Vicky, Now that you've bookended Leonard's thriller-writing
career, you really should try something in the middle.
I kind of liked Big Bounce, but it is one of, if not the
first of Leonard's thrillers as he shifted from westerns. He
really hits his stride a book or two later.
I would go one better than Doug, who feels Freaky Deaky was
his last good one. I feel its his first really bad one. I'm
with you. I found it very stilted. Dialogue really is one of
Leonard's fortes, but you'd never know it here.
Try something in between, particularly the Detroit novels or
early Florida novels -- City Primeval, Split Images, La
Brava, Cat Chaser, and the others Doug mentions. Then you
will see what the fuss is about.
Leonard helped me make the transition from reading only
hardboiled with PIs to a broader definition of the genre. So
I have him to thank for expanding my field to include some of
my now favorites like David Goodis, along with other non-PI
Gold Medal and Gold Medal-type books.
Mark
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