The Moonshine War

May 11, 2013 Dan Schwent rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: crime-and-mystery, 2013, leonard

Bootlegger Son Martin has 150 barrels of whiskey his dad made stashed away somewhere and his old war buddy, Frank Long, now a crooked prohibition agent, has his sights set on them. Will Son cave in under the pressure and hand over the whiskey or will he put Long and his cronies into the ground?

Reading an Elmore Leonard book is like bullshitting with an old friend on their front porch. In this case, it would be whiskey we'd be drinking instead of a couple frosty beers.

Rural Kentucky in the 1930'...more

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May 24, 2013 Daniel Villines rated it 4 of 5 stars

If this book is anything, it is certainly entertaining, and reading for the pure enjoyment of a story is something that every reader should do from time-to-time. While I seem to be obsessed with searching out that next morsel of wisdom or insight from my next book, I also need to remember that I would not be the book-geek that I am today if it were not for John D. MacDonald’s Travis McGee series and the enjoyment that I drew from those mystery novels.

But there is more here for readers that are i...more

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Oct 30, 2010 Steve rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: crime-badness-noir, fiction

One of Leonard's lesser known novels, The Moonshine War is, nevertheless, Grade-A Leonard, well worth seeking out. Written in 1969, one could say it was written at a time when Leonard was still a wonderful secret, and not yet a trendy discovery for People Magazine. What makes The Moonshine War a bit different than some of Leonard's crime novels, is that it is set in the not too distant past - 1931. So to some extent it is a historical novel. The setting is eastern Kentucky. True, Leonard skates...more One of Leonard's lesser known novels, The Moonshine War is, nevertheless, Grade-A Leonard, well worth seeking out. Written in 1969, one could say it was written at a time when Leonard was still a wonderful secret, and not yet a trendy discovery for People Magazine. What makes The Moonshine War a bit different than some of Leonard's crime novels, is that it is set in the not too distant past - 1931. So to some extent it is a historical novel. The setting is eastern Kentucky. True, Leonard skates pretty lightly over the regional specifics (dialect, land descriptions, etc.) - the kind of things that make Faulkner or Cormac McCarthy so authentic in a literary sense. But Leonard does throw enough in to make it thriller believable. Authentic details regarding the making of moonshine, historical nods, such as the Spanish flu, WW 1, and the kind of overalls men wore, for the most part root the reader well enough. The characters are as solid as any Leonard has created. Son Martin, the novel's hero, is your typical Leonard tough-guy. Quiet, operating on the edge of things, something of an outlaw himself. The bad guys are what you would expect. Vicious, erratic, and often kind of stupid. Of particular note, however, is Dr. Taulbee, a murderous bootlegger, who is smarter than your average Leonard criminal, and a difficult opponent for Son Martin. But he has a weak spot - Miley, a beautiful (and amoral) prostitute, who's along for the ride, though she's always looking for a reliable man. Son, with his internal code of honor, is closer to fitting that description than the good doctor, and Miley, who recognized this, is in her own way a more admirable character than Mrs. Lyons, Son's long-running love interest from town.

The plot in The Moonshine War is pretty simple: bootleggers trying to steal Son's hidden whiskey, and Son's reluctance to let that happen. There are echoes of High Noon, as Son's friends and neighbors abandon him to the bootleggers. One questions whether mountain folks would abandon one of their own to an assault from outsiders, but Leonard seems to anticipate this, when he has a neighbor of Son's tell him that the difference in their predicament is that Son has no family being threatened. In essence, to what extent Son cares for his neighbors is thus returned, in kind, which makes the ending appropriate, and well done. Leonard's endings can sometimes be disappointing. I have remarked on this myself (52 Pickup). But my complaint had more to do with the fireworks leading up to the end of that novel. If you look at the range of Leonard's work, you see an author who likes the open ended ending. It is a deliberate artistic choice by Leonard. At his best (for example, Valdez is Coming, City Primeval) he leaves the reader with a vivid, even mythic, tableau that invites the reader in. Leonard loves his High Noon moments, and will often freeze frame it in novel after novel, like a photograph of opponents squared away on Main Street, guns drawn, with the sun beating down. The Moonshine War, to my mind sits up there with the best of Leonard.
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Sep 30, 2012 Jamie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, the-dirty-south, always-reading

Well, this just came out of nowhere to be all kinds of good and then some. Between this and you-know-what I hereby petition Elmore Leonard to write about nothing but Kentucky from now on.

First read June 2011

* * *

September 2012:

I wanted to see if this was still my favorite and yes, yes it is.

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Mar 11, 2013 Lee rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

One of Leonard's earlier story's, and he was already writing good novels. Proabition going on in 1931 in the hills of Kentucky. Moonshine was a good but illegal business, but you had to feed your family somehow.
Son Martin was said to have 150 barrels stashed somewhere on his property, that his daddy had made. Eight years later, the well aged whiskey was getting some attention. Leonard is just a darn good (as they would say back then) writer, storyteller,a with some thrills thrown in.

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May 13, 2013 Leon rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Prohibition is a big headache for some . . . and a big payday for others, the fearless entrepreneurs with little respect for the law of the land. With $125,000 worth of Kentucky's finest homemade whiskey in his possession, big, hell-raising Son Martin counts himself among the latter. Son knows having this much illegal hooch makes him a very tasty target, but nobody's going to steal it from him. Ware may be coming to his backyard, but Son's not worried. Because when it comes to fighting, shootin

...more

Prohibition is a big headache for some . . . and a big payday for others, the fearless entrepreneurs with little respect for the law of the land. With $125,000 worth of Kentucky's finest homemade whiskey in his possession, big, hell-raising Son Martin counts himself among the latter. Son knows having this much illegal hooch makes him a very tasty target, but nobody's going to steal it from him. Ware may be coming to his backyard, but Son's not worried. Because when it comes to fighting, shooting, and keeping one step ahead of the Big Boys, he's more than good—he's bad . . . and dangerous . . . and deadly.

From the Back Cover

Prohibition is a big headache for some . . . and a big payday for others, the fearless entrepreneurs with little respect for the law of the land. With $125,000 worth of Kentucky's finest homemade whiskey in his possession, big, hell-raising Son Martin counts himself among the latter. Son knows having this much illegal hooch makes him a very tasty target, but nobody's going to steal it from him. Ware may be coming to his backyard, but Son's not worried. Because when it comes to fighting, shooting, and keeping one step ahead of the Big Boys, he's more than good—he's bad . . . and dangerous . . . and deadly.

About the Author

Elmore Leonard has written more than forty books during his highly successful writing career, including the bestsellers Road Dogs, Up in Honey's Room, The Hot Kid, Mr. Paradise, Tishomingo Blues, and the critically acclaimed collection of short stories When the Women Come Out to Dance. Many of his books have been made into movies, including Get Shorty, Out of Sight, and Be Cool. Justified, the hit series from FX, is based on Leonard's character Raylan Givens, who appears in Riding the Rap, Pronto, the short story "Fire in the Hole," and Raylan. Leonard is the recipient of the National Book Foundation's Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, the Lifetime Achievement Award from PEN USA, and the Grand Master Award of the Mystery Writers of America. He lives in Bloomfield Village, Michigan.

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Dec 08, 2012 aPriL MEOWS often with scratching rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: mysteries-suspense-thrillers

A very peculiar semi-fictional world of masculine struggle for relevance and self-esteem is exposed by the genius author Elmore Leonard in his usual grand style. The backdrop for this peacock display of virility in this early book by Leonard consists of extreme 1931 Tennessee poverty, isolation, lack of oversight and American male machismo. In Spain, machismo is defined by bullfighting, in Russia and China they have hierarchical domination, but in America it's the loner.

Being female, I recogniz...more A very peculiar semi-fictional world of masculine struggle for relevance and self-esteem is exposed by the genius author Elmore Leonard in his usual grand style. The backdrop for this peacock display of virility in this early book by Leonard consists of extreme 1931 Tennessee poverty, isolation, lack of oversight and American male machismo. In Spain, machismo is defined by bullfighting, in Russia and China they have hierarchical domination, but in America it's the loner.

Being female, I recognize the displaying of tail feathers that is as much about the thumping of the male's chest as displaying sexual prowess. Anyone familiar with America's ways knows that the movie character of Clint Eastwood is THE male icon for our men, with his display of large pistols and silent judgement. Nobody captures this image in more clever ways than Elmore Leonard, and no one can skewer it with style of smirking intellectualism while helplessly admiring it at the same time as Leonard. I also find myself helplessly full of admiration while a sneer is on my lips.

Son Martin is living on a forested mountain farm hollowed by mine shafts, passed down to him by his father. The art and living of making moonshine, hard liquor, has also been passed down, along with a secret cache of superb whiskey hidden for 8 years and reputed to be worth $150,000 in this Prohibition time. If it exists, Son has never sold it, but envious rumors abound in this small community of poor moonshiners spread out among the trees.

A different kind of prodigal son returns in the form of a Federal Prohibition agent, Frank Long. He is eager to make a name for himself in Washington, D.C. by recovering this hidden whiskey and he doesn't care how he does it, short of murder. When threats only get him a silent stare, he decides to hire some of the thugs he has arrested in his career, particularly a sociopathic dentist, who had served time for raping his unconscious female patients under ether, to harass all of the moonshiners to force a showdown. Long thinks if he burns down everybody else's stills, the entire community will put pressure on Martin to give up the whiskey. It works as far as organizing the neighbors to talk to Son about giving the cache up, but Son Martin politely says no.

This is a big mistake. For who, I'm not going to say (politely staring, polishing my gun).(less)

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Jan 01, 2011 John Kues rated it 4 of 5 stars

Listened to this in the car, really liked it, and the reader was great (Mark Hammer). My wife didn't care for the slow development but I really loved the Elmore Leonard dialogue. I put off listening to it until I was alone. Leonard as usual captures the characters and gets you involved in the times. Small town Kentucky life. Son Martin is sitting on 150 barrels of prime moonshine left him by his father. Rumors about where it is hidden, and what it is worth. Frank Long, an acquaintance of Son's f...more

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Aug 28, 2012 Melki rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: crime, thriller

People did crazy things where whiskey was concerned. It being against the law to drink wasn't going to stop anybody. They'd fight and shoot each other and go to prison and die for it...

I suffer from ELADS - Elmore Leonard Attention Deficit Syndrome. His books grab me at the get-go, then leave me drifting away somewhere in the middle. His fault or mine? I don't know, but this one was different. I was gripped tightly, in a good way, the whole way through this thrilling read.

Like his father before...more

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Jan 08, 2013 Jim rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: crime

Written in 1969 [at least that's the copyright date], this is an earlier crime novel from Elmore Leonard. Set in 1931 eastern Kentucky, it's a tale of moonshiners, bootleggers and Prohibition agents. Son Martin has 150 30-gallon barrels of eight-year-old, aged in the barrel whiskey hidden on his property. He hasn't told anyone about it except an old Army buddy, Frank Long, when both were drunk. Frank's out of the Army and working as a Prohibition agent and he wants that whiskey for himself. He b...more

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Feb 16, 2012 J. rated it 4 of 5 stars

I really liked this book but I can see how it's really not for everyone. I don't usually venture into the historical fiction genre, but when I saw this book at the library I had to pick it up. I've been wanting to read an Elmore Leonard book for quite a while now, and this is a good one to get me started with this author.

The Moonshine War is a historical fiction piece set in 1930's Kentucky during prohibition. Immediately you get a terrific sense of presence, as the author sets up a whiskey raid...more I really liked this book but I can see how it's really not for everyone. I don't usually venture into the historical fiction genre, but when I saw this book at the library I had to pick it up. I've been wanting to read an Elmore Leonard book for quite a while now, and this is a good one to get me started with this author.

The Moonshine War is a historical fiction piece set in 1930's Kentucky during prohibition. Immediately you get a terrific sense of presence, as the author sets up a whiskey raid in the back hills and hollows of rural Kentucky. Part of what I loved about this book is the unapologetic viewpoints and characters. There's no attempt to make the delicate reader LIKE these people. It simply tells a great story and let's you decide. It's a book written by a man, about southern men, doing backwoods hick men things. If that's not in your wheelhouse, then give this one a pass.

The Good: Great dialogue, great cast of villains - nearly all of the usual types are represented, from the simple thug, to the manipulative mastermind - good pace, perfect length, nice action, decent suspense, believable premise and plot from beginning to end.

The Bad: Abrupt end, protagonist isn't proactive, reading this book makes you want to reach for the whiskey bottle just for a snort to relate.

This book didn't get the fifth star for two reasons. One, the abrupt end kind of left me cold. I understand it, I just would have liked to know how some of the character issues were resolved once the book was past its climax. Two, I'm not a huge fan of protagonists that let the action happen to them. Son Martin did very little to try and resolve the situation before it reached the boiling point, and while that was his character's nature, it made me want to wring his neck at times. The highlight of the book for me was the interaction of the trio of villains, Frank Long, Dr. Taulbee and Dual Metters.

I would recommend this book to anyone who has ever lived in rural America, and anyone who is a fan of historical fiction. If you're a fan of prohibition era fiction and/or moonshine/whiskey then read this book!

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Feb 18, 2012 David Williams rated it 5 of 5 stars

The Moonshine War is the story of Son Martin a Prohibition Era bootlegger in rural Kentucky. Son's father hid over $100,000 of top grade moonshine. Now Frank Long, an old army buddy of Martin's is looking for it. Long is now a prohibition agent and wants the whiskey for himself. Long brings in some bootleggers to help him and things get hot.

This book was published in 1969, but like all great books, still holds up to repeated readings. This has Leonard's classic style. Heavy emphasis on dialogue,...more

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Apr 08, 2013 Chaitra rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: elmore-leonard, historical-fiction, set-in-kentucky, mystery, crime-fiction, thriller

Incredibly, this is my first Elmore Leonard book. I'm not sure how that happened. It's a lesser Leonard too, I came across this quite accidentally while browsing my library's shelves. In any case, it's a fairly good book dealing with, as the title suggests, moonshiners in Kentucky during the heights of the Prohibition.

So. The set up: Son Martin has inherited some whiskey from his father and has hidden it somewhere. People know about it, including one individual from the government who means to s...more

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Dec 19, 2012 wally rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: leonard

i started this one last night...having finished The Woman Chaser by Charles Willeford moments before and earlier in the day, Hell at the Breech by Tom Franklin...a story that is set in the late 1890s...not too far off the timing of this one.

this is the ______ from leonard for me.

dedicated for jim bill simpson and buck beshear

looks to be fifteen chapters long...my version is the kindle version...not the ebook, but that was the closest available and i don't assume there's much difference.

story beg...more

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Sep 24, 2009 Randy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Son Martin knew when his old army buddy, Frank Long, showed up what he was after. 150 30 gallon barrels of Kentucky moonshine hidden that had been aging for years. A legacy from his late father.
It's 1931 and Long is a Federal agent now, a revenuer. But he wants the profit for himself and enlists the aid of Dr. Emmett Taulbee, an ex-dentist, ex-con, now a bootlegger, and his army of gunmen.

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Jul 30, 2009 Johnny rated it 4 of 5 stars

Fun, quick read. One of Leonard's early novels feels like it was actually written even earlier that the 1969 copyright. The setting and the execution have an easy charm. Almost feels like an Erskine Caldwell novel.

The writing is a little clunky, but the characters are strong and the story simple and without many wasted words (as expected).

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Mar 13, 2011 Katharine Grubb Hawkinson rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: suspense lovers, mystery fans

Too suspenseful for this listener. When I read suspense books, I can control, to an extent, how I feel about the characters and situations. I get so wrapped up in audiobooks, that I couldn't finish this one- the suspense was driving me crazy. (My husband finished it though and told me everything that happened in the last 2 hours, and I was satisfied- probably should have kept listening)

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Feb 29, 2012 Scott Thrift rated it 4 of 5 stars

If you have read no Leonard then you should read some others before this so you can appreciate how different it is from most of his books. Really good plot, characters and prose in a setting he's not known for. Highly recommended.

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Mar 20, 2010 Sidney rated it 5 of 5 stars

Finished listening to this one on books on tape as well. It is fine, vintage Elmore Leonard, but the greatest joy lies in the skill of the narrator, Mark Hammer. His variety of southern accents is thrilling, his voice always delicious.

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Nov 03, 2010 Kit Fox rated it 5 of 5 stars

A real Leonard gem. I'd also be willing to bet a reasonable amount of pocket change that Quentin Tarantino based a bit of the backstory for Brad Pitt's character in Inglorious Basterds on an amalgam of characters/events from this moonshine yarn.

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Dec 23, 2012 Tom rated it 4 of 5 stars

When I first saw The Moonshine War on Amazon, I thought it was a new offering by Elmore Leonard. It reads like Justified in a 1930s crackdown on moonshiners in Kentucky. But it was written years ago, and made into a 1970s movie, too. So, I guess you could call this vintage Leonard.

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Jun 09, 2013 Andrewhouston rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Fantastic Elmore Leonard book! And one I never hear talked about. I listened to the audiobook and I think the narrator, Mark Hammer (never heard of him) is the best I've ever listened to. The plot line is somewhat predictable - seems obvious where Son Martin has hidden his whiskey - but it doesn't matter because the characters, dialogue and story pacing is so good. I will say that I think I am always somewhat disappointed with the way that all of Elmore Leonard's books end. It just never quite e...more

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Apr 11, 2013 Shelley Holbrooks rated it 4 of 5 stars

I love Elmore Leonard. I am always amazed at how good he is. It's impressive how he switches time periods between works so smoothly. This is a Prohibition era story, very good.

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Dec 29, 2009 Jack Goodstein rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: novels

Great tale of stills in the hills during prohibition--filled with revenuers, bootleggers,strong silent types and even a prostitute with something approaching a heart of gold.

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May 09, 2011 Jake rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: cool-books

A fun read from Elmore Leonard about bootleggers in rural Kentucky in the 30s. Tightly plotted and suspenseful. One of my favorites of his.

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Aug 17, 2011 Mike Jensen rated it 3 of 5 stars

Fun historical crime novel. Entertaining, but guilty of Leonard's overdependence on protagonist/antagonist confrontation.

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Mar 09, 2009 Jack rated it 4 of 5 stars

Very enjoyable, full of Leonard's trademark dialogue and fast plotting. Ending a bit weak, but elsewise a fun read.

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Mar 29, 2013 Eric Nygren added it

One of leonard's better offerings. Pulp fiction at it's best. A great choice for the Raylan series. Entertaining

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Aug 13, 2011 Richard rated it 5 of 5 stars

Not Leonard's greatest, but still an enjoyable read with lots of snappy dialogue and a couple of evil bad guys. The rural Kentucky setting was something I hadn't seen him do before.

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Aug 22, 2012 Max Brallier rated it 4 of 5 stars

Near perfect until the end, which it gets a little but cluster-f$&*-y.

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