Djibouti
Elmore Leonard, Morrow, $26.99 (288p) ISBN 978-0-06-173517-2
Leonard (Road Dogs) goes exotic with this eventually killer story of contemporary piracy set on the horn of Africa. Dara Barr, a documentary filmmaker newly arrived in Djibouti to make a film about pirates as a follow-up to her Oscar-winning Katrina documentary, and Dara's savvy friend and fixer, Xavier, stumble into a thicket of intrigue before the two are on the open water. Rogues they encounter include a "whirlwind Texas entrepreneur" sailing around the world; a crooked diplomat in league with a charismatic pirate, both eyeing a payday; and a pair of kidnapped al-Qaeda operatives, one an American citizen with a bounty on his head. Everyone has an angle or two, and once the plots stumble through an awkward first third, Leonard's hallmark breakneck pacing, crackling dialogue, and scalpel-sharp prose kick in. Seasoned Leonard readers will see some grays poking through—this at times reads like a quite good imitation of an Elmore Leonard novel—but it still beats the pants off of most of the competition. (Oct.)
Details
Reviewed on: 08/23/2010
Genre: Fiction
Analog Audio Cassette - 978-1-4417-6413-3
Compact Disc - 979-8-200-71469-8
Compact Disc - 978-1-4551-3623-0
Compact Disc - 978-1-4417-6414-0
Compact Disc - 978-0-06-200850-3
Downloadable Audio - 978-0-06-206803-3
Downloadable Audio - 978-0-06-200603-5
Hardcover - 279 pages - 978-0-297-85672-6
MP3 CD - 979-8-200-71470-4
MP3 CD - 978-1-4417-6416-4
Open Ebook - 1 pages - 978-1-4417-6418-8
Other - 288 pages - 978-0-06-201534-1
Paperback - 288 pages - 978-0-06-173521-9
Paperback - 384 pages - 978-0-06-200831-2
Paperback - 279 pages - 978-0-7538-2905-9
Pre-Recorded Audio Player - 978-1-4417-6419-5