The Hot Kid

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The undisputed master of the crime novel strikes again with this powerfully entertaining story, set in 1920s Oklahoma, that introduces one of the toughest lawmen ever to come out of the west. . . . 

Carlos Webster was 15 the day he witnessed his first murder—but it wouldn’t be his last. It was also his first introduction to the notorious gunman, Emmet Long. By the time Carlos is 20, he’s being sworn in as a deputy United States marshal and now goes by the name Carl. As for Emmet, he’s robbing banks with his new partner, the no-good son of an oil millionaire.
Carl Webster and Emmet Long may be on opposite sides of the law but their long-time game of cat and mouse will turn them both into two of the most famous names in crime and punishment.

Carlos Webster was fifteen in the fall of 1921 the first time he came face-to-face with a nationally known criminal. A few weeks later, he killed his first man&#8212a cattle thief who was rustling his dad’s stock. Now Carlos, called Carl, is the hot kid of the U.S. Marshals Service, one of the elite manhunters currently chasing the likes of Dillinger, Baby Face Nelson, and Pretty Boy Floyd across America’s Depression-ravaged heartland. Carl wants to be the country’s most famous lawman. Jack Belmont, the bent son of an oil millionaire, wants to be public enemy number one. Tony Antonelli of True Detective magazine wants to write about this world of cops and robbers, molls and speakeasies from perilously close up. Then there are the hot dames&#8212Louly and Elodie&#8212hooking their schemes and dreams onto dangerous men. And before the gunsmoke clears, everybody just might end up getting exactly what he or she wished for.

“This is a novel that… is all about style, literary and otherwise.” “THE HOT KID brims with the sly humor, sparse prose and razor dialogue we expect from the master” “The writing is pitch-perfect throughout…it’s all pure Leonard, and that means it’s pure terrific.” Clear, fast-paced and masterfully structured.” “The HOT KID is Elmore Leonard- a master- at his best.” “…expertly crafted, deftly balanced.” “…Rips along like a bandit’s getaway car…THE HOT KID is Leonard at his best.” “…delivers the goods in a top-notch amalgam of sagebrush western and mob drama.” “There’s nothing Elmore Leonard doesn’t know about stylish writing, and THE HOT KID is him at his compressed best.” “Wonderfully funny and hair-raising…THE HOT KID is splendid.” “Elmore Leonard unspools the definitive portrait of 1930s lowlife” Praise for MR.PARADISE: “The dialogue and the characters crackle …MR. PARADISE is a perfect crime caper from a master.” “Smart writing about dumb crooks.” “His 40th crime novel—and he just keeps getting better and better. ”

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