Elmore Leonard: Mr. Paradise (USA 2011)

From the Publisher:
"ELMORE LEONARD IS OUR GREATEST CRIME NOVELIST." -- WASHINGTON POST
In hindsight, lingerie model Kelly Barr realizes it was a very bad idea to accompany her call girl roommate, Chloe, to Tony Paradiso's palatial Detroit home. A wealthy eighty-four-year-old ex-Motor City lawyer, "Mr. Paradise" enjoys watching old Michigan football games on TV while a sexy companion prances around his bedroom topless in a cheerleader outfit. On this particular night, however, two intruders decide to join the party, leaving Chloe and the old man dead while Kelly's off elsewhere with Tony's right-hand man. But just maybe Kelly can walk away from it all with a big score. First she needs to convince the cops she's somebody else -- and investigating Detective Frank Delsa, while good-hearted and lonely, is not stupid. That good heart, though, could get him into a lot more trouble than he ever bargained for.

"Every page sparkles." -- Philadelphia Inquirer
"Mr. Paradise is a perfect crime caper from a master, exactly that, and what more do you want?" -- Detroit Free Press

ELMORE LEONARD has written more than forty books during his highly successful writing career, and many of his novels have been made into movies. Leonard is the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from PEN USA and the Grand Master Award from the Mystery Writers of America. He lives in Bloomfield Village, Michigan.

Elmore Leonard: Mr. Paradise. William Morrow Paperbacks, ISBN: 9780062119056 (October, 2011), 366 p., $14.99.

Elmore Leonard: Mr. Paradise (UK 2011)

From the Publisher:
Murder, mayhem, scams and cheerleaders... Another exemplary crime thriller from the grandmaster of US fiction.
Tony Paradiso - aka Mr Paradise - gets his kicks from watching old football games on TV accompanied by live entertainment: sexy cheerleaders shaking their pom-poms and doing rah-rah routines for his viewing pleasure. But for Chloe Robinette, playing dress-up doesn't end so well when she's caught in the crossfire of a contract hit.

There are witnesses to the murders - Paradiso's right-hand man, Montez Taylor and Chloe's roommate Kelly - but neither is giving too much away. Because Montez and Kelly have a score in mind, a big payoff from Mr Paradise's estate - if only Kelly can convince the cops she's someone else...

Elmore Leonard: Mr. Paradise. Phoenix, ISBN: 9780753827369 (April, 2011), 377 p., £7.99.

Elmore Leonard: Mr. Paradise (USA 2005)

From the Publisher:
"GRIMLY FUNNY... A MORE THAN CHARACTERISTICALLY SATISFYING MIX OF MAYHEM, TART DIALOGUE, DARK HUMOR, AND TRICK-FOOTED GRAMMAR... THE PROLIFIC LEONARD RETURNS TO MICHIGAN'S CITY PRIMEVAL... AND ONCE AGAIN MAKES THAT GRITTY TURF HIS OWN." -- Boston Herald

In hindsight, Victoria's Secret model Kelly Barr thinks maybe it wasn't such a great idea to accompany her callgirl roommate Chloe to Tony Paradiso's house. The wealthy, eighty-four-year-old retired Motor City lawyer's idea of fun was innocent enough: watching old Michigan football games on TV while a sexy companion shakes her pom-poms and prances around topless in a U of M cheerleader's outfit. On this particular night, though, two killers decide to get into the action, leaving Chloe and "Mr. Paradise" dead in the old man's living room while Kelly is elsewhere with Tony's right-hand man. There is a bright spot, an opportunity for a very profitable score, provided that Kelly can convince the cops she's somebody else. But Homicide Detective Frank Delsa isn't stupid, even if he is lonely, good-hearted... and about to sign up for more trouble than he ever bargained for.

"LEONARD BRAVELY GOES WHERE LESSER WRITERS MIGHT HESITATE... WE CAN REJOICE. IT IS UNPUTDOWNABLE, PACKED WITH EXCRUCIATING SUSPENSE, AND I COULDN'T STOP READING IT." -- Washington Post Book World

Elmore Leonard: Mr. Paradise. HarperTorch, ISBN: 0060083964 (June, 2005), 366 p., $7.99.

Elmore Leonard: Mr. Paradise (UK 2005)

From the Publisher:
'Welcome to the splendidly seedy universe of Elmore Leonard' -- The Times
Mr Paradise pays Chloe and Kelly to play cheerleaders. To dance while he watches reruns of Michigan's finest football games.

At least that's the story that hired-help Montez Taylor tells cop Frank Delsa. Delsa's called in to investigate a double homicide: old man Paradise and a girl dressed as a cheerleader. He's got a witness - a second cheerleader - but she can't decide whether her name's Chloe or Kelly. Nobody it seems is playing it straight - least of all the two trigger-happy hit men cruising Detroit's mean streets. But with a beautiful witness who might or might not want his protection, Delsa's ready to play for time...

'A knockout blend of cool, sexy and smart. The lean, muscular prose keeps the pages turning at break-neck pace. A heavenly thriller' -- Scotland on Sunday

'Head and shoulders above anything by any other crime novelist' Craig Brown, Mail on Sunday
'Glittering black comedy, a razor-sharp cast of crooks and conmen. Very funny, exceedingly tough and for most of the time told in dialogue sharp enough to draw blood' -- Literary Review
'Exciting, funny, tragic, shocking - and very moving' -- Guardian
'The writing is as crisp, as compulsive, as hauntingly understated, as ever. Leonard is one of the great originals' -- Sunday Telegraph

Elmore Leonard: Mr. Paradise. Penguin, ISBN: 014100987X (June, 2005), 291 p., £7.99.

Elmore Leonard: Mr. Paradise (USA 2004)

From the Publisher:
"AMERICA'S GREATEST CRIME WRITER"* IS BACK WITH HIS FIRST DETROIT HOMICIDE NOVEL IN MORE THAN TWENTY YEARS
Roommates Kelly and Chloe are enjoying their lives and their downtown Detroit loft just fine. Kelly is a Victoria's Secret catalog model. Chloe is an escort, until she decides to ditch her varied clientele in favor of a steady gig as girlfriend to eighty-four-year-old retired lawyer Tony Paradiso, a.k.a. Mr. Paradise.

Evenings at Mr. Paradise's house, there's always an old Michigan football game on TV. And when Chloe's around, there's a cheerleader, too, complete with pleated skirt and blue-and-gold pompoms. One night Chloe convinces Kelly to join in the fun, along with Montez Taylor, Tony's smooth-talking right-hand man.

But things go awry and before the end of the evening there will be two corpses, two angry hit men, one switch of identity, a safe-deposit box full of loot up for grabs, and, fast on the scene, detective Frank Delsa, who now has a double homicide -- and a beautiful, willful witness -- to add to his already heavy caseload.

With a cool cast, snappy dialogue, and all the twists and turns fans crave, Mr. Paradise is Elmore Leonard at home in Detroit and sharper than ever.

ELMORE LEONARD has written more than three dozen books during his highly successful writing career, including the bestsellers Tishomingo Blues, Be Cool, Get Shorty, and Rum Punch, and his most recent critically acclaimed collection of short stories, When the Women Come Out to Dance. Many of his books have been made into movies, including Get Shorty and Out of Sight. He is the recipient of the Grand Master Award of the Mystery Writers of America. He lives with his wife, Christine, in Bloomfield Village, Michigan.

Elmore Leonard: Mr. Paradise. William Morrow, ISBN: 0060083956 (January, 2004), 291 p., $25.95.