The Hot Kid

Elmore Leonard

Carl Webster is an up and coming U. S. Marshall who is getting more famous in Oklahoma. He lives in the times of Bonnie and Clyde, Pretty Boy Floyd, and Dillinger. Jack Belmont is the son of an oil millionaire. He does not want to follow in his father's footsteps. He wants to be #1 on the FBI's most wanted list.

Carl hears about Jack before they cross paths. Jack had robbed banks with Emmett Long. Carl later confronted and shot Long. Then they meet in a situation where Carl has to defend Jack. After that, Carl is bound to arrest Jack and return him to jail. Jack first evades Carl, then swears he will shoot Carl on site, then escape to Mexico. Jack wants to thwart his father and achieve his goal without ending up killed like Dillinger.

Elmore Leonard has been writing top selling novels for years. This is the first one I have read, though. Will I read another? I found some of the characters well developed, especially Carl's father, Virgil Webster, the pecan farmer and oil millionaire. Most don't quite get off the page.

This also isn't my normal type of novel. I wasn't overly impressed with the story line of The Hot Kid. The book received a good review in my local newspaper book section. That's why I picked it up. Check out other reviews before relying solely on mind. I didn't appreciate the novel overly much, but can see glimpses of why Leonard is an enduring author.