Rum Punch (1992)

by Elmore Leonard

Members	Reviews	Popularity	Average rating	Mentions
1,526	18	11,911	(3.67)	42
Rum Punch is classic Elmore Leonard-the electrifying thriller that served as the basis for the acclaimed film Jackie Brown by director Quentin Tarantino, starring Pam Grier, Robert DeNiro, and Samuel L. Jackson. Leonard's story of a not-altogether-blameless flight attendant on the run from her vicious gun-running sometime employer who sees her as a troublesome loose end, Rum Punch is Leonard at his sharpest and most ingeniously entertaining. Enjoy this sensational noir winner from the creator of the character of U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens, lately of TV's hit series Justified, and see why the great Elmore Leonard stands tall in the company of America's most legendary crime fiction masters: John D. MacDonald, Dashiell Hammett, James M. Cain, et al.… (more)

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Showing 1-5 of 17 (next | show all)

The best way to describe this book is "movie-ish". And yes! It was made into the movie "Jackie Brown." (which is on my 'to watch' list.
Getting back to the book, it is more plot-driven than character-driven. The plot seems like it would translate better to the screen than to the page. It has a lot of action, with twists, turns, double-crosses, and some events that seem random. Some of the writing was awkward.
Overall, a quick, fun read. Not too deep. *Three stars...I liked it but didn't love it. (

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Chrissylou62 | Apr 11, 2024 |

My dad is cleaning off his bookshelves and giving away as many books as he can bring himself to. He asked what types of books I like, and after listening patiently to my very long and very specific answers, he apparently walked away with "mysteries" stuck in his mind. In any case he's been bringing me everything in the mystery/intrigue/thriller category, along with everything set in Berlin or Prague. It's an interesting subset of my dad's brain that I've got stacked on an end table now. I'm pacing myself as I already had, let's be honest, a year's worth of books picked out on my own. Anyway I picked up this one and got a few pages in before I realized I was reading Jackie Brown. Cool, dad. (

)

Kiramke | Jun 27, 2023 |

Set in the South Florida cities of West Palm Beach and Miami, Rum Punch follows Jackie Burke, a forty-four-year-old stewardess for a bottom-rung airline, who has been smuggling illegal cash into the U.S. from Jamaica for small-time gunrunner and aspiring crime boss Ordell Robbie.

CalleFriden | Feb 8, 2023 |

Can't go wrong with Elmore Leonard. This one really ranks up at the top. In case anyone doesn't know, this book was the basis for Tarantino's Jackie Brown movie. (

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bjkelley | Feb 9, 2022 |

i never saw jackie brown so i’m interested to see how it all moves to california (

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austinburns | Dec 16, 2021 |

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Belongs to Publisher Series

Stile libero [Einaudi] (Big)

Is contained in

Elmore Leonard: Four Later Novels: Get Shorty / Rum Punch / Out of Sight / Tishomingo Blues (The Library of America) by Elmore Leonard

Elmore Leonard: The Classic Crime Novels: A Library of America Boxed Set by Elmore Leonard (indirect)

Has the adaptation

Jackie Brown [1997 film] by Quentin Tarantino

Jackie Brown: A ScreenPlay by Quentin Tarantino

▾Awards and Honors

Distinctions

New York Times bestseller (Fiction – 1992)

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The Top 100 Crime Novels of All Time by BookBub

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Related movies

Jackie Brown (1997 | IMDb)

Epigraph

Dedication

For Jackie, Carole, and Larry

First words

Sunday morning, Ordell took Louis to watch the white-power demonstration in downtown Palm Beach.

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(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)

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Original language

English

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Rum Punch

▾Book descriptions

Rum Punch is classic Elmore Leonard-the electrifying thriller that served as the basis for the acclaimed film Jackie Brown by director Quentin Tarantino, starring Pam Grier, Robert DeNiro, and Samuel L. Jackson. Leonard's story of a not-altogether-blameless flight attendant on the run from her vicious gun-running sometime employer who sees her as a troublesome loose end, Rum Punch is Leonard at his sharpest and most ingeniously entertaining. Enjoy this sensational noir winner from the creator of the character of U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens, lately of TV's hit series Justified, and see why the great Elmore Leonard stands tall in the company of America's most legendary crime fiction masters: John D. MacDonald, Dashiell Hammett, James M. Cain, et al.

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