There is no greater writer of crime fiction than Elmore Leonard, and no one who has more resplendent energy. -- Philip Hensher THE GUARDIAN I think I've read all of Leonard's books, and even the ones I didn't like much, I enjoyed. But when he hits the target, it's a real bullseye, and this is one of them. -- Mark Timlin CRIMETIME Leonard is one of the great American novelists. His work is a demonstration that the use of language has no rules or boundaries. -- Erica Wagner THE TIMES There's no cooler, slicker thriller writer than Leonard, and he proves it once again in this, his 46th thriller in the 86 years of his life...A joy from the first page to the last, it shows that Elmore Leonard is still as sharp and serrated as ever he was. -- Geoffrey Wansell DAILY MAIL RAYLAN is high-octane pop fiction of the darkest humour. -- Ian Thomson SPECTATOR For dialogue, plot and style, you won't find better. -- Doug Johnstone BIG ISSUE Immerse yourself in a murky world of kidney extraction and female bank robbers, woven together by the 87-year-old master who, even after 45 books, still knows how to surprise readers. SHORTLIST He can get to the heart of his characters faster and straighter than almost any writer you could think of. THE SCOTSMAN A brief immersion into an entertainingly dark interpretation of the American dream, sketched out in dialogue that's cooler than a drug-dealer's bath. -- Cecily Gayford THE LADY How wonderful it would be to discover Elmore Leonard for the first time. I mean, discover him now, in 2012, when there's a massive backlog of previous novels, 45 in all, just waiting for you to crack one open. Like a can of your favorite beer, you know each one will be a separate unit of enjoyment that won't disappoint. WASHINGTON POST Grim tales beautifully told THE TIMES