When the Women Come Out to Dance: Stories

By Elmore Leonard

Book Overview

Later republished as "Fire in the Hole." -- In his more than three dozen books, Elmore Leonard has captured the imagination of millions of readers as few writers can. A literary icon praised by The New York Times Book Review as "the greatest crime writer of our time, perhaps ever," he has influenced many contemporary writers and is known for both the quality and the accessibility of his writing. In this collection of new and recently published short fiction, Leonard demonstrates the superb characterizations, dead-on dialogue, vivid atmosphere, and driving plotting that have made him a household name. And once more this master of crime illustrates that the line between the law and the lawbreakers is not as firm as we might think. Federal marshal Karen Sisco, from the bestselling novel Out of Sight, returns in "Karen Makes Out," once again inadvertently mixing pleasure with business. In "Fire in the Hole," Raylan Givens, last seen in Riding the Rap and Pronto, meets up with an old friend, but they're now on different sides of the law. In the title story, "When the Women Come Out to Dance," Mrs. Mahmood gets more than she bargains for when she conspires with her maid to end her unhappy marriage. In all nine stories -- each unique in their own right -- reluctant heroes and laid-back lowlifes struggle for power, survival, and their fifteen minutes of fame. Vivid, hilarious, and unfailingly human, these stories ring true with Elmore Leonard's signature deadpan social observations and diabolical eye for the foibles of the good guys and the bad.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060083972
• ISBN13: 9780060083977
• Release Date: November 2002
• Publisher: Mariner Books
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 1.14 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 0.9" x 6.0"

Customer Reviews

master my master, thank you for providing such reading enjoyment

Get it! I cannot tell you how many Elmore Leonard books I have read, but I can tell you this: there is no better master of written dialog on the planet. Crime is his typical subject genre, but I was happy to see a couple of "westerns" in this installation (harking back to his earlier career). For Elmore Leonard, dialog is the vehicle that moves the action along. Character development will come through with dialog, and those character circumstances will begin to engross you. Before too long, you've formed ideas about all of the players, and then all too soon, you are into the thick of the story's situation. Like his novels, these characters are flawed, seedy, heroic and very very human. The stories are typically about situations that could prove to be bigger than the characters themselves. Some will achieve that right of passage, and some will not. This was my first Elmore Leonard experience with short stories. I was very pleased... especially with the ending to the title story -- what a nasty little twist!

A must read for Elmore Leonard fans

One of Leonard's best collections... a quick read and a variety of stories... great at the beach or the subway ride to work...

Great collection of short stories

I am always biased towards short story collections, the buffet of literature. You'll almost always find something you like, and if you don't like it you're not stuck with it for long. I enjoyed all these stories and highly recommend this book. Leonard spans a good range of subjects, settings, and people all while continuing with his strength of character development and gritty plot lines. My only criticisms are that many of these stories read like script treatments for TV and movies. I think that if you take the time to read a book it should offer more than TV in convenient book form. Also, I think Leonard at times takes the easy way out in describing his characters. Instead of spending time describing, he just tells you that he/she looks like movie star X. It's concise but lazy; it does get the job done.

Candyman

Imagine nine pieces of the best candy you've ever eaten. You try to take your time, but find you eat them much too quickly. They are gone too soon. You wish there were more. And marvel at the skill of the candymaker.

Unexpected Treasures

Others have already sung the praises of most of the stories in this collection. I want to correct an oversight. A fourteen- page story, The Tonto Woman, may be one of the very few perfect short stories. My reaction on reading it was that only one short story (whose title escapes me) by Hemingway could equal it in terms of creating another world with completely believable characters, setting and Leonard's impeccable dialogue. If reading can be transporting, then this slim fourteen pages has taken me further than I've been before in a book.