Mr. Paradise

April 5, 2004
Leonard (Tishomingo Blues
, etc.) has long been the master of sparse, precise language. Consequently, his prose and dialogue have evolved over the years to the point of having a rhythm and style unique unto themselves. Fortunately, Forster falls neatly into sync with the author. His clear, matter-of-fact recitation is perfectly suited to drawing the listener into a world where violence, deception and death are simply a practical side of doing business and delivered with as much passion as a Detroit police report. The story follows the investigation sparked by the death of an 84-year-old millionaire—the Mr. Paradise of the title. Leonard brings together an eclectic mixture of pragmatic cops, working-class hit men, crooked lawyers, con men and gangbangers, all brought to life through Forster's smooth, understated delivery. If there is any flaw in the performance, it is that by keeping his reading so low-key and laconic, there are a few sections of dialogue where the listener may be confused as to which character is speaking. But it is this same delivery that enhances the humor in the book, often with laugh-out-loud results. So, even though it would have been nice if Forster gave the characters' voices a bit more inflection, this is a small criticism of an overall fine production. Simultaneous release with the HarperCollins hardcover (Forecasts, Nov. 24, 2003).

Starred review from November 24, 2003
Fifteen years after his last Detroit novel, Killshot
, Leonard (whose most recent effort was Tishomingo Blues
) returns to Motor City for another exemplary crime thriller. Chloe Robinette, an escort, is on a $5,000 monthly retainer from wealthy, retired octogenarian lawyer Anthony Paradiso; her duties include dancing topless in a cheerleader's outfit for him as he watches videos of old University of Michigan football games. On a night she persuades her roommate, Kelly Barr, a Victoria's Secret model, to join her in the dancing, Chloe and Paradiso, aka Mr. Paradise, are shot dead in Paradiso's mansion by two middle-aged white thugs. The hit has been set up by Paradiso's right-hand man, Montez Taylor, who's angry at Paradiso for cutting him out of his will; Montez then asks the shocked Kelly to impersonate Chloe in order to scam valuables from Paradiso's safe deposit box, to which Chloe had a key. Enter Frank Delsa, a Detroit homicide cop, who smells a rat and falls for Kelly while sorting matters out. She falls for him, too, but will the hit men and/or Montez take her out, since she can identify them as conspirators? Like the best crime thrillers—which means like most of Leonard's work—this novel is character-driven, and in its wonderfully rich, authentically human cast the story finds its surprises. The prose, as expected from Leonard, is perfect—in 304 pages, there's not a word that doesn't belong exactly where he's placed it. Brilliantly constructed, wise and tough, this book, like so many recent Leonards, offers a master class in how to write a novel. (Jan.)

Forecast:
With major ad/promo including a six-city author tour and simultaneous large print edition and cassette/CD audiobooks, this title will settle comfortably on national bestseller lists.

December 1, 2003
Leonard is in fine form, returning to the Detroit homicide scene with this gem of a novel (his 38th). Even while reluctantly agreeing to help her call-girl roommate, Chloe, entertain a client, Kelly Barr knows it's a bad idea. Her instinct is proven correct when she witnesses the murder of both Chloe and the older gentleman, Tony Paradiso (alias Mr. Paradise). To top things off, she is then forced by the killers to assume her friend's identity in an effort to recover an inheritance that Paradise left for Chloe. Enter Frank Delsa, a homicide lieutenant who quickly sees through both Kelly's assumed identity and the plot to recover the bequest. Complicating matters, Delsa, almost 40 and recently widowed, and Victoria Secret's model Kelly fall for each other, making the case personal. Leonard handles both aspects of the story with aplomb: the developing relationship is kept almost as interesting as the investigation of the case. A study in cool, gritty style, this is essential for all public libraries. [Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 9/15/03.]-Craig Shufelt, Lane P.L., Oxford, OH

Copyright 2003 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 15, 2003
Pompommed Chloe and friend Kelly are cheering along with a football tape for Chloe's elderly boyfriend when two hit men arrive. Leonard's latest has a one-day laydown on January 6.

Copyright 2003 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 15, 2003
It's time for Elmore Leonard to be outted. He is not a noir writer and hasn't been one since his early Detroit novels (" City Primeval"). What he does write is a violent, hard-boiled, streetwise brand of romantic comedy, usually starring a hero and heroine who, through an unfailing ability to think on their feet, find their way out of an outlandish mess. Happily-ever-aftering, unimaginable in real noir, remains a tempting if hard-won possibility in Leonard's world. So it is in this tale of a Detroit cop who falls for a sort-of suspect in the double murder of a high-class hooker and an elderly millionaire who likes to watch tapes of University of Michigan football games while a couple of twentysomething beauties, clad in cheerleader outfits, perform cheers with dirty lyrics. Harmless enough, until the game is interrupted by two slow-witted hitmen who kill the millionaire and one of the cheerleaders and--in a quintessential Leonard moment--steal a bottle of vodka. It's left for Detroit cop Frank Delsa to solve the murder and fall in love with cheerleader number two, who can't quite decide if she's committed to the cop or to getting her hands on whatever might be inside the millionaire's safety-deposit box. There's the matter of the loose-cannon hitmen, too, but Frank and his cheerleader think very well on their feet, and if they can just catch a break, might be in line for a little happily-ever-aftering of their own. Leonard virtually invented this genre with " Stick" (1983), and he's been doing it effortlessly ever since. Pure entertainment.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2003, American Library Association.)