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Killshot  By  cover art

Killshot

By: Elmore Leonard
Narrated by: Ron McLarty
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Publisher's summary

Ironworker Wayne Colson and his spirited wife Carmen are witnesses to a shakedown scam - witnesses who must be eliminated. Enter Armand Degas, aka Blackbird, the brains of the operation, and his partner Richie Nix, an ex-con whose highest goal is to rob a bank in every state. A lively chase ensues when the Colsons enter the Federal Witness Security Program with two bumbling but determined killers on their trail.

With its dead-on dialogue, memorable characters, and absolute authenticity, this is one of Elmore Leonard's all-time great novels.

©1989 Elmore Leonard (P)2003, 2016 New Millennium Entertainment, Phoenix Books

Critic reviews

"Masterful...gemlike...bone-chilling." ( Los Angeles Times Book Review)

What listeners say about Killshot

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

You can't lose something you don't have.

Not a fantastic Leonard, but still a very good one. Leonard is the master of defining 5-7 good characters, setting them all in motion and writing great dialogue as they orbit closer and closer and eventually either crash into one another or find an unnatural equilibrium. This story is basically a cat & mouse game between two bizarre criminals (One an impulsive shit-talker = Richie Nix. One an French/Ojibway Indian hit man = Armand Degas, Aka Blackbird, Aka Bird) and a middle-aged couple that probably needs to read Hold Me Tight: Seven Conversations for a Lifetime of Love. They aren't a bad couple. They probably just need a bit of marriage counseling. Oh, and they probably need her mother to move or die.

One of the great things about good or great Leonard novels is not even the main cast of characters but his ability to breath life into bit players. He has a gift for dialogue and a talent for capturing essentials about the human condition in funky misfit characters.

I'll leave my review there because if I write any more I'm tempted to expand into the nature of bureaucracy, the character of local cops, or feminism in crime novels and might just give too much of the plot away. And the surprised and twists are one of the real reasons to read Leonard.

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13 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Killshot A Bit Familar, But A Fun, Insightful Read

I do enjoy Elmore Leonard's cynical and realistic view of criminals and law enforcement. So what do I mean by Killshot seeming familiar, yet fun? There are several key elements in most of his books...

-The law enforcement agencies are made up of redneck, bull headed thugs, with exception of one or two talented cops.

-Federal programs like Witness Protection are almost always protecting snitches who are guilty of equally heinous crimes as those they are ratting out. This turns out to be a real problem for the few truly innocent people in the system.

- Leonard always does a great job with character development. The bad guys are stupid and cruel, yet wise in the ways law enforcement works. And they seem to have a unique insight into human nature. Yet there is a cloud of dark humor about them that never fails to make me laugh out loud.

- The heroes here are flawed, yet charasmatic and fun to read about. Again, character development here is premium. Our heroes are a married couple. The husband is honest, hardworking and deeply devoted to his wife. But he is also a bit dimwitted, self centered and clueless about what his wife really needs. She is a caring, committed, patient wife who, after raising their son, is coming into her own. She wants, needs change, but is careful to train her husband how to bring this about without hurting him or their marraige.
Leonard's focus on both of them within the bounds of marraige is nothing short of brilliant.

As I write this review, I am reminded of what a privilege it is to read books by Elmore Leonard.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great book with one annoyance.

For some reason, the quality of the recording isn't good at all in some places and is quiet even at full volume. This doesn't ruin the book at all, but it's a tad irritating. Great book otherwise.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Bad recording of a great book

Skip this one... the audio is too confusing as the reader switches between tough guy voices. They all sound the same.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Stunning. So well done. Narrator was great.

One of the best mysteries I’ve ever come across and I’ve read many. Leonard is a brilliant writer and the characters came alive. So many telling details. So much suspense. Holds together brilliantly. Bravo.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Good performer, Great writer.

It’s a different era, but the one I grew up in so it doesn’t seem “dated”. I have a lot of audiobooks from doing a lot of long distance driving in younger days and this reader does an excellent job, one that fits the characters of the tale. Leonard knew those characters, as he always does, knew how they think and how they’d speak. His writing style is similar in many respects to Jim Thompson without the ham bone humor (which fits Thompson) and more sophisticated and nuanced characters. It’s not Elmore’s best book, a character is more annoying than menacing, like a fictional character invading, but the reader did do good work on showing his punk nature. It’s Leonard, though, so I can’t give the book less than 5.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Just average.

The narrator does a good job, but the story is pretty flimsy and mundane. I wouldn't recommend.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Not so good

Disappointing. Performance was quite good but story often boring as it went down several rabbit holes with too much detail. I’m a fan of Elmore Leonard but believe this is not up to his usual high standard.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

No likable characters

pulp with a decent amount of fun to be had. couldn't really get behind any of the characters. I wound up liking the bad guys better than the good guys. Good dialog; a strength of Leonard's. I liked the narration.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

The book is great, the audio on this isn’t

The sound quality wasn’t great, but the narrator still does a good job. The story is still great, one of Elmore’s best. Definitely worth a listen

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