Customer Reviews

Unknown Man No. 89

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I just finished re-reading Unknown Man #89, many years after the first pass through the book. It is Leonard at his very best. In fact, for sheer intelligence and craftsmanship, this is as good as the crime novel ever gets. Most crime writers can't write convincing love scenes or complex love relationships. This one does. The unfolding relationship between Ryan and Lee is by turns warm, loving, desperate, funny, and playful, bringing a depth of characterization to Ryan that one almost never sees in this genre. And the bad guys? Vintage Leonard slimeballs. Perez, and the burn he gets in the end, is vivid, plausible and delightfully odious. Rarely is a comeuppance as delicious as this fellow gets. But he keeps scamming to the very end. Elmore Leonard is the king of American crime writers, and one the great novelists in America. This is him at his best.

A hero with a troubled past. A modern day damsel in distress. Villains with competing agendas who are themselves interesting but keep you guessing. What's not to love? This is Elmore Leonard at his best, epitomizing the genre. Several mysteries come into play as the story unfolds. Perhaps the biggest mystery of all, though, is why this book never got the recognition it deserved or caught the right attention to merit transformation into a great movie. Whether or not this happens one day, the book remains a great read.

My first approach to Elmore Leonard had been "Get Shorty".Nothing especial. But this crime story is really involving and impressing.Absolutely to read.