No one is quite like Elmore Leonard, the living legend of crime fiction literature.
Leonard, who was writing fiction before most of his current audience (myself included)
could hold a pencil properly, has written dozens of novels, classic western short stories,
and memorable television screenplays. All of his characters --- Detroit con
men, Spanish-American War heroes, Miami grifters, western desperadoes and faith healers
--- are utterly believable. The statement "[H]e is like something out of an Elmore
Leonard book" immediately evokes the image of a wisecracking con-man who is one step
ahead of the game. His admirers include diverse personalities such as George Will and
Quentin Tarantino. And his audience will surely grow larger with the publication of BE
COOL.
BE COOL marks the return of Chili Palmer, last seen in Leonard's novel GET SHORTY. Chili,
a loan shark, con man, and movie director, is always looking for an angle. He is inspired,
in a very dramatic manner, to make a film about the music industry. Since he knows nothing
about the music industry, he decides to get involved in it in order to learn about it,
thus giving new meaning to the term "method directing." Chili, however, is going
to be Chili, no matter what situation he finds himself in. And Chili is a magnet for
trouble even when he has the best intentions --- which, of course, is rarely. He soon
finds himself involved with the Russian Mafia, shady record promotion men, a would-be
chanteuse, gangsta' rappers, a gay Samoan bodyguard, and an organized crime investigator
who doesn't know whose side Chili is on --- or should be on.
Chili proves himself adept at playing one group against the other when he can profit from
the conflict or when he needs to get himself out of trouble --- which is most of the time.
Although he demonstrates a chameleon-like ability to adapt to any situation, he ultimately
finds that he may have bitten off more than he can chew. To survive, he has to be Chili
--- he must BE COOL.
Once again, Leonard has given us a novel filled with twists, turns, dead-on dialogue,
surprises, suspense, and --- most importantly --- flawless storytelling.
By the way, if you're the type of person who loans books to friends, attach a rubber band
to your copy of BE COOL. A long one. Otherwise you will never get your copy back.
--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
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