Playtime in paradise is officially over

Al Rosen was doing just fine, hiding out in Israel – until he decided to play Good Samaritan and rescue some elderly tourists from a hotel fire. Now his picture’s been published in the press, and the guys he’s been hiding from know exactly where he is. What’s more, they’re coming to find him – crooked lawyers, men with guns and money, and assorted members of the Detroit mob who are harbouring a serious grudge. Playtime in paradise is officially over; Rosen’s a million miles from home but with a bull’s-eye on his back. His only ally is a US marine who’s been looking for war … and has now found one.

Elmore Leonard (1925—2013) began his long and extraordinary career as a writer of Westerns, most famously a story which was made into the film 3:10 To Yuma. He then became known for his remarkable sequence of crime novels, generally set in Michigan or Florida. A master of funny and threatening dialogue, his influence has been incalculable. Leonard received the Lifetime Achievement Award from PEN US and the Grand Master Award from the Mystery Writers of America.