Chronicling the kills of Carl Webster, a gun toting prodigy working as a US Marshal, THE HOT KID pits wanna-be gangsters and bank robbers (and some reluctant gun molls) against a man who is as much legend as the revered outlaws of the time.Carl Webster was inducted into the life of crime at an early age when famous bank robber, Emmett Long robbed a store where Carl bought his ice cream as a kid. Long left a lasting impression on the young Carl, not only by killing an officer of the law but also making matters personal between him and Carl having tried to intimidate the youth. This event, and another in which a thief attempted to steal some property of his fathers land were the catalyst for Carl's evolution from skilled young gunman to legend with a badge. Dubbed 'The Hot Kid', Carl's primary target is Jack Belmont, son to a rich and powerful oil magnate who wants to emulate the great bank robbers. Unfortunately he lands dead centre within the trigger sights of the Marshals, resulting in a unique game of cat and mouse - only this time, both seek that final confrontation. Without spoiling too much I'll keep my views ambiguous as there is so much going on inside the 300-odd pages. Elmore Leonard gives this fabled hero a dose of realism referencing actual crimes and the criminals that commit them in passing throughout the story. The shootouts are first class and reminded me of the old western farm barn shootouts so popular in that genre. There's a lot of killing but it's not without cause. Carl comes across as almost an unwilling killer yet it's hard to ascertain if he enjoys his work or not - this adds a little darkness to the polished facade.THE HOT KID is one of Elmore Leonard best works, it reads like a TV series with some chapters almost self contained yet linked by the broader plot. Readers will get a lot of satisfaction reading the first book by Elmore Leonard to feature Carl Webster. This review also appears on my blog: http://justaguythatlikes2read.blogspo...
The Hot Kid is your standard Elmore Leonard crime story. No better, no worse.Set in Oklahoma during Prohibition, the novel centers in on Carl Webster, a young lawman who warns criminals that if he has to pull his piece, he shoots to kill. He sets out to stop Jack Belmont, the wayward son of an oilman who hopes to replace John Dillinger as Public Enemy #1. Along the way, Webster will meet Louly Brown, a woman who starts out the novel on the wrong side of the law, but seeks to tell her story to the “True Detective” journalist, Tony Antonelli. If you ever watched “Justified,” the following archetypes are in place: Carl Webster is Raylan Givens (hat love and all); Jack Belmont is Boyd Crowder (with a little less history with Webster); and Louly Brown is a mix of Eva Crowder and Winona Hawkins. Maybe it’s just the era, or that many of the female characters are prostitutes, but I doubt the women in The Hot Kid pass the Bechdel Test. There’s not much wrong with the storytelling. The Hot Kid moves fast, is entertaining, and Leonard couldn’t be naffed to write a denouement (the climax wraps on the last page), but as it’s in the mold of “Justified” (even if it came first), that inevitably becomes the comparison point. In the end, The Hot Kid just isn’t as good as “Justified,” but if you’re looking for that type of style, I get the feeling you can find it easily in the Elmore Leonard catalog. Three stars.
What do You think about The Hot Kid (2006)?
Happened upon this audio book which I took with me on a thousand mile vacation journey. I had never read Elmore Leonard, so here I am with book #42 of Leonard's and nothing but highway in front of me. I found that the narrator, Arliss Howard gave a wonderful performance of characters. I was hooked from the start. Leonard brought together stories of individual gangsters running loose in the 1920’s and 30’s. These stories were coupled with one ambitious federal officer who wanted to kill or capture them.To say the least I got a lot of enjoyment from the audio book.
—Karen
I hope we Miamians aren't portayed too seedy. We're slightly shady, but the devil you know is better than the one you don't. Or something like that. Ha!
—Jamie
my wife and me were shopping for books on our trip to Edinburgh. I decided I had all the books I wanted to buy on this trip, and even some more and decided to take a seat and wait for her to finish. While sitting there, this book caught my eye, and having heard some good thinks about Elmore Leonard I decided to add this book to my to buy pile. And it even became the first book from that bunch of books that I started reading.This story happens in 30's in Oklahoma and is the story of a local lawmen's rise to fame. Because of this the book balances on the division line between western and crime noir. This has that country style dialogue and the typical crime noir trappings of lawmen, gangsters, prostitutes and drama between them.It reads like a train, is very gripping, has superb dialogue that give you an immediate insight into the characters. This was my first Elmore Leonard book, but it won't be my last.
—Peter
