The Bounty Hunters

Written by Elmore Leonard

Narrated by Josh Clark

The old Apache renegade Soldado Viejo is hiding out in Mexico, and the Arizona Department Adjutant has selected two men to hunt him down. One -- Dave Flynn -- knows war, the land, and the nature of his prey. The other is a kid lieutenant named Bowers. But there's a different kind of war happening in Soyopa. And if Flynn and his young associate choose the wrong allies -- and the wrong enemy -- they won't be getting out alive.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperAudio
• Release date: Nov 23, 2010
• ISBN: 9780061993657

Elmore Leonard

Elmore Leonard wrote more than forty books during his long career, including the bestsellers Raylan, Tishomingo Blues, Be Cool, Get Shorty, and Rum Punch, as well as the acclaimed collection When the Women Come Out to Dance, which was a New York Times Notable Book. Many of his books have been made into movies, including Get Shorty and Out of Sight. The short story “Fire in the Hole,” and three books, including Raylan, were the basis for the FX hit show Justified. Leonard received the Lifetime Achievement Award from PEN USA and the Grand Master Award from the Mystery Writers of America. He died in 2013.

Reviews for The Bounty Hunters

[amcheri-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I'm a bit conflicted about this book. There was a lot to like but some things about the author's style kept hanging me up. I can't put my finger on exactly what it was - besides the third person, present tense choice - that kept pulling me out of the story, but I was yanked out of it a lot. Oh, and the going back and forth in time. I didn't like that much either. But the intensity was very good in places and, really, that made it worthwhile.

The book is quite a bit different from the Netflix movie but I enjoyed them both.

[lvstrongpuff · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Oh wow. This book is a roll coaster! I couldn't stop reading this book to see what is going to happen next. I haven't watched the Netflix movie about this, but I am watching it as soon as I get home. So crazy!

[kgabriel-863860 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Malorie got on my nerves but I really enjoyed the children and their training--usually I find books start to peter out toward the end but for me this one picked up a lot at the end. I liked the fact that the source of the danger was never identified--it never became a "war" or a "race" against the danger. Minor beef but completely cringing and not naming the children. Not cute, pointless and jarring.

[tedski_tx · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

An impressive debut novel of psychological horror. What do you do when your survival depends on your not being able to use your sense of sight? Malorie, along with 2 very young children, must somehow find their way in a rowboat, down 20 miles of river, in search of sanctuary, all the while wearing blindfolds, lest they catch a glimpse of the alien creepies, which will drive you stark raving mad and suicidal.

The story is told in the present tense, and uses frequent flashbacks between the present day and four years prior. While neither of these are favored narrative devices of mine, Malerman's deft writing and tight plotting overcame my initial trepidation, and the story kept me absorbed to the satisfying conclusion.

Set aside a few hours and read it one sitting, while the movie version plays out in your head, with Sandra Bullock as the lead character (yeah, I know, she's quite a bit older than Malorie in the book, but it's doable).

[brittaniethekid · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Another book I didn't want to put down until I finished. It was very gripping and not like anything I had read before. While it has some flaws (what book doesn't) I absolutely loved it.

I agree with some of the reviews below about Don, Gary, and Rick not really being well developed enough and thrown in there merely to propel the story along. I would have liked to care more about them; I think you have to remember that it was also told from Malorie's POV and so we learn all that Malorie herself would know about them. Also, the ending - while I don't feel it was a cop-out or too sudden - didn't quite have the impact that it should have. I didn't feel what Malorie should have been feeling at finally getting to the compound and more social safety. I felt that this would also mean a whole different bunch of problems for her and her children that only a sequel (not that I want or need one) could explain. I did like how the entire book was told back and forth between flashbacks and present. It made the climax seem more dramatic.

Overall, a real thriller that I will recommend to fans of dystopian literature and/or Joe Hill, as I feel they have similar styles and tones.

[elspethw-137053 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

If you like the kind of creeping suspenseful horror of A Quiet Place or the Doctor Who episode Blink, this is the book for you. Terrifying premise: instead of not being able to make a sound or take your eyes off the creatures that are out to kill you, you can't open your eyes because just seeing them will make you go insane. This book really relies on the description of the horror of the protagonist's life in this world rather than a more overarching plot but I don't mind that. 4.5 stars.

[maryellencg-894309 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

SO CREEPY. But really, really good!

[thanesh_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I has watched the movie when it came out in 2018 and thought then that maybe reading the book would better and boy was I right. The book delves into the terror of having to make the perilous trip blindfolded all the more scary. The tension between the survivors living in the house together was also something that was better developed in the book. While it was not as scary as I'd imagined from a guts and gore perspective as a parent myself I could relate to the sheer horror and terror felt by the single mom having to deal with two young kids in a world that was no longer the same safe place of the past. She even didn't name them calling them boy and girl for the whole duration of the story only giving them names at the end when they reach safety. I am looking forward to and plan to read the follow-up story Malorie in the next few weeks to see what happens to the young family following the storyline from this book.

[lee.gabel · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I was gripped from the first pages and the psychological terror held on to me to the end. But it was terrifying because I have sight, something I take for granted. The world is run by people with sight but the blind live in this world every day of their lives, yet not so bleakly. Perhaps that's the point here, not to take anything for granted because it could all come crumbling down upon us with one simple change. Malerman has penned a page turner and a story that makes you think, all without ever knowing, or seeing, what the true enemy is. That is an impressive feat.

[kristelh_15 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Published 2014 but this book certainly fits the atmosphere of today's life with fear dictating everything we do. This was an interesting book and though rated horror, it was not too scary to read. The story of survival in a world that suddenly is dangerous if you go outside without your blindfold (Mask???). A young woman is pregnant and she must raise her two children in this dangerous and unhealthy environment. What does this do to people psychologically. What does it do to children raised in this world. While there are creatures, you never get to see them. The style is interweaving past and present. Debut novel. The story is set in Michigan. The author is also a singer, songwriter for the band High Strung.

[tobinelliott · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed this one a lot. In fact, much more than I thought I would.

Initially, I got a bit of a sense of The Southern Reach Trilogy which, over the course of the three novels, I learned to despise. It never lost that sense of "what's happened here?" that it shared with The Southern Reach, but it handled it much better.

Then, it began to feel very much like The Road in its stark bleakness. The Road didn't do much for me, but I think a lot of that had to do with the irritating stylistic issues I have with McCarthy's written words (no quotation marks for dialogue, no apostrophes for contractions, so "won't" and "can't" become "wont" and "cant" which are, of course, two completely different words). But again, Malerman injected a humanity, a feeling of stark terror that I never got from The Road.

And the best part about this novel was how the terror crept up on you. Without spoiling anything, I'll say that Malerman created one of the most subversively nasty villains I've seen lately. And, the last few scenes in the book (you'll know when you get there) are absolutely harrowing. It's actually shocking how Malerman kept the terror, normally a short-lived thing, going and going and going.

The only issue, and, to be honest, it's minor, because in the grand scheme of things, it worked, was that the ending felt a little...I'm not sure "tacked on" is the right phrase. Perhaps it was different enough from the rest of the book that I found it a touch jarring? Not sure, but, at least in the 12 hours since I've finished the book, I'm still not sure it's sitting well with me.

But, as I said, it wasn't horrible, and in a few days, I may come back to it (like I did the end of the Dark Tower series and the end of the Harry Potter series) and say, yes, that's exactly how it should have ended, how it needed to end.

Very well done overall. I'll definitely read more of Malerman.

[lyrrael · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Something is out there, something terrifying that must not be seen. One glimpse of it, and a person is driven to deadly violence. No one knows what it is or where it came from. Five years after it began, a handful of scattered survivors remains, including Malorie and her two young children. Living in an abandoned house near the river, she has dreamed of fleeing to a place where they might be safe. Now that the boy and girl are four, it's time to go, but the journey ahead will be terrifying: twenty miles downriver in a rowboat--blindfolded--with nothing to rely on but her wits and the children’s trained ears. One wrong choice and they will die. Something is following them all the while, but is it man, animal, or monster?

OH MY GOD, this was awesome. I listened to the audiobook, and was just blown away. I’ve been harassing everyone I know who enjoys horror to go get this book. Apocalyptic, psychological, LONELY horror. Instantly on my permanent favorite list. Big win.

[reading_vicariously · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

If you haven’t read Bird Box you should. If you have only seen the movie, still not cutting it. You need to READ it! I really enjoyed this book. It’s a testament to the psychological suspense Malerman weaves that so little happens (in a way) and yet I was so terrified the entire time. Lots of chill inducing moments, even if it’s just people blindly stumbling down a street. My biggest complaint is the lack of understanding you’re left with at the end of the book. But MALORIE is out now so I’ll have to dive into that next!

[librolindsay · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK

This was terrifying. I listened to it in about three days--most of it on a road trip--and not only did I discover I was not allowed to listen to it at night, I maybe also shouldn't have been driving either because I missed my exit...twice. It was fantastic. Audio was amazing. If I thought harder about it, I might be able to come up with a more critical response or acknowledge plot holes, but it was far too overwhelming. Now excuse me while I read about ponies and rainbows for the next 37 years.

[purple_pisces22 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Wow. Craziness. And there is already a 2nd part?! I almost gave this a pass, as I just haven’t really been feeling the dystopian/sci-fi type novels. But I’m glad I ended up going for it. This was partly due to the reviews I’d read, along with how long the wait list was going to be if I had passed on it now.
The story flows nicely, flipping back-and-forth between the character’s present day and 4 years previous. There is definitely some money so that our crazy and scary if they were real, but I don’t think the story ever went too over the top. As a mother, I found Malorie’s actions real and justifiable. What a horrible situation to find yourself in, especially with 2 young children. I love how she taught the kids things that she felt they would need to know in the future, not what kids use to learn. I’m looking forward to the next book.

[stephkaye-923485 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Room meets I Am Legend

Room meets I Am Legend in this terrifying page-turner. Great storytelling about a mom stranded with two children in a world of invisible monsters. Can't wait to see the movie.

[sharonmariabidwell · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Having watched the film after seeing mixed reviews, I was keen to read the book as I had also heard good things about Josh Malerman’s work. I didn’t react to the film as badly as some, but found the book to be a completely distinct entity with far more tension. I also like how the story’s told with two lines of chronology running throughout — a present journey undertaken by Malorie and the events that led her to that point. I see the book has as many mixed reviews as the film, but I’m not a reader who needs a big reveal. And with a revelation that could drive the main character, Malorie, mad, the question of the best outcome will always be questionable. There’s no way a writer can please every reader with this type of story, only trust the book will find its own audience. The suspense comes from Malorie’s anxiety, the act of having to fumble around not knowing if a threat stands right next to you excellently portrayed. Will Malorie find sanctuary? Will she save the children? I’ll be reading more from this author, including the sequel.

[ldvoorberg · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Good suspenseful story. A few holes in the story/concept of how the woman survives for four years in the conditions in the story.
Forgive that and go with it and it is pretty freaky and captivating. (I chose not to read before bed). A few pieces were predictable, but that did not lessen my enjoyment.
The bird box concept was not well developed, at least not well enough to be the title, IMO.

[mhartford_3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The ending felt a bit rushed, and I feel like the final destination could have been fleshed out more (I suppose that's what the sequel will do?), but I thought this was better than the movie and it had some really good tension, particularly in the Gary & Don section. Malorie is a difficult character to like - brusque, single-minded, more than a little harsh - but is probably the right character for survival in this kind of world.

[jamiem12 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Well, I don't know where to even start. The book and the movie are WAYYYYY different! Ok, The Book!! It jumps around a whole lot, I mean every single chapter is a different point in time going between 3 different time frames. Pay close attention!! If I had not seen the movie the book would not have rated the 4 stars because I would have been way lost!

[lasvegasbookie · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Loved this deliciously scary book! Usually do not like scary, but this is a great exception.

[bookishtexpat · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was amazing. It's been a while since I have devoured a book like I devoured "Bird Box." Malerman does an amazing job of building this world of terror without truly revealing anything. I was horrified, captivated, completely engaged, and could not put it down. I loved how Malerman moved between the present day and all those days leading up to Malorie's escape. Omission was used beautifully and Malerman captured so many different personalities without overdoing description. All in all, this was an incredible debut novel and I can't wait for more from Malerman!

[stephanie_m-868484 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Incredibly suspenseful novel, which made me very tense throughout it. I don’t know if the audiobook made this tenseness worse, but I think it did so, because of the masterful narration abilities of Cassandra Campbell.
In my mind’s eye, the main character Mallory was played by Emily Blunt, who is a very underrated actress, and could handle a role like this easily. In fact it could be tailor made for her.
If you haven’t already given this great novel a try, please do so. You will be awed by it’s originality, it’s ability to make everything else around you disappear, and it’s ease at making the reader tense as all get-out. It’s highly recommended by me.
4 stars, and read/ listen to it now.

[cherybear · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Obviously you have to suspend belief, but there are some plot holes that seemed unsatisfying and had me scratching my head--but why didn't they do this? Or that? How did they know. . . ? Probably the main reason I stuck with it was that I knew it had gotten a lot of hype and been made into a movie (and I saw the trailer several times.) I also read this during the COVID 19 crisis, so I actually found parallels between that situation and the book. I don't want to live in through the Apocalypse.

[charrlygirl · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

BIRD BOX! What a blast!

Tension filled and atmospheric, while not being altogether believable. I'm glad I finally read this and I'm looking forward to watching the film on Netflix next month.

[deltaqueen50 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Bird Box by Josh Malerman is both a novel of supernatural and psychological terror and I couldn’t put it down. Now that I have finished the book I can see that there were a few giant plot holes, but during the reading I was totally able to ignore the flaws and concentrate on the fear.

This is an apocalyptic story about life as we know it ending on earth. Something is out there, something so alien that seeing it will cause total madness and drive the person to murder and suicide. Malorie, alone and pregnant, finds shelter with a group of other people, but because the book is written with a time line that jumps back and forth, we know that this sanctuary isn’t going to last. In the past time line we learn what happened to the group in the “safe house” and in the present time line we join a blindfolded Malorie and her children as they embark on a dangerous journey to find other people and a find a better life.

The author cleverly never allows the reader to see the creatures that cause such mayhem. They are out there, they come close at times, but the fact that they remain a total mystery adds to the horror. Much of the book rests squarely on the shoulders of the main character, Malorie. She was developed over the course of the book, starting out as rather timid and passive, but by the end of the book she was a tower of strength. Bird Box was an unsettling, horrific thriller that dished out plenty of thrills and chills which was exactly what I was looking for.

[samantha71020 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Bird Box was a really solid read but I think I slightly overhyped it in my head. First, I did something I rarely do and watched the movie first. I actually really enjoyed the movie and found it to be a fun reading experience comparing the differences between the two. But I expected this one to terrify me just from hearing from so many other horror readers that it is one of their favorites. Honestly, I did find the idea of not being able to see whatever was out there creepy but just not as terrifying as I hoped. Maybe it is because I watch the movie first or maybe I just had it overhyped in my head. That isn't to discount that I really enjoyed my reading experience. I was just left wanting it to be a bit more. More terrifying. I wanted to be truly creeped out in the best of ways and wasn't. I'm chalking it up to expectations. I definitely plan on reading more by this author and the premise of this book is so unique. I want to see what other twisted things he comes up with next. And I think I will read the sequel to this book at some point as well. But maybe I would just say to other readers to start here before you watch the movie. That's all.

Overall, I enjoyed this book even if it didn't quite terrify me like I had hoped that it would. Readers who want a horror based take on the end of the world should pick this book up for sure. I also want to say that if you aren't sure on if horror reads are for you, that this book wasn't too scary and is one that I think many readers could handle. Recommended!

Bottom Line: A book that I'm glad I finally pulled off of my own shelves after it sat on there for way too long!

Disclosure: I purchased this book myself. Honest thoughts are my own.

[juva_3 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

An apocalyptic horror novel about the inexplicable arrival of creatures, that when viewed by humans, cause madness and almost instant suicidality. The only way to survive is to remain indoors and cover all windows. If going outside is unavoidable, blindfolds must be worn. Mallory, this book's protagonist, quarantines with her sister until her sister catches a glimpse of the creatures through a parted curtain. Alone, and as luck would have it, pregnant, Mallory decides to answer an ad that promises a safe house.

There she meets Tom, a man she falls in love with. She also meets Olympia, another young pregnant woman who finds refuge in the house. Eventually, the house is betrayed by a newcomer. He's seen the creatures, and is among the rare few to survive. However, he is still mad, and now is trying to get everyone to see the creatures. He springs a trap while the women are in labor and as a result, Mallory and the two newborns are the only survivors.

She raises them by herself for four years before setting out a harrowing journey down a river blindfolded to another settlement where she hopes she will have a better life with her children.

Wow, this book hits different after 2020. The tight quarters, the isolation, the unhinged people hell-bent on exposing themselves to danger as if it's some sort of religious rite. This book honestly disturbed me but not in an enjoyable way.

Also, the scene where Mallory is in labor is just frankly excruciatingly boring. It's supposed to be the climax of the book, but it goes on way too long and most of it is just Mallory whining and begging in an extremely repetitive way. Also, I don't believe a woman could hang herself to death by her umbilical cord. There's just no way.

[rbeffa_2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I thought the Netflix film of Bird Box which stars Sandra Bullock (who is, honestly, about 25 or 30 years too old for this part but she did an excellent job) was a very good film. The book is even better. I'd say it is quite a bit better. I am certain that my reading of this novel was enhanced by having seen the movie - a fresh reader would be more caught up in the "what the heck is going on" whereas I focused more on the details of the storytelling. The book is so different than the film story, which made some significant changes so that we almost have two completely different stories with a few common elements, but there are bits of this novel that the film captured perfectly. The film begins with an overt display of madness and horror, mass suicides, very different than how the book begins - the book lets the menace be out there menacing and lets the suspense be that much better.

Malorie has 2 children and she has spent 4 1/2 years under the shadow of death. The story moves back and forth in time, done very well to build suspense and keep the reader in the dark about things which become slowly clearer as the story progresses. This is an end of the world novel. There is a lot of suspense and mystery in here. The children as characters are presented much better in the novel. Recommended if you want to read something different and more than a little scary. I guess I would call this a suspense-horror novel. The mystery is not resolved by the end of the book, nor was it in the film, which is pretty much the only unsatisfying thing about this story, for me. I'd call this an excellent read.

[sandrabrower · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

You know when you read a book, you know it's supposed to be a thriller and you think, "hey, I can handle this, is not so scary", then while reading you get to a scary part and realize it's super late at night and you stop reading in fear of getting creeped out? Yeah, this happened to me, except I didn't stop reading and wished I had. My night was full of many, many sounds (although, it was raining and it was just the gutters clanging and echoing,) and I was expecting Gary everywhere. Josh Malerman's book the Bird Box was a great book.

It took me a bit to get into it. I think it was the fact that I just wasn't feeling the back and forth memories for a bit as I was expecting something to jump out of the shadows. After feeling a little more comfortable finally I started enjoying the book. I could imagine myself being Malorie and all she was going through. On edge when housemates went outside. Who knew what they would encounter?