITZ is one of Mr. Leonard's greatest crime novels, an intriguing work that hooks you from the first sentence and holds on to you until the finale.

Seven years ago, Teddy Magyk (a.k.a. "Mr. Magic") was imprisoned after Vincent Mora brought him down for raping a senior citizen. Now Teddy's out, and he wants revenge. But there are some things he didn't count on. One, Vincent Mora isn't going to go down without a fight; and two, Vincent still has the mean look in his eyes...

Here, Mr. Leonard has written a movie-like crime thriller that will definitely not leave his many fans disappointed. I highly recommend you go out and buy "Glitz".

Glitz is the book that turned me onto Elmore Leonard.

Leonard has a very creative and often humorous technique in dialogue, description and story: never long-winded, perfectly paced, and intriguing. He has found the perfect balance between the images of a clear picture and the dialogue of a good movie (!).

Glitz is no exception to this successful formula. Not one stereotypical character throughout, a body count with resolutions so the reader is not left unsettled.

I finished Glitz in one sitting and wished there was more!

As the title suggests, "Glitz" is Elmore Leonard giving you ambiance from double barrels. You get Puerto Rico, home of tropical drinks and crazy tourists, where life is cheap amid postcard vistas. You get Atlantic City, a decayed relic of another time made anew with casinos that advertise visitor winnings on giant billboards.

"Yeah? And how much of it did the suckers put back in? They didn't say."

At the center, you get Vincent Mora, a Miami Beach police detective whose idea of medical leave after being shot in the hip involves taking stock of the killing of a woman friend who fell 18 stories from a high rise condominium building. Nothing phases Vincent, whether doing battle with the Atlantic City mob or pushing the buttons of a freak he sent up in the past. He always plays it cool.

"Your house could be on fire, but I'd never tell from your voice, would I?" he is told.

For Leonard's detractors, put off by his singular success among crime-fiction novelists, Vincent would be Exhibit A. Too tough, too collected, they say, and they have a point. Other storytellers examine their protagonists' fears as a way of pushing the tension. Leonard pretends it doesn't exist, or brushes it off with a shrug.

But you get great moments from such disengagement, like the way Mora sizes up a casino tough guy: "Vincent liked the way Jackie came right at him. Fat little guy with his pinkie ring, his pictures of stars - wanting to sound tough, hip - with lifts in his alligator shoes...He had known many Jackie Garbos in Miami Beach; they were fun. You could act just a little naive and they'd perform for you."

"Glitz" was first published in 1985, and when I saw it in paperback a year later, something about that original Meyer/Ziemienski cover grabbed me. Pink and brown Spanish hacienda behind gunmetal Rolls and palm trees, title in neon, all smacked of "Miami Vice", the hot show of the time. No earth tones, just like the series. Reading it, I discovered it was exactly that. Vincent needs a shave like Sonny Crockett, and goes to work on the bad guys with subterfuge and humor that strains belief but keeps you wanting more. Leonard had anticipated the TV series some years before, with a comic pitch session about undercover narc cops in "Stick", and here he was raking in the chips.

To say "Glitz" is an effective immersion in style is not to deny it has faults. There's a subplot involving Vincent's dealings with a casino owner's wife that comes out of nowhere and dissipates, as if Leonard thought he needed to further display Vincent's studliness. Later, he scores a needed ally in an ex-football player simply by outmachoing the fellow into taking his side.

But Vincent Mora, despite his one-dimensionality, never disappoints for entertainment. Leonard gives him a worthy adversary in a momma's boy named Teddy who hardly lives up to his name. Leonard always does villains well, and in Teddy you get one of his best.

I enjoyed "Glitz" and you will, too, provided you let it wash over you like a Gloria Estefan song and don't sweat the details. Leonard has written better books, but it's easy to get lost in the glow of this exercise in consummate star power.

Without a doubt the reigning master of American crime ficton, Elmore Leonard wrote a funny, fascinating thriller in the mid 1980s, "Glitz", which remains as satisfying a read today as it was when it was published originally back in 1985. Leonard has always had a splendid ear for dialogue and crafting realistic plots; both of which are shown quite well in this novel. In Teddy Magyk, Leonard his wrought one of his funniest, creepiest villains that I've run across, making him a hilarious comedic foil to his nemesis - and hero - veteran Miami cop Vincent Mora. I was impressed too with Leonard's vivid depictions of Puerto Rico and Atlantic City, New Jersey, where most of the plot takes place. Readers will be taken on a hilarious rollercoaster ride, in which Leonard deftly judges the absurdly funny and deadly serious aspects of his tale, offering us intriguing, multi-dimenionsal characters like former NFL player - now Atlantic City bouncer - DeLeon Johnson, singer Linda Moon and, of course, Vincent Mora. On one level, "Glitz" may be seen merely as a delightfully breezy, often fast-paced, crime thriller, with unexpected twists and turns; however, given Leonard's ample literary gifts, it should be regarded as among the best crime fiction novels written in the 1980s.

Glitz by Elmore Leonard was suggested reading by a huge fan of Leonard's.I took the bait, bought it and read it. I can now understand the hype over Leonard's novels.
The grits and glitz make readers cringe and go blind but mostly laugh their heads off at this down and dirty story teller's ability to move the story along with realistic dialogue and outrageous actions.
I look forward to cracking open other novels by this genius of deviance.

I was interested in Leonard's work after seeing a couple of movies that had been adapted from his work. This was the first I read. He instantly became one of my favorite writers. Leonard's grasp of dialogue is perfect, and probably why he translates so easily into cinema. Take into account that the man is in his seventies and can write a believable conversation about the differences between Guns N'Roses and Metallica(Get Shorty) Also very interesting are the main characters of his novels. Always cool, a little imperfect, but they always come out on top. Fantastic writing. Elmore Leonard should not be classified as a genre writer, but appreciated for the classic nature of his writing.

'Glitz' is actually one of the more enjoyable Elmore Leonard novels I've read. Too often the author gets overly enamored with gangster talk and too many offbeat characters, much to the detriment of the story. In 'Glitz' the story, about a cop chasing down a killer in the shadows of casinos of Atlantic City and San Juan, is fairly tight and believable. The characters are quite vivid and diverse. However ultimately the book has the feel of a good 'Miami Vice' episode; lots of punch but nothing that really lingers in your mind after it's over.


Bottom line: certainly an okay read but nothing out of the ordinary.

The way Leonard writes puts you right into the book as if you know the main character. This book was one I could not put down it makes you think about how how the criminal mind really works. Excellent and highly recommended if you are a fan of Leonards.

It is easy to see why Leonard is so popular. His characters are painted with lurid colors. The plots sizzle along. There is tons of violence, enough sex (though it isn't done in graphic detail).
Even a romantic interest develops in this story, between Vincent Mora, the cop-hero, and Linda Moon, club musician. Vincent is on medical leave in Puerto Rico after being shot in the opening episode, otherwise unrelated to the plot. He has been tailed to PR by Teddy Magyk, fresh out of prison where Vincent sent him eight years earlier. Teddy wants revenge.
The story moves from PR to Atlantic City, unfolding against the backdrop of gambling casinos owned by Tommy Donovan. Teddy kills three people more or less gratuitously. The climax doesn't come until the last page. The dialogue crackles. Leonard has all the various hood and sleazo lowlife types down pat. He is a master at depicting amoral greed- and status-driven highrollers and losers.