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Freaky Deaky

Elmore Leonard

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Mar 21, 2021 Steve rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: crime-mystery-noir

I sometimes wonder if Leonard is basically re-casting the same novel over and over again. Oh, the score or scheme is always a bit different, but it's the characters that seem the same, but with a few twists added. That's not criticism, it's just just that I sense that encountered similar types such as the tough bomb squad cop Chris Mankowski, slick scheming chauffeur (and ex-Black Panther), Donnell Lewis, wannabe actress (and possible rape victim) Ginger (a.k.a. Greta), and a couple of criming e I sometimes wonder if Leonard is basically re-casting the same novel over and over again. Oh, the score or scheme is always a bit different, but it's the characters that seem the same, but with a few twists added. That's not criticism, it's just just that I sense that encountered similar types such as the tough bomb squad cop Chris Mankowski, slick scheming chauffeur (and ex-Black Panther), Donnell Lewis, wannabe actress (and possible rape victim) Ginger (a.k.a. Greta), and a couple of criming ex-student radicals, Skip & Robin. (Or are they?) I was drawn to this particular Leonard (and I thought I read most of them), when I ran across a comment of Leonard's saying he thought Freaky Deaky was his best novel. I don't know if that's true or not, or if Leonard was just promoting a recent title (I didn't see the date of the Leonard interview), but it's certainly a good one.

What sets Freaky Deaky apart is that you get the sense that Leonard is sending up the sixties here, which is kind of unique for Leonard. (The razor sharp dialogue is kind of a standard thing for Leonard.) In other words, the student movements were kind of silly, Vietnam sucked, Woodstock was interesting, but in the end you gotta move on. The two ex-hippie criminals in this, Robin Abbott and "Skip" Gibbs are among the more entertaining of Leonard's psycho-idiots. Abbott in particular is a nasty piece of work, so waiting for her fate alone kept me turning the pages. The target for Gibbs and Abbott is a constantly drunk fool named Woody Ricks, who has inherited quite a fortune. Gibbs, Abbott, Ricks, and Lewis, all knew each other in the days of protest, rock & roll, sex, and drugs. Robin in particular sees this money-score as something of a revenge move due to someone ratting out her and Skip to the FBI, which resulted in a couple of jail stints. Ricks, having the money, is also one of Robin's chief and convenient suspects, though you never get the sense that Robin and Skip ever possessed radical principles other than chaos, sex, and drugs. Oh, and there's a lot of dynamite throughout the novel to punch things up. Recommended. ...more

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Sep 06, 2013 Jessica rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery, midwest

This one now has a pleasing double-retro flavor, with being set in the '80s as its characters reflect back on the political protests and anarchic violence of the late '60s and '70s. While Leonard's treatment of Greta is definitely no model of current feminist thought about assault victims, the overall story still has plenty of punch. ...more

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Oct 02, 2014 Andy Plonka rated it really liked it

Shelves: src

In the classic style of Lawrence Block and Donald Westlake, this book provides a quasi serious look at the unsavory life of those in the business of setting off bombs for fun and profit, with crisp dialogue with a splash of humor.

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Jun 14, 2011 Tuck rated it it was amazing

Mar 31, 2012 Kathie rated it it was ok

Oct 11, 2024 alana marked it as to-read

Shelves: ebook, crime

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