read this back in february and now it is the 18th of december...2014. haven't kept up with my reviews this year...oh well...this one starts:the church had become a tomb where forty-seven bodies turned to leather and stains had been lying on the concrete floor the past five years, though not lying where they had been shot with kalashnikovs or hacked to death with machetes. the benches had been removed and the bodies reassembled: men, women and small children laid in rows of skulls and spines, femurs, fragments of cloth stuck to mummified remains, many of the adults missing feet, all missing bones that had been carried off by scavenging dogs.time place scene settingafrica...the current agerwanda...uganda...the cafe tum tum bikinikigaliseminary in california, the st. dismas novitiateruhengeridetroit, michigan, usaboca raton, fort lauderdale, florida, usathe sawgrass correctional institution, medium-security facility for womencharacters* fr. terry dunn hears confessions from the fornicators and so forth* confessors, fornicators, a goat thief, killers* the rwandese bishop of nyundo* the inyenzi* the visionary, bernard* thomas* franis dunn...brother of terry...practises law in detroit* mary pat, fracis's wife* the rwandese patriotic army* laurent kamweya...from the rpa, tutsi, born in rwanda, lived most of life in uganda* chantelle nyamwase, the priest's housekeeper* the dunn brothers' mother, who dies* the old priest, fr. tibor toreki...in kigali...his heart failing...forty years a missionary and he is the brother of the dunn brothers' mother* st. dismas, the african saint who was crucified with our lord* debbie dewey, three-year fall for aggravated assault w/a deadly weapon...in sawgrass correctional* rubella...a sexual predator in sawgrass* randy...someone debbie knew...was married for a year, divorced...got a restaurant out of the deal, a men's club* the pajonny brothers...terry and them smuggled a truckload of cigarettes from kentucky to detroit* ten women, seven of them black...c dorm*that's a flavor...and that is only 10% into the story...i think it ends about 75% on the kindle...did i say this was kindle? it is. kindle. oo-rah. leonard writes good yarns. check him out. all i've read from him has hit the spot.
I thought I'd find a sharp, graceful, clean book, but enough of this effort was sluggish enough to disappoint. I'm certainly not against 'genre' writing and I've been led to believe Leonard was one of the very best at the modern crime novel. By contrast, see Charles Willeford, who is a superior writer. Willeford is not just a genre writer, but a writer who happens to write about crime. If there is any meaning in the term 'genre writer,' it might be found here. Pagan Babies felt like a parody of what's supposed to make Elmore Leonard 'cool' enough to be frequently referenced by Quentin Tarantino. Overall, the plot was flabby and the story did not cruise; but as the end approaches, Leonard's craftsmanship seems to take the reins. Ah ha, you think, now this book will finish in a way that will give me no choice but tip my hat to Leonard. Well, no. It was fine, it was okay, it was a bit contrived and a bit too predictably 'unpredictable,' but it's a book that will go straight to the local library bin for recycling. This is only my 2nd Leonard novel, and I will read more, but I sure wish I had more Hoke Moseley novels to look forward to instead.
What do You think about Pagan Babies (2002)?
*spoilers* I give this three stars because that lying piece of shit "priest" got way better than he deserved. I feel like in this particular work, Elmore Leonard just had to take it one con too many. Cons conning cons conning cons? Debbie should have hid that check in a bible; guaranteed that poser wouldn't have found it. Really well written and intriguing but I can't get with the ending.
—Rebekah Mann
Ok, my first Elmore Leonard book. I found it at Salvation Army for $1, liked the title, and figured "Why the hell not?"Kind of flew by pretty quick, this was one twisted tale, and I could not put it down. Brutal descriptions of genocidal violence in Rwanda may put off some readers, I would imagine, but what made me most uncomfortable (in a good way) about reading this book was the nature of the duplicitous fucks running rings around each other in this convoluted yet ultimately satisfying story. I may have to pick up another Elmore Leonard book. Of course I loved the movie 'Get Shorty', so maybe I should go there next? Any recommendations?
—Kenny
Elmore Leonard strikes again. The classic themes from Mr. Leonard prove to be a fun ride. Ah, the prison yard, how have I missed that piece from other more mudane stories and anything with mob guys has potential in my book. The author provides witty banter and a fast-moving storyline. Mr. Leonard farms the fertile field of dishonor among thieves. Of course, the touch of the author makes nothing else quite like it. Surprisingly, the story is immersed within an exploration of the genocide in Rowanda and Burundi. The main character, if there is such a thing in an Elmore Leonard novel, is a priest who allows the author to ensconce the plot while delivering a large amount of information about the horrific loss of life. The material provides the enduring scenes within the text. The subject also allows for the larger point of exploitation of desperate causes.
—Patrick
