The Hot Kid

De: Elmore Leonard

Narrado por: Arliss Howard

Carl Webster, the hot kid of the marshals service, is polite, respects his elders, and can shoot a man driving away in an Essex at 400 yards. Carl works out of the Tulsa, Oklahoma, federal courthouse during the 1930s, the period of America's most notorious bank robbers: Dillinger, Baby Face Nelson...those guys.

Carl wants to be America's most famous lawman. He shot his first felon when he was 15-years-old. With a Winchester.

Louly Brown loves Carl but wants the world to think she is Pretty Boy Floyd's girlfriend.

Tony Antonelli of True Detective magazine wants to write like Richard Harding Davis and wishes cute little Elodie wasn't a whore. She and Heidi and the girls work at Teddy's in Kansas City, where anything goes and the girls wear, what else, teddies.

Jack Belmont wants to rob banks, become public enemy number one, and show his dad, an oil millionaire, he can make it on his own.

With tommy guns, hot cars, speakeasies, cops and robbers, and a former lawman who believes in vigilante justice, all played out against the flapper period of gun molls and Prohibition, The Hot Kid is Elmore Leonard, a true master, at his best.

©2005 Elmore Leonard (P)2005 HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.

Reseñas de la Crítica

• 2005 Audie Award Nominee, Mystery

"The writing is pitch-perfect throughout....It's all pure Leonard, and that means it's pure terrific." (Publishers Weekly)
"As always, Leonard's prose seems effortless, his dialogue is perfect, and his humor is as dry as a moonshine martini....A terrific pleasure." (Booklist)

Good story, Great narration

Elmore Leonard always writes interesting stories but it is the narration by Arliss Howard that makes this book. It is perfect!

it's hard to beat Leonard for colorful characters

I thought the story and performance dead on. Mr. Howard captures the Oklahoma accent and feel of the period. Well done.

Painfully dull narrator

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

no

How did the narrator detract from the book?

The narrator read the book in a flat monotone that left me looking for any excuse to stop listening and do something else. And, once I stopped I looked for any excuse not to get back to it. That's not typical of the way I listen to a good book. His style reminded me of Kevin Costner's emotionless and boring style of delivery. I think the story likely is a good one but it's hurt by the way it was read. I think I'd like the book more if I read the actual printed book.

excellent! 1930s story from a master

terrific characters in flawless pacing make this one of the best 30s gangster stories I've ever read. The only thing I would say is the interlude music is totally wrong, brassy 1950s style Big band. clearly the editor of this didn't know anything about music or history

Popcorn for the Ears

The story had some leaps in the plot that you just had to go along with. Its the first Elmore Leonard story I've encountered that wasn't set in contemporary Florida or Detroit. His focus on the details of dust-bowl Oklahoma sound real, with references to historic characters mixed with those in the story.

The protagonist was one dimensional. The narrator did a good job with different voices for the characters. His voice for the dim-witted antagonist sounded to me like a George W impersonation.

I'd recommend for a long drive -- where you won't focus on some of the leaps in the plot.

A Great Listen

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I've read the other reviews and a couple seem to be complaining about the reader's voice being 'boring'. I found the reader's style anything but boring! The characters are well developed and the story is skillfully crafted. What appear to be small details become important as the book moves along. Besides being a good story, it's an excellent period piece as well. This is the first book I've read by this author, but it won't be the last!

Entertaining

Well written, good characterization and setting, well plotted story. The rather flat narration took awhile to get used to, but it matched the laconic nature of the story's protagonist, Carl Webster, the "Hot Kid" of the title.

The Hot Kid (Unabridged)

I loved the reader. I thought he gave an authentic interruption of the main character's personality and the times...slow and easy. I was fascinated by the easy acceptance of women engaged in prostitution as if it was just a temporary career choice until something better came along.

Wow

My dogs walked far more than usual since I had far better than the usual fare to listen to. It was great and was quite sad when it ended (as were the dogs).

Move Over Chili Palmer

We love everything Elmore Leonard -- even watched every episode of Maximum Bob, so when we heard he set this book in the early 20th century, we were anxious to see how it turned out. While the setting has changed from balmy Miami to the Dust Bowl, Leonard's writing remains quirky and entertaining, and Carl Webster and his entourage are every bit as entertaining as Chili Palmer and his gang. Arliss Howard read the story like he had seen it all first-hand -- an outstanding combination of writing and narrartion!