O.K. This one follows rayon, Harry, and the girlfriend about one year after Pronto left off. Basic back story is that in Pronto, Raylon took it upon himself to save Harry and girlfriends asses, saw someone who he befriended get killed in front of his eyes, then went back to Miami, and offed him (The Zip 'Tommy Bucks.)
This book has more characters than the first which makes it a little hard to follow if you aren't used to Elmore Leonard's writing style where he tends to stop whatever is going on, to tell some back story. It's like reading Snatch, or Once Upon A Time In Mexico, writing traits that I do not share with Elmore.
Riding the rap turned out to be a great read as I am used to this type of writing. The story follows Raylon Givens as he investigates the kidnapping of his friend Harry Arno, all the while dealing with the anguish of having killed a man almost out of cold blood, his girlfriend Joyce's opinion of that, and dealing with the fact that Joyce used to be intimate with Harry and now there is some tension in her and Raylon's relationship.
It seems quite comical some of the scenes involving the bad guys, Chip Ganz, Louis Lewis, and Bobby Deo, all of whom will be recognized from the show, but however, many things are different than the show and play out in different ways, this makes it quite enjoyable even though I watch Justified religiously, The story is still quite different and the surprising twists and turns still have Elmore Leonard's desired effect.
All in all, Riding The Rap is a great book, and I am now officially hooked on Elmore's writing. Four and a half stars!!!!!
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