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Get Shorty (Mass Market Paperback)

by Elmore Leonard (Author) "When Chili first came to Miami Beach twelve years ago they were having one of their off-and-on cold winters: thirty-four degrees the day he met..." (more)
Key Phrases: limo guys, colored guy, mob guy, Chili Palmer, Michael Weir, Ray Bones (more...)

3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (56 customer reviews)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Nobody writes openings like Elmore Leonard. Case in point: "When Chili first came to Miami Beach twelve years ago they were having one of their off-and-on cold winters: thirty-four degrees the day he met Tommy Carlo for lunch at Vesuvio's on South Collins and had his leather jacket ripped off." You need to know about this because you need to know why there's bad blood between Chili Palmer and Ray Bones, the guy who stole his coat and is now his boss--and has ordered him to collect $4,200 from a dead guy. Except the guy didn't die; he went to Las Vegas with $300,000. So Chili goes to Las Vegas, one thing leads to another, and pretty soon he's in Los Angeles, hanging out with a movie producer named Harry Zimm and learning what it takes to be a player in Hollywood.

Get Shorty is classic Elmore Leonard: While other people write "crime fiction," Leonard's come up with a masterful social comedy that happens to be about criminals (and other fast operators). He's a master of snappy dialogue and dizzying plot twists. The best parts of Get Shorty move along so briskly you almost forget there's somebody with a firm control over the story. And you'll be rooting for Chili to get the money, the girl, and the studio deal. --Ron Hogan --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly
Taking his latest fictive turn in Hollywood, Leonard, whose oeuvre includes screenplays as well as such bestselling novels as Glitz and Freaky Deaky , adds insider knowledge to his signature humor in this roundly satisfying behind-the-scenes tour of filmdom. Slightly disaffected Chili Palmer, a small-time loan shark with big-time style, is a vintage Leonard hero. Following a bad debt from Miami to Las Vegas and on to Beverly Hills, Chili hooks up with Harry Zimm, once a leading director of grade-B horror flicks, now trying to make a comeback. While succumbing to the siren call of celluloid, Chili also narrows in on the bad debt, in the process running up against a sharp-dressing hood with whose money Harry has played too loose. In Leonard's seamless handling, the complex plot flows through twists of revenge, murder and romance, as Chili, his authentic cool making a mark in the capital of sham ("Don't talk when you don't have to" is his very un-Hollywood motto), cagily gets it together with Karen Flores, Harry's former lover and featured star. A perfect resolution puts punch in the title and will keep readers smiling for days. Chili and his story are Leonard's best yet. First serial rights to Rolling Stone; BOMC and QPB selections; major ad/promo, author tour.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: HarperTorch (June 4, 2002)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 006008216X
ISBN-13: 978-0060082161
Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.8 inches
Shipping Weight: 8.3 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)

Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (56 customer reviews)

Amazon.com Sales Rank: #814,434 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)
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#84 in Books > Mystery & Thrillers > Authors, A-Z > ( L ) > Leonard, Elmore

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Inside This Book (learn more)

First Sentence:
When Chili first came to Miami Beach twelve years ago they were having one of their off-and-on cold winters: thirty-four degrees the day he met Tommy Carlo for lunch at Vesuvio's on South Collins and had his leather jacket ripped off. Read the first page

Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
limo guys, colored guy, mob guy, studio execs, locker key

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Chili Palmer, Michael Weir, Ray Bones, Tommy Carlo, Karen Flores, Harry Zimm, Jesus Christ, New York, Billy Darwin, Jimmy Cap, Dick Allen, Marvin Gaye, The Cyclone, Las Vegas, John Wayne, Lakers T-shirt, Sunset Marquis, Dean Martin, Elaine Levin, Leo Devoe, Slime Creatures, Beth's Room, Beverly Hills Hotel, Larry Paris, Murray Saffrin

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Citations (learn more)

100 books cite this book:

Neon Noir: Contemporary American Crime Fiction by Woody Haut on 5 pages
Negotiating with the Dead: A Writer on Writing by Margaret Atwood on 4 pages
Steven Soderbergh: Interviews (Conversations With Filmmakers Series) by Anthony Kaufman on 4 pages
The Gross: The Hits, The Flops: The Summer That Ate Hollywood by Peter Bart on page 230, page 234, and page 309
LaBrava by Elmore Leonard in Front Matter, Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)

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Customer Reviews

56 Reviews

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(9)

Average Customer Review

3.7 out of 5 stars (56 customer reviews)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of Leonard's recent best, January 18, 2000

By	Doug Vaughn (Washington, Dc USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Get Shorty (Paperback)

With Elmore Leonard we get a new book every year or so, and it's a good thing, because even though not every one is a solid success, they are all fun and every now and then a real masterpiece emerges. I believe that Get Shorty is such a success. It's a Cinderella story as if written by Damon Runyan. Chili Palmer, a small time mobster on the trail of a deadbeat who has run off with $300,000 of mob money after faking his own death, finds himself in Hollywood getting involved with movie making instead of recovering the money. On one level the book is pure Leonard an exciting underworld story with great street talk and those edgy characters that he does so well. On another level the book is a wonderful social satire and, with its shift from Vegas to L.A., shows us a contemporary world lost in greed and seduced by show biz. Palmer's easy success as a producer (in essence doing his own life story) is a thinly veiled commentary on the shallowness of Hollywood and the lack of skill of many of its leaders. Not a surprising position for a writer who has seen almost all of his books (till this one) made into truely terrible movies (remember Stick? Mr. Majestek? The Moonshine Wars?).

Whatever else, this book is a fast paced and entertaining piece of fiction. The characters are interesting, the dialogue is memorable and funny, and the plot is ingenious and leads to a very satisfactory conclusion. This is Leonard at his best - and that is awfully good. And surprise, this time he even got a good movie out of it!

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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another terrific Leonard, complement to the movie, May 15, 2005

By	Jessica Lux (Rosamond, CA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)

I loved the movie Get Shorty, as well as the other Leonard books that have been turned into movies (Rum Punch, Out of Sight), so I had to try out this book. It's a great read and much of the snappy dialoge from the movie is taken right from the book's narrative. The dialoge works great both on screen and in the novel.

I appreciated the subtle differences in the plot line between the movie and the book, and the differences were enough to keep me interested in the book despite knowing much of the movie by heart. Leonard is a master at writing dialoge. He uses grammar that precisely captures the way people speak, and each character has a unique way of talking that is personally identifiable.

The character descriptions were so similar to the movie that I had to wonder if Leonard wrote the novel with certain actors in mind!

I recommend this as a companion to the movie. They can be enjoyed together as the same story via two different mediums, each with its own richness.

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Never Fell SHORT, April 26, 2000

By	Jacob Harste (Circle Pines, MN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Get Shorty (Paperback)

This book was one of the best books I have ever read. The dialogue was very believable. The plot made for a very interesting read. Chili Palmer was one of the best charactors I have ever had the privilage to read. If you are looking for a book with action, suspense, humor, and double cross, this is the book to get. Elmore Leonard has a way of making this charactor out to be the coolest person in the world. He makes you believe it too. You really begin to love these charactors like they are your own friends. Elmore Leonard is one of the best Crime-Fiction Writers ever.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

1.0 out of 5 stars Waste of time
"Get Shorty" is one of the worst books I've read. No suspense, no excitement, boring dialogue, uninteresting characters. Read more

Published 10 months ago by I. Shkolnik

4.0 out of 5 stars Taking Lives And Meetings In La-La Land
1990's "Get Shorty" is half Hollywood parody, half crime thriller in the usual Elmore Leonard vein. Ironically, while the famous movie adaptation got the crime story right... Read more

Published 18 months ago by Bill Slocum

3.0 out of 5 stars Too Hollywood for me
Get Shorty Maybe it was the movie?
The bad guy gets the movie star and goes straight in a crooked way? Read more

Published 21 months ago by R. Bagula

1.0 out of 5 stars Can't review what I never received
I never received the book from "bordeebook". I'm sure I'll eventually receive credit for the purchase, but I doubt that I'll receive credit for the postage and handling. Read more

Published 22 months ago by Steve

5.0 out of 5 stars good book
An excellent read. If you enjoy the movie, then pick up the book.

Published on June 29, 2006 by David A. Stotz

5.0 out of 5 stars Actors die to live one day as an Elmore Leonard character
It's no wonder so many of Elmore Leonard's books make it to the big screen and Get Shorty is no exception. Read more

Published on March 16, 2005 by Karl J. Niemiec

5.0 out of 5 stars A great novel!!!!!
I saw the movie before I read the book. I was intrigued by the movie to read the book.

The theme behind Get Shory is a common theme present in most of Elmore... Read more

Published on February 24, 2005 by Matthew Greenberg

5.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining and Wonderful
Get Shorty is a fun fast read about Chili Palmer, a sort-of mob guy from Miami that goes to LA to get money from someone who is running. Read more

Published on February 18, 2005 by C. A Scovel

4.0 out of 5 stars A Very Good Book.
I've read 3 Elmore Leonard books. Out of Sight,Rum Punch,and this. Every novel by Elmore Leonard i've read i'd seen the movie.This is no exception. Read more

Published on December 1, 2004 by Joshua Miller

2.0 out of 5 stars One Case Where the Film was Probably Better
This is a product of the lazy, latter-day Leonard who knows he's a great writer who can just sit back and let it flow. Read more

Published on August 18, 2004 by JR Dunn

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