Tishomingo Blues

by Elmore Leonard

Daredevil Dennis Lenahan has brought his act to the Tishomingo Lodge & Casino in Tunica, Mississippi -- diving off an eighty-foot ladder into nine feet of water for the amusement of gamblers, gangsters, and luscious belles. His riskiest feat, however, was witnessing a Dixie-style mob execution while atop his diving platform. Robert Taylor saw the hit also. A blues-loving Detroit hustler touring the Southland in a black Jaguar, Taylor's got his own secret agenda re the "Cornbread Cosa Nostra," and he wants Dennis in on the game. But there's a lot more in Robert Taylor's pocket than a photo of his lynched great-grandfather. And high-diver Dennis could be about to take a long, fatal fall -- right into a mess of hoop skirts, Civil War play-acting ... and more trouble than he ever dreamed possible.

Genres: Fiction, Crime, Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Detective, Ebooks

308 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2002

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

[Henry Avila · Rating 3 out of 5]

A man on top of a platform, eighty feet above a small tank of water, just 9 feet deep, looks down at the remote object, raises his arms and leaps out into nothingness, flying briefly before gravity hurls him under, he tumbles, twisting his body this way and that, moving sixty miles a hour, in two seconds a big splash as Dennis Lenahan, hits the target, slowly he surfaces, the appreciative crowd cheers wildly...Mr Lenahan, originally from New Orleans, has been a diver for 22 years, the talented daredevil, from jumping off the high cliffs of Acapulco, to amusement parks around the country, still in great physical shape, but the end of the line is rushing by quickly. He wrangles a job at the new Tishomingo Lodge & Casino, in Tunica, Mississippi, skeptical Billy Darwin, who runs the place, gives him 300 dollars a day, a two week tryout, it sure beats sleeping in his truck. But this is the heart of the Dixie Mafia's territory , they control the drug trade around here, money is everything, as the unconnected Dennis, soon finds out, witnesses a killing while on his high perch , outside the casino, the two killers look up, jeering him, and threaten another slaying . Until Charlie Hoke ( Chickasaw Charlie) arrives, the celebrity host of the Lodge, a former minor league pitcher (an occasional boyfriend to Mr.Lenahan's attractive landlady Vernice ), with some big league glory, in Detroit, he says, but nobody remembers him, boasts about his 99 miles a hour fastball, persuades the criminals to leave, Dennis can keep his mouth shut. More complications, the persistent John Rau, from the state police starts snooping around, asking too many questions, rumors spread that Lenahan saw the gruesome murder, the first of many, the cops around here, are not too concerned, bad guys killing each other, a good thing...Then a gang of Detroit gangsters come to town, wanting to take over the lucrative narcotics business, led by Mr. Germano Mularoni, he doesn't like to talk, but enjoys gambling in the casino, a high roller, brings his gorgeous, reluctant, bored wife along, Anne and able, ambitious assistant, too, Robert Taylor ( not the actor ) . But a black man, the other gangsters admire, his cool, who drives a fabulous Jaguar, loves the Blues, always speaking about and playing that music, becomes a friend of Dennis's, offers him a job, not quite legit, but will make him rich. An expert also, on the gory, American Civil War, Mr. Taylor is, there will be a reenactment of the bloody Battle of Brice's Crossroads, nearby, during a sizzling heat wave, all the main characters will be involved, but this one will use real, deadly bullets...A stylish , engrossing story, with many facets, not just about crime, but life, for those who survive.

[Glenn Russell · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Let us attempt to narrow it down. Elmore Leonard is a literary genius who writes re-readable thrillers. Mr. Leonard possess gifts - of ear and eye, of timing and phrasing - that even the most snobbish masters of the mainstream must vigorously covet. And the question is: how does he allow these gifts play, in his efficient, unpretentious and (delightfully) similar yarns about semiliterate hustlers, mobsters, go-go dancers, cocktail waitresses, loan sharks, bounty hunters, blackmailers and syndicate executioners? My answer may sound reductive, but here goes: the essence of Elmore is to be found in his use of the present participle."

The above quote is from Martin Amis and, trust me gang, he is absolutely dead-on center here. Even though Tishomingo Blues is written in the historical present rather than the present participle, that is, “Vernice said” or “Robert said” rather than “Vernice saying” or “Robert saying,” it’s the same motor of urgent talk that drives action, the same creamy, boozy dialogue that enables Elmore Leonard to glide effortlessly into the mindstream of his characters.

The British man of letters also hits the bulls-eye when he notes how Leonard's characters have junk souls stuffed with sitcoms, ad jingles, talk shows and celebrity gossip. If you can't personally relate to the author's cast if sleazeballs, count your blessings - even when these mobsters, cocktail waitresses, drug dealers, whores and hit men possess quick wits or material wealth, scratch the surface and you come away with a garbage can of psychic trash.

So, why would I rate Tishomingo Blues among the best of Leonard’s fifty novels? For me, it’s all in the contrast: injected into the mix of vintage Elmore sordid lowlife is main character Dennis Lenahan, world class high diving dare devil. We are in Tunica, Mississippi where Dennis talks an owner of a new casino hotel into hiring him to set up his mini pool and diving tower as a special summer event to draw the crowds. Approaching age forty Dennis has been a professional stunt diver for over twenty years, from the cliffs of Acapulco to the amusement park circuit, a ton and a half of amusement parks, enough merry-go-rounds and roller coasters to prod Dennis into thinking he’s had just about enough and maybe its time to consider over venues or even a second career.

Similar to his other novels, Elmore Leonard did his research: all the rigging, wiring and various technicalities Dennis must deal with setting up his show are presented in such color and detail, the world of Tishomingo Blues comes completely alive to snap, crackle, pop and rock us from the first few pages. I’ve read the novel three times and I share Martin Amis' pleasure: kicking back and rereading Elmore is wicked and irresistible, sheer post-modern decadent bliss.

Preparing for his opening day performance, Dennis is up on his eighty-foot perch practicing diving. Meanwhile, the professional rigger hired to assist Dennis with the set-up, a local by the name of Floyd Showers, is by the pool securing the last wires. Dennis looks down as two men, one slick-haired and the other tall and wearing a cowboy hat, come outside to exchange words with Floyd. Suddenly the slick-haired one draws a pistol out from under his sportshirt and takes Floyd under the scaffolding. Dennis hears a series of pops. Evidently they both figured great place to pull off a murder since there's no witnesses. However, they misjudged; those two dudes look up and see Dennis. They know he saw them kill Floyd. Just at that moment lights come on and a beer gut bubba named Charlie Hoke, a former major leaguer who runs a pitching cage next to the hotel, comes strolling across the lawn.

Thus we have the framework for unfolding events. I wouldn't want to say anything further regarding plot since one fan of the author reports she never ever reads a review of a new Elmore Leonard before reading the book. She wants to discover the twists of the story for herself. I can't blame her - there are so many whammies and curveballs in his novels that turning the pages becomes an intense pleasure; the deeper you get into the story, the more you want to read.

Did I mention Charlie Hoke pitched for the ’84 Tigers in the World Series? Actually, Charlie lets everyone within earshot know how he dedicated over twenty years of his life to professional baseball and then will launch into a pitch by pitch of how he struck out such star sluggers as Al Oliver, Mike Schmidt, Willie MccGee and Wade Boggs.

Besides Charlie, there’s a batch of Ole Miss crackers with names like Arlen, Newton and Eugene, all nasty and violent, rednecks who aren’t shy in holding back on threats and a torrent of racial slurs, particularly if they encounter a member of the Negro race. Also on hand are the beautiful babes, including the slim dark eyed, dark haired Anne who is married to Detroit gangster Germano Mularoni, a stunning blonde TV reporter and Loretta caught in the act of making Naughty Child pie.

But the novel’s second main character is not from Dixie but from Detriot, a good looking, cool, razor sharp, fast-talking, affable black man going by the name of Robert Taylor who drives a Jaguar and packs a pistol. Robert has a long list of accomplishments requiring super smarts going back to when he was a twelve-year old city kid organizing a network of drug runs. And as a hotel guest occupying a first-rate suite Robert was standing at the window and witnessed Dennis being a witness to the Floyd Showers murder. Oh, what a connection this will turn out to be. Robert admires Dennis, the way he risks his neck every single day by doing all those flips and twists from way up there on his perch down into that little bitty nine-foot pool of water. My main man, Dennis!

Are you into Civil War reenactment? One big part of the novel involves the reenactment of the Battle of Brice’s Cross Roads. As to be expected, many of the good ol' Southern boys are into war and weapons as hardliners. Even John Rau, the detective on the Floyd Showers case, participates as Colonel John Rau on the side of the Union, one of his men a Private Dennis Lenahan. And, as there was back in the actual Civil War, there’s a place in the reenactment for an African-American – Robert Taylor wears Confederacy gray and is very much part of the show.

To underscore how the super-smooth dialogue from the novel could easily be used for a movie, here’s a snatch from Robert Taylor: “You think I’m the man, huh? Not some local deputy dog, you think I might be a fed, like some nare sniffing around. Hey, come on, I’m not looking into your business, I saw you dive, man. I respect you. Listen, I bet I’ve been in your shoes a few times. You know what I’m saying? I think we both had our nerves rubbed a little. You ask me am I looking for work and I jump on it, ‘cause I don’t seek employment. Any given time I got my own agenda.”

Lastly, it definitely should not be overlooked that this book, similar to Elmore Leonard’s other novels, deals in social commentary and the moral choices we make as individuals and as a society. And what does it mean to be a good man or woman and act morally? Are such distinctions clear cut or do they tend to be just a little bit murky? American is not only the land of opportunity but, as Dick Gregory wisely observed, the land of the opportunist. Not to mention the land of scams and con games. Is it morally right to scam the scammers or con the con artists? Is it possible to be a person worthy of respect, even if you mind is nearly full of psychic trash or if you talk like a semi-illiterate or break the law ten times a day? Murky, muddy Mississippi – for Elmore Leonard’s Tishomingo Blues, as much the people as the river.


American author Elmore Leonard, 1925 - 2013

[Jayakrishnan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A novel filled with wonderful sleazy low life characters made vivid purely through dialog and very little description. Dennis Lenehan, who talks himself into a job as a show diver at a lodge-casino in Tunica, Misissippi, witnesses a murder one day, while he is sitting atop the 80 foot ladder from where he usually jumps into a 9 foot pool. Robert Taylor, an ambitious hustler staying at the casino, witnesses Dennis witnessing the murder. Robert, who is impressed by Dennis' individualism and daredevil diving act, tries to lure him into a plot to takeover the local drug trade from the Dixie mafia.

There are many interesting set pieces in the novel - the diving show at the casino, the redneck honky-tonk and the civil war reenactment. But the crackling working man dialog, endowed with anecdotes about blues musicians (according to one of the characters, the famous Iggy Pop/The Stooges song "I wanna be your dog" was inspired by "I'm a doggy" by Afro-Jewish musician Marvin Pontiac) and redneck culture (naughty child pie!), is what really makes the novel. An array of beguiling characters - a cocktail waitress, a prostitute, a mistress, an Italian bombmaker, a baseball legend turned announcer, murderous Mexicans, rednecks and Indians provide support to the main cast.

Hollywood has sacrificed the factotums, barflies, men in chain gangs, traveling performers and other weirdos for the nerd, the superhero nonsense, yuppies and other apostles of the metastasizing global mono-culture. But American novels (read by middle class guys like me, living in India) continue to eulogize the hard men and women hustlers who hit the road and do not settle for the mundane and the mediocre.

[Kemper · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dennis Lenahan has an odd way of making a living. Several times a day he climbs an eighty-foot ladder and then dives into a tank filled with nine feet of water for the entertainment of tourists. His latest gig is at a hotel/casino in Tishomingo, Mississippi, but while Dennis is on top of the ladder setting up for his next show, he witnesses a couple of good ole boys murdering the guy who had been hired to help him.

Dennis is advised that the killers are members of the local Dixie Mafia so he’d best keep what he’s seen to himself unless he wants to be next to go, but rumors are everywhere that the high diver saw the murder. Dennis is caught between a smart cop and the killers, but he’s made a new friend to help him out. Robert Taylor is a smooth talking black man from Detroit who likes to brandish a picture that he claims shows his great-grandfather being lynched by the great-grandfather of a prominent local business man, and he instantly inserts himself into Dennis’ situation. But he’s not doing it out of the kindness of his heart since it’s obvious that Robert is playing some kind of angle that involves the upcoming re-enactment of a Civil War battle.

Elmore Leonard claimed to not know how a book would end when started writing it, and this is probably the main reason that his plots often went off in unexpected directions and the focus might shift from one character to another in the middle of the story. That’s usually something I very much liked about his books, but it doesn’t seem to work quite as well in this one.

I’d be willing to bet that his original idea had something to do with the picture of the lynching and the Civil War reenactment, but he couldn’t figure out a way to fit it all together so he eventually dumps the picture idea and goes in a completely different direction with little explanation as to why Robert had it in the first place.

And while people meeting under strange circumstances and then forming some kind of unlikely bond or partnership was a common trait in Leonard’s books, the instant bromance between Dennis and Robert doesn’t work as well as others that he wrote. It’s more than a little odd that smart Robert would decide to bring Dennis into his plans just because he admires the guts it takes to high dive, and considering that he knows Robert is working some kind of scam, Dennis going along with him without knowing his agenda also seems off.

Plus, while he provides one subplot involving the rednecks and a badly behaved dog, he never gives us much of the point of view of the main bad guy so it seems like we’re only getting half the story. He also saves the introduction of a key character to the last act while letting others do little or vanish from the story. Again, a Leonard book usually doesn’t end anywhere close to how you thought it would and the hero in one chapter may be the villain by the end of the book, but he spent a lot of time developing the character of Charlie Hoke, a former professional baseball player who manages to mention his career in every conversation he has, only not to do much of anything with him.

You still have to give points to any story that manages to work in high diving, the Dixie Mafia and Civil War reenactments, but there’s a lack of focus that keeps this one down in the rankings of Elmore Leonard books.

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

There’s not a character here, idiot, asshole, or otherwise, that’s not having the time of their life, just playing the game. Most of all, Robert Taylor, blues-loving criminal mastermind.

[robin friedman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Elmore Leonard In Mississippi

The Battle of Brices Cross Roads was fought on June 10, 1864, near Baldwin in Northeast Mississippi. The fabled Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest won a sweeping victory over Union forces led by Union Brigadier General Samuel Sturgis. Today Brices Cross Roads is a National Battlefield Site administered by the National Park Service. Although the Confederates won the battle, the result was to prevent Forrest and his troops from threatening Union General William T. Sherman on his march to Atlanta.

The Battle of Brices Cross Roads and much else in American history forms the background for Elmore Leonard's 2002 novel, "Tishomingo Blues". Set in Tunica, Mississippi, south of the 1864 battlefield, the novel centers around a reenactment of the 1864 battle which becomes taken over by warring drug gangs. The book describes in great detail the passion many Americans feel for Civil War reenactments. (Leonard and his assistant did their research.) The book also captures a great deal of the tawdry feeling of Tunica with its casinos, brothels, drugs, and carnival-like atmosphere.

The novel includes a large cast of characters that are difficult to keep straight. Some of this difficulty may be an integral part of the story as it captures the confusion and chaos of a Civil War battle. Most of the characters are Mississippians, but a number hail from Detroit. the setting of many of Leonard's books. Important characters include a range of demographics, including African Americans and Latinos. Most of the characters are Southerners or Mississippians with a number of important figures from Detroit, probably the best-known setting for Leonard's novels. The book includes important and well-described women characters as well as men.

The main character of the book, Dennis Lenahan, is a high-diver down on his luck and on his long-term means of support. He gets a job diving as a casino attraction when, on top of an 80-foot diving board, he witnesses a brutal murder. Two other characters in the book are Charlie Hoke, a talkative washed-up former professional baseball player who befriends Dennis, and Robert Taylor, and African American from Detroit who also approaches Dennis and whose character and motivations are at first difficult to fathom. The book becomes a character study and a morality play as Dennis is faced with choices as his fate becomes entwined with the competing drug gangs participating in the Brices Cross Roads reenactment. The legend of blues singer Robert Johnson who allegedly sold his soul to the devil at a Mississippi crossroads near Tunica in exchange for his uncanny musical ability becomes a symbol for the decisions Dennis Lenahan must make in this novel.

The book is somewhat lengthy but moves quickly with Leonard's descriptive power and ear for sharp, colloquial dialogue. I found some of the most interesting parts of the book involved Leonard's depictions of a variety of American life, both North and South, particularly his descriptions of the blues and of a variety of low, desperate lives, including casino workers, the diver, cheap prostitutes, violent criminals and others trying to get by. Leonard also captures the continued American fascination with the Civil War.

The details of the tangled story sometimes are difficult to follow but the book has a sweep in its characterizations and themes. The book has more to offer in its portrayal of the difficulty of moral choice, in its portrayal of aspects of America, and in its treatment of living in the past through Civil War reenactments and other means, than a simple crime thriller. Leonard referred to this book as his favorite among his many novels. The Library of America has published four volumes of Leonard's prolific writings. "Tishomingo Blues" is included in the final volume, in terms of the chronology of the writings, titled "Four Later Novels".

Robin Friedman

[James Thane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Elmore Leonard has always been one of my favorite, go-to writers, but when I first read Tishomingo Blues several years ago, I just didn't enjoy it nearly as much as I had hoped. Rereading it this week simply confirmed my initial impression, and again I closed the book thinking that it was not up to the author's usually very high standards.

The plot is, frankly, a mess, and it seems like Leonard had trouble making up his mind where he actually wanted to take the story. At the heart of the tale is a small-time professional diver named Dennis Lanahan. Dennis wanders about the country diving from the top of an eighty-foot ladder into a pool with nine feet of water.

As the book opens, Dennis has been signed to bring his act to the Tishomingo Lodge and Casino in Tunica, Mississippi. One night, as he is setting up his equipment, he looks down and witnesses a murder. Hoping that the two killers didn't notice him up on his ladder, Dennis remains perfectly still and tells no one what he has seen. Pretty soon, though, it becomes pretty common knowledge that he saw the shooting and it remains to be seen what the killers will do about it.

Enter Robert Taylor a black, blues-loving hustler from Detroit, who also sees the killing and who knows that Dennis has seen it. Taylor befriends Lanahan and gradually draws him into his orbit. For a long time it's unclear why Taylor is in Tunica, but it involves the reenactment of a Civil War battle that is to be staged near the town. A variety of other characters are thrown into the mix including both Detroit and Dixieland mobsters, all of whom have their own agendas.

The action unfolds very slowly and the story never seems to come into focus. But the real problem for me is that the book lacks the sparkle that is usually the heartbeat of any Elmore Leonard novel. Leonard is the master of creating great characters that are a little off-norm, and the dialog that he gives those characters is usually sharp and witty. Sadly, there's very little of that here. None of these characters is nearly as memorable as a lot of Leonard's others and the dialog, for the most part, is pretty pedestrian.

All in all, this is not a bad book, but it's not what I would normally expect from Leonard and as I continue to make my way back through his novels, I'm fully expecting that the next one up will be better.

[L.S. Popovich · Rating 4 out of 5]

Leonard's writing style is conducive to enjoyment in audiobook form, I've found. A remarkably consistent writer. In the dozen or so novels I've read, there is a nice variety of content, without much variation in style. He found his voice and stuck with it, I guess.

The two main thrusts of the plot of Tishomingo Blues are the high diver and the company of war reenactment enthusiasts. The two forms of circus-like performance intersect in a sort of contrived crime-boss scenario. The insertion of crime and corruption is almost a given, considering the purview of our author. Carried along by well-realized characters and pervasive humor, this is one of the better Leonard's I've listened to.

Not much re-readability, but it is memorable. When you examine Elmore Leonard's writing critically, it is difficult to find fault. Very few writers have the sort of talent he possessed. The dialogue is pitch perfect most of the time, the plot always ready-made for a film adaptation or a very cinematic reading experience. Even the characters are enjoyable, despite their built-in flaws. Occasionally crude or forced, he is almost always a blast to read.

[Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another supremely enjoyable, compulsively readable, slyly imagined novel from the late, great Elmore Leonard. As always, his dialogue shines, his misfit characters feel indelible and authentic, and his plot motors along effortlessly. Truly the best sort of popcorn read, which also surprisingly and deftly weaves in serious themes without ever being weighed down by them. I’m very glad he was extremely prolific, because I have many more enjoyable books of his to read.

[Ms.pegasus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dennis Lenahan has a problem. What do you do when your sole life skill is diving off an 80 foot tower into a pool of water 9 feet deep? Dennis is not much of a long-range planner, and his solution is to quit the seedy indignities of the amusement park circuit and bring his act to posh resorts populated by wealthy tourists. He ends up at a more modest venue, the newly constructed Tishomingo Lodge and Casino in northern Mississippi, an area styled by locals as the “Casino Capital of the South.” The area is a mere 30 minutes drive from Memphis, Tennessee. The Tishomingo is no Harrah's but its owner, Billy Darwin, has roustabout roots similar to Dennis's, someone he can relate to as opposed to some faceless corporate suit. Unfortunately, Dennis' problems haven't been solved. They are just beginning.

This may not be Florida or Detroit, but it is definitely Elmore Leonard territory. The novel is populated by sketchy scheming dim-wits who think they're outstmarting everyone else. The conversation between local tycoon Walter Kirkbride, the money launderer for Dixie mob chief Arlen Novis, and Robert Taylor, a Detroit advance man for gangster Germano Mularoni, is a gem. Taylor repeatedly asks questions that Kirkbride deflects by responding with a non-answer. He thinks its a clever pivot, a way of controlling the conversation. The simple question: “'Where you want to be...when Arlen goes down'” stops him in his tracks. (p.213) Similarly, Jerry Germano Mularoni, Detroit gangster, is tough-talking, but he's putty in the wily Taylor's hands. As for Arlen Novis, he and his gang possess a careless viciousness that's totally believeable. Dennis is right to fear them. That fear pushes him toward an alliance with Taylor. Taylor might have his own agenda, but he was smart: "Robert had the confidence to be a confidence man. You believed him. He said in the car last night, 'That man gives you any shit, tell me.' Dennis believed him as he said it and still believed he was the guy he could go to. Robert knew what was going on here." (p.74)

Dennis may be the man with the problems but Taylor is the main attraction. He delivers an erudite lecture on the roots of the Delta blues that includes Robert Johnson's antecedents, and matches it with an impressive catalog of vintage standards. The flashy Jaguar he drives is backed up with a soft-spoken intelligence that instills respect. It soon becomes apparent that Taylor has come to Mississippi with the express intent of participating in the hastily planned Civil War enactment of Brice's Cross Roads. He seizes on the role of a black scout in the Confederate Army under the command of General J.E.B. Stuart who will be played by Walter Kirkbride. Like Dennis, the reader wonders why Taylor wants to be on the Confederate side.

The details of a Civil War enactment are illuminating. There are quibbles about authentic costuming. Itchy woolen longjohns are to be worn under uniforms regardless of the Mississippi heat. A man named John Rau is a particular stickler, providing detailed instructions on how to make salt pork, called salt horse. Leonard catches precisely his tone of pedantic condescension toward his troops. It's his alter-ego lapping up the authority that the "good ole' boy" locals deny him in his role as Criminal Investigation Bureau from the district office in Batesville in real life.

Details of casualties and minute by minute accounts of the battle are common knowledge, surprising in a community where readership starts and stops with the tabloids. Of course, there are slackers as well — guys who stash candy bars in their rucksacks, wear t-shirts under their uniforms, and become early “casualties” so they can spend the rest of the day in the shade getting drunk. History mixes with kitsch. Salt and pepper shakes fashioned after Grant and Lee are for sale along with hats, insignia and mugs. Dennis sums it up: “'It's like a county fair without the rides.'” (p.243)

This was a truly entertaining book peopled by colorful characters, often reminiscent of characters from other Elmore Leonard works. Once again, Leonard really nails the sense of locality with a complicated plot of double-crosses and a giddy pace of switches and surprises. His sense of humor is low key: how do you use an outhouse wearing a hoop skirt? Where else would an offer of a green tomato pie be a veiled invitation to spend the night? This book was particularly enjoyable for me, after having made a series of unfortunate reading choices.

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another good tale by Leonard. I love his characters. Unfortunately, the reader took the southern redneck voices to extremes & didn't do the story any favors. As usual, there were quite a few twists & I wound up rooting for people who normally wouldn't be considered 'the good guys'. It was quite a trip.

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

An easy and extremely enjoyable read, if you like this type of thing, which I obviously do. Certainly one of the author's more humorous novels, with a unique location in an equally unique environment, where most of the characters are going to be involved in the local city's first Civil War re-enactment. But what a group of characters, from a high-dive artist to the richest man in town (who, of course, will portray Nathan Bedford in the re-enactment, to quite a number of "outsiders" each with his (or her) own agenda.

[Blair · Rating 3 out of 5]

Feel like i just read a movie script with great dialogue, but a movie script nonetheless.

[Cherisa B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining, terrific dialog. An easy way to learn about Civil War re-enactment as a hobby. Those guys are a little nuts.

[Mack · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing yet clear plot, lean prose: the Civil War re-enactment is brilliant. Just some of the characters are too dumb to believe.

[Sagheer Afzal · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am afraid that of all the Elmore Leonard books that I have read this was my least favourite. The catchy dialogue that makes his books memorable is still there. There can be no denying that when it comes to using dialogue to animate characters, Elmore Leonard is in a class of his own.

My main problem with the book is plot. A diver witnesses a murder. But almost nothing is done about this until page 155 or so. Then there is added plot distraction of re-enacting a civil war in which the protagonists and antagonists can get to kill each other. But why?

I got the feeling that Elmore Leonard was trying add some much vaunted symbolism and literary allusions to his story and as a result he was trying to conflate two disparate story lines. That of a diver witnessing a murder and that of a civil war re-enactment, which is drawn out far too long. The underlying idea that this is manifestation of two gangs competing for territory is made evident. But so what?

Shouldn't the book be about Denis and what happens to him because he witnesses a murder? Why do we need to see the Dixie Mafia and their rival play dress up just to kill each other?

A neat idea wasted in an unnecessary plot.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

So much fun and I'll always remember Elmore Leonard seeing me through the hottest night so far of this Perth heatwave. I just wish I brought Justified with me on this trip!

[Manray9 · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’ve read a number of Elmore Leonard’s books – some good, some not so. This was the worst. Tempted to put it down unfinished, only my inborn obstinacy kept me at it through the end. Don’t bother.

[Nev March · Rating 3 out of 5]

Replete with Leonard’s signature snappy dialog, this twisty tale starts out with high diver Dennis Lenahan witnessing a murder from his perch 80 feet above his diving pool. Over the next 200 pages, which are way slow, this leads to him getting cross in a turf war between a Detroit gang led by fascinating black character Robert Taylor, master of the long game, blues history, southern re-enactments and the local mob with a crooked ex-sheriff and local developer running the drug ring. The game of double cross, where each side vies to best the other and also has internal rivalries and enmities is played out during the re-enactment of a civil war battle.
What I liked: oh the fabulous dialog, where a single long look gives away a great deal. An example:

Shit, this guy—Dennis kept his mouth shut. He swore he wouldn’t get into it any deeper.
But then Robert said, “You ever think of selling your soul?”
And Dennis bit; couldn’t help it.
“How do you do that?”
“You stand up and say, when the time comes, Enough of this shit, I’m gonna do what I want. Or I’m gonna get me what I want. It’s how you turn your life around.”
“What if you don’t know what you want?”
“You have to be cool, wait for it to be offered. But when it comes, you only have the one chance to grab it. You know what I’m saying?”

Aaaaaah, yes. What a sound it has, the rhythm of it, like being in the car with the two of them.
What I didn’t like. Leonard seems to indicate women are good for only one thing. Yeah, that. There are women in this story, but they are always someone’s woman. None of them seem to stand for anything. The sex is casual, a man’s version of enjoyment, and tender is all it takes to be a hero. Being cool, holding one’s cards close, making friends with ballsy guys, and taking one’s pick of the women—these seem Leonard’s ideal of masculinity, alas. The big question of who killed Floyd is answered immediately, but the why is a weak McGuffin at best.

So net net, here’s some fun action, some good scenes of the re-enactment, some ballsy moves by the mysterious Robert Taylor, and the big question, will daredevil Dennis go over to the dark side, if only for the “edge” of it, since he sees that at forty, he can’t keep diving more than a few years. Leonard weaves that engaging start, the high diver’s wide view from his perch with some gang warfare and a plethora of gang characters—mostly male.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Get Shorty, Elmore Leonard put his gangster characters into the strange new land of Hollywood. In Tishomingo Blues, his Detroit based gangsters end up at a new casino in the deep South, and the action culminates in, of all places, a Civil War battle reenactment.

The protagonist of this tale, Dennis Lenahan, is a professional high diver, making the circuit of county fairs to dive into a pool from 80 feet in the air. It's a footloose thrill ride kind of life, both for the risks he takes and the women he leaves behind, but he's growing tired of it when he decides to set up shop at a new casino in Mississippi.

Early on in the story, he witnesses a killing while he's waiting to make one of his dives, and from then on, despite his best efforts, he is dragged into the sordid drug business that led to the murder. The tale pits the "Dixie Mafia" of vicious but cognitively challenged Southern thugs against a crew run by a super-cool black dealer from Detroit named Robert Taylor. Taylor is officially the righthand man for a violent thug named Jerry Germano, but it doesn't take long to find out that Robert is the brains in the outfit. He is attracted to Dennis' cool courage, and slowly lures him into his own plans to take over organized crime in this new territory.

The growing tension -- which Leonard is a master of -- culminates in a mock Civil War battle which includes both sets of gangsters, Dennis himself and even the chief state criminal investigator. No spoiler alerts needed, but this is where we find out how the whole spinning mess is going to resolve itself.

It's true that all of Leonard's characters talk in the same distinctive argot and that he uses casual violence as a calling card, but there is nobody better at it, and he cleverly works in lots of Civil War history and factoids -- and high diving lore -- to give this story a vivid grounding in reality.

[Márta Péterffy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A második könyvem a szerzőtől, az előző jobban tetszett, ám ez is megér négy csillagot nálam-főleg a zenék miatt! A történet nem elég különös, sem nem sodró-de a figurák, az amerikai Dél világa érdekes. Leonard nem igazán krimit ír, nem is tudom, miféle zsáner az övé, de van hangulata, az biztos.

[Maggie K · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dang this was a good book! A twisted, roll-with-the flow kind of plot, characters you get to know fairly quickly, but not really LIKE, and a simple kind of writing that REALLY tells a story.... It all makes for a very entertaining and enjoyable read.

[Nekouken · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tishomingo Blues is perhaps the most unlikely success I have ever seen. I'll demonstrate this by first describing it to you:

A professional high-diver, having set up a regular gig over the summer at a run-down hotel in the deep south, witnesses a murder and makes friends with a drug dealer enamored of the old-style '20s-era blues, and the two of them join a Civil War re-enactment with the murderers, their employers, a Vegas mob boss and a retired minor league pitcher.

And yet it's one of the most engaging stories I've read in years, despite its premise being almost mathematically designed to be off-putting. I only read the book because Elmore Leonard has earned my trust with such great books as Get Shorty, Out of Sight and Pagan Babies (the latter of which showed tremendous growth as a writer of dialogue between lovers from earlier books I felt were bogged down by clumsy and unconvincing pillow talk), enough to get me to ignore the premise.

Dennis the diver even hides some of his depth from us for a few chapters, letting people think that they're in charge because he's new in town before revealing himself as a devilishly crafty opportunist. Even Robert, the drug dealer and b-grade con artist, is impressed.

Dennis plays what TV Tropes.org would call several Batman Gambits, making even Chili Palmer of Get Shorty look like a rank amateur.

I recommend this one, folks; is surprisingly engaging and startlingly excellent. Also I read Don Cheadle wants to make a movie out of it.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kind of low key for Elmore Leonard, good Southern flavored crime story, not much in the way of his usual wacky, over-the-top characters (which is one of the things I love most about Mr. Leonard's work) so I give it 3.5 stars... if it were an unknown writer needing some attention I'd probably round up to 4 stars, but I think the author will survive my 3 star rating with no damage to his career.

Dennis Lenahan - a daredevil, high dive champion - takes a job at a small casino in Mississippi. A good gig that could turn into something more takes a twist when Dennis witnesses a killing from the top of his 80-foot dive platform... the killers are part of a Dixie Mafia and they know he saw them... another witness - Robert Taylor, a cool, mysterious man from Detroit - also knows who saw what and wants to use it to his advantage as much as possible. Dennis isn't quite sure what to make of any of it, 'What exactly is the Dixie Mafia?' 'What is Taylor up to and why does he want Dennis involved?' 'Should he go to the authorities?' 'Should he just shut up and dive?'. The enigmatic story comes to a head as all parties meet up on the battlefield of a Civil War reenactment... someone is going to die for real!

Liked it, didn't love it, probably because my expectations are pretty high when it comes to Elmore Leonard. I don't think anyone who likes good crime fiction will be disappointed.

[Bart Hopkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes I deliberate for much too long over little things.

The rating of this book is a good example. I was torn between four and five stars. In the end, whatever ... it's just a book review! So there are the five stars.

This was my first Elmore Leonard book. I think. That I remember.

Leonard is a good storyteller, and the book was fun. It felt like it was written a couple of decades before the copyright. Something about the language and prose of the author, I guess, made it feel like it was from a generation earlier. Maybe Mr. Leonard had this tucked away in a drawer or something. Or that's his style. Whatever the case, that's just an observation, neither good or bad.

One thing I will mention is that I have seen some very significant praise for Leonard, and I did not see the same brilliance that others have, or at least not in this book. I am going to give another one a try soon to make a more informed decision, and I'll get back to you.

Fun book that's worth a read, could probably be a 4-star rating just as easy as five. Don't go in expecting something earth-shattering, but ready for a fun story with an older school feel.

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was my first Elmore Leonard book. By all accounts, Leonard appears to be a pretty old, famous murder mystery writer. Notoriety and all, I just didn't like the book, but didn't dislike it enough to put down. He is very good at building interesting characters that make you want to follow their lives, but the plot itself wasn't catchy for me, or maybe I didn't get it. The setting of a civil war reenactment was entertaining for a murder plot, but I thought he involved too many characters and should have built a stronger story with the main ones, leaving out the rif-raf. Unfortunately, I don't think I'll read any more Elmore Leonard novels unless someone points me to the better books. I believe he has 100 or so to his credit including some made into famous movies (Get Shorty), so perhaps it's that I didn't start with the best.

[John Fedele · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first Elmore Leonard book and what a wonderful treat. Memorable story, characters and dialogue.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

Highly enjoyable caper.

[Sallie Dunn · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

My first Elmore Leonard book, certainly not his most well known, but I read on line that out of 37 works, this is his personal favorite. If crime fiction can be fun, this is it! Leonard is more famous for settings in Detroit, Los Angeles, and Miami, but this time he places the action in the Deep South with a full cast of mobsters, murderers and drug lords and some racial tension brought on my the cool black likable con man, Robert Taylor, who hails from Detroit. Dennis is a high diver who dives from an 80 foot perch into 9 feet of water. Poor Dennis, he just happens to be at his seat 80 feet up when he witnesses a murder. Let the mayhem begin! Just needed a breather from all the dark fiction I’ve seemed to find in my last few novels. .

[Pamela Mclaren · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is no better writer than Elmore Leonard to show you the sometimes funny, silly underbelly of crime and in Tishomingo Blues, he has created a crack cast of characters that will stay with you quite a while. There is high diver Dennis Lenahan, who scrambles to make a living in a career with diminishing returns, who meets up with Robert Taylor, a fast-talking, smooth-operating hustler who seems to know what will happen and how it will go down. Their improbable friendship develops in the midst of gamblers, 'gangsters' and assorted other characters. Where they will all end up is anybody's guess as Taylor plays both sides right down the middle.