“Sharp as an ice pick….You will love this excellent book.”
—New York Times Book Review
Elmore Leonard is the undisputed master, the “King Daddy of crime writers” (Seattle Times), in the august company of the all-time greats of mystery/noir/crime fiction genre: John D. MacDonald, Dashiell Hammett, James M. Cain, et al. The creator of such unforgettable classics as Stick, Out of Sight, and Get Shorty—not to mention the character of U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens, lately of TV’s hit series Justified—Leonard is in fine form with Mr. Paradise. A riveting Detroit-based thriller enlivened by Leonard’s trademark razor-sharp dialogue, Mr. Paradise follows a smart Victoria’s Secret model’s attempt to score big after surviving a double murder in a millionaire’s mansion…with a lonely cop acting as spoiler.
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"An Elmore Leonard book read by Robert Forrester. He was perfect. He threw away dialogue; his accent thick and gangsterish. The crisp Leonard dialogue was hilarious. A thoroughly enjoyable audible book, but anytime pedestrians got close, had to mute because of the situations and language. Very funny."
— Janet (4 out of 5 stars)
“If a writer lives long enough or produces a steady output of good books, there comes a point when he or she passes beyond mere criticism. Readers grow simply grateful. We’d rather have any new Patrick O’Brian or Iris Murdoch or Dick Francis or Elmore Leonard than none at all. Sometimes this allows us to excuse all sorts of weakness. But in the case of Mr. Paradise we don’t have to settle for mere gratitude. We can rejoice. It is unputdownable, packed with excruciating suspense and I couldn’t stop reading it. Oh yes, it’s also polyphonic and a masterpiece of progression d’effet.”
— Washington Post“It won’t disappoint the author’s many fans…Leonard is still the best of the breed among crime writers…His stories are first and foremost character driven, and the cake is iced by Leonard’s note-perfect ear for language and dialogue. Mr. Paradise delivers on both fronts. And, as with most Leonard works, it’ll make a damn good movie, too.”
— San Francisco Chronicle“A jaunty and sexy story…‘Irresistible’ is putting it mildly. I was held captive by Mr. Paradise from start to finish, racing from page to page…This dark book, for all that it reveals about the basest impulses of human nature, also laughs, bargains, rages, kills, heals, dances, and sings.”
— Washington Times“A knockout blend of cool, sexy, and smart. The lean muscular prose keeps the pages turning at breakneck pace. A heavenly thriller.”
— Scotland on Sunday (Edinburgh)" Enjoyable read. The story was pretty predictable. These crooks were well qualified for the Darwin Awards. "
— Joe, 2/17/2014" Another hardboiled crime novel from Elmore Leonard. Set in Detroit, this one concerns a shady lawyer Tony Paradiso. His concubine Chloe and her friend Kelly Barr are in the house one night when two guys break in. They kill Chloe and Paradiso. Paradiso's assistant Montez tells Kelly to pretend she is Chloe. The case is investigated by Detective Frank Delsa of the Detroit Police. "
— Frederick, 1/31/2014" Another gritty crime drama. Love that Leonard dialogue. "
— Mr., 1/27/2014" I love the cop/criminal dialog! "
— Jeff, 1/23/2014" This was a violent story with some outlandish plot twists, but nonetheless an entertaining story. Pretty typical Elmore Leonard fare, which, to my mind, is a good thing. "
— Mick, 1/13/2014" A fun and breezy read. While it may not be one of Leonards classics I still found it very enjoyable. "
— Drew, 12/28/2013" Amusing, especially for native Detroiters, but that's about all. Mediocre plot and not much character development in this one. "
— Blaine, 12/19/2013" Love the way the dialogue moves this story forward. Great characters, colorful dialogue and a story that kept me flipping the pages all the way to the end. "
— Debra, 12/10/2013" not one of his best "
— Joel, 12/8/2013" Just ok. Lite weight novel. "
— Beth, 12/2/2013" What's not to love? Except maybe all the smoking and the dubious capacity to operate at a high level while drinking like a fish. "
— Patrdr, 11/25/2013" I bought the book because the story looked neat, and it was....but nothing outside of run of mill stuff in this book. But still, a solid read, and exactly what I wanted when I picked up the book in the first place. "
— Tim, 6/29/2013" As has been the case with the more recent Elmore Leonard books this is less about the plot and more about the characters. It moves quickly and the dialog is interesting, but it definately has the feel of "been there, done that". "
— Jason, 4/6/2013" The kind of book where you think, this guy wrote this in about a week and hoped to get it made into a movie. Like eating something you know you shouldn't but you do it anyway... just because. "
— Holly, 1/18/2013" good story. you can't go wrong with leonard. some absurdity. action. dialogue. storyline. a good read. "
— wally, 6/3/2012" Fun book to listen to while driving. Interesting characters as usual from Elmore Leonard. I love have everything ties in together. "
— Bryan, 3/3/2012" I haven't read an Elmore Leonard in a long time. This story is yet another gritty tale of a murder and the folks that pulled it off, along with the sexy aspects of the relationships surrounding the story. It was OK. "
— Tami, 2/25/2012" Nancy 4.5 stars; Ron 5 stars "
— Nancy, 2/11/2012" A book on CD for a long trip. It was good, lots of colorful characters, but I felt it played out well before the end. Still, some great dialogue. "
— Chris, 2/7/2012" Takes a little bit of time to get going, once it sorts out its threads. "
— Peter, 11/14/2011" This made me want to read some more by the prolific and acclaimed Mr. Leonard. "
— Dan, 9/5/2011" Better than "Be Cool", cooler than "The Hot Kid", and more fun than "Kill Shot". God Bless Elmore Leonard. I need to expand my collection of his work. "
— Desi, 7/12/2011" Complicated story of hit men,models and Detroit homicide detective. "
— Jack, 5/8/2011" Classic Leonard, just easy to fall into and get lost in the worlds he creates. The man is an artist. "
— Sean, 2/24/2011" This seemed like an excuse for the author to describe as many heinous crimes as possible around a lame story. "
— Teddy, 1/24/2011" This made me want to read some more by the prolific and acclaimed Mr. Leonard. "
— Dan, 1/11/2011" Not a great story but had interest. Slow moving. "
— Hapzydeco, 11/16/2010" Just a cop and robber book. Thought it would be funnier. "
— Brady, 9/10/2010" I was ready to give this 4 stars, but it just fizzled at the end of the book. "
— Andy, 8/2/2010" I like Elmore Leonard. He's easy to read and writes about people like there are real people. "
— Elizabeth, 6/18/2010" For the first time since childhood I started and finished a book in one day. Culpability distribution: London Rain 5%, Elmore Leonard 95% "
— Fernando, 4/5/2010" Elmore Leonard has a very unique way of writing that creates the feeling his stories are true. This is about an 80-something, very rich and man who is shot, along with his "regular" prostitute. This is a good story, not great but a mystery to the end. "
— Ruth, 3/25/2010Elmore Leonard (1925–2013) wrote more than fifty books during his highly successful career, including the bestsellers Djibouti, Road Dogs, Mr. Paradise, Tishomingo Blues, and the critically acclaimed collection of short stories, When the Women Come Out to Dance. Many of his books have been made into movies, including Get Shorty, Out of Sight, and Quentin Tarantino’s Jackie Brown. He was the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from PEN USA and the Grand Master Award of the Mystery Writers of America.
Robert Forster is an award-winning film and television actor best known for his Oscar-nominated supporting role as Max Cherry in Jackie Brown.