Pronto

by Elmore Leonard

A tale of taut suspense from 'the best writer in crime fiction today' [USA Today]

Harry Arno runs a South Miami Beach gambling operation. To protect his position, he was forced to cut a deal with the local muscle, Jimmy Capotorto (Jumbo Jimmy Cap), an even fifty-fifty split. For years Harry had been padding his own stake by skimming off the top. Now a couple of local detectives - wise to sticky fingers - try to bag Jimmy by putting the squeeze on Harry.

U.S. Marshalls deliver Harry to court to testify at Jimmy's trial. Even though he's a step slower than he used to be, Harry's no fool - he slips out of the country pronto. With Jimmy Cap's men following and the Feds close behind, the three sides end up in Italy, watching their own backs while keeping abreast of Harry's. But it's not until the chase leads back to Miami that the real winners and losers are revealed ...

• ISBN10: 0385308469
• ISBN13: 9780385308465
• Publish Date: 1 September 1993
• Publish Status: Remaindered
• Out of Print: 22 September 2016
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Delacorte Press
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 265
• Language: English

Reviews

[jamiereadthis]

“You hear him say he’s from some county? People from the South do that. Not in Florida so much, I mean people from the south South.”
“I’ve heard of Harlan County,” Joyce said. “You want to know what I think?”
“Tell me.”
“He’s not as dumb as you’d like to believe.”

Somehow, I didn’t even remember this exchange from before. The thing about the county. Which is so true about the south South that I may have just realized now, at twenty-nine years old, despite having traveled all over the country, that it’s a southern thing.

I live right on the county line, myself. The pavement ends and the sign is fifty yards from my mailbox. It means two different things, which side I say I’m from. I always say the side I’m actually on. It’s the poorer, farmer, déclassé, redneck side. The best side. Because it’s home.

- - -

May 2012: Hell of a badass, entertaining good time. Oh man. I know this predates Justified— is the reason for Justified— but it feels like such a great, off-book origin story, fanfic at its finest. Raylan Givens. Arno, Italy, Tommy Bucks. But, a little infamous Tommy Bucks deal aside, it’s Justified that’s “off-book,” and that’s how damn perfect the latter has the former’s voice. It takes a reminder that Elmore did it first and best.

The ending back in Miami is just the greatest. Joyce, too. But the best is, always, how tickled Elmore is to spend time with his people. There’s nobody, good, bad, or asshole, who’s not worth every minute on the page.

A high four stars because if I keep giving books five, you won’t trust me. I’ll read it again and make it five soon enough.