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Glitz
'The night Vincent was shot he saw it coming...' After being shot by a mugger, Lt. Vincent Mora is convalescing in Puerto Rico. There he meets Iris, a beautiful young woman who is bored and frustrated, looking for excitement and a new life. Then she is offered a job as a 'hostess' at a casino in Atlantic city by Tommy Donovan. But Vincent figures out there is more to this job than Iris realises and he decides to pay Donovan a visit. To complicate matters, Iris isn't the only one interested in Vincent - he is being stalked by a man he sent down seven and a half years before, a man out to get his revenge.
235 pages, Paperback
First published March 28, 1985
413 people are currently reading
1609 people want to read
About the author
Elmore Leonard
211 books3,698 followersElmore 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 motion pictures.
Father of Peter Leonard.
Father of Peter Leonard.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 296 reviews
November 14, 2022
Published in 1985, this is another very entertaining novel from Elmore Leonard. At the heart of the story is Vincent Mora, a Miami detective who was shot by a mugger while off duty. As the novel opens, Vincent is convalescing in Puerto Rico, enjoying the beaches, the great weather and the scenery. He's also developed a friendship with an ambitious if naïve young woman named Iris who dreams of going to America, becoming a hostess in an Atlantic City casino, and getting rich.
The man who has promised her a job is Tommy Donovan who owns casinos in Puerto Rico and Atlantic City. He has his eye on Iris who has, sadly, swallowed his line believing that Donovan is the key to her future. Vincent believes that Iris is a nice kid and he feels something of a fatherly desire to protect her from Donovan.
Meanwhile, Vincent is being hunted by Teddy Magyk, an ex-con who thinks of himself as "Mr. Magic." Seven years ago, Vincent arrested Teddy for the rape of an elderly woman and Teddy wound up in prison. He blames Vincent for his misfortune and has followed him to Puerto Rico, intending to kill him, perhaps using Iris as bait.
There are a number of other great characters in the book and, as is always the case in an Elmore Leonard novel, they are sharply drawn and each is enjoyable in his or her own way. The dialogue is great (of course), and the story moves back and forth between Puerto Rico and Atlantic City. The plot contains a number of twists and turns and a great deal of dark humor. This was a great reread.
The man who has promised her a job is Tommy Donovan who owns casinos in Puerto Rico and Atlantic City. He has his eye on Iris who has, sadly, swallowed his line believing that Donovan is the key to her future. Vincent believes that Iris is a nice kid and he feels something of a fatherly desire to protect her from Donovan.
Meanwhile, Vincent is being hunted by Teddy Magyk, an ex-con who thinks of himself as "Mr. Magic." Seven years ago, Vincent arrested Teddy for the rape of an elderly woman and Teddy wound up in prison. He blames Vincent for his misfortune and has followed him to Puerto Rico, intending to kill him, perhaps using Iris as bait.
There are a number of other great characters in the book and, as is always the case in an Elmore Leonard novel, they are sharply drawn and each is enjoyable in his or her own way. The dialogue is great (of course), and the story moves back and forth between Puerto Rico and Atlantic City. The plot contains a number of twists and turns and a great deal of dark humor. This was a great reread.
February 5, 2024
From 1986
A great book set in Peurto Rico and Atlantic City. Leisurely, follows no rules. Long but easy.
This is the first Elmore Leonard book I ever read. I remember when I found it.
It was 1998. I was 21 and an office temp (I was a great filer) at an insurance place in Boston. And there was an article in the newspaper about Elmore Leonard (the movie of "Out of Sight" was coming out), and how he had a cult following as a writer. And I was like I must readhim. And. then I was in the lobby (probably for filing), and there were some hardcover books on a decorative shelf or something. And there was this, Glitz. So I took it down and asked the guy in charge could I borrow it, and he said it was nobody's, I could have it. And I was thrilled, and it began a lot of reading Elmore Leonard books.
A great book set in Peurto Rico and Atlantic City. Leisurely, follows no rules. Long but easy.
This is the first Elmore Leonard book I ever read. I remember when I found it.
It was 1998. I was 21 and an office temp (I was a great filer) at an insurance place in Boston. And there was an article in the newspaper about Elmore Leonard (the movie of "Out of Sight" was coming out), and how he had a cult following as a writer. And I was like I must readhim. And. then I was in the lobby (probably for filing), and there were some hardcover books on a decorative shelf or something. And there was this, Glitz. So I took it down and asked the guy in charge could I borrow it, and he said it was nobody's, I could have it. And I was thrilled, and it began a lot of reading Elmore Leonard books.
September 7, 2021
In Glitz, a nod to the casinos of San Juan and Atlantic City, Leonard offers us a cops and robbers story peopled by great characters. Our protagonist is Vincent, a Miami police detective who takes a gunshot while carrying a sack of groceries home. He makes the most of his disability leave with a stay on beaches of San Juan arm in arm with Iris, a young woman ready to take any path out of poverty. Then, there’s Teddy Magyck, who Vincent Mora put away for elder rape seven and a half years ago and has now left Raiford with revenge fantasies dancing in his head. At first, Vincent doesn’t even know he’s being hunted, but pretty soon catches on the cat and mouse game being played with his life.
Leonard, of course, brings this contest to life with his patented ear for dialogue and the result is a story that moves at a breakneck pace with no quarter being given. The story takes us from San Juan to the Monopoly-board streets of Atlantic City, complete with wiseguys running the show. Vincent is officially on leave and has no jurisdiction anywhere the story takes place, but that doesn’t stop him from butting heads with anyone in his way.
Leonard, of course, brings this contest to life with his patented ear for dialogue and the result is a story that moves at a breakneck pace with no quarter being given. The story takes us from San Juan to the Monopoly-board streets of Atlantic City, complete with wiseguys running the show. Vincent is officially on leave and has no jurisdiction anywhere the story takes place, but that doesn’t stop him from butting heads with anyone in his way.
August 14, 2014
Man, you know, I love him to death but it really must be said: Elmore Leonard is (was) a hopeless cheeseball. It's a feature of all his books, but the corniness of the love scenes in Glitz was almost too much to take. Ditto the romantic heroism of its paragon of perfect manhood, the scruffy but inimitable -- and universally irresistible -- off-duty cop Vincent Mora. I've always thought of Leonard's crime fiction as sappy romances with a rough, bloody veneer that's supposed to make them okay for boys. In Glitz, the sappy sweet fantasy elements get even more intense than I feel they usually do, though that may just be me and a weakening of my tolerance.
It is worth noting, though, that without the sugary love stories and fuzzy sex scenes, Leonard's novels might be unrelentingly bleak. When we're not following our dashing vigilante detective, we're often trapped in the mind of a terrifying granny-rapist and murderer, or reading descriptions of highly disturbing crimes. Despite the huge variety of characters with all their different degrees of scumminess and law-following/breaking, Leonard's world isn't one of moral ambiguity: there are good guys and bad guys, and the good guys are very, very good while the bad guys are just awful (the women, regardless of moral fiber, tend to be very, very hot). Leonard's genius here, as elsewhere, is to rove around through the brains of everyone on the spectrum, not giving shorter shrift or flattening out even the most demented psychos. So we see the thought process of the granny-raper presented with just as much detail and legitimacy as that of our hero, and it's the contrast between the books' simple good v. evil divide and this exercise in authorial empathy that's much of what makes Leonard's books so fascinating and unique.
Yeah, then factor in vacations to mid-eighties Miami Beach, Puerto Rico, and Atlantic City, and you'll see why this book is such a great time. With his usual unusual cast of characters -- unsavory criminals, savory women (unfortunately including the inexplicably bland and recurring musician Linda Moon, probably the lamest Leonard character of all time), wise cops, wealthy businessmen, cool black guys, ex-beauty queens, and seedy/flamboyant/extralegal/ridiculous figures -- sprinkled liberally as needed.
You can't do much better than eighties Leonard in these dog days of summer, and I enjoyed this so much I'll forgive him for my near-fatal overdose of sap. Honestly, to an extent that hokey sparkle stuff is part of the Leonard magic formula. Probably if the love interest here were more appealing, I could have even enjoyed it; I did like Vincent, shining halo of virtuous testosterone and all. I do enjoy over-the-top sugar rushes as much as the next girl, and, like a ridiculous rum drink one might order in the bar of an upscale Puerto Rican casino, this book did have plenty of them.
It is worth noting, though, that without the sugary love stories and fuzzy sex scenes, Leonard's novels might be unrelentingly bleak. When we're not following our dashing vigilante detective, we're often trapped in the mind of a terrifying granny-rapist and murderer, or reading descriptions of highly disturbing crimes. Despite the huge variety of characters with all their different degrees of scumminess and law-following/breaking, Leonard's world isn't one of moral ambiguity: there are good guys and bad guys, and the good guys are very, very good while the bad guys are just awful (the women, regardless of moral fiber, tend to be very, very hot). Leonard's genius here, as elsewhere, is to rove around through the brains of everyone on the spectrum, not giving shorter shrift or flattening out even the most demented psychos. So we see the thought process of the granny-raper presented with just as much detail and legitimacy as that of our hero, and it's the contrast between the books' simple good v. evil divide and this exercise in authorial empathy that's much of what makes Leonard's books so fascinating and unique.
Yeah, then factor in vacations to mid-eighties Miami Beach, Puerto Rico, and Atlantic City, and you'll see why this book is such a great time. With his usual unusual cast of characters -- unsavory criminals, savory women (unfortunately including the inexplicably bland and recurring musician Linda Moon, probably the lamest Leonard character of all time), wise cops, wealthy businessmen, cool black guys, ex-beauty queens, and seedy/flamboyant/extralegal/ridiculous figures -- sprinkled liberally as needed.
You can't do much better than eighties Leonard in these dog days of summer, and I enjoyed this so much I'll forgive him for my near-fatal overdose of sap. Honestly, to an extent that hokey sparkle stuff is part of the Leonard magic formula. Probably if the love interest here were more appealing, I could have even enjoyed it; I did like Vincent, shining halo of virtuous testosterone and all. I do enjoy over-the-top sugar rushes as much as the next girl, and, like a ridiculous rum drink one might order in the bar of an upscale Puerto Rican casino, this book did have plenty of them.
January 22, 2016
What a great book! Vincent Mora is the kind of man I'd love as a friend. Sweet, smart, loyal, and he knows his limitations. He also is able to suss out the limitations of the world around him and quickly accept it all for what it is and not waste time whining. He's a good person, a good cop and he still wants to do things without crossing over too many lines. He likes people, too. While he is a great person, he is uncomfortable with violence, but he has an understanding of the men who commit it and break the law. Usually.
However, one of the characters he sends to prison is a maniac almost beyond understanding. Perverse and weird, ironically this insane murderer thinks Vincent can see all the way inside him through his eyes and now wants to kill Vincent when he is released from prison for raping old women. Teddy Magyc lives with his mom and from the evidence has a psychopath brain with a cylinder missing so he never got over being inside of her before he was born. When Teddy can't get over the look he believes Lt. Mora gave him when he was arrested, he wants to kill Vincent.
In the meantime, Vincent was shot after buying groceries and was forced to kill the robber in self-defense, and he discovered killing and shooting people completely sickened him. While recovering from his wound in Puerto Rico he is thinking about changing his life. But Teddy begins to stalk Vincent and along the way starts murdering innocent bystanders whom he uses to get at Vincent.
This sounds like your typical murder mystery genre, but this is far from it. The author is obviously a literary man. This book is fun in the way of fantasy writer Terry Pratchett's style while also maintaining the mystery genre plot points. Also the characters, of which there are many as per the requirements of the genre, are all real people who you honestly get to know instead of mere straw men. It is a delightful read, and one I wanted to savor throughout. I was sorry it ended and I'll be reading more books by Elmore Leonard.
However, one of the characters he sends to prison is a maniac almost beyond understanding. Perverse and weird, ironically this insane murderer thinks Vincent can see all the way inside him through his eyes and now wants to kill Vincent when he is released from prison for raping old women. Teddy Magyc lives with his mom and from the evidence has a psychopath brain with a cylinder missing so he never got over being inside of her before he was born. When Teddy can't get over the look he believes Lt. Mora gave him when he was arrested, he wants to kill Vincent.
In the meantime, Vincent was shot after buying groceries and was forced to kill the robber in self-defense, and he discovered killing and shooting people completely sickened him. While recovering from his wound in Puerto Rico he is thinking about changing his life. But Teddy begins to stalk Vincent and along the way starts murdering innocent bystanders whom he uses to get at Vincent.
This sounds like your typical murder mystery genre, but this is far from it. The author is obviously a literary man. This book is fun in the way of fantasy writer Terry Pratchett's style while also maintaining the mystery genre plot points. Also the characters, of which there are many as per the requirements of the genre, are all real people who you honestly get to know instead of mere straw men. It is a delightful read, and one I wanted to savor throughout. I was sorry it ended and I'll be reading more books by Elmore Leonard.
December 24, 2022
Wow! This was classic Elmore Leonard-- highly entertaining, well paced, with just the right mixture of action, plot complexity, colorful characters and of course, his trademark knack for dialogue.
At the center of the story is a Miami detective called Vincent Mora, who'd been shot by a would-be mugger, and is recovering on medical leave in sunny Puerto Rico. While there, Vincent encounters a beautiful young woman, Iris, (whose favors can be purchased) with whom he strikes up a companionable relationship. Unbeknownst to Vincent, however, is that he's being followed and observed by Teddy Magyk, a crazy ex-con whom he'd arrested some seven years earlier. Teddy's determined to exact revenge on Vincent, but is clearly a bubble off level and somewhat inept at the game.
The story shifts to Atlantic City, where Iris has been promised a "hostess" job, not really understanding the nature thereof, by a sleazy casino owner. Vincent knows what will likely befall this naive woman but cannot stop her from moving up north. He eventually learns of her death and flies up to see what's what. Leonard then ratchets up the number of players in the story, ranging from Linda, a beautiful lounge singer who will come to play a critical role, to a rather large, former NFL linebacker now serving as bodyguard to the casino manager. The plot thickens and serves up several twists as it moves quickly along, eventually returning to Puerto Rico to deliver the finale.
I have become more and more of a fan of Elmore Leonard's novels, and this one was a very enjoyable read that I can heartily recommend. Happy holidays and good reading to all.
At the center of the story is a Miami detective called Vincent Mora, who'd been shot by a would-be mugger, and is recovering on medical leave in sunny Puerto Rico. While there, Vincent encounters a beautiful young woman, Iris, (whose favors can be purchased) with whom he strikes up a companionable relationship. Unbeknownst to Vincent, however, is that he's being followed and observed by Teddy Magyk, a crazy ex-con whom he'd arrested some seven years earlier. Teddy's determined to exact revenge on Vincent, but is clearly a bubble off level and somewhat inept at the game.
The story shifts to Atlantic City, where Iris has been promised a "hostess" job, not really understanding the nature thereof, by a sleazy casino owner. Vincent knows what will likely befall this naive woman but cannot stop her from moving up north. He eventually learns of her death and flies up to see what's what. Leonard then ratchets up the number of players in the story, ranging from Linda, a beautiful lounge singer who will come to play a critical role, to a rather large, former NFL linebacker now serving as bodyguard to the casino manager. The plot thickens and serves up several twists as it moves quickly along, eventually returning to Puerto Rico to deliver the finale.
I have become more and more of a fan of Elmore Leonard's novels, and this one was a very enjoyable read that I can heartily recommend. Happy holidays and good reading to all.
April 18, 2017
While Glitz gets a little bogged down in Atlantic City--most of the mobster entanglements are incidental and unnecessary--it has a strong core, with a compelling hero and villain. Vincent, our protagonist, is a cop who begins the novel both recovering and vacationing in Puerto Rico. He's recently been shot--it's a vivid, specific event, and in a nice detail, he still remembers what groceries he was carrying--but that's not troubling him as much as the fact that he killed the man who shot him. He should, he thinks, have "scared him enough" that returning fire was unnecessary.
In the meantime, stalking him throughout Puerto Rico is Teddy Magyk, a murderer and serial rapist with a particular bent towards elderly women. Vincent arrested Teddy a few years ago, and Teddy has been obsessed with him ever since, but not out of revenge so much as an intriguing combination of indignation and a sense of destiny. He thought he saw in Vincent's eyes that Vincent could and would kill him, if he had the chance and it came to it, and that has constantly nagged at him.
Vincent succeeds in getting Teddy politely escorted out of the country, but then he himself gets called back to the states when Iris, a Puerto Rican one-time prostitute he briefly dated, plunges to her death with his name and address on a folded piece of paper stuffed inside her underwear. Either she or someone else wanted to send him a message, so then he's back in Atlantic City, in the cheap glitz of the casino world, trying to find who killed Iris--it's not hard for us to guess, and he puts it together fairly quickly--and then trying to figure out what to do about it.
All of this is good, strong stuff, with Vincent especially likable as a smart, competent detective with deep reservations about violence, which the last fact adding tension--will he be able to kill Teddy if it comes down to that?--and complexity--it strips him of any annoying Cop on the Edge vibes. (One of my favorite bits has him repeatedly trying to get someone else to be as impressed as he is by how much money he won in just a few minutes of gambling. I feel you, buddy.) Iris's death is suitably chilling, and so, in some ways, is her life, with the almost Ellroy-like touch of having an especially wealthy gambler require her to walk around his private game naked so he can rub the dice in her public hair "for luck." And Teddy is a genuinely disconcerting bad guy--as Vincent himself says, he's weird, off-kilter in a way that is dangerous without being glamorous.
The novel is a little weakened, though, by the padding of some of Vincent's adventures in Atlantic City, and the romance is less convincing than I usually find Leonard's. I like Vincent a lot myself, but the instant attraction all the women in the novel have to him comes across as a little forced, mostly there to add another wrinkle as he catches the eye of a prominent casino owner. With a little cutting, this would be an easy five stars, but as is, I'd say three and a half.
In the meantime, stalking him throughout Puerto Rico is Teddy Magyk, a murderer and serial rapist with a particular bent towards elderly women. Vincent arrested Teddy a few years ago, and Teddy has been obsessed with him ever since, but not out of revenge so much as an intriguing combination of indignation and a sense of destiny. He thought he saw in Vincent's eyes that Vincent could and would kill him, if he had the chance and it came to it, and that has constantly nagged at him.
Vincent succeeds in getting Teddy politely escorted out of the country, but then he himself gets called back to the states when Iris, a Puerto Rican one-time prostitute he briefly dated, plunges to her death with his name and address on a folded piece of paper stuffed inside her underwear. Either she or someone else wanted to send him a message, so then he's back in Atlantic City, in the cheap glitz of the casino world, trying to find who killed Iris--it's not hard for us to guess, and he puts it together fairly quickly--and then trying to figure out what to do about it.
All of this is good, strong stuff, with Vincent especially likable as a smart, competent detective with deep reservations about violence, which the last fact adding tension--will he be able to kill Teddy if it comes down to that?--and complexity--it strips him of any annoying Cop on the Edge vibes. (One of my favorite bits has him repeatedly trying to get someone else to be as impressed as he is by how much money he won in just a few minutes of gambling. I feel you, buddy.) Iris's death is suitably chilling, and so, in some ways, is her life, with the almost Ellroy-like touch of having an especially wealthy gambler require her to walk around his private game naked so he can rub the dice in her public hair "for luck." And Teddy is a genuinely disconcerting bad guy--as Vincent himself says, he's weird, off-kilter in a way that is dangerous without being glamorous.
The novel is a little weakened, though, by the padding of some of Vincent's adventures in Atlantic City, and the romance is less convincing than I usually find Leonard's. I like Vincent a lot myself, but the instant attraction all the women in the novel have to him comes across as a little forced, mostly there to add another wrinkle as he catches the eye of a prominent casino owner. With a little cutting, this would be an easy five stars, but as is, I'd say three and a half.
January 17, 2023
I reviewed this book, but for the Kindle edition.
Here's the link to that review:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6...
Hope you enjoy it.
Here's the link to that review:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6...
Hope you enjoy it.
October 19, 2022
In Glitz, Elmore said he wrote the one guy he didn’t like, the only bad guy he ever wrote. Here’s the thing, though. Elmore’s worst only bad guy is still so entertaining that he rates an exemption to my rule of hating stories about psychopaths.
And trust me, if you are hating Teddy Magyk, there is plenty more here to love.
And trust me, if you are hating Teddy Magyk, there is plenty more here to love.
September 6, 2017
Glitz is another gem by Elmore Leonard about a Miami cop named Vincent Mora who is on sick leave in Puerto Rico after being shot while shopping for groceries. While he's out of action, he happens to fall hard for one of the local hookers, Iris. His infatuation, in part, is the glue that binds him to recently released criminal and convicted rapist Teddy Magyk (pronounced Magic). Teddy has a hard-on for Vincent, after all he's the cop who caught him and helped put him behind bars for over 7 years. Through a blaze of comedic crime the two come together in a hail of bullets and body bags. It's a great book full of great characters with snappy dialogue and interesting back stories. It's one of Elmore Leonard's more memorable books from a catalog of memorable reads.
October 31, 2017
No one else writes like him, he is a true original. I read this in 2 days and it's not even one of his best. His male heroes are always cool, competent, and decent. Everything moves at a fast clip, if you can't keep up, sorry.
August 7, 2021
Elmore Leonard In Atlantic City
Elmore Leonard's novel have many settings, including Detroit, Hollywood, Mississippi, Harlan, Kentucky, the Arizona territory, and more. His books manage to capture a sense of place as well as telling a story. Published in 1985, "Glitz" was the first of Leonard's novels to make the best-seller list. The book also shows Leonard finding additional settings. Most of the book takes place in Atlantic City but there are important scenes in Puerto Rico and Florida as well. Leonard follows the fortunes of the book's hero, Vincent Mora, a Miami homicide investigator as he chases down the book's villain, the fearsome mama's boy, Teddy Magyk.
When Vincent is sent from Miami to Puerto Rico on medical leave, he meets up with Teddy, whom Vincent sent to prison for seven years for raping an old woman. The vicious, vindictive Teddy has a long memory. The two meet up again in Atlantic City on the trail of Iris, a Puerto Rican prostitute who has been recruited to serve the high rollers of a casino. Iris soon meets her demise when she is pushed out the window from the 18th floor of a condominium, and much of the story involves finding her killer among many sleazy suspects in the Atlantic City underworld.
The title "Glitz" refers to the flashing lights and surface allure and glamor of Atlantic City which serves as a veneer for the corruption and violence underneath. The book captures the sense of casino life, with the high rollers, the Mafia that seeks to infiltrate the business, the ringing slot machines and the poor lost people who play them, the casino employees at every level and the redoubtable local police. The book is cluttered with characters and it is easy to get lost. But Leonard offers a convincing portrait of his milieu.
The portrait of Atlantic City becomes combined with the ongoing tension between Vincent and Teddy, whose mother lives in the Atlantic City environs and who has become disgusted at last with supporting her more than wayward son. Teddy would not know what to do without mama. But there is more. Vincent has been lonely since the death of his wife; while in Atlantic City he meets and begins a relationship with a young singer, Linda Moon. Linda, with all the glitz of Atlantic City, is serious about her music as she tries to forge a career in the less that serious atmosphere of Atlantic City nightclubs.
It is interesting in reading Elmore Leonard to find unexpected connections. Linda Moon appears in Hollywood in a much later Leonard novel "Be Cool" (2000) which in its turn was a less than fully successful sequel to Leonard's famous book, "Get Shorty" featuring loan shark turned Hollywood director, Chili Palmer. In reading "Be Cool" I found Linda Moon's story the most compelling part of the novel. I almost felt the same way in reading "Glitz" as the book shows her trying to make her way in a corrupt Atlantic City music business while she and Vincent fall in love.
The heart of "Glitz" is still the ongoing mutual pursuit between Vincent and Teddy -- there is a refreshingly unambiguous contrast between good guy and bad guy in the story and in how everything works out. But I also enjoyed meeting Linda Moon again and in noticing the connection. with the latter novel. The glitz of Atlantic City and Leonard's marvelous dialogue and sense of place and character are fully on display in this book. The novel is available in a separate paperback and in the Library of America volume of Leonard's work, "Four Novels of the 1980s".
Robin Friedman
Elmore Leonard's novel have many settings, including Detroit, Hollywood, Mississippi, Harlan, Kentucky, the Arizona territory, and more. His books manage to capture a sense of place as well as telling a story. Published in 1985, "Glitz" was the first of Leonard's novels to make the best-seller list. The book also shows Leonard finding additional settings. Most of the book takes place in Atlantic City but there are important scenes in Puerto Rico and Florida as well. Leonard follows the fortunes of the book's hero, Vincent Mora, a Miami homicide investigator as he chases down the book's villain, the fearsome mama's boy, Teddy Magyk.
When Vincent is sent from Miami to Puerto Rico on medical leave, he meets up with Teddy, whom Vincent sent to prison for seven years for raping an old woman. The vicious, vindictive Teddy has a long memory. The two meet up again in Atlantic City on the trail of Iris, a Puerto Rican prostitute who has been recruited to serve the high rollers of a casino. Iris soon meets her demise when she is pushed out the window from the 18th floor of a condominium, and much of the story involves finding her killer among many sleazy suspects in the Atlantic City underworld.
The title "Glitz" refers to the flashing lights and surface allure and glamor of Atlantic City which serves as a veneer for the corruption and violence underneath. The book captures the sense of casino life, with the high rollers, the Mafia that seeks to infiltrate the business, the ringing slot machines and the poor lost people who play them, the casino employees at every level and the redoubtable local police. The book is cluttered with characters and it is easy to get lost. But Leonard offers a convincing portrait of his milieu.
The portrait of Atlantic City becomes combined with the ongoing tension between Vincent and Teddy, whose mother lives in the Atlantic City environs and who has become disgusted at last with supporting her more than wayward son. Teddy would not know what to do without mama. But there is more. Vincent has been lonely since the death of his wife; while in Atlantic City he meets and begins a relationship with a young singer, Linda Moon. Linda, with all the glitz of Atlantic City, is serious about her music as she tries to forge a career in the less that serious atmosphere of Atlantic City nightclubs.
It is interesting in reading Elmore Leonard to find unexpected connections. Linda Moon appears in Hollywood in a much later Leonard novel "Be Cool" (2000) which in its turn was a less than fully successful sequel to Leonard's famous book, "Get Shorty" featuring loan shark turned Hollywood director, Chili Palmer. In reading "Be Cool" I found Linda Moon's story the most compelling part of the novel. I almost felt the same way in reading "Glitz" as the book shows her trying to make her way in a corrupt Atlantic City music business while she and Vincent fall in love.
The heart of "Glitz" is still the ongoing mutual pursuit between Vincent and Teddy -- there is a refreshingly unambiguous contrast between good guy and bad guy in the story and in how everything works out. But I also enjoyed meeting Linda Moon again and in noticing the connection. with the latter novel. The glitz of Atlantic City and Leonard's marvelous dialogue and sense of place and character are fully on display in this book. The novel is available in a separate paperback and in the Library of America volume of Leonard's work, "Four Novels of the 1980s".
Robin Friedman
January 1, 2016
Great book! I inadvertently got into Elmore Leonard through his movies (Killshot, which was incredible), and decided to give his book a shot. Great, timeless work - highly recommended. Written awhile ago but still great today :)
March 18, 2025
3.5/5, rounded down.
There was a lot to like here, but ultimately I’d have to say it’s not one of Leonard’s top tier novels. His prose is smooth and as usual, he does a great job of peopling his story with many memorable characters. The characters really are the highlight in this one, from Vincent the chill cop, to Jackie the verbose casino boss, to Teddy the demented bad guy, to DeLeon the bodyguard with brains, to Linda the sassy night club singer. All great to read about, and they helped make the book well worth reading, but while Leonard is known for his busy plots, things don’t totally come together in Glitz. Overall it’s a good time with fun settings - between Puerto Rico and Atlantic City, - grimy oddballs and sparkling dialogue, but the story didn’t quite do it for me.
There was a lot to like here, but ultimately I’d have to say it’s not one of Leonard’s top tier novels. His prose is smooth and as usual, he does a great job of peopling his story with many memorable characters. The characters really are the highlight in this one, from Vincent the chill cop, to Jackie the verbose casino boss, to Teddy the demented bad guy, to DeLeon the bodyguard with brains, to Linda the sassy night club singer. All great to read about, and they helped make the book well worth reading, but while Leonard is known for his busy plots, things don’t totally come together in Glitz. Overall it’s a good time with fun settings - between Puerto Rico and Atlantic City, - grimy oddballs and sparkling dialogue, but the story didn’t quite do it for me.
July 29, 2018
This is the first book I've read by Elmore Leonard although I was aware of his work. The cover of the book seemed very 1970's to me so I was surprised to see it had been written 1985.
It wasn't as blatantly un-PC as some novels I've read of this period, & while obviously there was no reference to social media/technology/internet etc it didn't strike me as particularly dated.
I liked the storyline & liked the characters, though sometimes the dialogue or descriptions seemed a bit abrupt. However this short choppy style helped evoke the gritty ambience of the world the characters were moving in. I enjoyed it & won't hesitate to read more of Leonard's work if happen across them.
It wasn't as blatantly un-PC as some novels I've read of this period, & while obviously there was no reference to social media/technology/internet etc it didn't strike me as particularly dated.
I liked the storyline & liked the characters, though sometimes the dialogue or descriptions seemed a bit abrupt. However this short choppy style helped evoke the gritty ambience of the world the characters were moving in. I enjoyed it & won't hesitate to read more of Leonard's work if happen across them.
September 18, 2013
Loved this book.
Elmore Leonard seemed to have a little trouble juggling so many different characters, psychos and other variations on personality disorders but I loved every last word.
It's still relatively early on in Elmore Leonard's crime novel career (1985) but it's magic.
Or should I say "Magyk"?
Elmore Leonard seemed to have a little trouble juggling so many different characters, psychos and other variations on personality disorders but I loved every last word.
It's still relatively early on in Elmore Leonard's crime novel career (1985) but it's magic.
Or should I say "Magyk"?
October 31, 2014
My first Elmore. I believe this is not his best but still it hit me. Very refreshing, very entertaining. The dialogues and proses are perfect. I don't care much for the plot, but like Elmore said in his books you don't usually see a plot. He's interested in the people and how they are doing over the length of the book. In this regard, he nailed it. I definitely need to check out his other works.
August 28, 2024
This was a nice read after all. It started off a little slow, but I ended up really enjoying this about a third of the way through. It was entertaining and had me laughing a lot. Very well written.
March 15, 2022
3.5 stars. Would have given it more, but I didn't enjoy the first two acts as much as the third. My first Leonard, actually.
October 25, 2021
I bought this book a decade ago because it was recommended by one of the booksellers at Unabridged Bookstore. I tried reading it a handful of times and finally broke through this month. I loved how Leonard gets in the heads of his characters and lets us see them assessing the situation and figuring out how to outwit (or not) the other person in front of them. Teddy was such a creepy character, made even scarier by his banality and ineptitude. I loved the goofy and compassionate Linda Moon and rooted for her relationship with the horndog Vincent. I felt like Leonard gave Iris the short shrift, and ultimately she felt more like a plot device to get the story moving than an actual character. But a very fun, shaggy dog story that was a pleasure to hang out with this month.
December 18, 2014
read this one back in march of this year...december now...the year almost over...me catching up on things. i've read 45 titles from leonard and the kindle is great...easy to purchase online, download, it happens...there it is...you can read it without ever leaving the house. i imagine you could find used copies...some of his stories probably see print from time to time...and they are all good reads. leonard tells a good story.
this one begins:
the night vincent was shot he saw it coming. the guy approached out of the streetlight on the corner of meridan and sixteenth, south beach, and reached vincent as he was walking from his car to his apartment building. it was early, a few minutes past nine.
vincent is a hoot...he tells the nurse...oops...that'd be a dreaded spoiler, hey?
leonard has this comedic vein that helps. nothing wrong with laughter and leonard will have you laughing at life. beats the pause button on the vcr...record the news...hit pause every fifteen...dan rather with eyes closed, mouth open isn't something you see every day. they never yawn...like those cannucks. heh! you ever watch the news and see a big talking head yawn? nope. it doesn't happen. unless you hit the pause button.
give leonard a shot...good reads all.
this one begins:
the night vincent was shot he saw it coming. the guy approached out of the streetlight on the corner of meridan and sixteenth, south beach, and reached vincent as he was walking from his car to his apartment building. it was early, a few minutes past nine.
vincent is a hoot...he tells the nurse...oops...that'd be a dreaded spoiler, hey?
leonard has this comedic vein that helps. nothing wrong with laughter and leonard will have you laughing at life. beats the pause button on the vcr...record the news...hit pause every fifteen...dan rather with eyes closed, mouth open isn't something you see every day. they never yawn...like those cannucks. heh! you ever watch the news and see a big talking head yawn? nope. it doesn't happen. unless you hit the pause button.
give leonard a shot...good reads all.
May 19, 2013
Lt. Vincent Moro of the Miami Police department is wounded in a shootout. He goes to Puerto Rico to recuperate.
While there, he meets and spends time with Iris, a lovely but naive prostitute.
Another man arrives and begins to follow them. This man, Teddy Mazyk, is a deranged killer who was recently released from jail. He wants to take revenge against Moro because Moro is the person who caught him in a crime and was responsible for him going to jail.
There are a number of excellent plot twists as the action moves to Atlantic City and a character is murdered there. This brings Vincent to Atlantic City where he assists police in investigating the murder.
The dialogue is crisp and the story unravels before us, almost as if we were observing the action take place.
This is a carefully crafted novel that will entertain the reader from the first page.
While there, he meets and spends time with Iris, a lovely but naive prostitute.
Another man arrives and begins to follow them. This man, Teddy Mazyk, is a deranged killer who was recently released from jail. He wants to take revenge against Moro because Moro is the person who caught him in a crime and was responsible for him going to jail.
There are a number of excellent plot twists as the action moves to Atlantic City and a character is murdered there. This brings Vincent to Atlantic City where he assists police in investigating the murder.
The dialogue is crisp and the story unravels before us, almost as if we were observing the action take place.
This is a carefully crafted novel that will entertain the reader from the first page.
March 8, 2018
Elmore at his most professional self, this time really dipping into the horrible Death Wish 80s with an unrepentant CREEPO as the antagonist who keeps fallin' thru thu cracks of the legal system and an uncharacteristic amount of dead women (including raped old ladies!!!). It's all of course a bit more subdued than a DW movie, as is Leonard's wont, but you can't accuse him of not having his finger on the pulse!
October 18, 2020
Interesting, but ultimately light and not satisfying.
May 18, 2009
The portrayal of women in this book made me sick. This author clearly is a misogynistic pig. The female characters in the book are developed solely through their looks and either one of two types of outdated wafer thin personalities. Either they are the weak helpless damsel in distress type that need the male characters to save them. Or if they are portrayed as strong women they are painted in a harsh light as ball busters, bitches and what not. I found this intolerable. Clearly the jack-off that wrote this book has issues with women. Here is a short list of the female characters in this book.
Iris - Poor prostitute who can't get along in life without the help of men.
Ladonna Holly Pagett - Former beauty queen with long white legs.
Nancy Donovan - Ball busting bitch who married her way up society but is still f*ckable according to most of the men in the book.
Additionally the writing was atrocious. This guy butchered his sentences. He would just drop words out which caused your mind to skip and try to reset itself. To provide some examples:
"It was the lady had the juice around here not her husband." (This sentence leads into the next sentence where the woman is referred to as ball buster.)
"Iris was the only one took her clothes off?"
"The next night she went up again, Teddy learning surveillance work was a pain in the ass."
"I don't get out a bed in the morning I know what I got on for the day."
"Well, for a little round two hundred pounder smelling of laundry her dress barely reaching her knees because of her size." (What? How is that a complete sentence? Where is the subject? Where is the verb?)
Pages and pages of this crap writing almost made me go cross-eyed.
On page 170 he refers to the Nancy Donovan character as a "c*nt". He uses it again less than 100 pages later. This in and of itself almost sent me into a rage. Then, on page 188 he uses the "n" word to refer to a black person. I actually hate that word more than the previous one and this had me seething.
I also don't want to forget to mention the xenophobic writing used when referring to the Pueto Rico characters. They are portrayed as bumbling police officers who need an American to show them they way and superstitious instead of logical, thus proving how unmodernized they are. It was almost a minstrel show.
I hated this book with everything I am. I hate this author, I don't know if he's impotent or has an endowment issue or what but he clearly has problems that run outside the scope of grammer. I wish this guy would just go and buy Hummers to deal with his issues instead of writing crappy books.
Iris - Poor prostitute who can't get along in life without the help of men.
Ladonna Holly Pagett - Former beauty queen with long white legs.
Nancy Donovan - Ball busting bitch who married her way up society but is still f*ckable according to most of the men in the book.
Additionally the writing was atrocious. This guy butchered his sentences. He would just drop words out which caused your mind to skip and try to reset itself. To provide some examples:
"It was the lady had the juice around here not her husband." (This sentence leads into the next sentence where the woman is referred to as ball buster.)
"Iris was the only one took her clothes off?"
"The next night she went up again, Teddy learning surveillance work was a pain in the ass."
"I don't get out a bed in the morning I know what I got on for the day."
"Well, for a little round two hundred pounder smelling of laundry her dress barely reaching her knees because of her size." (What? How is that a complete sentence? Where is the subject? Where is the verb?)
Pages and pages of this crap writing almost made me go cross-eyed.
On page 170 he refers to the Nancy Donovan character as a "c*nt". He uses it again less than 100 pages later. This in and of itself almost sent me into a rage. Then, on page 188 he uses the "n" word to refer to a black person. I actually hate that word more than the previous one and this had me seething.
I also don't want to forget to mention the xenophobic writing used when referring to the Pueto Rico characters. They are portrayed as bumbling police officers who need an American to show them they way and superstitious instead of logical, thus proving how unmodernized they are. It was almost a minstrel show.
I hated this book with everything I am. I hate this author, I don't know if he's impotent or has an endowment issue or what but he clearly has problems that run outside the scope of grammer. I wish this guy would just go and buy Hummers to deal with his issues instead of writing crappy books.
August 4, 2020
I forget sometimes just what a good writer Leonard was, especially during his mid-'80s heyday. His dialogue is always a hoot and pitch perfect, even when his plots are fairly slim, (as with this one - although thinking about it now, can a plot be both slim and convoluted at the same time?).
Anyway, really need to read more of ol' Elmore - and now I can, since my son bought me a Nook for Father's Day - woot woot! Our library has got a ton of Leonard in ebook format, which I can now download from the comfort of my own home...assuming I remember how, because moving this first one from the library to my device was a bitch.
Anyway, really need to read more of ol' Elmore - and now I can, since my son bought me a Nook for Father's Day - woot woot! Our library has got a ton of Leonard in ebook format, which I can now download from the comfort of my own home...assuming I remember how, because moving this first one from the library to my device was a bitch.
February 24, 2013
(3.5) I wanted to like this book more than I did (and I almost lied to myself by giving it four starts). It's good enough for what I was looking for but I expected a little more from Leonard. I just didn't find the main character to be as interesting as I should have. Once more, like LaBrava, I wish Leonard had focused more on the female characters as both Linda and LaDonna were fascinating in their own respects.
November 5, 2022
Another cool Elmore Leonard book.
Notable for me, I suppose, for the way that Leonard subverts the action / plot from a pure mafia / serial killer story, into a character study of an interesting man. The detective from Miami gets involved in something happening up in Atlantic City. He goes up there because he's interested and humane, not because it's his job.
Great book.
Notable for me, I suppose, for the way that Leonard subverts the action / plot from a pure mafia / serial killer story, into a character study of an interesting man. The detective from Miami gets involved in something happening up in Atlantic City. He goes up there because he's interested and humane, not because it's his job.
Great book.
March 16, 2023
Rounded up.
September 1, 2025
Glitz, by Elmore Leonard, written in 1985 -about midway through his crime fiction career, which started late 60’s - is another good one. Elmore’s writing career spanned 50 years and some 50 books, starting with westerns in 1953. Aka Dutch Leonard, and the Dickens of Detroit, brought a unique realistic direct style … gritty, comical and perceptive to the foibles of the human kind. His gift for crackling dialog perhaps his most notable gift. Vincent Mora, a Miami cop on medical leave visits Puerto Rico… a touristo, with friends in the force…
“Lieutenant Vincent Mora was at a point, he wasn’t sure he wanted to be a cop anymore. Until that night he had never killed anyone. It made him think about his own life.”
Teddy Magyk. “Mr. Tourist, every taxi driver’s dream. The kind not only wants to see everything in the guide book, he wants the same driver every day because he trusts him and believes whatever the driver tells him. Like he wants the driver to approve of him. —He took pictures along the narrow streets of Old San Juan. He took pictures of the Caribe Hilton and pictures of the liquor store that was in a building down the street. Strange? A liquor store. He took pictures of the old Normandie Hotel, block from this hotel was the Escambron public beach. — this guy was a little strange. Innocent, but abnormal in his interests. He’s still a prize though, Isidro told his wife. His wife didn’t say anything. “It was when he came for his towel,” Isidro told his wife, “I saw the name on his arm, here.” “You know what name is on there? MR MAGIC.” But that night his wife said again, “Be careful of him.”
Cop talk. “ Lorendo said, “Vincent, my associate was asking, he would like to know what happened to the man who shot you.” “He died on the way to the hospital,” Vincent said, looking directly at Lorendo’s associate, straightfaced. “I think he lost his will to live.”
Nancy & Tommy Donovan. “She asked questions easily and got answers. She had gone from her home in Narberth, Pennsylvania, to Emerson College in Boston to become an actress, but couldn’t get out of her head long enough to manufacture emotions. Since she rarely if ever cried, even in movies, it wasn’t something she could do on cue. — Guys at the top, Tommy said, you didn’t have any trouble with. You could always deal with guys at the top. But little guys with wild hairs up their ass, there was no book on guys like that. —Two weeks from now she would remember, she had not prepared her husband for Vincent Mora.
Vincent’s state of mind. “Two weeks had gone by. He thought of Iris once in a while, he also thought of Nancy Donovan. From one extreme to the other, and realized he could go either way. Still horny.”
Atlantic City, Iris takes a fall from the 18th floor. Vincent goes to investigate. “talked to the cops . . . but you know how they are. They’re good guys, we got along fine. But they only want facts, they’re not interested in any ideas, you know, you might have. Any theories or guesses.” “Oh, I know it,” Jimmy Dunne said. “Just the facts, ma’am. ‘Member that show? Sergeant Friday?” —Philly mob— “Ricky nephew of Salvatore Catalina. Sal the Cat, very high up. In fact, he’s the boss.” Pennsylvania Crime Commission Report.” “I understand what you mean—you’re talking about South Philadelphia, all those guys shooting each other to see who gets Atlantic City. I’ve been reading about it, Time magazine.” “Something like twenty-two hits, killed different ways,” Dixie said, “car bombs, the usual; another half dozen attempted. It started out the young guys hitting the old guys — Then the guy who sent the hitter gets hit, the macaronis are shooting each other and it’s hard to tell who’s on whose side.” — “We got our own league in Miami. We got the wise guys, we also have the Cubans Fidel sent us.” “We got Cubans,” Dixie said, “we got bikers handle the speed concession, brew methamphetamines out in the Pine Barrens, have their own chemical plants.”
Casino body guard gig. MOOSLEH HAJIM JABARA was sixteen years old, in his second year at Southeastern High School in Detroit, he changed his name to DeLeon Johnson. So people would look at his name and know he was American. —He loved Mr. Johnson and took part of his name and part of the name of the guy he read somewhere went to Florida to find the Fountain of Youth.” Miami Dolphin DE, 6’5” 250 lbs. until his knee gave out. “I’m not too concerned about the little girl, Jackie, but the cops are. You see my point?” Ignorant man, DeLeon thought, believed he was wise because he wasn’t dead. Man, there were some fools in the crime business. But mean motherfuckers. “The cops, say all they find out you’re running a game there, it’s still your ass, Jackie.” -“The cops, the least they’ll do is tell the DGE. Right? The DGE tells the Control Commission and they pull your license” —Deleon walked down the executive hallway in his pearl-gray suit, realizing he had glimpsed something for the first time. It was the lady had the juice around here, not her husband. She looked like she could bust any man’s balls she wanted. Do it with her little finger. —Nancy said, “Sit down, Jackie. Please.” Coming on like the lady of the manor, low-key, Jackie didn’t like the feel of this one bit. He glanced at Tommy. What’s going on? And the boob gave him a shrug, innocent, then straightened as his wife looked over at him, Nancy not missing a fucking trick. — “Nancy?” No, she was fine, thank you. Cunt. Sitting with her knees locked together, manila envelope on her lap— something in there she was going to spring she cut out of the Wall Street Journal or one of those. —Nancy said, “Is that a martini?” “You won’t have one?” “No, but go ahead, if it relaxes you . . .” She said, “You’re not afraid of it becoming a problem?” With that innocent look. Jackie said, “That’s what I am, as a matter of fact, a problem drinker. —drink when I have a problem and it goes away.” — Tommy saying, “Right after that was when Nance went to work at Bally’s, this little girl’s a fast study, man. She’s told me a few things about the floor I never even knew.” Mistake. Jackie knew it immediately; he saw Nancy’s expression tighten just a little, a hairline crack in the facade. She said, “I wonder if I’m attracted to alcoholics,” and Jackie wanted to get out of here, right now. Here we go, Jackie thought. He watched Tommy shift around in a deliberate, half-assed dramatic way to give his wife the look. Called, Not Taking Any Shit from the Little Woman. “Come on—you two’re the perfect combination I ever saw one. The lady and the tiger. Nifty Nancy and Tom Terrific.” Tommy was saying, “Well, gee, thanks a bunch. I thought maybe I was a total fuckup.” “Not yet, but you’re close,” Nancy said. “I’m not sure if it’s your drinking—I know you’re not paying attention—or you’re in over your head and you really don’t know what’s going on.” Nancy said, “This concerns you, Jackie. Since you’re close to losing your license.” He did tighten up, surprised, but didn’t say a word because she was too cool — “Mr. Osvaldo Benavides, from Bogotá,” Nancy said, “deposited a million nine, in cash, and left with our check for almost a million eight.” “He draws markers for up to two million in cash, loses five to ten percent, never more than that in the last seven months,” Nancy said, “and goes home with a clean check for the balance. Mr. Benavides is laundering his money in our casino.” “Anyway, these people who do business with Mr. Benavides would like us to extend him every courtesy.” “And launder his money,” “Was Iris a comp for Mr. Benavides?” “All I know,” Jackie said, “she was on her own time.” — Nancy said, “No more Mr. Benavides. We’re through with him.” Jackie cocked his head at her. “Well, that’s easy to say. You don’t know these guys.” “Work it out,” Nancy said, “or look for a job.” —Next— “ She dropped another Polaroid shot on the desk. Tommy’s boozy face squinted in a frown. “Who’s this?” Jackie made note of the pause, the playful look in Nancy’s eyes. “Iris’s boyfriend.” Jackie looked at the photo—bearded guy in a raincoat— “He’s a cop. Right?” It zinged her, caught her by surprise and she raised her eyebrows, stared at him. “How do you know that?” Jackie said, “Nancy, I appreciate everything you’ve said here today, your concern —But if I can’t tell when it’s time to cover my ass—if you’ll pardon the expression —I’m in the wrong fucking business”.
Wise guy cop. “You never know, do you?” “Wonderful things can happen,” Vincent said, “when you plant seeds of distrust in a garden of assholes.”
More wisdom. “Never worry about anything that’s already done or you have no control over.” “I believe that too, yes.” “Never seek revenge . . .” “Don’t even think about it, no.” “It’s for losers . . .” “Yes, because they can’t win.”
Ok seeds are planted… get Glitz’d!
“Lieutenant Vincent Mora was at a point, he wasn’t sure he wanted to be a cop anymore. Until that night he had never killed anyone. It made him think about his own life.”
Teddy Magyk. “Mr. Tourist, every taxi driver’s dream. The kind not only wants to see everything in the guide book, he wants the same driver every day because he trusts him and believes whatever the driver tells him. Like he wants the driver to approve of him. —He took pictures along the narrow streets of Old San Juan. He took pictures of the Caribe Hilton and pictures of the liquor store that was in a building down the street. Strange? A liquor store. He took pictures of the old Normandie Hotel, block from this hotel was the Escambron public beach. — this guy was a little strange. Innocent, but abnormal in his interests. He’s still a prize though, Isidro told his wife. His wife didn’t say anything. “It was when he came for his towel,” Isidro told his wife, “I saw the name on his arm, here.” “You know what name is on there? MR MAGIC.” But that night his wife said again, “Be careful of him.”
Cop talk. “ Lorendo said, “Vincent, my associate was asking, he would like to know what happened to the man who shot you.” “He died on the way to the hospital,” Vincent said, looking directly at Lorendo’s associate, straightfaced. “I think he lost his will to live.”
Nancy & Tommy Donovan. “She asked questions easily and got answers. She had gone from her home in Narberth, Pennsylvania, to Emerson College in Boston to become an actress, but couldn’t get out of her head long enough to manufacture emotions. Since she rarely if ever cried, even in movies, it wasn’t something she could do on cue. — Guys at the top, Tommy said, you didn’t have any trouble with. You could always deal with guys at the top. But little guys with wild hairs up their ass, there was no book on guys like that. —Two weeks from now she would remember, she had not prepared her husband for Vincent Mora.
Vincent’s state of mind. “Two weeks had gone by. He thought of Iris once in a while, he also thought of Nancy Donovan. From one extreme to the other, and realized he could go either way. Still horny.”
Atlantic City, Iris takes a fall from the 18th floor. Vincent goes to investigate. “talked to the cops . . . but you know how they are. They’re good guys, we got along fine. But they only want facts, they’re not interested in any ideas, you know, you might have. Any theories or guesses.” “Oh, I know it,” Jimmy Dunne said. “Just the facts, ma’am. ‘Member that show? Sergeant Friday?” —Philly mob— “Ricky nephew of Salvatore Catalina. Sal the Cat, very high up. In fact, he’s the boss.” Pennsylvania Crime Commission Report.” “I understand what you mean—you’re talking about South Philadelphia, all those guys shooting each other to see who gets Atlantic City. I’ve been reading about it, Time magazine.” “Something like twenty-two hits, killed different ways,” Dixie said, “car bombs, the usual; another half dozen attempted. It started out the young guys hitting the old guys — Then the guy who sent the hitter gets hit, the macaronis are shooting each other and it’s hard to tell who’s on whose side.” — “We got our own league in Miami. We got the wise guys, we also have the Cubans Fidel sent us.” “We got Cubans,” Dixie said, “we got bikers handle the speed concession, brew methamphetamines out in the Pine Barrens, have their own chemical plants.”
Casino body guard gig. MOOSLEH HAJIM JABARA was sixteen years old, in his second year at Southeastern High School in Detroit, he changed his name to DeLeon Johnson. So people would look at his name and know he was American. —He loved Mr. Johnson and took part of his name and part of the name of the guy he read somewhere went to Florida to find the Fountain of Youth.” Miami Dolphin DE, 6’5” 250 lbs. until his knee gave out. “I’m not too concerned about the little girl, Jackie, but the cops are. You see my point?” Ignorant man, DeLeon thought, believed he was wise because he wasn’t dead. Man, there were some fools in the crime business. But mean motherfuckers. “The cops, say all they find out you’re running a game there, it’s still your ass, Jackie.” -“The cops, the least they’ll do is tell the DGE. Right? The DGE tells the Control Commission and they pull your license” —Deleon walked down the executive hallway in his pearl-gray suit, realizing he had glimpsed something for the first time. It was the lady had the juice around here, not her husband. She looked like she could bust any man’s balls she wanted. Do it with her little finger. —Nancy said, “Sit down, Jackie. Please.” Coming on like the lady of the manor, low-key, Jackie didn’t like the feel of this one bit. He glanced at Tommy. What’s going on? And the boob gave him a shrug, innocent, then straightened as his wife looked over at him, Nancy not missing a fucking trick. — “Nancy?” No, she was fine, thank you. Cunt. Sitting with her knees locked together, manila envelope on her lap— something in there she was going to spring she cut out of the Wall Street Journal or one of those. —Nancy said, “Is that a martini?” “You won’t have one?” “No, but go ahead, if it relaxes you . . .” She said, “You’re not afraid of it becoming a problem?” With that innocent look. Jackie said, “That’s what I am, as a matter of fact, a problem drinker. —drink when I have a problem and it goes away.” — Tommy saying, “Right after that was when Nance went to work at Bally’s, this little girl’s a fast study, man. She’s told me a few things about the floor I never even knew.” Mistake. Jackie knew it immediately; he saw Nancy’s expression tighten just a little, a hairline crack in the facade. She said, “I wonder if I’m attracted to alcoholics,” and Jackie wanted to get out of here, right now. Here we go, Jackie thought. He watched Tommy shift around in a deliberate, half-assed dramatic way to give his wife the look. Called, Not Taking Any Shit from the Little Woman. “Come on—you two’re the perfect combination I ever saw one. The lady and the tiger. Nifty Nancy and Tom Terrific.” Tommy was saying, “Well, gee, thanks a bunch. I thought maybe I was a total fuckup.” “Not yet, but you’re close,” Nancy said. “I’m not sure if it’s your drinking—I know you’re not paying attention—or you’re in over your head and you really don’t know what’s going on.” Nancy said, “This concerns you, Jackie. Since you’re close to losing your license.” He did tighten up, surprised, but didn’t say a word because she was too cool — “Mr. Osvaldo Benavides, from Bogotá,” Nancy said, “deposited a million nine, in cash, and left with our check for almost a million eight.” “He draws markers for up to two million in cash, loses five to ten percent, never more than that in the last seven months,” Nancy said, “and goes home with a clean check for the balance. Mr. Benavides is laundering his money in our casino.” “Anyway, these people who do business with Mr. Benavides would like us to extend him every courtesy.” “And launder his money,” “Was Iris a comp for Mr. Benavides?” “All I know,” Jackie said, “she was on her own time.” — Nancy said, “No more Mr. Benavides. We’re through with him.” Jackie cocked his head at her. “Well, that’s easy to say. You don’t know these guys.” “Work it out,” Nancy said, “or look for a job.” —Next— “ She dropped another Polaroid shot on the desk. Tommy’s boozy face squinted in a frown. “Who’s this?” Jackie made note of the pause, the playful look in Nancy’s eyes. “Iris’s boyfriend.” Jackie looked at the photo—bearded guy in a raincoat— “He’s a cop. Right?” It zinged her, caught her by surprise and she raised her eyebrows, stared at him. “How do you know that?” Jackie said, “Nancy, I appreciate everything you’ve said here today, your concern —But if I can’t tell when it’s time to cover my ass—if you’ll pardon the expression —I’m in the wrong fucking business”.
Wise guy cop. “You never know, do you?” “Wonderful things can happen,” Vincent said, “when you plant seeds of distrust in a garden of assholes.”
More wisdom. “Never worry about anything that’s already done or you have no control over.” “I believe that too, yes.” “Never seek revenge . . .” “Don’t even think about it, no.” “It’s for losers . . .” “Yes, because they can’t win.”
Ok seeds are planted… get Glitz’d!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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