Maximum Bob by Elmore Leonard

I could have picked almost every book by Elmore Leonard for review – but most people have already seen film adaptations of his most famous ones, like Get Shorty, Hombre and Mr Majestik. I’ve picked Maximum Bob because it is representative of his work in general – a crime novel written by a superb writer. Elmore Leonard died in 2013 after producing an impressive list of books in the crime and western genres. One of his short stories was used to create the TV series Justified, which has brought him a large number of new fans.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/reader/B006ZZSHSQ/ref=sib_dp_kd#reader-link

SPOILER-FREE REVIEW

Maximum Bob is a judge known for giving criminals hard sentences. His toughness has made him so many enemies someone wants him dead in this tough novel filled with hard criminals and black humour set in a small town.

(Maximum Bob was made into a short-lived TV series starring Beau Bridges. Unfortunately, it was cancelled after its first season.)

WHY IT DESERVES FIVE STARS

Maximum Bob is a typical Elmore Leonard crime novel. It features quirky characters, sublime dialogue, a blistering plot, and Elmore Leonard’s trademark style of sparse writing. Elmore Leonard believed a writer should “cut out the boring stuff readers skip” to produce a lean, mean story with lots of white on each page. He wrote his books like scripts – leaving out long descriptions of the characters and setting because it wasn’t necessary. Some critics complain he ignored grammar – but he never did that. He often wrote in the style of the character, which meant he would occasionally ignore the grammar rules, though never at the expense of comprehension. He knew the rules of grammar – but he didn’t let them rule him. He created character through sparky dialogue and narrative, cutting out every unnecessary word.

Elmore Leonard was a writer’s writer. His non-fiction essays and articles on writing contain valuable advice for anyone considering it as a career. I think they should be essential reading on all creative-writing college courses. Even if you are not a fan of crime fiction, his fiction is worth reading just to learn how to write more concisely. After reading his essays, you’ll never use a fancy word for “said” again.

You will like this if you like: Quentin Tarantino movies, Donald Winslow, Richard Stark “Parker” novels, Justified, Get Shorty, Carl Hiaasen, Banshee, Lawrence Block, Ed McBain.