Cundo Rey says Jack Foley is the only white guy in prison he can trust. Foley is the celebrity bank robber from Out of Sight; Cundo, last seen in LaBrava, is a millionaire hustler doing time for first degree. Foley was laid low on a job he should have carried off, and his thirty years aren't going quick. When he escapes he's marched back inside by one Karen Sisco - though not, of course, before they catch up. But then Cundo pays a hot attorney to get Foley's time reduced. Thirty years turn to thirty months and the golden ...
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Cundo Rey says Jack Foley is the only white guy in prison he can trust. Foley is the celebrity bank robber from Out of Sight; Cundo, last seen in LaBrava, is a millionaire hustler doing time for first degree. Foley was laid low on a job he should have carried off, and his thirty years aren't going quick. When he escapes he's marched back inside by one Karen Sisco - though not, of course, before they catch up. But then Cundo pays a hot attorney to get Foley's time reduced. Thirty years turn to thirty months and the golden boy drags himself from Karen to see to Cundo's affairs - as any good Road Dog should. Waiting for Cundo in Venice, California, is his 'wife', Dawn Navarro, the seductive psychic from Riding the Rap. Waiting for Foley is Lou Adams, a rogue FBI man and no stranger to a grudge. But with two weeks' grace till Cundo walks free, Foley has other things on his mind - like getting a bit too friendly with his prison buddy's wife. Their pillow talk: screwing the real estate man for all that he's worth. Soon Cundo's back, with some favours of his own to ask the man whose freedom cost him thirty grand. But who can double - or triple - cross the other players first? With a lovable but lethal cast on a collision course for the swag, Elmore Leonard's high-octane thrills show no sign of letting up.
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Elmore Leonard's (1925 -- August 20, 2013) novel "Road Dogs" (2009) was a late work, written when the author was in his 80s. The novel has a valedictory touch as Leonard brings back several characters who appeared separately in earlier novels. The book can be read on its own by readers unfamiliar with the earlier novels.
The novel is set in a Florida prison and in an expensive residential community in Venice, California. The two primary male characters are convicts. Jack Foley, who has spent his life robbing banks, faces a 30 year prison sentence and the diminutive Cundo Rey,50, is a wealthy Cuban immigrant involved in many illicit activities in California who has served five years of a seven year sentence for second degree murder. Foley and Rey become apparent fast friends or "Road Dogs" in the tough prison world. Rey uses his great wealth to hire a gifted woman attorney who successfully appeals Foley's conviction and secures a marked reduction in his jail time. The two men thus are released from prison within weeks of one another. At Rey's prompting, Foley heads to California to prepare for Rey's release. He meets Rey's wife, Dawn Navarro, a professional and grossly fraudulent and exploitative psychic. During his prison term, Rey has been highly jealous of Dawn. He reminds her at every opportunity to act the part of a "saint" during his long absence.
The book is heavily plotted with many twists, turns, and secondary characters. The themes of the book include the nature and possibility of friendship and trust, the ability or lack of it of people to change strongly entrenched character traits, trust and love between men and women, and betrayal. Each of the three main characters seem to work against one another and to be out for the main chance.
The book reads quickly with Leonard's esteemed skill in snappy, realistic dialogue. With all the robbery, murder, sex, and extortion shown in the book, it has in places a surprisingly light touch. The book frequently has more of the feel of humor and irony as opposed to a tough-minded crime thriller. Elmore seems somehow to be telling his story and reflectively standing outside it.
The characters and themes are well-developed and the writing is sharp. I thought the story line was brittle and convoluted. The humor and detachment Leonard brings to the story are more effective than the actions he describes. "Road Dogs" is a readable, interesting novel but probably most readers will find it not one of Leonard's best.
Robin Friedman
JAYTEEEM
Oct 8, 2009
Vintage Leonard
Elmore Leonard brings back several of his best characters in this new caper novel. It helps if you've read his older novels, but if you haven't, it won't keep you from enjoying the story. This is not as compelling a mystery as some of his others, but it's still Leonard, so it's head and shoulders above anybody else in the field.
I just hope he sticks around for a long time, and keeps giving us more good stories.
