Search - Escape from Five Shadows

Even in an early novel like this, Leonard creates realistic characters. The natural rhythms of the dialogue will call to mind James M. Cain and Hemingway. A minimum of exposition and description also mark his no-frills style. Leonard knows how to get out of the way, let the characters move the story along at a fast tempo. Highly recommended.

Aided by a young woman who instintivly knows he is a good man a wrongly convicted man will go to any extreme to escape and clear his name.

"Enjoy the good old stuff." So says the back cover of Leonard's tough and realistic western. My husband devoured it. When asked if he enjoyed the book, he said, "Yup." High praise from this man of few words.

Good early Elmore. If you like his modern era novels, you should also like his westerns.