Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Twenty five years later it's still a great read, March 15, 2003
Written in the '70s, "Unknown Man" established a template that has endured into the new century: super cool male lead, troubled but likeable damsel in distress and a couple of black guys with baggage. Jack Ryan, Detroit process server with a street smart, easy going manner that lets him rise above the ugliness of his business, is a character from whom Rayland Givens and Chili Palmer will naturally evolve. Jay Wilt, one of Jack's sleazier clients, hires him to find Robert Leary, Jr. with a last known Detroit address from 1941. Robert is not at all what the early description suggests, and Jack is not the only one looking for him. A hardened street dude named Virgil took the rap for a robbery he and "Bobby" committed, and he's determined to het his money or get even. Along the way Jack finds Lee, a hopelessly drunk bar fly. Jack is a recovering alcoholic who has slipped more than once. When he reaches out to pull Lee out of the gutter, the darkness and reality of what they both are going through contrast with the otherwise too cool to be true plot, but it doesn't weigh the story down. Lee cleans up just fine becoming Denise. Jack is saving her, falling for her and either hiding her from or finding her for the man from New Orleans who wants to share Robert Leary's lost inheritance with her. The story builds to a climax of unusual alliances, great street action and an Elmore Leonard good guy facing off with a bad guy who might be just as cool under pressure. You won't guess the ending, you don't need to - but if you're an Elmore Leonard fan, you won't be surprised by it.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Best Leonard Novel You've Never Heard Of, July 6, 2002
I stumbled upon 'Unknown Man #89' while looking for something else. I've read over two dozen Leonard novels, so at first, I thought it had to be new. Checking the back of the title page, I noticed it was copyrighted in 1977. So, I wondered why I had never heard of it?And I'm still wondering. 'Unknown Man #89' (UM89) is fantastic. The protagonist is Jack Ryan, who was featured in 'The Big Bounce', an earlier Leonard novel. UM89 is a superior novel though. The stakes are higher and the characters more real than in 'The Big Bounce'. Opening in Detroit, Ryan is a process server. He thinks he has finally stumbled on his calling. He is also a recovering alcoholic who attends AA meetings. An acquaintance, Jay Walt, sets him up with Frank Perez, who is trying to locate a Mr. Robert Leary with a business proposal. Before he knows it, Ryan is siding with Leary's widow in an attempt to get her dead husband's property while dodging shotgun blasts from Perez's associate Raymond Guidre. The novel has a strong beginning that lets the reader learn who Ryan is up front: how he acts, what he believes, and what he does. The search for Leary brings in the rest of the characters and draws the reader into the plot quite well. The middle of the novel bogs down with events that lead to a key AA meeting, but then the action picks up and sprints towards the conclusion. Overall, the novel is well paced. The characters are some of Leonard's most believable and interesting to the point you can picture what actors you would cast for the movie version, if there ever was one. I'd recommend this to any crime fiction fan, and as a must read for any Leonard fan. I still don't know why this novel was so obscure.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the subtler noir books in my memory, July 29, 1998
By A Customer
The most pleasant surprise upon reading "Unknown Man #89" was the subtlety with which it it was composed. The story doesn't force itself upon you, it occurs naturally, and takes you with it. But the best aspect of the novel (not surprising if you are an Elmore Leonard fan) is that the simple, yet highly entertaining and very unique plot takes a backseat to the characters. Moreso than most other (let us be honest) pulp fiction you not only care for the characters, you also really care for their plight. Another special note must be made of the realistic depiction of alcoholism, which is as important an antagonist as the other (very memorable) "villains" involved. A perfect page turner for lazy days, or just those boring lunchbreaks.
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