Trust Me [Hardcover]

Peter Leonard (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 31, 2009

Peter Leonard showed remarkable maturity for a first-time novelist in his debut novel Quiver. In Trust Me, he reaches for new heights as he crafts a classic noir thriller loaded with double- and triple-crosses.

The first mistake Karen Delaney made was entrusting $300,000 to her boyfriend, Samir, the head of an illegal bookmaking operation. The second was breaking up with him---because Samir holds a $300,000 grudge. A few months later, Karen sees a way to get her money back when two thieves break into her house in the middle of the night. She proposes a scheme to steal Samir’s safe, but Karen soon realizes she’s in way over her head as things begin to spin out of control.

Trust Me moves at breakneck speed through the affluent suburbs of Detroit and Chicago as Karen is pursued by O’Clair, an ex-con/ex-cop who works for Samir and wants the money for his own retirement; by Ricky, Samir’s nephew, who sees the money as a way to pay off his own escalating gambling debts; by the thieves who’ve been double-crossed; and by two ruthless hit men who view the money as their stake in the American dream.

With relentless suspense, striking characters, and plot twists that will leave you white-knuckled, Trust Me marks the continuation of a powerful new voice in crime fiction and more than delivers on the promise of Peter Leonard’s talent.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Leonard's less than stellar second caper novel, with its Detroit setting, wacky characters and elaborate schemes that misfire, may strike Elmore Leonard fans as too derivative of his father's work. When two thieves, Bobby and Lloyd, break into the house of Karen Delaney, a knockout with red hair and creamy white skin, she manages to enlist the pair in a plot to rob her bookmaker ex-boyfriend, Samir Fakir, who has $300,000 of hers that he kept at the time he threw her out. The robbery goes off, but not without fatal hitches. Karen must scramble out of harm's way as Bobby and Lloyd, a bunch of Fakir's eager debt collectors, grasping relatives, Arab hit men and a stubborn ex-cop who's also an ex-con pursue her and the money. While Leonard (Quiver) has a ways to go before he approaches his father's high standard, he keeps Karen and the action rolling along nicely enough with occasional chuckles and mild surprises. (Apr.)
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From Booklist

Leonard’s first novel, Quiver(2008), displayed some rookie flaws, but his second effort establishes him as a genuinely gifted storyteller. Although the book is similar in many ways to the hard-edged, witty, character-driven novels of Leonard’s father, Elmore, it has its own voice and its own stylistic flourishes. In this fast-paced, elaborately plotted tale, a woman concocts a scheme to retrieve $300,000 from an ex-boyfriend, but she doesn’t count on the wrath of an angry thug, her ex-boyfriend’s scheming nephew, or a pair of hit men with their own plans for that 300 grand. While the cachet of the author’s more famous father should guarantee the novel plenty of interest, it’s Peter Leonard’s own talent that shines through here. In time, if you find yourself referring to “that really cool mystery writer, Leonard,” you might have to explain which one you’re talking about. --David Pitt

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Minotaur Books; First Edition edition (March 31, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 031237903X
• ISBN-13: 978-0312379032
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,644,418 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Another good read from Mr. Leonard, September 21, 2009

By 

Cheryl Koch (CO) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Trust Me (Hardcover)

Karen Delaney has found the perfect way to retrieve $300, 000 dollars from her ex-boyfriend, Samir Fakir. When Karen and Samir were dating back than, she lent him the $300, 000 to invest but than they broke up a few months later and he never returned the money to her. Karen and her current boyfriend's house is broken into by two men by the names of Robert "Bobby" Gal and Lloyd Diehl. They demand the usual...money and jewels. Karen has a plan in mind. She proposes to Bobby and Lloyd that if they will break into her ex's place and fletches the money than she will split the money with them.

Things don't go as smoothly but this bumbling gang gets the job done. Karen pulls a sneak attack and makes off with the money. The question is can she hold on to it or will she and her Benjamin's be parted?

Trust Me is the second novel by talented author Peter Leonard. I have been anxiously awaiting to read Mr. Leonard's next novel, ever since I read Quiver. I have to say that I was happily surprised by this book. The cast of characters were so bad that they were good. It was a wonder that Bobby, Lloyd and the rest of the bad guys kept locating Karen. I still believe it was pure luck. They were so clueless. On the other hand, Karen may play the airhead but she has smarts about her. This book was a pleasure to read and so refreshing. Mr. Leonard can Trust Me to read his next novel.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Follow the Money, August 3, 2009

By 

Ted Feit (Long Beach, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Trust Me (Hardcover)

In his second novel, following the very favorably received "Quiver," Peter Leonard has proven that he is the more than capable heir to his father, Elmore Leonard. "Trust Me" is as good as the master gets and demonstrates that the son has a lot more to show us. The quirky characters, the twists in plot, the utter zaniness of the story, demonstrate that the genes have continuity.

Typically, the plot starts with the unusual. Two hapless characters invade the home of a man who just won some money at a casino, intending to rob him. Instead, they are induced by his lover to help her recover $300,000 she entrusted to a former boyfriend who refuses to return the money. From that point, anything that can go wrong usually does, although they do invade the ex-love's home and remove a safe containing $1.6 million.

And then the chase begins. In some ways, the various situations are hilarious, in others deadly. The various entanglements are as unexpected as they are purposeful. Written with ease and sly wit, trust me and read it. Recommended.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Trust Me, by Peter Leonard, May 19, 2009

By 

Richard Ferguson - See all my reviews

This review is from: Trust Me (Hardcover)

Peter Leonard has written a really teriffic read.....and it's hard to believe this is just his second book. There is no doubt he has a lot of success on his horizon. It is inevitable to want to compare Peter to his celebrated father, Elmore, but there are marked differences in their writing style, in my opinion....and I've read every Elmore Leonard book. Peter's characters seem universally human, though very unpredictable. And these characters seem to shift within the context of the story from likeable to despicable....and vice versa. I also enjoyed the unique plot and setting; not your garden variety action novel.

Can't wait for the next book. I highly recommend Trust Me.