Okay, now this one is probably going to have some blood and guts. Not the kind of book I usually read, but I’ve had 3 different people recommend I read something by Leonard so I’m giving him a chance.

Leonard is supposed to be the universes’s greatest dialogue writer. After only 9 chapters I have to say it’s not just his dialogue; his narrative sounds a lot like spoken English as well. These would be good books to read out loud . . . if my kids were older than 2. . . or maybe they should be older than 18 before they read this stuff. It’s not trashy or bloody, yet, but it is suspenseful in a scary kind of way.

Wrap-up: I finished the book, and I’m glad to say it didn’t get too bloody. Actually, it wasn’t any worse than some of the other mystery novels I read. The big difference is that this isn’t a mystery novel. Our library puts little stickers of Sherlock Holmes on mystery novels, but they got this one wrong. It does have a cop and a bad guy, but there’s no real mystery to it . . . at least not in the main plot. It would be better classified as a thriller/suspense novel than a mystery novel. I was worried I’d have to skip a chapter or two to get past the blood and guts, but that never happened, so I enjoyed the novel.

Riding the Rap by Elmore Leonard