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Carl Webster #1
Un tipo implacable
Elmore Leonard (1925-2013) es considerado el último gran maestro de la novela negra norteamericana en un raro consenso tanto entre escritores que se reconocen afines a su estilo conciso como entre los que no. Fiel a los consejos expresados en un famoso decálogo que compendió en 2001, en sus novelas la escritura, desnuda y trepidante, nunca incurre en distracciones ni adornos, dando preferencia a la acción y al diálogo –a menudo irónico y corrosivo– sobre cualquier clase de descripción física o psicológica. En “Un tipo implacable”, los Estados Unidos de la Depresión, el gangsterismo y la Ley Seca de los años treinta sirven de marco a un duelo insólito en busca de la fama entre el autodestructivo Jack Belmont, ávido por convertirse en el “enemigo público número uno”, y Carl Webster, un joven policía señalado por su frialdad y su capacidad calculadora.
392 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
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3453 people want to read
About the author
Elmore Leonard
213 books3,714 followersElmore 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.
Father of Peter Leonard.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 520 reviews
April 14, 2018
Spring is here and baseball season is in full swing, so maybe that's why The Hot Kid reminded me of a company softball game, one where the fielders bring their own booze onto the field. It's not that Elmore Leonard is a bush leaguer or that his scenic but overly talkative Depression-era cops and robbers tale isn't good, but it never puts down its beer. I was pining for some playoff type intensity, but aw shucks, the novel does boast its allures. Published in 2005, it slips fictional public enemies into the headlines along with Bonnie and Clyde and John Dillinger and Anna Sage and is splashy, sexy and often fun and that's just about good enough.
Here's my scouting report on the novel:
-- Opening sentence/paragraph: Carlos Webster was fifteen the day he witnessed the robbery and killing at Deering's drugstore. This was in the fall of 1921 in Okmulgee, Oklahoma.
-- Leonard not only wastes not and knows how to spin a good yarn, but unlike many of his peers, favors touch football over full contact or skull smacking. Though violent at turns, there's no meanness or bloodsport in this novel, which centers on a young Okie named Carlos Huntington Webster, whose racially charged encounter with a bank robber as a boy leads him to a career as a manhunter with the U.S. marshals during a period where bandits were celebrities, often strolling in and out of custody as easily as an overnight guest at a motor court. I'm on the fence as to whether the playful approach sets the book apart, or commits it to forgettable fluff.
-- Webster's background is plum colorful: Cheyenne on his father Virgil's side, Cuban on his late mother's side, his parents meeting during the Spanish American War. His given name is a tribute to his maternal grandfather and "Carlos" wears it like a dare, where it's picked up by a bank robber who takes the boy's peach ice cream cone before shooting a tribal policeman who walks in on a stickup. Working his father's pecan farm, Carlos is prepared for his next brush with danger, shooting a cattle rustler at 400 yards. The boy' marksmanship and bluster earns him a job opportunity from the quiet of two U.S. marshals who investigate the shooting.
-- There's writing that is so good.
Carlos was given a leave to go home after his training and spent it with his old dad, telling him things:
What the room was like at the Huckins Hotel.
What he had to eat at the Plaza Grill.
How he saw a band called Walter Page's Blue Devils that was all colored guys.
How when firing a pistol you put your weight forward, one foot ahead of the other, so if you got hit you can keep firing as you fall.
And one other thing.
Everybody called him Carl instead of Carlos. At first he wouldn't answer to it and got in arguments, a couple of times almost fistfights.
"You remember Bob McMahon?"
"R.A. 'Bob' McMahon," Virgil said, "the quiet one."
"My boss when I report to Tulsa. He says, 'I know you're named for your granddaddy to honor him, but you're using it like a chip on your shoulder instead of a name.'"
Virgil was nodding his head. "Ever since that moron Emmett Long called you a greaser. I know what Bob means. Like, 'I'm Carlos Webster, what're you gonna do about it? You were little I'd call you Carl sometimes. You liked it okay."
"Bob McMahon says, 'What's wrong with Carl? All it is, it's a nickname for Carlos."
"There you are," Virgil said. "Try it on."
"I've been wearing it the past month or so. 'Hi, I'm Deputy U.S. Marshal Carl Webster."
-- Leonard's creative flourish brings to life a charismatic bad guy to menace our hero. Jack Belmont is the sociopathic heir of a Tulsa oilman Oris Belmont, an immoral cad who watched his sister nearly drown in their swimming pool and graduates into blackmail, threatening to blabber about his dad's infidelity to his mother. His bluff earns Jack a job cleaning a fuel tank on one of his father's wells, which Jack sets fire to his first hour of honest work. Botched kidnapping and bank robbery gone wrong follow. Jack's ability to fail up and his goal to become Public Enemy No. 1 puts him on a collision course with Carl, who for now, at least seems to know what he's doing.
-- Though the author has put his stamp on westerns set in the Arizona Territory or on crime novels set in present day Detroit and South Florida, he opens up a new front with The Hot Kid, Oklahoma of the 1920s and '30s. The yarn picks up where his Spanish American War novel Cuba Libre left off and is loaded with period flavor: ice cream cones at drugstores, running boards on cars, Thompson machine guns in the wrong hands and hats on men who tip them to pretty ladies. For an author who might be accused of writing the same novel over and over again, I liked the stretch.
-- The novel peaks at page 54, when Carl pays a visit to Crystal Lee Davidson, the current moll of his old adversary Emmett Long, and captures the attention of the press in the aftermath. While the showdown is thrilling, I liked Carl much less the more he became his own press agent and talks endlessly about his own merits to other characters. Braggarts are boring. Elmore Leonard characters have a bad habit of talking like either Elmore Leonard or a camera crew were in the room with them, performing, and the showing gets really long in the tooth in The Hot Kid.
Carl said when they heard the gunfire Venicia was lighting a cigaret. He jumped up but remembered the match burning her fingers--if Tony wanted details--and saw her drop it on the table. He told how the shooting was coming from the front of and by the time he got to the porch the Essex was driving away from the house, the key in the car or else Peyton had it. Carl said he ran to the Pontiac and reached in to get the Winchester, the deputies and Wesley Sellers around front now firing at the Essex running away from them. Carl said he saw the red taillights come up big in the scope sight, aimed a little bit above the left one, the deputies yelling at him to shoot, and fired, leveled the rifle to fire again, but the Essex had veered off the road, crop furrows slowing the car down till it rolled to a stop.
-- More characters talking about themselves. Yada yada yada.
-- The women are largely interchangeable. Carl's main squeeze is Louly Brown, a farm girl enamored by her cousin's position as gun moll of "Pretty Boy" Floyd who hooks up with a fugitive much less exciting than Pretty Boy. Louly terminates the relationship during a law enforcement siege and shoots to national fame, but while she knows how to handle a gun and drive, like the other women in the book, she's purely window dressing. The story would be fine without her and she makes little impact on it.
-- Somewhere in here, Leonard drops the ball of yarn. Colorful characters, scenic locales and finesse with language are sent in search of a narrative and fail to find one. I didn't think that anything bad would happen to Carl and didn't care if the braggart did get hurt. I never suspected that Jack would meet anything other than a foul end and once he does, the book is over. If this had been a movie, Leonard's splashy source material would've been turned over to a screenwriter to file it down to the particulars and move it forward with urgency. It's a fun, fanciful book, but doesn't come together for me in a way that Out of Sight did or a great novel should.
Here's my scouting report on the novel:
-- Opening sentence/paragraph: Carlos Webster was fifteen the day he witnessed the robbery and killing at Deering's drugstore. This was in the fall of 1921 in Okmulgee, Oklahoma.
-- Leonard not only wastes not and knows how to spin a good yarn, but unlike many of his peers, favors touch football over full contact or skull smacking. Though violent at turns, there's no meanness or bloodsport in this novel, which centers on a young Okie named Carlos Huntington Webster, whose racially charged encounter with a bank robber as a boy leads him to a career as a manhunter with the U.S. marshals during a period where bandits were celebrities, often strolling in and out of custody as easily as an overnight guest at a motor court. I'm on the fence as to whether the playful approach sets the book apart, or commits it to forgettable fluff.
-- Webster's background is plum colorful: Cheyenne on his father Virgil's side, Cuban on his late mother's side, his parents meeting during the Spanish American War. His given name is a tribute to his maternal grandfather and "Carlos" wears it like a dare, where it's picked up by a bank robber who takes the boy's peach ice cream cone before shooting a tribal policeman who walks in on a stickup. Working his father's pecan farm, Carlos is prepared for his next brush with danger, shooting a cattle rustler at 400 yards. The boy' marksmanship and bluster earns him a job opportunity from the quiet of two U.S. marshals who investigate the shooting.
-- There's writing that is so good.
Carlos was given a leave to go home after his training and spent it with his old dad, telling him things:
What the room was like at the Huckins Hotel.
What he had to eat at the Plaza Grill.
How he saw a band called Walter Page's Blue Devils that was all colored guys.
How when firing a pistol you put your weight forward, one foot ahead of the other, so if you got hit you can keep firing as you fall.
And one other thing.
Everybody called him Carl instead of Carlos. At first he wouldn't answer to it and got in arguments, a couple of times almost fistfights.
"You remember Bob McMahon?"
"R.A. 'Bob' McMahon," Virgil said, "the quiet one."
"My boss when I report to Tulsa. He says, 'I know you're named for your granddaddy to honor him, but you're using it like a chip on your shoulder instead of a name.'"
Virgil was nodding his head. "Ever since that moron Emmett Long called you a greaser. I know what Bob means. Like, 'I'm Carlos Webster, what're you gonna do about it? You were little I'd call you Carl sometimes. You liked it okay."
"Bob McMahon says, 'What's wrong with Carl? All it is, it's a nickname for Carlos."
"There you are," Virgil said. "Try it on."
"I've been wearing it the past month or so. 'Hi, I'm Deputy U.S. Marshal Carl Webster."
-- Leonard's creative flourish brings to life a charismatic bad guy to menace our hero. Jack Belmont is the sociopathic heir of a Tulsa oilman Oris Belmont, an immoral cad who watched his sister nearly drown in their swimming pool and graduates into blackmail, threatening to blabber about his dad's infidelity to his mother. His bluff earns Jack a job cleaning a fuel tank on one of his father's wells, which Jack sets fire to his first hour of honest work. Botched kidnapping and bank robbery gone wrong follow. Jack's ability to fail up and his goal to become Public Enemy No. 1 puts him on a collision course with Carl, who for now, at least seems to know what he's doing.
-- Though the author has put his stamp on westerns set in the Arizona Territory or on crime novels set in present day Detroit and South Florida, he opens up a new front with The Hot Kid, Oklahoma of the 1920s and '30s. The yarn picks up where his Spanish American War novel Cuba Libre left off and is loaded with period flavor: ice cream cones at drugstores, running boards on cars, Thompson machine guns in the wrong hands and hats on men who tip them to pretty ladies. For an author who might be accused of writing the same novel over and over again, I liked the stretch.
-- The novel peaks at page 54, when Carl pays a visit to Crystal Lee Davidson, the current moll of his old adversary Emmett Long, and captures the attention of the press in the aftermath. While the showdown is thrilling, I liked Carl much less the more he became his own press agent and talks endlessly about his own merits to other characters. Braggarts are boring. Elmore Leonard characters have a bad habit of talking like either Elmore Leonard or a camera crew were in the room with them, performing, and the showing gets really long in the tooth in The Hot Kid.
Carl said when they heard the gunfire Venicia was lighting a cigaret. He jumped up but remembered the match burning her fingers--if Tony wanted details--and saw her drop it on the table. He told how the shooting was coming from the front of and by the time he got to the porch the Essex was driving away from the house, the key in the car or else Peyton had it. Carl said he ran to the Pontiac and reached in to get the Winchester, the deputies and Wesley Sellers around front now firing at the Essex running away from them. Carl said he saw the red taillights come up big in the scope sight, aimed a little bit above the left one, the deputies yelling at him to shoot, and fired, leveled the rifle to fire again, but the Essex had veered off the road, crop furrows slowing the car down till it rolled to a stop.
-- More characters talking about themselves. Yada yada yada.
-- The women are largely interchangeable. Carl's main squeeze is Louly Brown, a farm girl enamored by her cousin's position as gun moll of "Pretty Boy" Floyd who hooks up with a fugitive much less exciting than Pretty Boy. Louly terminates the relationship during a law enforcement siege and shoots to national fame, but while she knows how to handle a gun and drive, like the other women in the book, she's purely window dressing. The story would be fine without her and she makes little impact on it.
-- Somewhere in here, Leonard drops the ball of yarn. Colorful characters, scenic locales and finesse with language are sent in search of a narrative and fail to find one. I didn't think that anything bad would happen to Carl and didn't care if the braggart did get hurt. I never suspected that Jack would meet anything other than a foul end and once he does, the book is over. If this had been a movie, Leonard's splashy source material would've been turned over to a screenwriter to file it down to the particulars and move it forward with urgency. It's a fun, fanciful book, but doesn't come together for me in a way that Out of Sight did or a great novel should.
May 13, 2025
O adevărată poveste polițistă cu gangsteri, crime și jafuri specifice anilor '30 și un marshall carismatic devenit vedetă pentru priceperea sa în folosirea pistolului. Dialogurile sunt cele care fac cartea să fie savuroasă, parcă te-ai uita la un film cu John Wayne.
September 5, 2013
Sad that it takes a man's death to get me to finally read one of his books...
And man, have I missed out!
Elmore Leonard writes the sort of straight-forward, workman-like prose that is a pleasure to read. You won't get much in the way of poetic flourishes or long meditations on human psyche. But his characters are rounded off believably and they are plenty colorful!
I'm a Leonard noob, but if The Hot Kid is typical of his work, then this is the sort of story-driven stuff I'll be returning to again and again. Who doesn't love a cracking good tale that doesn't dawdle more than necessary?
This one's set in the Depression-era midwest. The time of the speakeasy. When bank robbers like Dillinger, Pretty Boy Floyd and Baby-faced Nelson were folk heroes. We the readers follow Carl Webster, a new deputy marshall and one cool cucumber. This crack-shot is a lawman through and through, yet he remains likable, even if his motives are part revenge based and you're left to wonder if he doesn't like the limelight just a little too much.
I'd recently read a similar story set at about the same time by Clive Cussler. Cussler's characters come off as caricatures compared to Leonard's. Cussler's work feels forced, his females sterotypes. For all the macho posturing going on in The Hot Kid, Leonard still manages to ground it all in reality. You believe you've met his characters. Whereas, you're sure you've seen Cussler's in a painting at a yard sale.
And man, have I missed out!
Elmore Leonard writes the sort of straight-forward, workman-like prose that is a pleasure to read. You won't get much in the way of poetic flourishes or long meditations on human psyche. But his characters are rounded off believably and they are plenty colorful!
I'm a Leonard noob, but if The Hot Kid is typical of his work, then this is the sort of story-driven stuff I'll be returning to again and again. Who doesn't love a cracking good tale that doesn't dawdle more than necessary?
This one's set in the Depression-era midwest. The time of the speakeasy. When bank robbers like Dillinger, Pretty Boy Floyd and Baby-faced Nelson were folk heroes. We the readers follow Carl Webster, a new deputy marshall and one cool cucumber. This crack-shot is a lawman through and through, yet he remains likable, even if his motives are part revenge based and you're left to wonder if he doesn't like the limelight just a little too much.
I'd recently read a similar story set at about the same time by Clive Cussler. Cussler's characters come off as caricatures compared to Leonard's. Cussler's work feels forced, his females sterotypes. For all the macho posturing going on in The Hot Kid, Leonard still manages to ground it all in reality. You believe you've met his characters. Whereas, you're sure you've seen Cussler's in a painting at a yard sale.
June 13, 2020
"June 13, 1927 - Carlos Huntington Webster was in Oklahoma City wearing a dark blue suit of clothes, no vest and a panama hat with the brim curved on his eyes just right . . . being sworn in as a deputy United States marshal. This was while Charles Lindbergh was being honored in New York City, tons of ticker-tape dumped on 'The Lone Eagle' for flying across the Atlantic Ocean by himself . . . " -- page 36
Leonard's The Hot Kid seemed like an uneasy mix between the two genres that are normally part of the author's expertise. He first gained notice for penning many pulp western short stories and/or novels during the 50's, and then later established his name with a string of excellent low-key crime dramas (such as Mr. Majestyk and 52 Pick-Up) during the 70's. So in theory a book like this - which also part historical fiction, as notorious real-life bank robbers 'Pretty Boy' Floyd, Bonnie & Clyde, and John Dillinger are featured characters, or are oft-mentioned in the narrative - should be a slam-dunk.
However, after the first 100 pages the story - about a young but savvy and sharpshootin' federal lawman working the Oklahoma boomtowns during the end of Prohibition and start of the Great Depression - becomes sort of bland, with some rambling plot threads and an increasing number of supporting characters that can strain the attention span. Leonard was always good with showing the stupidity of petty criminals (their bad decisions and quirky obsessiveness) and that's on full display here, but ultimately the book felt like a short story uncomfortably stretched to novel length.
Leonard's The Hot Kid seemed like an uneasy mix between the two genres that are normally part of the author's expertise. He first gained notice for penning many pulp western short stories and/or novels during the 50's, and then later established his name with a string of excellent low-key crime dramas (such as Mr. Majestyk and 52 Pick-Up) during the 70's. So in theory a book like this - which also part historical fiction, as notorious real-life bank robbers 'Pretty Boy' Floyd, Bonnie & Clyde, and John Dillinger are featured characters, or are oft-mentioned in the narrative - should be a slam-dunk.
However, after the first 100 pages the story - about a young but savvy and sharpshootin' federal lawman working the Oklahoma boomtowns during the end of Prohibition and start of the Great Depression - becomes sort of bland, with some rambling plot threads and an increasing number of supporting characters that can strain the attention span. Leonard was always good with showing the stupidity of petty criminals (their bad decisions and quirky obsessiveness) and that's on full display here, but ultimately the book felt like a short story uncomfortably stretched to novel length.
August 17, 2024
Elmore Leonard was famous both for his excellent westerns and his even better crime novels. Set in the Great Plains of the 1930s, this book is something of a combination of the two. It's the time of the Great Depression when the country's newspapers and magazines breathlessly exploited the stories of outlaws like John Dillinger, Pretty Boy Floyd, Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, and others.
At the center of the story is Carl Webster. At fifteen, Carl shot and killed a man who was attempting to steal his cattle, making the shot from two hundred yards away. At roughly the same time, he had a chance encounter in a drugstore with the outlaw Emmett Long and witnessed Long killing a man. Carl later testified against Long and his actions as a young boy attracted both the attention and the admiration of members of the U.S. Marshals Service. A few years later, Carl joined the Marshals Service himself and quickly made a name for himself as "the Hot Kid," famous for warning robbers and others that he only ever drew his gun if he intended to kill someone.
Carl's particular nemesis is Jack Belmont, the sociopathic son of an Oklahoma oil millionaire. Jack began his life of crime by blowing up one of his father's oil tanks. He then hatched a plan to kidnap his father's mistress and demand that his father pay him a hundred thousand dollars to get the woman back. Jack dreams of becoming the F.B.I.'s Public Enemy Number One, and he and Carl will circle each other through the length of the novel.
It's a great story, populated by a number of interesting characters, both real and fictional. As always in an Elmore Leonard novel, the dialogue alone is worth the price of admission. There's also a good deal of humor in the book, which is set against a vividly described background of the country during the depression.
Like a lot of the author's work, this book has a very cinematic feel about it, and the character of Carl Webster sounds and feels very much like an early version of Leonard's more famous creation, Raylan Givens. One could easily imagine a young Timothy Olyphant playing the part, but short of that, this is another excellent novel from one of the masters of the craft.
At the center of the story is Carl Webster. At fifteen, Carl shot and killed a man who was attempting to steal his cattle, making the shot from two hundred yards away. At roughly the same time, he had a chance encounter in a drugstore with the outlaw Emmett Long and witnessed Long killing a man. Carl later testified against Long and his actions as a young boy attracted both the attention and the admiration of members of the U.S. Marshals Service. A few years later, Carl joined the Marshals Service himself and quickly made a name for himself as "the Hot Kid," famous for warning robbers and others that he only ever drew his gun if he intended to kill someone.
Carl's particular nemesis is Jack Belmont, the sociopathic son of an Oklahoma oil millionaire. Jack began his life of crime by blowing up one of his father's oil tanks. He then hatched a plan to kidnap his father's mistress and demand that his father pay him a hundred thousand dollars to get the woman back. Jack dreams of becoming the F.B.I.'s Public Enemy Number One, and he and Carl will circle each other through the length of the novel.
It's a great story, populated by a number of interesting characters, both real and fictional. As always in an Elmore Leonard novel, the dialogue alone is worth the price of admission. There's also a good deal of humor in the book, which is set against a vividly described background of the country during the depression.
Like a lot of the author's work, this book has a very cinematic feel about it, and the character of Carl Webster sounds and feels very much like an early version of Leonard's more famous creation, Raylan Givens. One could easily imagine a young Timothy Olyphant playing the part, but short of that, this is another excellent novel from one of the masters of the craft.
January 3, 2020
Book one in the Carl Webster series published 2005.
Elmore Leonard never fails to entertain and this is no exception. An easy four stars read.
The period of time is the 1920s and there is prohibition all across the USA.
The hot kid is Carl Webster, a very cool, gun totting US Marshal. At the time when Carl makes his first arrest he addresses the accused with “if I have to draw my weapon I will shoot to kill” This one liner will follow Carl for the rest of his life and make him one of the most celebrated lawmen of his day.
This is just such a great read. Think about Bonny and Clyde meets the Untouchables and you’ll get the picture.
The book is full of richly drawn character, good and bad alike. As with every book I’ve read by Elmore Leonard, dialogue is king and the humour is dark.
If you haven’t dipped your toe into the Elmore Leonard pond yet this would be a great place to start.
Highly recommended.
Elmore Leonard never fails to entertain and this is no exception. An easy four stars read.
The period of time is the 1920s and there is prohibition all across the USA.
The hot kid is Carl Webster, a very cool, gun totting US Marshal. At the time when Carl makes his first arrest he addresses the accused with “if I have to draw my weapon I will shoot to kill” This one liner will follow Carl for the rest of his life and make him one of the most celebrated lawmen of his day.
This is just such a great read. Think about Bonny and Clyde meets the Untouchables and you’ll get the picture.
The book is full of richly drawn character, good and bad alike. As with every book I’ve read by Elmore Leonard, dialogue is king and the humour is dark.
If you haven’t dipped your toe into the Elmore Leonard pond yet this would be a great place to start.
Highly recommended.
August 30, 2025
This was quite good but had a few too many characters and this made it difficult to focus on and build suspense.
January 29, 2013
My first Elmore Leonard novel. He's a terse, pacey author, and The Hot Kid is pretty much Hollywood in a book, but a nicely-filmed Hollywood with engaging if not terribly deep characters.
It's a 1930s gangster piece. Carlos Webster is the son of a wealthy pecan farmer. At 15 he shot a man who was trying to rustle his cattle. His father observed, "Good lord, this one's got a tough bark on him." He also encounters a wanted felon who, in the course of robbing a store and shooting a tribal police officer, calls Carlos a "greaser."
This sticks in Carlos's craw. Years later, he's Marshal Carl Webster, lawman, "the hot kid" of the US Marshals Service, and his exploits are being reported (and exaggerated a bit) by the newspapers of the time. Carl wants to be the country's most famous lawman.
Jack Belmont is another son of privilege, except he's a spoiled rotten little sociopath. At 15, he tries to blackmail his father by threatening to tell his mother and sister about Dad's mistress. His father laughs at him, then puts him to work in his oil refinery. Jack promptly sets the place on fire and takes off for a life of crime. Jack wants to be the country's most notorious bank robber.
This is a slick action thriller, with tough hombres, seedy roughnecks, sleazy outlaws, gun molls and whores. Not a lot of variety in either the male or female archetypes, and the plot isn't terribly complicated, but Leonard spices it up with plenty of sex and murder and shootouts and pretty decent writing.
3.5 stars. Definitely not a literary gem, but I enjoyed it and would read another by Elmore Leonard. It kind of reminded me of Ian Fleming's Bond novels, except with not quite as much racism and misogyny.
It's a 1930s gangster piece. Carlos Webster is the son of a wealthy pecan farmer. At 15 he shot a man who was trying to rustle his cattle. His father observed, "Good lord, this one's got a tough bark on him." He also encounters a wanted felon who, in the course of robbing a store and shooting a tribal police officer, calls Carlos a "greaser."
This sticks in Carlos's craw. Years later, he's Marshal Carl Webster, lawman, "the hot kid" of the US Marshals Service, and his exploits are being reported (and exaggerated a bit) by the newspapers of the time. Carl wants to be the country's most famous lawman.
Jack Belmont is another son of privilege, except he's a spoiled rotten little sociopath. At 15, he tries to blackmail his father by threatening to tell his mother and sister about Dad's mistress. His father laughs at him, then puts him to work in his oil refinery. Jack promptly sets the place on fire and takes off for a life of crime. Jack wants to be the country's most notorious bank robber.
This is a slick action thriller, with tough hombres, seedy roughnecks, sleazy outlaws, gun molls and whores. Not a lot of variety in either the male or female archetypes, and the plot isn't terribly complicated, but Leonard spices it up with plenty of sex and murder and shootouts and pretty decent writing.
3.5 stars. Definitely not a literary gem, but I enjoyed it and would read another by Elmore Leonard. It kind of reminded me of Ian Fleming's Bond novels, except with not quite as much racism and misogyny.
August 17, 2023
Trying to figure it out - Leonard has a lot of walk-on characters, and a lot who are alike; the subplots are strung together thoroughly, but sometimes brilliantly; the main character is painted deep; the bad guys are sometimes just mean and dumb; the gunfights are exciting; the prose is tight; the pace is swift. For me, starting a new author is a dubious deal; will it be a dry hole or a gusher, just blood and guts with no morality to it? I’ve only read about four by Leonard, but he’s so good that he didn’t have to write series; one of each was plenty.
August 27, 2018
Αυτό είναι μόλις το πέμπτο βιβλίο του Έλμορ Λέοναρντ που διαβάζω. Και λέω "μόλις", γιατί θα είχα διαβάσει σίγουρα καμιά εικοσαριά μέχρι σήμερα, αν είχαν μεταφραστεί στα ελληνικά. Είναι ένας εξαιρετικός συγγραφέας που ταιριάζει απόλυτα με τα γούστα μου, αλλά στην Ελλάδα δεν του έχει δοθεί η πρέπουσα σημασία (βλέπετε, έχουμε πήξει στα Σκανδιναβικά και τα ψυχολογικά θρίλερ). Να φανταστείτε, τελευταία φορά που διάβασα βιβλίο του, ήταν τον Ιούλιο του 2012! Ε, αρκετή υπομονή έκανα.
Γκάνγκστερ, ληστές τραπεζών, φονιάδες, σκληροτράχηλοι εκπρόσωποι του νόμου και μοιραίες γυναίκες, όπως επίσης όπλα, κλεμμένα αμάξια και παράνομα μπαρ, συνθέτουν ένα χρονικό του εγκλήματος. Η ιστορία διαδραματίζεται κατά την ποτοαπαγόρευση, στην Οκλαχόμα της δεκαετίας του '30, βασικός πρωταγωνιστής της οποίας είναι ο Καρλ Ουέμπστερ, που σαν στόχο έχει να γίνει ο διασημότερος ομοσπονδιακός αστυνόμος των ΗΠΑ, έχοντας στο ενεργητικό του δεκάδες συλλήψεις αλλά και... εκτελέσεις διαβόητων κακοποιών. Τώρα, ακολουθεί τα ίχνη του Τζακ Μπελμόντ, του άσωτου υιού ενός εκατομμυριούχου πετρελαιοπαραγωγού, ο οποίος ονειρεύεται να γίνει ο Νούμερο Ένα Δημόσιος Κίνδυνος, σκοτώνοντας και ληστεύοντας τράπεζες. Φυσικά δεν λείπει και ο δημοσιογράφος μιας φυλλάδας που θέλει να βγάλει λαβράκια, καθώς και μοιραίες γυναίκες...
Έχουμε να κάνουμε με ένα άκρως ψυχαγωγικό και διασκεδαστικό νουάρ μυθιστόρημα με παλπ αισθητική, το οποίο διαβάζεται με μια ανάσα από την αρχή μέχρι το τέλος. Προσφέρει δράση, ένταση και δυνατές σκηνές, σε ποσότητες ικανές να χορτάσουν και τον πιο απαιτητικό λάτρη του είδους. Οι περιγραφές των σκηνικών, των γεγονότων και των χαρακτήρων είναι πραγματικά εξαιρετικές, ρεαλιστικές και γραφικές, δίχως φτιασίδια και περιττολογίες. Οι διάλογοι είναι κοφτεροί και ολοζώντανοι, μόνο και μόνο γι'αυτούς μπορεί κάποιος να λατρέψει το βιβλίο (αν ταιριάξουν με τα γούστα του, φυσικά). Μπορεί να μην του βάλω πέντε αστεράκια, αλλά είναι ένα βιβλίο που πραγματικά απόλαυσα.
Υ.Γ. Στα ελληνικά μου έμεινε αδιάβαστο μόνο το "Cuba Libre". Από κει και πέρα, έχω τέσσερα-πέντε βιβλία του στα αγγλικά. Τι να κάνουμε, θα πρέπει να απολαύσω τα βιβλία του στην γλώσσα που τα έγραψε!
Γκάνγκστερ, ληστές τραπεζών, φονιάδες, σκληροτράχηλοι εκπρόσωποι του νόμου και μοιραίες γυναίκες, όπως επίσης όπλα, κλεμμένα αμάξια και παράνομα μπαρ, συνθέτουν ένα χρονικό του εγκλήματος. Η ιστορία διαδραματίζεται κατά την ποτοαπαγόρευση, στην Οκλαχόμα της δεκαετίας του '30, βασικός πρωταγωνιστής της οποίας είναι ο Καρλ Ουέμπστερ, που σαν στόχο έχει να γίνει ο διασημότερος ομοσπονδιακός αστυνόμος των ΗΠΑ, έχοντας στο ενεργητικό του δεκάδες συλλήψεις αλλά και... εκτελέσεις διαβόητων κακοποιών. Τώρα, ακολουθεί τα ίχνη του Τζακ Μπελμόντ, του άσωτου υιού ενός εκατομμυριούχου πετρελαιοπαραγωγού, ο οποίος ονειρεύεται να γίνει ο Νούμερο Ένα Δημόσιος Κίνδυνος, σκοτώνοντας και ληστεύοντας τράπεζες. Φυσικά δεν λείπει και ο δημοσιογράφος μιας φυλλάδας που θέλει να βγάλει λαβράκια, καθώς και μοιραίες γυναίκες...
Έχουμε να κάνουμε με ένα άκρως ψυχαγωγικό και διασκεδαστικό νουάρ μυθιστόρημα με παλπ αισθητική, το οποίο διαβάζεται με μια ανάσα από την αρχή μέχρι το τέλος. Προσφέρει δράση, ένταση και δυνατές σκηνές, σε ποσότητες ικανές να χορτάσουν και τον πιο απαιτητικό λάτρη του είδους. Οι περιγραφές των σκηνικών, των γεγονότων και των χαρακτήρων είναι πραγματικά εξαιρετικές, ρεαλιστικές και γραφικές, δίχως φτιασίδια και περιττολογίες. Οι διάλογοι είναι κοφτεροί και ολοζώντανοι, μόνο και μόνο γι'αυτούς μπορεί κάποιος να λατρέψει το βιβλίο (αν ταιριάξουν με τα γούστα του, φυσικά). Μπορεί να μην του βάλω πέντε αστεράκια, αλλά είναι ένα βιβλίο που πραγματικά απόλαυσα.
Υ.Γ. Στα ελληνικά μου έμεινε αδιάβαστο μόνο το "Cuba Libre". Από κει και πέρα, έχω τέσσερα-πέντε βιβλία του στα αγγλικά. Τι να κάνουμε, θα πρέπει να απολαύσω τα βιβλία του στην γλώσσα που τα έγραψε!
October 23, 2014
More of a 2.5. Carl is a neat character, but the book encompassed a bit too much territory & didn't focus well enough for me. Leonard's gritty style chopped it up a bit too much as we skipped from character to character without really getting into any of them properly which was a shame, because he sketched out some dynamite ones.
There were a lot of good moments, but that's all they were. Also, the ending was too predictable. I've been told the 2d book isn't as good, but the 3d is better. I don't think I'll put either too high on my list.
There were a lot of good moments, but that's all they were. Also, the ending was too predictable. I've been told the 2d book isn't as good, but the 3d is better. I don't think I'll put either too high on my list.
June 11, 2022
It's not really fair that I have him competing against himself.
August 11, 2014
I like Carl Webster, the character. It sounds like he doesn't like his name Carlos, he doesn't like someone taking he ice cream cone and if he takes out his pistol, he's shooting to kill. Carl is one badass character who is a good guy.
This would have been so much better had I read it or someone else was narrator. Arliss Howard sounded bored about most of the first half of the book only "getting into it" the second half.
I love Elmore Leonard...he's the best.
This would have been so much better had I read it or someone else was narrator. Arliss Howard sounded bored about most of the first half of the book only "getting into it" the second half.
I love Elmore Leonard...he's the best.
September 4, 2013
Chronicling the kills of Carl Webster, a gun toting prodigy working as a US Marshal, THE HOT KID pits wanna-be gangsters and bank robbers (and some reluctant gun molls) against a man who is as much legend as the revered outlaws of the time.
Carl Webster was inducted into the life of crime at an early age when famous bank robber, Emmett Long robbed a store where Carl bought his ice cream as a kid. Long left a lasting impression on the young Carl, not only by killing an officer of the law but also making matters personal between him and Carl having tried to intimidate the youth.
This event, and another in which a thief attempted to steal some property of his fathers land were the catalyst for Carl's evolution from skilled young gunman to legend with a badge.
Dubbed 'The Hot Kid', Carl's primary target is Jack Belmont, son to a rich and powerful oil magnate who wants to emulate the great bank robbers. Unfortunately he lands dead centre within the trigger sights of the Marshals, resulting in a unique game of cat and mouse - only this time, both seek that final confrontation.
Without spoiling too much I'll keep my views ambiguous as there is so much going on inside the 300-odd pages. Elmore Leonard gives this fabled hero a dose of realism referencing actual crimes and the criminals that commit them in passing throughout the story. The shootouts are first class and reminded me of the old western farm barn shootouts so popular in that genre. There's a lot of killing but it's not without cause. Carl comes across as almost an unwilling killer yet it's hard to ascertain if he enjoys his work or not - this adds a little darkness to the polished facade.
THE HOT KID is one of Elmore Leonard best works, it reads like a TV series with some chapters almost self contained yet linked by the broader plot. Readers will get a lot of satisfaction reading the first book by Elmore Leonard to feature Carl Webster.
This review also appears on my blog: http://justaguythatlikes2read.blogspo...
Carl Webster was inducted into the life of crime at an early age when famous bank robber, Emmett Long robbed a store where Carl bought his ice cream as a kid. Long left a lasting impression on the young Carl, not only by killing an officer of the law but also making matters personal between him and Carl having tried to intimidate the youth.
This event, and another in which a thief attempted to steal some property of his fathers land were the catalyst for Carl's evolution from skilled young gunman to legend with a badge.
Dubbed 'The Hot Kid', Carl's primary target is Jack Belmont, son to a rich and powerful oil magnate who wants to emulate the great bank robbers. Unfortunately he lands dead centre within the trigger sights of the Marshals, resulting in a unique game of cat and mouse - only this time, both seek that final confrontation.
Without spoiling too much I'll keep my views ambiguous as there is so much going on inside the 300-odd pages. Elmore Leonard gives this fabled hero a dose of realism referencing actual crimes and the criminals that commit them in passing throughout the story. The shootouts are first class and reminded me of the old western farm barn shootouts so popular in that genre. There's a lot of killing but it's not without cause. Carl comes across as almost an unwilling killer yet it's hard to ascertain if he enjoys his work or not - this adds a little darkness to the polished facade.
THE HOT KID is one of Elmore Leonard best works, it reads like a TV series with some chapters almost self contained yet linked by the broader plot. Readers will get a lot of satisfaction reading the first book by Elmore Leonard to feature Carl Webster.
This review also appears on my blog: http://justaguythatlikes2read.blogspo...
May 4, 2021
Sokkal jobb, mint az előző olvasásom a szerzőtől-Raylan-ez utóbbi feldolgozása filmsorozatban viszont elég jó. Még összegzem majd a regényeket.
UPDATE
Elmore Leonard érdekes színfolt az amerikai irodalomban. Nem lehet elválasztani a filmek világától, előbb találkoztam az írásaiból készült filmekkel, mint könyveivel. Tarantino megrendezte a Jackie Brown-t, egyik művéből, és elég jó lett a Szóljatok a köpcösnek / Get Shorty /filmen is, Travoltával. Kedveltem a folytatását is/ Csak lazán!-Be Cool/, majd rábukkantam a Köpcösre antikváriumban. A későbbi sorozat sem rossz ebből, csak sokkal keményebb, a sajátos keserű humor nélkül.
Sajnos az író 2013-ban meghalt, de előtte még forgatókönyveket írt A törvény embere tévésorozathoz, itt is érezni, mennyire filmszerűek a történetei, érdekesek a karakterek. Ám a könyv, Raylan címen, nekem szörnyen gyenge volt, nem csak a fura stílus miatt.
Én azt mondanám: Leonard filmírónak született, a megjelenítés, a karakterek elevenek, fanyar és szenvtelen írásmódja néhol érdekes, mégsem tetszenek eléggé a regényei. Három művét tudnám kiemelni: Szóljatok a köpcösnek, Tishomingo Blues-itt a zenei anyag igen jó-valamint ezen könyv, a Gengszterek földjén.
UPDATE
Elmore Leonard érdekes színfolt az amerikai irodalomban. Nem lehet elválasztani a filmek világától, előbb találkoztam az írásaiból készült filmekkel, mint könyveivel. Tarantino megrendezte a Jackie Brown-t, egyik művéből, és elég jó lett a Szóljatok a köpcösnek / Get Shorty /filmen is, Travoltával. Kedveltem a folytatását is/ Csak lazán!-Be Cool/, majd rábukkantam a Köpcösre antikváriumban. A későbbi sorozat sem rossz ebből, csak sokkal keményebb, a sajátos keserű humor nélkül.
Sajnos az író 2013-ban meghalt, de előtte még forgatókönyveket írt A törvény embere tévésorozathoz, itt is érezni, mennyire filmszerűek a történetei, érdekesek a karakterek. Ám a könyv, Raylan címen, nekem szörnyen gyenge volt, nem csak a fura stílus miatt.
Én azt mondanám: Leonard filmírónak született, a megjelenítés, a karakterek elevenek, fanyar és szenvtelen írásmódja néhol érdekes, mégsem tetszenek eléggé a regényei. Három művét tudnám kiemelni: Szóljatok a köpcösnek, Tishomingo Blues-itt a zenei anyag igen jó-valamint ezen könyv, a Gengszterek földjén.
August 10, 2025
I have been a huge fan of Elmore Leonard's works since I read "Get Shorty" and "Killshot" back in high school. They are two of many of Leonard's novels that have been made into movies, some good ("Out of Sight", "Jackie Brown", "3:10 to Yuma"), some bad ("The Big Bounce", "Be Cool"). Best bet, though? Skip the movies entirely and just read the books.
Leonard tells a great crime story with a frenzied pace, coupled with snappy dialogue, and while his characters are generally of a type (brooding loner gunmen, wise-cracking idiotic criminals, smarter-than-they-let-on femme fatales), they always ring true and believable. Of course, if you don't like the crime genre, you probably won't like Leonard, because that's all he writes. Leonard is the anti-Nicholas Sparks, always has been and always will be. You won't find an ounce of sentimentality or romance in his books, but you will find plenty of action and suspense.
Set in the 1930s, "The Hot Kid" refers to Carlos "Carl" Webster, who at age 9 killed his first man. It was completely justified (the guy was a cattle-rustler and Carl had warned him to get off his property or he'd shoot). Many years later, Carl joins the U.S. Marshalls Service. He's after public enemies like Dillinger and Pretty Boy Floyd. Carl's called the Hot Kid because in his short term as U.S. Marshall he's already caught or killed a dozen wanted men. He seems to have a preternatural ability to find them. Of course, word has gotten out about Carl. Now, some of those public enemies are going after Carl. Not that he's worried.
"The Hot Kid" is Leonard at the top of his form. I never saw the movie "Public Enemies", which dealt with the same era of tommy guns, bank robbers, and gangster molls, but I can't imagine that it was in any way more interesting and fun than Leonard's 1930s.
Leonard tells a great crime story with a frenzied pace, coupled with snappy dialogue, and while his characters are generally of a type (brooding loner gunmen, wise-cracking idiotic criminals, smarter-than-they-let-on femme fatales), they always ring true and believable. Of course, if you don't like the crime genre, you probably won't like Leonard, because that's all he writes. Leonard is the anti-Nicholas Sparks, always has been and always will be. You won't find an ounce of sentimentality or romance in his books, but you will find plenty of action and suspense.
Set in the 1930s, "The Hot Kid" refers to Carlos "Carl" Webster, who at age 9 killed his first man. It was completely justified (the guy was a cattle-rustler and Carl had warned him to get off his property or he'd shoot). Many years later, Carl joins the U.S. Marshalls Service. He's after public enemies like Dillinger and Pretty Boy Floyd. Carl's called the Hot Kid because in his short term as U.S. Marshall he's already caught or killed a dozen wanted men. He seems to have a preternatural ability to find them. Of course, word has gotten out about Carl. Now, some of those public enemies are going after Carl. Not that he's worried.
"The Hot Kid" is Leonard at the top of his form. I never saw the movie "Public Enemies", which dealt with the same era of tommy guns, bank robbers, and gangster molls, but I can't imagine that it was in any way more interesting and fun than Leonard's 1930s.
November 25, 2017
audio with ebook Virgil Webster from "cuba libre' has a son named Carlos who becomes a US marshall. You will meet Carl's grandson in a short story later. (I forget the title). Foci is the Oklahoma pecan ranch.
I enjoyed this. It gave me a taste of a time period.
I enjoyed this. It gave me a taste of a time period.
September 30, 2021
Απολαυστικοί και believable χαρακτήρες, κοφτερές ατάκες που προκαλούν συνεχές μειδίαμα, ανούσια βία. Δεν το διαβάζεις για να μορφωθείς αλλά για να περάσεις καλά στην Οκλαχόμα και το Κάνσας Σίτι των 30s.
January 22, 2021
Seven CDs of blockbuster Elmore “Dutch” Leonard. That is the story of “The Hot Kid.” I have not read a single story of Leonard’s, nor have I previously listened to any of his work. However,I have heard his name and bought dozens of his books in the past. My late father-in-law was an avid reader, particularly of mystery novels. He loved them! He carried his latest favorite in the back pocket of his blue jeans wherever he wandered. Off to the Walmart (an adventure in the South), he’d take his book. At age 86, he tired easily. He’d park his walker in the middle of an aisle, take a seat and pull out the latest Elmore Leonard. He built a platform seat for his walker to make this comfortable and easy for him. His daughter Gale (my wife) would scour garage sales looking for books for him. We would ship books by the case. I now understand his passion for Leonard. This was one fine and entertaining mystery. I’ll be reading others, too. RIP, George!
October 31, 2014
The Hot Kid is an Elmore Leonard novel through and through. It follows Carl Webster, the new hotshot marshal in Prohibition-era Tulsa, as he quickly becomes a famous lawman because of his quick and deadly gun skills. Webster navigates a world filled with criminals, gun molls, whores and writers seeking to document the clash of good versus evil. This is a time of famous gangsters like John Dillinger, Pretty Boy Floyd and Baby Face Nelson, all of whom live large in the imagination of Leonard's characters. Jack Belmont wants to be just as famous as all of them if not more, and he starts a life of crime that puts him on a collision course with Carl Webster. Their inevitable showdown is just one more example of why Elmore Leonard is a true master of the crime novel.
Want to read
March 24, 2011Stephen King recommended book and author.
King says: "Leonard began his career (back when I was in diapers) writing Westerns. He finally achieved success in the '80s with urban shoot-'em-ups. In The Hot Kid he has combined both genres, producing a randy Bonnie-and-Clyde-era thrill ride featuring a U.S. marshal, a bank-robbing maniac who once tried to drown his sister in a pool, and a good-hearted woman with a shady past. It's Leonard's best novel since Get Shorty, maybe his best ever."
From Wikipedia: In an interview with King, Published in the USA Weekend in March 2009, the author stated, "People look on writers that they like as an irreplaceable resource. I do. Elmore Leonard, every day I wake up and – not to be morbid or anything, although morbid is my life to a degree – don't see his obituary in the paper, I think to myself, "Great! He's probably working somewhere. He's gonna produce another book, and I'll have another book to read." Because when he's gone, there's nobody else."
King says: "Leonard began his career (back when I was in diapers) writing Westerns. He finally achieved success in the '80s with urban shoot-'em-ups. In The Hot Kid he has combined both genres, producing a randy Bonnie-and-Clyde-era thrill ride featuring a U.S. marshal, a bank-robbing maniac who once tried to drown his sister in a pool, and a good-hearted woman with a shady past. It's Leonard's best novel since Get Shorty, maybe his best ever."
From Wikipedia: In an interview with King, Published in the USA Weekend in March 2009, the author stated, "People look on writers that they like as an irreplaceable resource. I do. Elmore Leonard, every day I wake up and – not to be morbid or anything, although morbid is my life to a degree – don't see his obituary in the paper, I think to myself, "Great! He's probably working somewhere. He's gonna produce another book, and I'll have another book to read." Because when he's gone, there's nobody else."
March 31, 2016
This book came to my attention in an unusual way. I just listened to the audible version of NOS4A2 by Joe Hill and at the end the author gives some recommendations on audio books. 'The Hot Kid' was one that he praised so I used my next audible credit on it.
The story is set during the great depression and follows the early career of US Marshall Carl Webster. Carl kills a cattle rustler at age 15 and from then on gains the reputation of being a crack shot. He's also motivated by another incident when he was a kid. A robber held up his local store at gunpoint and stole his ice cream cone.
About the first third of the book has an unusual structure. Each chapter would be about one character and during this mini life story another character would be named. The next chapter would be about that character and so on until all of the participants had been introduced.
My first Elmore Leonard novel and I can see why he is so highly praised. It's a good story, told in an unusual way. As per Joe Hill's recommendation, the audio narration is excellent.
The story is set during the great depression and follows the early career of US Marshall Carl Webster. Carl kills a cattle rustler at age 15 and from then on gains the reputation of being a crack shot. He's also motivated by another incident when he was a kid. A robber held up his local store at gunpoint and stole his ice cream cone.
About the first third of the book has an unusual structure. Each chapter would be about one character and during this mini life story another character would be named. The next chapter would be about that character and so on until all of the participants had been introduced.
My first Elmore Leonard novel and I can see why he is so highly praised. It's a good story, told in an unusual way. As per Joe Hill's recommendation, the audio narration is excellent.
November 16, 2016
I enjoyed the book. I can't give it more than 3* even though Elmore Leonard is a fantastic author and one of my favorites. I think Leonard plagiarized "Himself". Carl Webster, a deputy US Martial, was identical in character with Raylan Givens of Pronto, Shot in the Hole, and the other books in the Raylan Givins series books, a deputy US Martial. Even Webster's boss McMahon and the bad guys in the book were similar to his Givins books. The only difference I can see is the time frame.One in the 20's & 30's (Webster) dealing with illegal alcohol and bank robbers and the other in the 80's-90's (Givins) dealing with illegal drug dealers. The Hot Kid with Carl Webster, published in 2005, came after Leonard had written the Raylan series of books published 1993, 1995 & 2001).
November 28, 2012
Die Schießerei im Roadhouse zählt zum Besten, was Leonard überhaupt geschrieben hat, Bösewicht Jack Belmont hat viele Vorgänger im Werk des Autors übertrifft sie aber alle an Charme und Tötungsbereitschaft. Leider ist Leonard schon zum alt, um ihm beim Showdown auch nur den Hauch einer Chance zu geben, von daher ziehen sich die letzten Seiten endlos hin, dieser Makel kostet das Buch den fünften Stern.
September 17, 2013
In one of life’s little coincidences, I was sorting through books and came across two by Elmore Leonard. I’d read them so long ago that I’d forgotten most of the plot points and the writing was so good that I gave both of them a re-read. Mr. Leonard picked that week to die so I saw it as a sign that I should seek out more of his books. Just finished “The Hot Kid.” Excellent.
October 14, 2022
Summer’s almost over! I have to scarf down the last of my summer books, the ones made for sweltering afternoons and ice cold beers.
Louly is one of my favorite Elmore ladies. And Carl Webster? A hotshot, ice-cream-loving marshal by any other name...
Louly is one of my favorite Elmore ladies. And Carl Webster? A hotshot, ice-cream-loving marshal by any other name...
June 17, 2015
A bit too long and predictable, but Leonard is fun to read.
March 8, 2019
Elmore Leonard is another of my favorite crime fiction authors. I've read and enjoyed many of his works dating back to 52 Pickup and Cat Chaser in the 1980s. His novels are always gritty and pack a punch. The Hot Kid takes place in depression era Oklahoma in the 1930s. Carlos Webster came face to face with a hardened criminal, Emmett Long, when he was 15 who called him a greaser, stole his ice cream cone, and killed an Indian Cop. He later uses the name Carl and decides to be a U.S. Marshall after killing a cattle thief who was rustling his dad's stock. It is the era of the famous bank robbers of the time including Pretty Boy Floyd, Baby Face Nelson, and John Dillinger. Carl is the "hot kid" making a name for himself as one of the famous lawmen of the day. He ends up killing Long and many believe it was because of their meeting years before. He then ends up in a hunt to bring Jack Belmont to justice. Jack is the son of an oil millionaire who wants to be public enemy number one. Along the way he meets up with some gun molls and falls for Louly, who is related to Pretty Boy Floyd's wife. He also gets fame by being chronicled in True Detective magazine by a local writer.
Overall, I did enjoy this. However, sometimes I thought the storyline seemed to drag and was a little repetitious. It also never really had a real wow moment or conclusion as in most of Leonard's other novels. Some of the characters, especially the women, seemed also to be interchangeable. I did like the Carl Webster character who reminded me a lot of Raylan Givens, one of my favorite Leonard characters. I will be reading the followup to this novel, Up in Honey's Room soon.
Overall, I did enjoy this. However, sometimes I thought the storyline seemed to drag and was a little repetitious. It also never really had a real wow moment or conclusion as in most of Leonard's other novels. Some of the characters, especially the women, seemed also to be interchangeable. I did like the Carl Webster character who reminded me a lot of Raylan Givens, one of my favorite Leonard characters. I will be reading the followup to this novel, Up in Honey's Room soon.
April 19, 2025
Pretty good stuff about a US Marshal from Oklahoma who is a crack shot and a bit of a glory hound. Set in the golden age of the gangster when bands of criminals like Dillinger, Pretty Boy Floyd, and Bonnie and Clyde roamed the United States.
The story meanders a little more than most of Leonard's books, and is more than a little reminiscent of Raylan Givens, but the setting changes things a bit and is a fascinating time period
The story meanders a little more than most of Leonard's books, and is more than a little reminiscent of Raylan Givens, but the setting changes things a bit and is a fascinating time period
November 3, 2019
I've read a few of the late Mr. Leonard's crime novels, but when I saw this - "When the The New York Times calls someone "the greatest crime writer of our time perhaps ever," pretty heady stuff. So, back in 2005 , he decided to break new ground with a Prohibition crime caper. All I know is Elmore Leonard could write and the New York Times was right on the mark.
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