Freaky Deaky

You know, there was a point there where I was reading a ton of Elmore Leonard. I was picking up his back catalogue at the same time he was still releasing new work.

And I loved it all.

Then, I pretty much finished everything I had by Leonard and he passed away. And the world lost a brilliant writer. I was so bummed, I don't think I've read any of his books since he passed, almost 11 (!) years ago.

So, it was high time to read some more. This was one I'd somehow missed from his catalogue and, while it's not his absolute best, man, it was refreshing to dive into Leonard's characters, his incredible dialogue, and his "everyone's out to screw everyone else" plots.

His books are simply fun. Filled with people you immediately recognize and show more either love or loathe.

I've gotta read some more Leonard. show less

It's no great revelation that Leonard is a master of dialogue and character but this book is basically a series of conversations and it is absolutely perfect. It's a twisty plot of ex-cops, ex-Panthers, and ex-radicals all mixed up in extortion, bombings, and double crossings and Leonard doesn't waste a single word. It's as precise and intricate as it is quick and dirty. The prose is funny, surprising and explosive with every character feeling alive (with some help from the incredible narration of Frank Muller) and utterly believable. You'll feel like you're on the Detroit streets watching it all go down and you'll be more than a little bummed when it ends and you're not in on the cut. Read this book!

I suspect that one of the main characters, Donnell Lewis — an ex-Black Panther and ex-con who is sort of working a scam as the chauffeur and do-it-all for a rich clueless guy named Woodrow “Woody” Ricks, a guy who spends his days constantly and totally doped up on booze and drugs — was supposed to get blown up by one of the many bombs that are floating around the novel and, yes, exploding.

Freaky Deaky is about two former 1960s student radicals who were in it more for the rush than for any principles and who are now trying to make a big score from Woody and his younger brother Mark, both of whom are acquaintances from their college time at Michigan.

Their method, then and now, involves explosives, and that ends up pulling into the show more story Chris Mankowski, a former police bomb squad investigator who, it turns out, was also at Michigan and knew of, but didn’t know, the radicals, Robin Abbott and Skip Gibbs. show less

This is the first Elmore Leonard book I have read, but I was familiar with the movie based on his novel, "Get Shorty". "Freaky Deaky" was very much the same type of fast paced, wisecracking story with an integral plot involving mishaps and police procedures. The characters were well sculpted and bounced off one another just right.

I found it very entertaining. It is just the type of light relief one needs every now and again.

If not for my book club, I would probably not have read anything by Elmore Leonard, ever, despite reading reviews praising him for his dialogue and characters. I agree, his writing is superb: funny, sharp, surprising.

Scrittura cinematografica

All'inizio mi ha spiazzato. Ho faticato un pò a rendermi conto, ad ambientarmi. Mi è sembrato un pò come quando mi capita di vedere quei film dove hanno scomposto un puzzle prima che arrivassi e all'improvviso mi piombano addosso tutti i pezzi, ed io, per capirci qualcosa, devo pazientemente ricostruirne il disegno. Pian piano però ho acquistato familiarità con i personaggi anche se la storia va avanti come se essi fossero marionette osservate dall'alto. Tutti cercano di trarre vantaggio dalle situazioni man mano che si evolvono. Un poliziotto indaga su una strana denuncia di stupro e si trova coinvolto in un ricatto a danno di due ricchi impresari teatrali piuttosto inconsueti. Ci sono attentati show more dinamitardi che vanno a segno, improbabili coppie di criminali e un autista-guardia del corpo-tuttofare che reclama la sua "fetta" della torta. Tutto si risolve, in qualche modo, ma alla fine è come se avessi avuto per le mani una sceneggiatura che poteva essere arricchita ancora. Andrò a vedere cos'altro mi proporrà Elmore Leonard... show less

The first time that I read Freaky Deaky (back in the eighties) it was my first encounter with Elmore Leonard and made me want to go out and read most of his back catalogue immediately. Therefore, coming back to it again I was surprised to find that I didn't enjoy it as much as I had previously and felt it lacked the wit and excitement of some of his other books. I think, part of the problem is that the main character Chris Mankowski doesn't really compare in strength to other classic Leonard characters like Foley, Stick or Chili Palmer and although there's plenty of double crossing taking place here it's not as well plotted as some of the other books that he's written.