Picket Line: The Lost Novella

by Elmore Leonard, C.M. Kushins (introduction)

The first major release in nearly a decade from the late New York Times bestselling author Elmore the never-before-published story of a budding agricultural strike in Texas, the racial tension brewing in the fields, and what happens when brutality from “the man” goes unchecked.

“If a man comes out of the field and goes on the picket line, even for one day, he’ll never be the same...” 

Chino and Paco Rojas seem well-mannered, at least for Chicanos, to the white cops that pull them over for littering on the long drive from California to Trinity, Texas. So well-mannered, in fact, that Captain Frank McKellan lets them off with a warning and recommends them a job at Stanzik Farms, the largest independent melon grower in the area. But Chino and Paco didn’t drive all this way for work. Instead, Chino is looking for a mysterious man, Vincent Mora, whose new Valley Agricultural Workers Association is causing a scene striking against the farm owners. 

Stanzik’s fields and Mora’s union bring together a cast of unlikely Connie Chavez, a former picker and blossoming revolutionary who leads with a bullhorn and a fearless mouth; Bud Davis, a white Xavier University student working for spending money; Harold Ritchie, a local marine-turned-cop; Luis Tamez, a striker whose grandson served with Harold in Vietnam; and many more, including the pragmatic Chino, who finds himself pulled irrevocably into the cause. Some are neighbors, others just passing through. Some know each other well, or at least thought they did…before the picket line.  

This never-before-published gem from master storyteller Elmore Leonard describes the early days of an unprecedented farmers’ movement; the complex cast of Chicanos, Anglos, and migrants that impact the union; and the careful balance of passion, patience, and pure, stupid guts that it takes to hold the line. 

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction

128 pages, Hardcover

Published September 30, 2025

About the author

Elmore John Leonard lived in Dallas, Oklahoma City and Memphis before settling in Detroit in 1935. After serving in the navy, he studied English literature at the University of Detroit where he entered a short story competition. His earliest published novels in the 1950s were westerns, but Leonard went on to specialize in crime fiction and suspense thrillers, many of which have been adapted into motion pictures.

Father of Peter Leonard.

Reviews

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not the usual Elmore Leonard book. It is not a western or a crime story. It is a story about migrant and Mexican American workers in Texas near the Mexican border. There is an effort by an agricultural union to get them to join a union and secure better pay and working conditions. The farm owner is aided in his strikebreaking efforts by the local corrupt sheriff's department. The interaction between the union organizers on the pocket line, the farm workers, the foremen and the Sheriff Deputies makes for an interesting story. It was originally written at the request of a Hollywood producer who then decided against it. Leonard rewrote it and it was turned into a movie by Charles Bronson, "Mr. Majestyk."
So this novella was found among the deceased author's papers and is now being published. It is only 128 pages and can be read in one day.
I rate it 4 stars and recommend it to Elmore Leonard fans.
#PicketLine #NetGalley.
Thank You Mariner Books for sending me this eARC through NetGalley.
Pub. date Sept 30, 2025

[Michael Burke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Holding the Line

The death of a favorite artist brings a wave of grief, inevitably coupled with a yearning for just one final visit, one last treat. Maybe there was something unfinished, a final piece awaiting the last finishing touches. In the world of music, it often results in a mixed bag. Jimi Hendrix's estate, for instance, released virtually everything in the vaults. Quality studio albums by Tupac were cranked out for years. George Harrison opposed cleaning up "Now and Then" after John Lennon's death, though Harrison's own album, “Brainwashed," was beautifully completed posthumously. One can only wonder what treasures still lie hidden within Prince’s Paisley Park Studios.

For readers, the passing of a favorite writer brings not only grief for the author, but also the sudden, permanent end to the hope of any future works. This was the case for me with the late Tony Hillerman, and again with the passing of Elmore Leonard. Leonard became a favorite during my short stint as a bookstore manager. I began with his crime novels, moved through his earlier westerns, and finished with his final works, devouring everything I could find by him until his death in 2013. Though many films adapted from his writings were just bad, some were truly exceptional, including “Hombre,” “3:10 to Yuma,” “Out of Sight,” “Jackie Brown,” and “Get Shorty.” The brilliant television series “Justified” is also based on his writing.

Earlier this year, Mariner Books announced its release of “The Picket Line,” a major release, a lost novella by Leonard. Almost immediately, his longtime researcher, Gregg Sutter, posted a clarification on Facebook: “Picket Line is not major, it’s not lost, and most importantly, it’s not a novella. It’s the first act and de facto treatment for a motion picture that never got made—but would live on in another form.

“Picket Line” was originally started as a screenplay for Clint Eastwood in 1970 about farmworkers striking in Texas. Eastwood eventually passed on it and sections were cannibalized for the Charles Bronson movie, “Mr. Majestyk.”

Elmore Leonard's exceptional writing is on full display in "Picket Line," featuring his trademark authentic setting, and completely believable characters and dialogue. While some recommend this short piece as a perfect introduction to his work, others find it incomplete. I agree with the latter perspective. It is a great setup, but ends up like a great looking tennis serve that never lands. If, like myself, you are a devoted reader of his, then the “for completist only” label can apply. Choose almost any other of his novels, and please do not prejudge it on a misguided movie adaptation.

Thank you to Mariner Books and NetGalley for providing an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review. #PicketLine #NetGalley

[Terry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Elmore Leonard proves he can still hit the bullseye from beyond the grave. Picket Line: The Lost Novella is being published twelve years after his death. It feels startlingly timely given some of the issues shaking America right now.

Originally conceived as the basis for a film that never came to be, this novella arrives with an intriguing backstory, explained in the introduction. I found that peek into Leonard’s creative process fascinating. Still, what a shame the movie was never made. I would have loved to see it on screen.

The story itself unfolds over 24 hours in rural Texas, where an agricultural union is striking for better wages for melon pickers. The characters are compelling, though they would have benefited from the breathing room of a longer novel. You catch glimpses of deeper complexity, but the brevity of the tale means those layers remain just out of reach. The setting, however, is richly done. Having passed through that part of Texas many times, and having lived in Mexico for a year, I could vividly picture the landscape. Leonard sets his story decades before my own travels, but it still felt familiar.

This was my first time reading Leonard, and it will not be my last. His knack for capturing characters’ voices is outstanding, and his lean, direct style kept me hooked. At just 128 pages, this novella is a one-sitting read. Yet it manages to highlight issues that still resonate today. The casual racism directed at the striking workers was shocking and heartbreaking. It is also, unfortunately, all too recognizable. I finished the last page wishing I could follow these characters into the next day and the one after that.

I would recommend this to most readers, as the issues it raises are still important today. It will be especially meaningful to longtime fans of Elmore Leonard, as well as to readers who enjoy novellas and stories that highlight cultural struggles and social justice.

A small book with a big punch. Well done, Mr. Leonard. Thank you for leaving us this story.

Many thanks to Mariner Books and NetGalley for the review copy. All opinions are my own.

[Still · Rating 4 out of 5]

Started yesterday evening finished this morning having saved reading the introduction by C. M. Kushins for afterwards.

The introduction provides an eye opening account for Elmore Leonard fans of Leonard’s attempts to pull himself out of the paperback original Western field and write something more contemporary.

This novella was a prose proposal for a film to be based on the 1965 Delano Grape Strike which led to the popularity of that strike’s leader, Cesar Chavez. Elmore Leonard’s agent at the time had sent feelers out in Hollywood seeking a screenwriting gig for his client. The idea or proposal came from two then hot-shit producers who basically commissioned this novella.

It would all fall apart in the end and the rights to the novella reverted back to Leonard and they remained in his archives just prior to being rediscovered and published in 2025.

This novella would be fleshed out later with different protagonists and plot developments and characters’ motivations shifted about and published as a movie tie-in paperback original, Mr. Majestyk.

As it is, especially for Elmore Leonard enthusiasts, this is overpriced but worthy of reading.
What this contains are examples of Leonard becoming the writer legions of fans recognize to this day.
Not that the plot actually goes anywhere… which makes it more suitable for today’s diminished reading-for-fun populace.
The novella introduces some extremely interesting characters and ends with the reader yearning for a longer visit with these complicated actors whose motivations remain questionable come the final page.

It’s a quick, easy read. Faster read than say, the first 5 issues of The Fantastic Four.

Recommended for Elmore Leonard fanatics and completists only.

[Pamela · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have not read any of Elmore Leonard’s books before, so this may be an odd place to start. He has an extensive bibliography mostly in a genre I don’t read, so maybe this is a good place to start. The introduction covers how this novella came to be published, and a bit of history of the piece, which was first written for the screen.

What appealed to me was the labor aspect. I tend towards work fiction in a way, and this one covers that, with a union and a strike. The workplace here is a melon field in Texas, the workers Spanish speaking maybe migrants. Since there is a strike some of the pickers have different people in the field, such as a young white college kid. The story opens with three guys driving in from California.

Even though the book is short, there lacks depth of character, not much development. Perhaps there were too many characters. I’ve read shorter pieces with better understanding of a character. In any case, this did feel too short. There was some action, but it ended too soon. The story felt like a moment in a larger story.


Thanks to Mariner Books and NetGalley for an uncorrected electronic advance review copy of this book. However, I listened to a published audiobook copy of the book.

[Tim Field · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picket Line was a quick read and a little frustrating because Elmore Leonard creates a batch of interesting characters and shuts the story down just as it was getting good. From reading the introduction I understand why the novella is in the form it is but I still want to see how the dueling ideologies of Chino and Mora played out.
An atypical Leonard tale but enjoyable nevertheless.
It was good to read some more Leonard because I miss having a yearly release from this literary giant.
Recommended for Leonard completists.

[Neal Reinhardt · Rating 4 out of 5]

this is just a glimpse of the unspoken labor force driving our economy and the struggle for fair wages, benefits. well done EL

[Rob · Rating 4 out of 5]

I definitely miss Elmore Leonard.

This Novella is from a 1970's story Leonard chose to submit to a subscription - based online magazine called Contentville.However, the magazine went under before Picket Line would be published. And so, the long - shelved Novella was reshelved within the author's home archive. Until now.

This story is of an Agricultural strike in Texas, where racial tension starts to brew in the fields, and what happens when brutality from " The Man " goes unchecked.

Short and to the point - it is a fulfilling read from Leonard's earlier writings that still stands up today.

[Eleanor]

Girl shocked when half assed political commentary written by mid white guy is bad. Publishing this in 2025 is insane. “The lost novella” maybe it didn’t need to be found

[Jason McCracken · Rating 3 out of 5]

It very interesting reading this less than a month after Mr Majestyk as they both start the exact same way (close to word-for-word) and while Mr Majestyk goes down the Hollywood rout, this goes with a more literary political statement. I'm almost embarrassed to say that I preferred the Hollywood version 😳 and the fact that this was never published while Mr Majestyk became a book and film says that I'm not alone.

[Michael Compton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Page for page, this day-in-the-life of a fledgling strike among melon pickers in Texas is as good as anything Leonard ever wrote. His cast of characters-- union organizers, Chicano pickers, county sheriffs, and a black and white misfit pair who act as a kind of Greek chorus--all step off the page as fully flesh-and-blood as anyone you might find in any bar or diner. According to the lengthy introduction, this slim volume--originally written as a script treatment for Clint Eastwood, and ultimately cannibalized for the Charles Bronson vehicle Mr. Majestyk--represents Leonard's first experiment with the pared-down style and multiple viewpoints that would become his trademark. It is a good read, but it was obviously never intended as a complete, standalone narrative, because it seems to end just as all the pieces have been positioned. As enjoyable as it is, I came away wishing Leonard had gotten back to it and worked it out to completion.

[Lyle Boylen · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was great to see a new book by Elmore Leonard, one of my all-time favourite writers.

[Leanne Ellis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great, zippy dialogue, well-paced, strong characters, nice shifting POVs - all hallmarks of Leonard's style. So easy to slip into this world, even just for a couple of minutes. Obviously, this novella is unfinished in a sense - we don't get a complete story, just the beginning of a conflict - but it puts the reader into the world of farmworkers' struggles, the racism, the exploitation, the freedom and joy of saying fuck you to oppression.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short, intense glimpse into a migrant worker labour dispute with Leonard's usual laser focused writing. The tension starts on page one and doesn't stop until the last word.

“If a man comes out of the field and goes on the picket line, even for one day, he’ll never be the same...”

[Bolt Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Of course this is good—it’s Elmore Leonard. Picket Line showcases everything that makes his writing so strong: clean prose, steady pacing, and characters who feel authentic and layered. The story moves with purpose, drawing you in from the first page and holding your attention all the way through.
Leonard has a way of making every scene feel grounded and real, and this book is no exception. If you appreciate clear storytelling and masterful control of language, Picket Line is a rewarding read.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you to Mariner Books and NetGalley for the ARC.

[Cathy VanLear · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick and easy read for lovers of stories about social justice and cultural struggles. This novella covers a 24 hour period during an attempt to unionize melon pickers in the heart of Texas. Elmore Leonard’s direct style, ability to capture character voices, and focus on issues still relevant today left me wanting more. Thanks to Goodreads for this opportunity.

[Mal Warwick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Elmore Leonard's long-lost novella

More than half a century ago, Elmore Leonard was eking out a living writing pulp Western novels. He was about to take a sharp turn into crafting the crime novels that would establish his reputation as one of the most brilliant stylists in the genre and earn him both wide recognition and a lot of money. But at the time he was turning to Hollywood to boost his income by writing screenplays, which pay a whole lot better than most novels. And in 1970 he drafted a treatment for a film about the farmworkers’ strikes that were then in the news.

The film never got made, but he converted the treatment into a novella. Then that never saw the light of day in print. Now, finally, we can read it under the title Picket Line.

A Chicano activist shows his stripes

Two Chicano men who call themselves Chino and Paco Rojas are on their way in an old car with California plates to a South Texas town called Trinity. En route, they stop at a service station where they witness the attendant deny a family of Mexican migrants the use of the restrooms. Chino intervenes, humiliating the attendant and forcing him to allow the migrants the use of the facilities. Then he and Paco Rojas leave the happy family and make their way further down the road toward Trinity.

Workers are on strike at a melon farm while others work in the fields

Picket Line‘s subsequent setting is a melon farm the lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas, far from the epicenter of farmworker labor activity in California. Without stopping in nearby Trinity, Chino and Paco Rojas go to work picking melons for $1.10 an hour. They labor in the shadow of a picket line, where other workers are clamoring for a 50-cent-an-hour raise. But Chino’s activism doesn’t fit into the picture at the farm. Why haven’t he and Paco Rojas joined the picket line? We’ll learn why as the action unfolds. And there is a lot more action.

It turns out that the two men from California know the man who is leading the strike. Vincent Mora is gaining fame for his success in persuading the poor men, almost all Mexican migrants, to demand higher wages and better treatment. And eventually Mora shows up on the picket line. There, his assistant, a young woman named Connie Chavez, uses a bullhorn to call out to individual workers in the field. In short order she persuades a few to leave their jobs and join the strikers. Which then provokes the foreman and the police who come to the scene. Violence ensues.

For anyone familiar with the history of farmworker organizing in California, the scene Leonard paints is sadly familiar. Weeks, even months before growers would (sometimes) agree to recognize the union, they would send in thugs and racist local police to harass and sometimes beat the strikers.

Leonard had set out to deliver a social message with Picket Line. He succeeds brilliantly.

About the author

Elmore Leonard (1925-2013) was for decades one of America’s most renowned author of crime and thriller stories. In a career spanning the 1950s to the 2010s, he wrote 45 novels, nine collections of short stories, eight screenplays, and one notable nonfiction book, a guide to writing style. Twenty-six of his novels and short stories have been adapted for the screen (19 as motion pictures and another seven for television).

Leonard was born in New Orleans but lived for much of his life in the Detroit area. His alma mater was the University of Detroit. He was married three times and had five children, all with his first wife.

[Richard Jaffe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins/Mariner Books for an eARC of this title.

Picket Line is a novella written about 50 years ago by Elmore Leonard, published posthumously and much like the endless Jimi Hendrix releases maybe this was not the finished product he would have wanted. Per the Introduction, this story was the basis for a movie never made due to numerous rewrites and changes in focus and direction when Leonard was working more as a screenwriter than the crime novelist we have come to know and love several years later.

Still this is an interesting story about an attempt to unionize melon pickers in the heart of Texas that takes place over the course of one day. Several characters are introduced, but not properly developed, as the movie producers Leonard was working for, kept throwing curve balls at him in an attempt to commercialize the story, before eventually abandoning the project. As such I think this novella was never completed.

A good quick read, and an interesting topic with some half baked characters ( the Union man, Vincent Mora used to be a Priest was just thrown out there at the end without much explanation ) and Chino who we are first introduced to driving down the highway to the Melon Farm gets lost in the shuffle of the drama between the "picket line" the Foreman and crooked cops, before reappearing at the end. Who was Chino and why was he there? All questions that might have been answered if Leonard finished this novella for publication.

For those readers who love Elmore Leonard, this is a bridge between his earlier westerns like the Raylan Givens novels and his more well known works like Get Shorty, Out of Sight and 52 pick up.
If you have a coupla free hours, pick this up and Strike to help the migrant workers of the Texas melon farms.

[Jamie Barringer (Ravenmount) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four Hispanic migrant workers face discrimination from gas station attendants and cops, on their way from California to pick crops someplace different, and find themselves in the middle of a strike, where they can make great wages if they are willing to work as scabs. This story packs quite a few issues into a rather short book.
I am not always a fan of the sort of violent story Elmore Leonard tends to write, but I always admire how Leonard writes, and this novella is a great example. Right from the start this story draws the reader into the scene with all five senses, with no unnecessary filler. The pacing is efficient and keeps the story moving steadily while developing the setting, situation, and characters along the way. This is the sort of writing that aspiring writers should read and study to improve their own storytelling skills.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

***Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this upcoming book***
It's more Elmore Leonard! What is there to say? It's a little weird when an artist's unreleased works are released posthumously, because their intention might not have been for them to be seen by the public. In this case, I think this book was tangled up in rights issues and Dutch fully intended for it to be released. Anyhow, it's as effortlessly readable though not as interesting as some of his other works. Give this a read if you are an Elmore Leonard fan!

[Aya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Picket Line was another novella that was so short that I couldn't see the author's full potential.

From such a short book, I could see that Elmore Leonard gave great thoughts for his characters. He wanted the readers to see them in flesh and blood and not just characters on paper. There were too many characters in here that they didn't have the opportunity to tell their side of the story.

3.5-3.75 stars, Picket Line let me have an idea what Elmore Leonard could do in a full-length novel.

[Tom Donaghey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Picket Line: The Lost Novella (2025) by Elmore Leonard. While this just over 100 page novella was published in 2025, there is no telling as to just when it was written. Having read it I can understand why it was not published prior to now. The writing is great, capturing the heat and strain the Texas sun puts on farm workers, cops, owners and union people alike.
This book concerns a stand-off at a melon farm. The union is trying to organize the workers while the cops are trying to help the owners and the workers are caught in the middle. It starts with two Mexican workers driving out from California and their turn dealing with what could be called “Red Neck” Stateies giving them a hassle. We move on the farm where some are picking the melons while just across the road from the field a picket group has formed.
There is a level of tension in this short work that the Late Mr. Leonard was proficient in inducing in his readers. But I have the feeling that this was more of a sketch for what he was thinking of writing in a novel. The characters are well written revealing the swirl of emotions that were driving all the interested parties. But there isn’t a true resolution to the characters stories. It just seems to peter out without satisfying the reads needs for resolution. Hence my opinion that this was a sketch of what the proposed novel would have been,
Unless you are a huge fan of the writer (and by looking at the list of film and TV adaptations of his work many people are) this is not a necessary read. I kept it in the car and read while waiting, the chapters are short and very manageable for that purpose.
Good, but not a true “book”. You might want to check out the 1974 Charles Bronson movie "Mr. Majestyk." that this story highly influenced.

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like Leonard and learn from everything he writes. This novella provides a fascinating look at the inner workings of a picket line including the usually unseen human drama. Americans often take simple things for granted such as access to fresh food in local stores. Most of us have no concept of the work required to grow and harvest our food, then transport it all across the country. We have no idea of the turmoil of those in the labor movement or of those working today to improve conditions. Leonard opens our eyes . . .

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks for the ARC!! I enjoyed this short story, which isn't surprising because I've liked just about everything I've read of Elmore Leonard's. This one is an interesting time capsule though, as it's from a period where Leonard was starting to develop his voice. I also find the labor movement fascinating, and am glad to see stories that dive into the issues. I wish this had actually been made into the movie it was written as a treatment for!

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very short novella by an author I’ve never read. This novella was discovered after the author died and it just focuses on one day in the life of migrant workers picking crops for low wages against the growing picket line and strikes as tempers begin to flare on the part of the farm owner, the police, the union, the workers. Beautiful tight writing here. Strong character development. I would def read more from this author!

[Henry · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing and pretty much a money grab. It's usually a treat to read a good writer's stuff before they became great, but there's not much story here, it's more of a storyboard for a formula movie. Not much of the spare but forceful dialogue we all love. Oh, and skip the long introduction.....I've seen middle school English papers of better quality ("pouring (sic) over the manuscript", "copious amounts" and other assaults on the language).

[Dan Downing · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hardly the major release claimed in the promo, this little book is a gem. The story is preceded by an informative introduction by C.M. Kushins that explores the journey taken by the original idea,

The endpapers have copies of Mr. Leonard's notes.

The story itself gives hints as to what Elmore Leonard would become without being the real thing. Interesting, but not entralling.

Recommended.

[Sonya Wagner · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was definitely a different type of read for me, but I enjoyed it! I felt the author did a great job of capturing the individual's unique voices but also showing the common themes of working either for what you believe in, but also sometime's just needing to work. It is interesting to think the story was written 50+ years ago definitely feels very prevelant today.

Thank you Net Galley for the ARC

[Hobart Mariner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Marginal bit about a fruit-picker strike; not his best but readable. A discarded project from the 70s that, come the 2000s, he was rehabbing for the same fiction website that published Fire in the Hole when the site went under. Mostly one long scene. Experimenting already with former priests as heroes. With Touch and Pagan Babies one of his more Catholic books. Interesting who gets to be a POV character and who does not. Some nice dialogue.

[Race Bannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read every book by this author, both westerns
and crimes. This is what I would call an "ensemble"
story, but I would have liked more focus on a few
characters rather than on a whole gamut. This being
a novella makes for the plot to be somewhat streamlined
and simple and not really resolvable but, hey, this is
Elmore Leonard so it is still a good read. Enjoy.