Mr. Paradise audiobook

Quirky. A quirky book by Elmore Leonard? Imagine that.

While it is hard for me to criticize Elmore Leonard, this novel could have been shaved by about 40-50 pages. Still, as is, this caper is far better than 99% of the stuff being published today. Pick this one up for a few hours of enjoyment, then leave it on your hotel bedside table for the cleaning lady.

Even a Leonard book that I didn't love is a four star book.

Elmore Leonard Returns To DetroitElmore Leonard (1925 -- 2013) returned to Detroit with his 2004 novel, "Mr. Paradise", his first set in the Motor City in over 20 years. Dedicated to the Detroit Police Homicide Section, the novel is a tribute to the fortitude of the police in their daily performance of their dangerous, thankless task."Mr. Paradise" is a heavily plotted novel full of murder, drugs, betrayals, sex, and greed. The book also is full of a wealth of characters, most of them slimy but some of them, particularly the police, good guys indeed. The book gives a feel of the work of a homicide section in a large violent city with several difficult murders occupying a small police unit at any given moment. The book revolves around the murder of the title character, an 84-year old retired lawyer Tony Paradiso who goes by the name of the title of the book. Mr Paradise and his paid lady friend, a $900 an hour hooker, are gunned down in his home one evening. For the reader the book is not who-done-it, as the crime is described in detail. Instead the reader follows the police and the characters as the violent story unravels.There are two sexy women involved in the story, the hooker who meets her demise with Mr Paradise and her friend, Kelly, a fashion model, who escapes. Other important characters include Paradise's two African American servants, the killers, a crooked lawyer who works both sides of the law, and the homicide unit. The story of the good guys focuses on detective Frank Delsa, 38, who has lost his wife, also on the police force, to cancer. Delsa is the silent, methodical type of hero who keeps his head.The killing of Paradise and his paramour is almost enough for one book. Leonard clutters his story by combining it with many other murders, some of them highly gruesome. The story can be hard to follow until the reader figures what Leonard is about. The work of the police and the patient activities of Delsa are the focus of the book in Mr. Paradise's killing and in the other crimes in the book which involve some thoroughly unattractive individuals.With so much crassness in human nature on display, there is also a sense of vulnerability and the need for love as Delsa is attracted to the woman who survives the Paradise killing. He must deal with his duty as an office in handling the witness, and possible accomplice, and his growing feelings and loneliness following his wife's death.The story is told with sharp observations of the streets and sounds of Detroit. The descriptions of bars, streets, characters are particularized and immediate. Leonard's way with dialogue has become famous and is on display in this novel. With all the mayhem and brutal behavior, the story has humor and a lightness of touch.The opening chapters of the book jump around and are difficult to follow. The story becomes more focused and tied together as it proceeds. I found it helpful to return to the opening sections after completing the book.This is a gritty novel about a gritty city. It has a focus on the law and on the tough heroism of the police. The book will appeal to Elmore Leonard's many admirers.Robin Friedman

Chloe e Kelly sono due ragazze che abitano assieme a Detroit. La prima è una prostituta d’alto bordo che lavora per un tizio molto ricco e soprattutto vecchio: Mr. Paradise appunto. Guadagna 5000 dollari la settimana per intrattenerlo. Kelly invece fa la modella. Mr. Paradise ha intestato a Chloe certe azioni, mentre al suo tuttofare, Montez, decide di lasciare la villa.Ma poi cambia idea: la villa andrà alla figlia, e Montez non la prende benissimo.Assolda quindi due sicari per uccidere il vecchio. Il progetto però non va secondo le previsioni. Nella sera in cui il vecchio doveva essere solo, ci sono sia Chloe che Kelly. Kelly finisce al piano superiore della villa con Montez, e quando i due sicari entrano nel grande salone pensando di trovare solo il vecchio, trovano pure la ragazza. Uccideranno entrambi.Montez cambia al volo il piano. Visto che le due ragazze si somigliano, chiede a Kelly di impersonare Chloe, in modo da falsificarne la firma e mettere le mani almeno sulle azioni, o quello che è. Prima che la polizia scopra lo scambio di persona: le due ragazze infatti non sono schedate, e in città non hanno parenti che possano identificare la morta.Pure questo piano però, ha poca vita.Non c’è alcun intento morale in questo genere di libri, o forse sì. Raffigurare un deserto, o meglio una città dove violenza e crack (la droga) dominano incontrastati e ogni discussione si risolve a colpi di pistola: non è forse una critica nemmeno troppo larvata a un sistema che ha prodotto tutto questo?

Elmore Leonard has written 40 novels. Mr Paradise will not disappoint his fans.The author of Get Shorty is in fine form with this offering. We’re in Detroit where the ageing mega-wealthy Mr Tony Paradise mixes with Victoria's Secret models and hit men. He’s a fan of University of Michigan football and he hires these models to play the role of "cheerleaders", bare-chested while he watches videos of Michigan games. Two hit men show up, killing the old man and one of the women. The surviving ‘cheerleader’ ends up falling in love with Delsa, the detective who investigates the murders. Only Elmore Leonard and Carl Hiaasen can come up with a story like this and make it work. Leonard is the master of the crime caper. Part farce and part police-procedural, Mr Paradise will keep you reading for a night or two. If Quinton Tarantino wrote books, he’d write like this. Highly recommended.

This book was a joy to read. Old Dutch at his absolute finest. Broad cast of characters, all well-defined without being over-defined. The usual clipped, concise prose that allows the eyes to move across the page like a knife slicing through soft butter. Further proof that Dutch is the undisputed king of contemporary crime fiction (even if he's not still with us, his heir apparent has yet to be found...).

Some action and some murder is the story in the crime tale by master story teller Elmore Leonard. This was my first exposure to the writing of Mr. Leonard and hopefully there would be much more books which I would be able to read.

Another great story from the master of crime fiction. The characters and the dialog sparkle as usual.DP Lyle, award-winning author, lecturer, and story consultant

It's a tragedy that so many fabulous Elmore Leonard books make mediocre films. But it's no mystery why. Hollywood is fixated on narrative, whereas Leonard revels in character. Not that Mr Paradise lacks a plot; on the contrary, this is a perfectly serviceable story of criminals whose reach exceeds their grasp. Greed leading bad actors to make bad decisions. A tale as old as time. What elevates the book, and much of Mr Leonard's writing is the rich detail he effortlessly drops into coptalk:"Don't you thank God like I do they're stupid?"Two criminals deciding if a witness can ID them from her vantage point at the crime scene:"Look straight ahead, there's the living room Look up, there's the second floor. But looking down from up there? I wouldn't even recognize my own wife - and not because she's always changing her hairdo." or inner monologue:Lloyd noticed Delsa not doing anything to help her. Didn't say anything, either. Lloyd turned his head to look at Jerome by the counter, Jerome looked like he was loving it, fascinated by these ofays, how they went about it.Leonard is a master, and this is one of his best.

Anthony Paradiso, also known as "Mr. Paradise," is a retired lawyer with a young girlfriend. His girlfriend, Chloe, arranges an evenings entertainment with her roommate Kelly, a fashion model. They play cheerleaders while he watches University of Michigan football on TV. The evening ends in murder. Mr. Paradise and Chloe are murdered by hit men hired by Montez, Mr. Paradise's assistant. Kelly sees it all.The police know what happened, but how to prove it. This story has all the elements of a great crime story. You have crooked lawyers, contract killers, gang bangers, beautiful women, and no nonsense cops. The one thing the cops have going for them is the sheer stupidity of the criminals involved. As these less than brilliant criminals come up with ever more complex schemes, it all begins to fall apart.Written with the sparse, straight-forward prose that Leonard is known for it is a lot of fun.

Elmore Leonard is almost unparalleled in depicting the mean streets of Detroit (Loren D. Estleman gives him a run for his money.). But here is one of the gritty capers with which he built hi reputation. Recommended.Thriller - Chloe is an escort for Anthony Paradiso. One night she persuades roommate, Kelly, to join her. Chloe and Paradiso are shot dead by two thugs; the hit set up by Montez Taylor, who's angry at Paradiso for cutting him out of his will. Montez asks Kelly to impersonate Chloe and sell Paradiso's securities. Frank Delsa, a Detroit homicide cop, smells a rat and falls for Kelly while sorting matters out.

Instant fan.

Hey, it's Elmore Leonard. 'Nuff said!

Publicado en http://lecturaylocura.com/elmore-leon...Mucho había yo demorado un pequeño post para recordar a Elmore Leonard, el último grande de la novela negra que nos dejó en el 2013. Leonard, a pesar de su merecidísima fama fuera de España, no gozó de ese éxito por aquí. Quizá la forma de publicarlo, errática, sin seleccionar todo lo bueno que tiene, dejando para otros momentos sus obras menos redondas, ha lastrado esto. No tiene lógica que otros autores, medianías sin dudarlo, sin embargo, vendan mucho y nos olvidemos de él.Para recordarle qué mejor que hacerlo a través de sus obras, afortunadamente me faltan bastante por conocer que me están esperando y que aguardo con impaciencia. Por ahora voy a comentar dos de las últimas, que no tienen que ver por cierto con “Raylan” y la serie de TV basada en ella “Justified” por la que, ahora mismo, estaba siendo bastante popular, al menos en EEUU.yibuti-9788420679907La primera obra que traigo es ciertamente curiosa, es la última que ha publicado Alianza, “Yibuti” es un thriller en toda regla y está bastante alejado de sus típicas novelas negras, más hardboiled o de las últimas de vaqueros, como “Raylan”; este Leonard está más cerca de las novelas de Preston y Child, lo que no es forzosamente malo, teniendo en cuenta que las novelas de estos son paradigmáticas y excepcionales en lo suyo.La protagonista de “Yibuti” es una directora de cine y de cortometrajes que busca la fama mediante la búsqueda de unos verdaderos piratas del mar con los que quiere hablar y llevarlos a la gran pantalla:“-Así que te interesan los piratas que saquean a los que surcan sus aguas ¿eh?-No me importaría hablar con ellos.-Han perseguido unos cien barcos, y han secuestrado alrededor de cuarenta. Se llevan el dinero de la caja fuerte y todo lo que quieren de la cocina. O se llevan el barco a Eyl y exigen un rescate. Piden un par de millones por un mercante griego, y los consiguen”A pesar de la elección femenina como protagonista principal, en boca de un rico playboy expone sus opiniones de ellas a través de su forma de elegirlas:“Primero paso cuarenta y ocho horas con ella. En dos días descubres todo lo que hay que saber. Algunas parecen inteligentes, pero se les nota que tienen que esforzarse para hablar con propiedad. Dicen al lado mío en vez de a mi lado, y no tienen criterio para elegir los libros que leen, eso si es que leen. No quiero parecer cruel, pero en el mar se lee mucho, se habla de libros.”Poco a poco se irá dando cuenta la protagonista de que no todo era tan sencillo e inofensivo como parecía, sobre todo a raíz de la aparición de los musulmanes, especialmente de Al Qaeda:-”Yo creo que Harry es de los buenos, si es que hay buenos en esta historia.-Eso mismo le dije yo a Billy cuando nos fuimos del club. Y me contestó: “imposible saber quiénes son los buenos y quiénes son los malos en este puto mundo mahometano”Los cliffhangers se empiezan a suceder en cada capítulo, los capítulos son cortos, electrizantes, para que no dejes de leer y pases páginas a toda velocidad, en medio de todo este trepidar, siempre hay un hueco para un oasis… como su opinión de la grandísima Naomi Watts:“-Naomi se te puede parecer. Nunca sobreactúa. ¿La viste en Happy time? No puedes dejar de mirarla.-Se pasa la mitad de la película en bragas.-Aunque hiciera de monja, no podrías dejar de mirarla.”Estas pequeñas cosas, este buen humor, es parte de su sello único. De ahí hasta el final todo se acelera , hasta el último capítulo, donde se desencadena el último acto. Desde luego hasta el último minuto no sabes cómo va a acabar. No es una mala obra pero tenemos mejores muestras de su talento inimitable.LB00204501_MR_PARADISELa segunda novela, “Mr Paradise”, no tiene nada que ver con la anterior, aquí sí que nos encontramos lo apasionante de lo sórdido y una excelente trama policíaca; su protagonista es el típico personaje muy alejado de lo habitual y que se vuelve el eje de la obra a pesar de su temprana muerte:“Mr Paradise se iba encogiendo con los años, se volvía más frágil; solo un par de mechones de pelo blanco, estirados y aplastados, le cubrían el cráneo. Estaba viendo el final de la ruleta de la suerte, el momento en que Pat Sajak y Vanna White sudaban la gota gorda para prolongar la conversación hasta los últimos segundos.”El complot para asesinarle tiene una inocente inconsciente, Kelly Barr, que sobrevivirá y se convertirá en el primer vértice de un triángulo que no puede traer nada bueno; la segunda pata es el policía Frank Delsa que es el típico policía incorruptible que se enamorará irremediablemente de nuestra inocente víctima: “Faltaba todavía una hora y media para volver a verla, aunque ya la había visto esa mañana en su despacho, fumando su Slim, y después le había quitado las botas y había respondido a sus preguntas sobre la reciprocidad, mirándola y deseando acariciar su cara. Echaba de menos a Maureen, la quería, se sentía triste, pero a veces podía mirar a una mujer y preguntarse si tal vez aunque no a muchas, y desde luego a ninguna como había mirado a Kelly Barr y había deseado tocarla. Tocarla… ¡comérsela entera!”El cerebro y perpetrador del crimen será el incomprendido Montez Taylor que es el que se encarga de organizar todo para conseguir salir de una vida con la que, desde luego no está satisfecho: “-A los diecisiete años. Montez Taylor fue procesado por agresión con agravante y condenado a dos años en Jackson, como si ya fuese mayor de edad eso cambió su vida. Montez hizo contactos en prisión y al salir empezó a vender drogas. Se convierte en una celebridad, una estrella del gueto, y antes de cumplir los veinte empieza a manejar cantidades de seis cifras. Es engreído, brillante, cubre a sus chicas de joyas y tiene un coche con llantas enormes y el mejor equipo de música. Empiezan a llamarlo Jeta. Tiene jeta para hacer lo que le da la gana. Y cuenta con un abogado criminalista que conoce bien su oficio, uno de esos de Clinton street que consigue buenos tratos, y obtiene la condicional para Montez a cambio de esto o lo otro.”Con estos tres protagonistas, con una trama fabulosa que solo se resuelve en su parte final y con todo el reflejo de los bajos fondos, cargado con mucho buen humor negro tenemos una de esas novelas fantásticas que constituyen en sí una muestra de la forma en que Leonard lo bordaba. Uno de esos grandes que con su grandeza dignificaron un género en mayúsculas, el de las novelas policíacas, no perdáis la ocasión de descubrirlo.Los textos vienen de la traducción del inglés de Catalina Martín Muñoz de “Mr Paradise” y de “Yibuti” de Elmore Leonard para Alianza.

Due sventole bionde indistinguibili l'una dall'altra se non per il baffo di Hitler sul pube, dialoghi, due negri, un vecchio avvocato vizioso, ancora dialoghi, sborra di toro, un'eredità e tanti criminali.(Che sembrano l'utente medio dei social: imbecilli, petulanti e asini).