Rum Punch - Elmore Leonard

Advantages: great dialogue
Disadvantages: his books are always too short

...originally published under the name Rum Punch but was later released as Jackie Brown when the film was made.Interestingly, in the book Jackie (Burke -also a different name) is white but Tarantino had Pam Grier in mind for the movie and missed this point when he read the book. A down on her luck flight attendant gets caught smuggling gun money on the airline she works for, the FBI take it easy with her so they can catch her boss/the gun runner who ...
...it again. Some characters from Rum Punch appear in 'the switch', my favourite, so if you enjoy this you may want to go back and read more about how the 'baddies' all met originally. The books cover will vary depending on how recent a copy you get, some have Rum Punch on the cover, some have Jackie Brown, some a picture of a mans arms&chest, others palm trees. A few quotes of the dialogue to give you a feel - Robbie - "you think you're the good guy, ... Read review

Advantages: A superb introduction to Elmore Leonard, or a great read for fans
Disadvantages: Disadvantages? To Elmore Leonard? You ARE joking?

...Even if you don’t read much, you may know the work of Elmore Leonard. After all, such is his reputation as a crime and thriller writer, that they’ve been making films of his novels since 1957. Tarantino turned his novel “Rum Punch” into “Jackie Brown”, and “Out of Sight” and “Get Shorty” (as well as the currently being made follow up “Be Cool”) were originally Elmore Leonard novels. Having discovered the author by taking a chance on a recommendation, I’ve never looked back. After all, an Elmore Leonard novel is the written equivalent to a good action film – there’s always something happening, and it’s usually something you just can’t turn away from, even for a second. But when I picked up his latest “When the Women Come Out to Dance”, and discovered it was a collection of short stories, I was a little worried. He puts so much... Read review

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