- Paperback: 304 pages
- Publisher: Harpercollins Canada (Jan 12 2005)
- ISBN-10: 0060777095
- ASIN: B000B1J86K
- Product Dimensions: 19.8 x 13.2 x 2 cm
- Shipping Weight: 227 g
- Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (48 customer reviews)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Amazon
Nobody writes openings like Elmore Leonard. Case in point: "When Chili first came to Miami Beach twelve years ago they were having one of their off-and-on cold winters: thirty-four degrees the day he met Tommy Carlo for lunch at Vesuvio's on South Collins and had his leather jacket ripped off." You need to know about this because you need to know why there's bad blood between Chili Palmer and Ray Bones, the guy who stole his coat and is now his boss--and has ordered him to collect $4,200 from a dead guy. Except the guy didn't die; he went to Las Vegas with $300,000. So Chili goes to Las Vegas, one thing leads to another, and pretty soon he's in Los Angeles, hanging out with a movie producer named Harry Zimm and learning what it takes to be a player in Hollywood.
Get Shorty is classic Elmore Leonard: While other people write "crime fiction," Leonard's come up with a masterful social comedy that happens to be about criminals (and other fast operators). He's a master of snappy dialogue and dizzying plot twists. The best parts of Get Shorty move along so briskly you almost forget there's somebody with a firm control over the story. And you'll be rooting for Chili to get the money, the girl, and the studio deal. --Ron Hogan --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Publishers Weekly
Taking his latest fictive turn in Hollywood, Leonard, whose oeuvre includes screenplays as well as such bestselling novels as Glitz and Freaky Deaky , adds insider knowledge to his signature humor in this roundly satisfying behind-the-scenes tour of filmdom. Slightly disaffected Chili Palmer, a small-time loan shark with big-time style, is a vintage Leonard hero. Following a bad debt from Miami to Las Vegas and on to Beverly Hills, Chili hooks up with Harry Zimm, once a leading director of grade-B horror flicks, now trying to make a comeback. While succumbing to the siren call of celluloid, Chili also narrows in on the bad debt, in the process running up against a sharp-dressing hood with whose money Harry has played too loose. In Leonard's seamless handling, the complex plot flows through twists of revenge, murder and romance, as Chili, his authentic cool making a mark in the capital of sham ("Don't talk when you don't have to" is his very un-Hollywood motto), cagily gets it together with Karen Flores, Harry's former lover and featured star. A perfect resolution puts punch in the title and will keep readers smiling for days. Chili and his story are Leonard's best yet. First serial rights to Rolling Stone; BOMC and QPB selections; major ad/promo, author tour.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
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First Sentence
When Chili first came to Miami Beach twelve years ago they were having one of their off-and-on cold winters: thirty-four degrees the day he met Tommy Carlo for lunch at Vesuvio's on South Collins and had his leather jacket ripped off. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
When Chili first came to Miami Beach twelve years ago they were having one of their off-and-on cold winters: thirty-four degrees the day he met Tommy Carlo for lunch at Vesuvio's on South Collins and had his leather jacket ripped off. Read the first page
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Most helpful customer reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
First and probably the last Leonard I'll read,
This review is from: Get Shorty (Paperback)
I had been meaning to read Elmore Leonard for years now, ever since seeing movies like Resevoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction. I knew Quentin Tarantino was a big fan and was heavily influenced by Leonard. So, after much surfing and emailing, I determined Get Shorty was likely the best novel to start with. It was pretty good, but a really light read. What makes Leonard's writing shine is the dialogue; you've heard the overused "dialogue crackles" rave? Well Leonard really delivers...this is why his novels make such successful movies; they read like them. This is a novel perfect for those who typically prefer movies over novels. I prefer the depth of Michael Connelly or Greg Iles or Dennis Lehane myself. But this is an entertaining story and certainly holds your attention, and before you know it, it's over. Just like a good movie.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Get this book,
This review is from: Get Shorty (Mass Market Paperback)
This improbable story of a Miami two-bit hood who becomes a movie producer is full of sharp characters, snappy action, and witty dialog. As usual, Elmore Leonard works in the fringes of society where small-time hoods and citizens trying to scrape by rationalize the legal and moral implications of the choices they make to get what they want. This book is particularly amusing for its send-ups of Hollywood and the false machismo of Latin drug hustlers. Here's the premise: loan shark Chili Palmer comes to L.A. to collect some debts. After visiting film director Harry Zimm, he doesn't break his legs but becomes his partner instead. They team up to produce a risky movie and Chili starts to make one of his own on the side. Soon, Harry's sleazy investors come into the picture and want Chili rubbed out. Chili's rival Ray Bones visits town, also with the intent on giving the slick hit man trouble. Meanwhile, Chili becomes friends with a big shot movie star and falls in love with Harry's leading lady. A fortune of cash is at stake while GET SHORTY evolves from one plot twist to the next. If you love movies or complex thrillers with gritty dialogue and human characters, pick up a copy of this fresh and enjoyable caper. I also recently enjoyed the novels HAM ON RYE by Bukowski, and the latest book by McCrae, his KATZENJAMMER. Though not a bit like GET SHORTY, they were, nonetheless, great stuff.
1.0 out of 5 stars
Dead Boring,
By A Customer
This review is from: Get Shorty (Mass Market Paperback)
I agree with all the one star reviews that this book lacks everything. I've read quite a few E. Leonard books and enjoyed most of them. This was his worst so far.
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