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121st out of 155 books
—
212 voters
Freaky Deaky
He used to be on the bomb squad, but it's not until he transfers out that Chris Mankowski really begins juggling with dynamite. Rape and revenge are just the tip of the iceberg in a twisty tale that brings Detroit's denizens to life -- and occasional death -- in all their seedy glory. Electrifying, explosive, and unexpected, this is Elmore Leonard at his suspenseful best.
Paperback, 448 pages
Published
October 1st 2002
by HarperTorch
(first published 1988)
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Freaky Deaky begins with three major characters who appear at first in pairs of alternating chapters: Chris Mankowski, a Detroit cop who is leaving the bomb squad for a different assignment; and Robin Abbott and Skip Gibbs, aging hippie radicals scheming to use their anarchic skills in more financially rewarding ways. Elmore Leonard manages these characters with remarkable skill, insinuating them into each other's lives while folding in other characters along the way. While Chris is likable thro...more
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Um Mestre da Literatura de Crime e dos Diálogos que parecem tirados da vida real!
Esse é o meu primeiro livro do Elmore Leonard e fiquei impressionado! Elmore Leonard John Jr. (nascido em 11 de outubro de 1925) é um romancista e roteirista americano. Seus primeiros romances publicados na década de 1950 eram Westerns, mas Leonard passou a especializar-se em crime de ficção e suspense thrillers, muitos dos quais foram adaptados para filmes.
Conheci o Elmore através do Stephen King, que sempre o cit...more
Esse é o meu primeiro livro do Elmore Leonard e fiquei impressionado! Elmore Leonard John Jr. (nascido em 11 de outubro de 1925) é um romancista e roteirista americano. Seus primeiros romances publicados na década de 1950 eram Westerns, mas Leonard passou a especializar-se em crime de ficção e suspense thrillers, muitos dos quais foram adaptados para filmes.
Conheci o Elmore através do Stephen King, que sempre o cit...more
Ambientato a Detroit in pieni anni '80, sembra una sceneggiatura pronta per Tarantino.
Protagonista è Chris Mankowsky, artificere della polizia che, in piena crisi d'identità professionale, chiede ed ottiene il trasferimento alla sezione crimini sessuali (anche se non gli dispiacerebbe lavorare alla omicidi).
Alcune coincidenze (benedette coincidenze, come faremmo se non ci foste voi?) lo portano a lavorare ad un caso che riguarda sia la omicidi che la crimini sessuali e che ha a che fare con dell...more
Protagonista è Chris Mankowsky, artificere della polizia che, in piena crisi d'identità professionale, chiede ed ottiene il trasferimento alla sezione crimini sessuali (anche se non gli dispiacerebbe lavorare alla omicidi).
Alcune coincidenze (benedette coincidenze, come faremmo se non ci foste voi?) lo portano a lavorare ad un caso che riguarda sia la omicidi che la crimini sessuali e che ha a che fare con dell...more
A trio of former 60s radicals, who were always more thrill-seeking opportunists than truly idealistic revolutionaries, orbit an alcoholic millionaire who seems to have only a handful of brain cells remaining. They are all scheming to get their hands on his money. Some of their schemes involve explosives, which leads to the accidental involvement of a former Bomb Squad officer and an aspiring starlet. Once Elmore Leonard gets these characters and their conflicting agendas bouncing off one another...more
Despite the awful title, the book was pretty enjoyable. I found it in a used bookstore for pretty cheap and thought I'd give it a shot for beach reading. It was a success. The characters were straight out of an 80s cop movie, which is a compliment. I had fun reading it, but I probably won't ever need to revisit the book.
This was also my first Elmore Leonard novel, and while it was fun, I'm not really compelled to dig further into his oeuvre. I mean, it was good pulp fiction. If I need another l...more
This was also my first Elmore Leonard novel, and while it was fun, I'm not really compelled to dig further into his oeuvre. I mean, it was good pulp fiction. If I need another l...more
Kick out the jams mother F*cker.
If that reference means anything to you then I suspect you'll like this book. A couple of former hippie revolutionaries return to the Motor City to pull an extortion job on other ex-hippies and team up with an ex-black panther or are they all just using each other? All while dealing with a detective (also a one time hippie-light) just this side of the law. Having been born and raised in and around the Detroit area I enjoyed the familiarity of the locations used in...more
If that reference means anything to you then I suspect you'll like this book. A couple of former hippie revolutionaries return to the Motor City to pull an extortion job on other ex-hippies and team up with an ex-black panther or are they all just using each other? All while dealing with a detective (also a one time hippie-light) just this side of the law. Having been born and raised in and around the Detroit area I enjoyed the familiarity of the locations used in...more
I can't devote the time necessary to review all the Elmore Leonard books I've read in my life, there are far too many - the man is a writing machine - and just about every single one has been terrific, state of the art. The New York Times has said he's "...the greatest living crime writer of our time...perhaps ever", and I think they underpraise him. Freaky Deaky is typical: great fun, fantastically true dialogue, unique characters you'd love to actually meet, and inventive plotting that drives...more
Elmore Leonard is so cool.
Maybe you think you haven't heard of him, but I bet you have. Quentin Tarantino directed "Jackie Brown" in 1997 — the film is based on Leonard’s novel Rum Punch. “Out of Sight” (1998) with George Clooney and “Get Shorty” (1995) with John Travolta and Danny DeVito are based on Leonard’s works, as well.
Freaky Deaky is an older Leonard novel, circa 1988. I don’t think the guy has written a single bad book, though, and I just read this one, so I’ll tell you about it and the...more
Maybe you think you haven't heard of him, but I bet you have. Quentin Tarantino directed "Jackie Brown" in 1997 — the film is based on Leonard’s novel Rum Punch. “Out of Sight” (1998) with George Clooney and “Get Shorty” (1995) with John Travolta and Danny DeVito are based on Leonard’s works, as well.
Freaky Deaky is an older Leonard novel, circa 1988. I don’t think the guy has written a single bad book, though, and I just read this one, so I’ll tell you about it and the...more
I love Elmore Leonard, and for whatever reason, this is one of my favorites. It has the perfect combination of interesting people, awesome dialogue, and a mystery that unfolds with perfect pacing. I love the 1960s ex-hippy couple, Skip and Robin, a couple of ex convicts who plan to get even with the wealthy couple that ratted them out years ago. The bad guys are, typical Leonard, cool beyond measure, including ex-Black Panther, Donnel Lewis.
To my understanding, Elmore Leonard was the father of a style of prose which all but removed dialogue tags. Rarely do you see in his stories the use of John said, Bill said, Ellen said. Rather, Leonard brandishes a style in which a character performs an action and then the dialogue follows. The result is vivid scenes without too much "telling". Freaky Deaky has unique characters and problems that surmount in the most unexpected ways.
Dave
Dave
So fun! (Especially all the references to Southeast Michigan in 70s and 80s. A lot of the bars mentioned are still around.) A crime/comedy that's not normally on my reading lists, I picked this one up due to the author's recent award, and because a girl I knew growing up starred in the film adaptation (in 2012 TriBeCa). Can't wait to see it. A great story told from multiple points of view about ex-anarchists scheming a rich guy. All of the characters are interesting, believable, and the plot cle...more
not one of Elmore's better novels because the characters aren't smart enough. The best Leonard novels have smart (and dumb) low-lifes double & triple crossing, with action and time-crunching. Freaky Deaky's characters do double-cross... but with most of the action taking place in a mansion and with none of the characters very bright.. well, it's just not as fun as his best. Read it on Google.
Grade: C
Grade: C
This book is just awful. The author has attempted to create a hybrid between a farce and a film noir police mystery. It is not funny enough for it to work as a farce and is much too ridiculous to work as a mystery. I did finish the book, barely, since the author was recommended to me, but will not try any more of his stuff which he turned out like sausage for the consumption of a very different audience from myself.
Another fun Elmore Leonard read, similar in style to my personal favorite of his "Tishomingo Blues." What I love here is that, unlike some of his other works, he doesn't rely on characters that pop up near the end and have suddenly important roles or waste time on ancillary plots. It's just these few characters with interesting backgrounds who talk their way to the book's satisfying conclusion.
Only my second Elmore Leonard book, but i can already appreciate his characterisation and ability to write dialogue.
An interesting clash of characters emerges here, with some coincidences feeling a little too trite and forced to be believable.
However, suspending such practicalities, the story roars along, and we get a deeper insight into the psychological make up of each character.
An engrossing and enjoyable read.
An interesting clash of characters emerges here, with some coincidences feeling a little too trite and forced to be believable.
However, suspending such practicalities, the story roars along, and we get a deeper insight into the psychological make up of each character.
An engrossing and enjoyable read.
For me, Freaky Deaky was a massive disappointment except for the hilarious opening chapter. After reading about the green-loving Booker’s encounter with ten sticks of dynamite, however, the book descended into a mess of script-like dialog and confusing plot. It read like a well-written Holywood movie full of explosions, bad language, and funny characters, but I don’t enjoy reading movies. If this was made into a movie I would probably enjoy it a lot more. The writing, although only slightly, rem...more
The best Elmore Leonard so far… This book had great characters, a perky redhead, an explosives expert cop, and man and woman who were previously hippies, and a rich man who is too stoned to see reality. I like the play of the good cop who is not that innocent, the whole good guy not really that good type of thing. I think this book makes my favorite shelf.
Even though I am a fan of Elmore Leonard, I started reading this book mainly to pass the time between Book Discussion Group books. Then I couldn't put it down. While not one of Leonard's better books, it was the well-written characters than kept me turning the pages.
It has one of the best first chapters I have read in a while.
It has one of the best first chapters I have read in a while.
I keep trying to read Elmore Leonard because so many people like his work. But I am frequently disappointed. I love noir style, but his just feels cheap (and not cheap in a good way). The characters are all dull, no one was interesting so I really didn't care one way or another what happened to any of them.
I have one more of his that I got at the booksale for $2 and that is Cuba Libre. If it is as bad as this one was, I might not even try to finish it...
I have one more of his that I got at the booksale for $2 and that is Cuba Libre. If it is as bad as this one was, I might not even try to finish it...
Not one of the better Leonard books I've read. Maybe they don't work as well on tape. Mostly in Detroit---aging hippie bombers threaten/blackmail rich guy they used to know. Not really resolved very well at the end. Still, mostly keeps your attention and never boring.
Really 3.5
Really 3.5
Sort of on an Elmore Leonard spree having just read him for the Crime Readers group. Had forgotten how much I enjoyed him. In this one Karen Sisco puts in an appearence and gets involved with some bomb-making radicals from the 60s. Leonard's dialogue is amazing.
I love it when the question of Elmore’s books is, “Well, what do you think I like?” and the answer is, with this know-it-all grin: “You like to get money and blow shit up.”
This was more fun than a movie, getting some money and blowing shit up.
This was more fun than a movie, getting some money and blowing shit up.
Jan 20, 2010
Pa
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
those interested in suspense tales and the cultures of the 60's
A decent read about some ex-weathermen and their penchant for explosives. A decent look at the culture of the 60's and how it translates (or not) to contemporary society. Good character development. Actually would give this a 3.5
If not for my book club, I would probably not have read anything by Elmore Leonard, ever, despite reading reviews praising him for his dialogue and characters. I agree, his writing is superb: funny, sharp, surprising.
Awful title, but notable for being an Elmore Leonard book that was worth finishing. Because most of his books have the same plot structure, it is good to wait a year or two between readings. That helped a lot.
This is the first Elmore Leonard book I've read; I was attracted to the explosive radical aspects of the book. It was fun. I do not normally read mysteries, but his writing is really good, especially his dialogue.
I liked how all the characters each had a rooted background in the 60's summer of love hippie movement, but I thought a little more could've been done with that. And it wasn't much of a page turner and lacked suspense, which you'd think that a novel that deals heavily with the disarming of bombs would be dripping with tension. But it was still a pretty good story.
3/5
3/5
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I read again Leonard's bomb book in anticipation of the long-awaited movie version. Still reads fresh, even though it was written in the 1980s about the 1960s.
60's radicals return with a bomb plot to make some money from a freaked out old comrade who has inherited a fortune from his mother. Vintage Leonard.
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| freaky deaky | 5 | 19 | May 02, 2012 02:04am |
Elmore John Leonard lived in Dallas, Oklahoma City and Memphis before settling in Detroit in 1935. After serving in the navy, he studied English literature at the University of Detroit where he entered a short story competition. His earliest published novels in the 1950s were westerns, but Leonard went on to specialize in crime fiction and suspense thrillers, many of which have been adapted into m...more
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“It doesn't have to make sense, it just has to sound like it does.”
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“You never know what somebody might tell you, chris said, when they think you're somebody else.”
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