I've been a fan of Elmore Leonard going back to the 1980's when I read several of his crime novels. In recent years, I became a big fan of the TV show JUSTIFIED which is based on Elmore's character Raylan Givens...I really hated to see it end! This is the third novel in which Givens appears and it was written by Leonard after JUSTIFIED was already a hit TV series. For me, this novel was just okay. It was actually three different stories strung together in one novel. The first had the Crowe brothers getting involved with a transplant nurse who is out to steal kidneys for a profit with Raylan becoming one of her victims. Then there is a woman lawyer who works for a mining company out to get the rights to surface mine a mountain that may be full of coal. Nothing gets in her way and she is not afraid to kill for what she wants. And then finally Raylan gets involved with a young woman who is also a high-stakes poker player and may also be involved in bank robbery.
Overall, I felt the characters in the book were not as well developed as in the TV show. Especially Boyd Crowder who in the TV series always seemed to be in charge and was always coming up with another criminal enterprise. While in this novel, he seemed to be almost a side character acting as a runner for the woman mining executive. I really do miss the JUSTIFIED TV series but I have heard that more of Raylan is in the works. That makes me and Raylan smile!
Overall, I felt the characters in the book were not as well developed as in the TV show. Especially Boyd Crowder who in the TV series always seemed to be in charge and was always coming up with another criminal enterprise. While in this novel, he seemed to be almost a side character acting as a runner for the woman mining executive. I really do miss the JUSTIFIED TV series but I have heard that more of Raylan is in the works. That makes me and Raylan smile!
I love the TV series, and have read all 3 books so far. This one is the best of the 3 as it is closer to the tv show line and shows Raylan more as we know him. Keep in mind that there are many differences between the show and the book, with some major twists. For what it's worth, if you really like Raylan, you'll probably like this book, but if you are a show fanatic, and expect things to be exactly the same, you will not.
I enjoy Elmore Leonard's writing and I enjoyed the TV series "Justified" that was based on the main character in this book. Leonard said that the book was written on the request of the show runner and the star of the series. I thought the book was more a series of interconnected short stories rather than an out and out novel. There wasn't a plot that ran from start to finish, rather it was a series of mini-adventures/escapades involving Raylan. That didn't detract from the enjoyment. In any case, if you're looking for a semi light hearted noir novel, this might satisfy.
