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![]() | The Hot Kid (2005) (The first book in the Carl Webster series) A novel by Elmore Leonard |
Before Elmore Leonard abandoned westerns to blaze across the pantheon of bestsellerdom with his hip, stylish thrillers, punctuated with dead-pan humor and dialogue worthy of a David Mamet play, he might have written The Hot Kid; it has some of the same crisp pacing and well-defined, if not especially complex, characters that marked his earlier novels. A show-down between Tulsa oil wildcatter and millionaire Oris Belmont and his 18-year-old son, who's attempting to shake him down, says all there is to say about both men:
Jack Belmont's blackmail scheme doesn't work, but after destroying his father's property, forging checks in his name, kidnapping his mistress, and joining a gang of notorious bank robbers after his release from prison, he encounters another man trying to get out from under his father's large shadow and create his own, bigger one. Deputy U.S. Marshal Carl Webster, who at age 15 shot a man trying to steal his cows and six years later dispenses equal justice to Emmet Long, the leader of Belmont's gang, now has Jack Belmont in his sights. Webster's exploits have earned him even more celebrity than Jack, who dreams of rivaling Pretty Boy Floyd as public enemy number one.
We're in the early 30's here, just as a dust cloud is rolling across the Oklahoma plains--the days of Bonnie and Clyde, when gangsters captured the public attention, and Leonard makes good use of place and time. His minor characters are much more interesting than his protagonists, especially the women, and the writing shows occasional flashes of his trademarked ironic humor. But it's not as cool--or as hot--as even his most dedicated readers are used to, and there's barely a trace of the bizarre plot twists and unlikely coincidences that define his most recent caper novels in this one. --Jane Adams
Genre: Mystery
"I don't know what's wrong with you. You're a nice-looking boy, wear a clean shirt every day, keep your hair combed ... where'd you get your ugly disposition? Your mama blames me for not being around, so then I give you things .. you get in trouble, I get you out. Well, now you've moved on to extortion in your life of crime ... I pay you what you want or you're telling everybody I have a girlfriend?"
Jack Belmont's blackmail scheme doesn't work, but after destroying his father's property, forging checks in his name, kidnapping his mistress, and joining a gang of notorious bank robbers after his release from prison, he encounters another man trying to get out from under his father's large shadow and create his own, bigger one. Deputy U.S. Marshal Carl Webster, who at age 15 shot a man trying to steal his cows and six years later dispenses equal justice to Emmet Long, the leader of Belmont's gang, now has Jack Belmont in his sights. Webster's exploits have earned him even more celebrity than Jack, who dreams of rivaling Pretty Boy Floyd as public enemy number one.
We're in the early 30's here, just as a dust cloud is rolling across the Oklahoma plains--the days of Bonnie and Clyde, when gangsters captured the public attention, and Leonard makes good use of place and time. His minor characters are much more interesting than his protagonists, especially the women, and the writing shows occasional flashes of his trademarked ironic humor. But it's not as cool--or as hot--as even his most dedicated readers are used to, and there's barely a trace of the bizarre plot twists and unlikely coincidences that define his most recent caper novels in this one. --Jane Adams
Genre: Mystery
Used availability for Elmore Leonard's The Hot Kid
See all available used copies of this book at: Abebooks UK or Abebooks US
Hardback Editions
2006 : Hardback
| Title: Hot Kid Author(s): Leonard Elmore Publisher: Amsterdam Availability: Amazon More details... |
August 2005 : Hardback
| Title: The Hot Kid Author(s): Elmore Leonard ISBN: 0-297-84809-7 / 978-0-297-84809-7 (UK edition) Publisher: W&N Availability: Amazon Amazon UK More details... |
May 2005 : Hardback
| Title: The Hot Kid: A Novel Author(s): Elmore Leonard ISBN: 0-06-072422-6 / 978-0-06-072422-1 (USA edition) Publisher: William Morrow Availability: Amazon Amazon UK Amazon CA More details... |
Paperback Editions
September 2006 : Mass Market Paperback
| Title: The Hot Kid Author(s): Elmore Leonard Publisher: HarperTorch Availability: Amazon More details... |
September 2006 : Paperback
| Title: Up In Honey's Room Author(s): Elmore Leonard ISBN: 0-7538-2098-6 / 978-0-7538-2098-8 (UK edition) Publisher: Phoenix Availability: Amazon Amazon UK More details... |
August 2006 : Mass Market Paperback
| Title: The Hot Kid Author(s): Elmore Leonard ISBN: 0-06-072423-4 / 978-0-06-072423-8 (USA edition) Publisher: HarperTorch Availability: Amazon Amazon UK Amazon CA More details... |
May 2006 : Paperback
| Title: The Hot Kid Author(s): Elmore Leonard ISBN: 0-7528-8073-X / 978-0-7528-8073-0 (UK edition) Publisher: Phoenix Availability: Amazon Amazon UK More details... |
February 2006 : Paperback
| Title: The Hot Kid Author(s): Elmore Leonard ISBN: 0-7538-2047-1 / 978-0-7538-2047-6 (UK edition) Publisher: Phoenix Availability: Amazon Amazon UK Amazon CA More details... |
August 2005 : Paperback
| Title: The Hot Kid Author(s): Elmore Leonard ISBN: 0-297-84818-6 / 978-0-297-84818-9 (UK edition) Publisher: Weidenfeld & Nicolson Availability: Amazon Amazon UK Amazon CA More details... |
April 2005 : Paperback
| Title: The Hot Kid Lp Author(s): Elmore Leonard ISBN: 0-06-078716-3 / 978-0-06-078716-5 (USA edition) Publisher: William Morrow Availability: Amazon Amazon UK Amazon CA More details... |
Audio Editions
September 2005 : Audio Cassette
| Title: The Hot Kid Author(s): Elmore Leonard ISBN: 1-4193-4054-9 / 978-1-4193-4054-3 (USA edition) Publisher: Recorded Books Availability: Amazon Amazon CA More details... |
September 2005 : Audio CD
| Title: The Hot Kid Author(s): Elmore Leonard ISBN: 1-4193-4056-5 / 978-1-4193-4056-7 (USA edition) Publisher: Recorded Books Availability: Amazon Amazon CA More details... |
May 2005 : Audio CD
| Title: Hot Kid CD Author(s): Elmore Leonard ISBN: 0-06-078998-0 / 978-0-06-078998-5 (USA edition) Publisher: HarperAudio Availability: Amazon Amazon UK Amazon CA More details... |
2005 : Audio Cassette
| Title: The Hot Kid Author(s): Elmore Leonard ISBN: 1-84505-546-2 / 9781845055462 (UK edition) Publisher: Clipper Audio Availability: Amazon UK More details... |
Other Editions
February 2012 : Kindle edition
| Title: The Hot Kid Author(s): Elmore Leonard Publisher: Phoenix Availability: Amazon UK More details... |
October 2009 : Kindle edition
| Title: The Hot Kid (Carl Webster) Author(s): Elmore Leonard Publisher: HarperCollins e-books Availability: Amazon Amazon UK More details... |
2006 : Unknown
| Title: Hot kid Author(s): Leonard Elmore Publisher: Company of Books Availability: Amazon UK More details... |
2006 : Unknown
| Title: Hot kid Author(s): Leonard Elmore Publisher: Amsterdam Availability: Amazon UK More details... |
January 2005 : Unknown
| Title: The Hot Kid Author(s): ELMORE LeONARD Publisher: William Morrow & Co Availability: Amazon More details... |
2005 : Unknown
| Title: The Hot Kid (Playaway) #52139 Author(s): Elmore Leonard ISBN: 1-4281-5499-X / 978-1-4281-5499-5 (USA edition) Publisher: Playaway/Recorded Books Availability: Amazon More details... |
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