Riding the Rap: A Novel

Ellmore Leonard can't be beat for character development and pacing, but he's asleep at the wheel on this one. Good to see Raylan Givens in action again. He's even more confident in this book. The bad guy, Chip Ganz, wasn't completely believable, but his no good sidekicks were. Lots of cross/double cross action. I'm ambiguous about the psychic character (which is probably how the author meant her to be).

Bought the Elmore Leonard books because of the TV series "Justified". The books are a different story than the TV show, so they are a good read and keeps your interest. If you liked the TV show, you will like the books.

O.K. This one follows rayon, Harry, and the girlfriend about one year after Pronto left off. Basic back story is that in Pronto, Raylon took it upon himself to save Harry and girlfriends asses, saw someone who he befriended get killed in front of his eyes, then went back to Miami, and offed him (The Zip 'Tommy Bucks.)

This book has more characters than the first which makes it a little hard to follow if you aren't used to Elmore Leonard's writing style where he tends to stop whatever is going on, to tell some back story. It's like reading Snatch, or Once Upon A Time In Mexico, writing traits that I do not share with Elmore.

Riding the rap turned out to be a great read as I am used to this type of writing. The story follows Raylon Givens as he investigates the kidnapping of his friend Harry Arno, all the while dealing with the anguish of having killed a man almost out of cold blood, his girlfriend Joyce's opinion of that, and dealing with the fact that Joyce used to be intimate with Harry and now there is some tension in her and Raylon's relationship.

It seems quite comical some of the scenes involving the bad guys, Chip Ganz, Louis Lewis, and Bobby Deo, all of whom will be recognized from the show, but however, many things are different than the show and play out in different ways, this makes it quite enjoyable even though I watch Justified religiously, The story is still quite different and the surprising twists and turns still have Elmore Leonard's desired effect.

All in all, Riding The Rap is a great book, and I am now officially hooked on Elmore's writing. Four and a half stars!!!!!

What we have here is typical Elmore Leonard, but I mean that as a compliment. He has written another short but interesting story featuring mostly people whose lives would be easier if it weren't for all those silly rules society imposes on them. As they put it in "Goodfellas", people who can't turn to the police for help with their problems.
This one features a character from a former book, Harry Arno. He sends someone to collect a gambling debt, but gets the tables turned on him, at least temporarily. The collectee, instead of paying, talks the hired collector into joining him in a kidnap for profit (is there any other kind) scheme. And guess who the first kidnappee will be? Try initials H.A.
Leonard's books are delightful because most of the time the characters are interesting enough to want to get to know better. Harry's not a REALLY bad guy. He's fairly cultured, and prefers the finer things in life. He just has habits that happen to be against the law. So when the tables are turned, at least for the first time, we sympathize with him. And so on and so on, until things are more or less resolved, and we've gotten to know a few people we wouldn't ordinarily get know just a little bit better.

For those who care about writing, character development or are just plain are hooked on the FX series "Justified" this is a worthy read.

Elmore Leonard sets some standards for what pulp fiction can be: layers of plot, complex characters and non-stop action. However, lots of folks think this is not Leonard's best, and I defer to their more qualified reviews of this genre.

It would be enough to just get some insight into how Leonard came up with Raylan Givens, and how this original vision relates to Timothy Olyphant's portrayal on the television series (the show is built on Leonard's short story "Fire in the Hole"), but Leonard delivers more, with good men stuck making bad decisions and bad men, showing a touch of good, humans expectantly irrational to the end.

From where I sit, Olyphant's portrayal is dead center with the way Leonard wrote Givens into life.

Riding the Rap by Elmore Leonard

Even though I never read crime thrillers, I read the first chapter of this novel as a short story in the New Yorker and thought it was one of the best things I'd ever read. Not only does Leonard have the perfect ear for a certain kind of dialogue, but his talents extend to description, plot and even purpose.
The story just trips along, light in tone but building sympathy for the good guys, and for the bad guys--not sympathy, but a kind of humorous condescension, knowing as we do that they're going to lose.
Actually, there is a sympathetic moment for one of the crooks, who suffers with dignity a death in the family, when it turns out he is being wrongly suspected of a crime for racist reasons. But no worries: Rayland Wayans, the hero, gets it all sorted out. He's the perfect modern cowboy lawman: cool, terse, and stoic.
He makes a point--on which the title is based--about taking the consequences of one's actions; thus, the crooks he catches learn it's not personal.
Profoundly, Wayans himself must ride the rap: although he is as brave and virtuous as a person can be, he does use a gun for lethal purposes in the line of work, and this fact alone costs him the affections of someone important. Worse, he risks all to rescue a worthless man who turns out to be his rival in romance. It's his job.
But you leave the story feeling that all's right with the world, however unfair things may look. The book does a beautiful job of contrasting those who think life's not fair, and can't be reconciled, with those who get it. Here's Wayans explaining things to two carjackers and a third criminal:
"I don't take what you did personally. You understand? Want to lean on you. Or wish you any more state time'n you deserve. What you'll have to do now is ride the rap, as they say. It's all anybody has to do."

Elmore Leonard's writing is just fantastic as usual. As a fan of the show Justified I have been trying to read the series the show is based on. The FX show has done such a great job of capturing Leonard's writing and bringing it to life.

Compared to the truly wonderful Elmore Leonard classics, like City Primeval or Fifty-two Pickup, Riding the Rap doesn't come anywhere near the mark. It's disappointing and kind of flat, but very cinematic; surely it will make a good movie because with enough name-brand actors, the plot-line will acquire some lacquer that the book itself lacks. Nothing much happens. The characters are shallow, as if painted in watercolor, rather than the dense oil paints Leonard once used. All in all, it's a pity--disappointing in the extreme.

I love Elmore Leonard novels. I am always pleased to find a new one. I save them to read when I have a chance to savor them. However, sequelizations, even good ones, always leave me cold. I would swear even the bad guys are familiar, particularly Chip, although the names have been changed to protect the innocent. Don't get me wrong! Any Elmore Leonard book is worth reading, and this one was definitely very enjoyable

Elmore Leonard's writing is just fantastic as usual. As a fan of the show Justified I have been trying to read the series the show is based on. The FX show has done such a great job of capturing Leonard's writing and bringing it to life.

Compared to the truly wonderful Elmore Leonard classics, like City Primeval or Fifty-two Pickup, Riding the Rap doesn't come anywhere near the mark. It's disappointing and kind of flat, but very cinematic; surely it will make a good movie because with enough name-brand actors, the plot-line will acquire some lacquer that the book itself lacks. Nothing much happens. The characters are shallow, as if painted in watercolor, rather than the dense oil paints Leonard once used. All in all, it's a pity--disappointing in the extreme.

I love Elmore Leonard novels. I am always pleased to find a new one. I save them to read when I have a chance to savor them. However, sequelizations, even good ones, always leave me cold. I would swear even the bad guys are familiar, particularly Chip, although the names have been changed to protect the innocent. Don't get me wrong! Any Elmore Leonard book is worth reading, and this one was definitely very enjoyable

Add up a simplistic plot, an extremely small set of characters, some underdeveloped dialog and you get 'Riding the Rap'. As a fan of Eddie Bunker, Dannie Martin, Leonard, Tarantino, et. al., I was expecting more effort on EL's part. It's almost as if this was written in a few weeks to fulfill some clause in a contract.
Don't expect one of his finer works if you do pick this one up. It's cardboard-thin compared to his other works.

Elmore Leonard considered one the premier crime writers of our generation doesnt let up in Riding the Rap.

The usual dynamic relentless pacing is apparent which gives the books no dry spells.

The best part of this book has to be the characterizations and dialogues. Whacky characters include a Peurto Rican gardener gangster, a middle aged pothead gangsta wannabe, and a female psychic looking to make it.

As mentioned before, the pacing makes this book a gauranteed blast, highly recommended.

Having read other books by Leonard, I found "Riding the Gap" to be weak in comparison. The book is a tale of three unlikable hoods who kidnap a bookie with the intention of getting him to give them money he has in an offshore account. The kidnapping is investigated by a marshal, Raylan, who is a likable main character, but that's about it. He seems to stumble thorugh his investiagtion. There are few plot twists and little surprise. If this is the first Leonard novel you read, then you will probably enjoy it more than a seasoned reader and writer of hard boiled mysteries like myself. Instead of reading this book, try get "Get Shorty" by Leonard and then come back to this one. You will then recognize the tremendous skill of this writer.

Riding the Rap is classic Leonard. Loveable drunk ex-bookie Herry Arno is in trouble again! When two ex-cons and a rich boy pot head come up with a plan to make easy money, Harry is kidnapped! Can his former wifes stenson wearing cowboy cop boyfriend save him from certain monitary loss? Find out in this souped up sequel to Pronto!

...light, quick, entertainment reading that's always well written, stylish and effortlessly absorbing. I finished it in less than a day.

One does not pick up an Elmore Leonard book hoping to find Dostoyevsky. You don't want to read too many of his books at one time because after a while they quickly feel repetitive; but once every month or two is just about right. Would be great for a transcontinental flight.

Along with Rum Punch, this is the greatest book I have ever read. Leonard kept me turning the pages and the bad guys were the funniest I have ever read about(or met). The most greatest thing about this book was that I felt sorry for some of the sleaze-ball criminals. Read and enjoy.