Elmore Leonard: La Brava; Cat Chaser; Split Images

Book Description

Three Complete Novels
From "the best American writer of crime fiction alive" (Newsweek), three thrilling, bestselling mysteries in one hardcover volume. La Brava, Cat Chaser, and Split Images received rave reviews and make it clear why this New York Times bestselling author has been hailed coast to coast as the hottest thriller writer of our time.

Customer Reviews:

Hard-hitting, sneaky success.......1997-06-25

I'd only read Get Shorty before this compendium,
and I wanted to further explore Leonard's work (I
saw the movie before I read Get Shorty, so I felt
I'd tainted the experience). This collection turned out to
be just what I needed.

Amazon.com

In the world of Elmore Leonard novels, two ex-soldiers can sit around a hotel swimming pool in Florida and, as if it were perfectly natural, chat about a friendly fire incident during an "interventionist action" in Santo Domingo. His characters have learned the futility of complaining about a life where deadly violence and moral obligations are all too frequently intertwined. In Cat Chaser George Moran is the hotel manager who got shot at back then; now, he's rekindling his intimate acquaintance with the wife of Andres de Boya, a former Dominican military enforcer who currently invests in real estate with a healthy sideline in drugs.

A dizzying series of plot twists involving various grifters and strongmen (both hired and freelance) leads to the grimly comic suspense action that Elmore Leonard fans have come to know and love. But as always, it's Leonard's impressive ear for dialogue that raises Cat Chaser above the herd of crime novels. An example:

"That's correct," Scully said, "I'm a consultant... I advise people on business matters, act as a go-between, bring people together that want to make deals... things like that. You want to know any more, come by my office, we'll have a coffee sometime. Okay? Right now I'm going to see Mr. Pradi. Where you come in--I'm gonna knock on his door, he don't open it then I might have to kick it in. I mean the business I got with him is that pressing. So you can give me a key and maybe save yourself a door. What do you think?"

Well, what do you think? --Ron Hogan

Book Description

The hero of Cat Chaser, George Moran, isn't looking for trouble but finds it anyway when he winds up in bed with the wife of a drug-dealing mob-connected Dominican cop -- vicious, macho and ready to follow George to the ends of the earth, which in this case means Miami.

Download Description

E-book extras: "Martin Amis Interviews 'The Dickens of Detroit'"; Elmore Leonard's "If It Sounds Like Writing, Rewrite It"; "All By Elmore: The Crime Novels

Customer Reviews:

Catch it if you can!.......2007-08-12

Pageturning at it's most compulsive. Elmore Leonard returns to South Florida for another twisted tale of greed, death and love set in a world of ex-marines, ex-Generals, gangsters and a variety of lowlifes.

Yet again, Mr. Leonard's plot and dialogue are scarily believable; I fear he knows more than he lets on!

Leonard at his peak.......2006-12-02

I think Leonard is still cranking out good stuff, but if you want to catch Leonard before the serious buzz started to attach to him, Cat Chaser is a great place to start. George Moran, ex-Marine, ex-Detroit native, and owner of the Coconut Palms Resort Apartments, is like so many heroes in Leonard's world, a guy looking at middle-age who, nevertheless, holds to a personal code, even as he stands at crossroad that has him looking back and looking forward, while sharks snap all around. With his moral compass intact, he always seems to know what to do in any situation, even if he makes it up as he goes along. Enter another ex-grunt and ex-actor Nolan Tyner (who is a dead ringer for Owen Wilson - 15 years before Wilson even appeared in a movie!), who is now an alcoholic private investigator staked out at pool side, and things start to happen.

Oh, there's a lady that needs saving, Mary de Boya. Like Moran, she's an ex-Detroit native and, complicating things, wife to a former torturer from a south American country and now Florida real estate magnate, Andres de Boya. There's another bad guy named Jiggs Scully, who is lethally memorable - even by Leonard's villain-meter. And, of course, a lot of money under the torturer's bed , and page after page of great dialogue. (As a subplot, it's very interesting to see who is the most dangerous bad guy - de Boya or Scully, their conversations together were for me the high points of the novel. Two killers playing chess.) To tell you more would be to cheat you a bit.

A thriller master for modern times.......2006-06-21

As good as most of his books. One of the best modern classics around.

Good Read for a Day at the Beach..........2003-08-27

This was the first Elmore Leonard novel I've read, though I SAW Out of Sight and Get Shorty. Obviously, I felt like I knew what to expect before I opened the book: numerous plot twists, character's who've seen better days and tight dialogue. I'm not a fan of "detective" fiction, so I can't really compare it to that. I found the setting to be compelling: motel in South Florida, the Dominican Republic. I thought the main character's experience with the Marines in the Dominican Republic was interesting. Frankly, as a 28 year old, I wasn't even aware that Marines were in the Dominican Republic at that time.

Book is a quick read, no matter how you slice it. Despite the "adult" subject matter, it occurs to me that Leonard novels would make a good read for a certain kind of high school student. Leonards books are always cheap to pick up and widely available.

The rythym of the dialogue in "Cat Chaser" is above average.

the usual Elmore Leomard competence..........2003-07-14

For fans for Elmore Leonard you already know he writes tight crime novels often strewn with humour and great characters. And despite being largely formulaic in approach (..his lead characters all seem to be the same) he succeeds in entertaining the reader. And the same holds true with 'Cat Chaser'.

With 'Cat Chaser' we have an ex-military guy in south Florida involved doing hanky-panky with the wife of a former monster from a Carribean country (Dominican Republic) before the Americans kicked him out. The outcome is inevitable but along the way we meet strange characters (the usual Miami oddballs, and a few imports from the Dominican Republic) who do some very strange things. While here are also a good number of funny bits Leonard is no match for the Florida comic crime novel master Carl Hiaasen.

Bottom line: a fun if not enthralling Elmore Leonard venture. Fans will rejoice.

Average customer rating:

A Favorite Series Revisited

Just as GREAT as the first

"Absolutely enchanting"

One of Clare Bell's best!

A great book and one of my favorites!

Ratha & Thistle Chaser
Clare L. Bell
Manufacturer: Margaret K. McElderry
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Magic | Science Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery & Horror | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
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Ratha's Challenge

Ratha's Creature (The Named)

Clan Ground (The Named)

Ratha's Courage

Warriors Field Guide: Secrets of the Clans (Warriors)

ASIN: 0689504624

Customer Reviews:

A Favorite Series Revisited.......2006-01-20

This and 'Ratha's Challenge' were the two latest in the 'Ratha' series (even though this book, published in 1990, is now some 15 years old) that I never read as a child. I absolutely loved the first two books and was excited about receiving this one after a decade and a half of waiting. I did notice many similarities between Clare Bell's treatment of the 'Ratha' series and Jean M. Auel's 'Clan of the Cave Bear' & the Gear's 'Prehistoric America' series, including themes of loss, abandonment, alienation and exile.

It's beautifully written although the final battle between Thistle-Chaser & Ratha reads somewhat awkwardly. I spent most of my time reading the book alternately laughing and crying. I could feel Thistle-Chaser's righteous anger at the Clan's treatment of her watery friends, and I could fully appreciate Ratha's abrasive personality. She always carries over strongly and even Clare Bell's evolution as a writer hasn't dulled Ratha one bit.

Just as GREAT as the first .......2004-10-15

I read this series a year ago and fell in love with them the minute I picked them up. This book answers a lot of questions I wanted to know about Thistle-Chaser, and I was so happy to get it. I was 11 then but I totally understood what was going on the whole time.I own all these books now. I'm so happy my parents let me buy them even though they cost like 100 dollars. Clare bell is the best writer in the world and I hope I can read other books of hers.

"Absolutely enchanting".......1999-03-23

This is one of the best books I have ever read. (And I've read a lot.) This book has all the elements that make the first 2 wondeful and bring back the trauma from the first. This is also continued in the 4th book.

One of Clare Bell's best!.......1998-07-22

This book features all the original characters we've all come to know and love and the strange and sad Thistle-Chaser, from right out of Ratha's past! ratha and Thistle-chaser struggle to love eachother in this great book!

A great book and one of my favorites!.......1998-07-13

Ratha's struggles to come to terms with her past make this book very memorable, and it's terrible that it went out of print so quickly (by the time I found a way to buy it it was gone)

Ratha and Thistle-Chaser: The Third Book of the Named

Average customer rating:

Ratha and Thistle-Chaser: The Third Book of the Named
Clare Bell
Manufacturer: Puffin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Action & Adventure | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0142409448
Release Date: 2007-10-18

Book Description

Drought has come to the prehistoric world of the Named. Under the leadership of the strong-willed Ratha, the clan of intelligent cats searches out new grazing land for the herd beasts upon which their survival depends. Miles away, on the coast, a young wild cat battles desperately for her own survival. Rejected by the languageless unnamed cats, and lamed physically and emotionally by a cubhood trauma, Newt forges a symbiotic relationship with a group of docile sea mammals. When Thakur, a scout for the Named, discovers her, he is intrigued by her ingenuity and tenacity. He does not realize that Newt and Ratha have an unexpected bond. . . .

Average customer rating:

Cat Chaser

Manufacturer: Borders and Recorded Books Unabridged
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD
ASIN: 1402537158

Average customer rating:

CAT CHASER
Elmore (read by Ken Howard) Leonard
Manufacturer: Durkin Hayes Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000NPBS4O

Average customer rating:

Cat Chaser
Elmore Leonard
Manufacturer: Arbor House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Product Description

A more detailed account of the book and jacket condition available upon request. Remainder mark. From the finest thriller writer alive (The Village Voice) The momory of an extraordinary female sniper draws an ex-marine back from Miami to the alien killing ground that has now become a ripe theater of intrigue, double dealing and ruthless homicide.

Average customer rating:

Cat Chaser
Elmore Leonard
Manufacturer: NY Avon Books 1983.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Cat Chaser
Elmore Leonard
Manufacturer: Borders / Recorded Books Unabridged
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette

General | Books on Cassette | Audiobooks | Formats | Books

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Product Description

An Unabridged Audio Book on 5 cassettes

Average customer rating:

Cat Chaser
Elmore Leonard
Manufacturer: NY Avon 1983.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Average customer rating:

Great Fantasy Book

A must for fantasy readers!!!!
Across the Far Mountain: Wilderness of Four, No. 1 (Wilderness of Four)
Niel Hancock
Manufacturer: Warner Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The Road to the Middle Islands: Wilderness of Four, No. 4

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Greyfax Grimwald: The Circle of Light, Book 1 (The Circle of Light)

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ASIN: 0446312134

Customer Reviews:

Great Fantasy Book.......2000-07-07

I recently purchased the Wilderness of Four Series, and found them to be delightful. If you like fantasy stories that involve a full range of charaters and creatures, with a mix of magic and lost history, then you love the books by Niel Hancock. I hope to soon see the new book "The Brandigore Gate", in bookstores soon!

A must for fantasy readers!!!!.......1999-06-09

This is a wonderful book about a little bear who must come of age and eventually lead a group to victory against the bad guy. This is the first book in a series of four books which are all equally as wonderfully.

Across the Far Mountain: Wilderness of Four, No. 1

Average customer rating:

Across the Far Mountain: Wilderness of Four, No. 1

Manufacturer: Warner Books Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000I01GMS

Book Description

An illustrated abridgment of the most authoritative reference book on sign language, with well-written and easily understood instructions for the use of each sign. More than 5,000 signs and 8,000 illustrations. And now includes more than 500 new signs and 1,500 new illustrations.

Customer Reviews:

Good price for an older book.......2007-10-03

The book was obviously used but is still very usable and in good condition. I am well pleased.

Excellent Resource for Learning Signs.......2007-04-11

We purchased this book to aid in teaching our toddler sign language as there are many words he has trouble speaking but can easily sign. We noticed he would use a sign he knew for a word that sounded similar (used horse for dinosaur). We now have a resource to teach him all sorts of new words. We even purcahsed a copy for my father-in-law so he can decipher what his grandson is saying!!!

Good and Comprehensive.......2007-03-17

I bought this book as it was suggested by my ASL professor. It is very good, and has already helped me with a couple of my projects.

Good resource.......2006-11-10

Good resource book. I've seen books with more vocabulary, but it is still a good resource to have when in a pinch.

American Sign Language Dictionary - Flexi.......2006-07-12

I have found this book on sign language to be very helpful to me so that I can brush up on my sign language and also to teach my son to sign.

Average customer rating:

Schumanns book of his own cocktails

Don't quibble with the master

Don't judge a book by its cover!

This book is my bible

A masterpiece in it's kind

American Bar: The Artistry of Mixing Drinks
Charles Schumann
Manufacturer: Abbeville Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Baking | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1558598537

Customer Reviews:

Schumanns book of his own cocktails.......2003-12-28

one reviewer accuses another of quibling over a couple of recipes, when in fact the quibble is over 11 very well-known recipes.

Calling Schumann "the master" is a bit much. Some people love him like a god, while others (like me) see him as stuck in an era just after 70's faux-cocktails, and just before this new renaissance in historically researched cocktails. Schumann is a bit of an enigma, if he is right why doesn't he explain his research and way of thinking? He is too good to talk to those who bought his book?

At the end of the day it is just a book of how Charles Schumann makes his cocktails, and is not of any historical value.

Try the Joy of Mixology by Gary Regan for a better balanced veiw of cocktails.

Don't quibble with the master.......2003-09-03

This is an excellent book on cocktails, the philosophy of bartending, and the history of various alcohols. I have never seen a better single book for the home or professional bartender.

A number of reviewers have already expressed their enthusiasm for this great book, but some have qualified their admiration by quibbling with Schumann over a recipe or two, claiming that the master has "got it wrong" and that they know the "correct" way that a particular drink should be prepared. These reviewers are entitled to their opinions, but I think potential readers of Schumann's book would do well to note that there is no definitive recipe for any sufficiently well-established cocktail, just as no two chefs will agree on the recipe for a perfect omelette. Schumann offers elegant, minimalist versions of almost all of the great cocktails -- what more do you want?

Don't judge a book by its cover!.......2003-06-01

To some people the "American Bar" by Charles Schumann is their bible. Indeed it is beautifully printed, illustrated and presented. However, under closer scutiny this books claims of using original recipes is somewhat suspicious.

At this present time, there is a renaissance going on in cocktail making, and historical study of recipes. That may sound pompous, but it is true. And due to this on-going renaissance, glaring holes are being exposed in Herr Schumann's book.

Here are the ones that I found, the fact that they are extremely well known recipes makes it even worse.

Bellini (lemon juice. why?),
Caipirinha (lime wedge. no whole lime?),
Kamikaze (rose's lime "juice". why?),
Long Island Iced Tea (orange juice. why?),
Mai Tai (rose's lime "juice". why?),
Mojito (crushed ice. why?),
Old Fashioned ("fill with soda or water". why?),
Rob Roy (dry AND sweet vermouth. why?),
Sazerac (1. bourbon, instead of American Rye, 2. "fill with water". both Why?),
Scotch Sour (powdered sugar AND sugar syrup. Why?),
Sidecar (no sugar rim. why?),

There are no explanations as to why the recipes are so unorthodox, they are just stated as fact. Blindly following these recipes leads to bartenders who think they know it all, because they are using Schumann's recipe, but not having any indepth knowledge of the history of the cocktail.

If you are a bartender, or want to be, then you will probably end up buying this book anyway, just to see what the fuss is about. Do yourself a favour and make sure you buy plenty of other books, so you can compare them.

As someone who has been a bar manager, and head bartender, I wouldn't hire someone who insisted on making cocktails to Schumann's specifications.

There is some sound advice in the back of the book, but the recipes themselves are not worth buying the book for.

Buy this book, and lots of others to compare it to.

This book is my bible.......2000-06-21

If I wasn't a devouted Christian, Charles Schumann would be my God. This book exudes class, the maroon cover and the black binding make it worth having simply for the pose value. This book is an invaluable fountain of cocktail knowledge, interspersed with Schumann's own advice, for instance with the recipe for Long Island Iced Tea he wryly remarks "I personally never pour vodka and gin together"(funnier in print). If you like cocktails, or simply want to know about them (there is a comprehensive history of varoius alcohols), buy this book.

A masterpiece in it's kind.......1999-11-01

For all those enjoying a good dinner party where cocktails and longdrinks are essential parts, this book gives you a most comprehensive guide in this category. A book giving simply the best of advice and tips in the field of mixing, shaking or blending drinks. Looks great too!

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