Cat Chaser

Written by Elmore Leonard

Narrated by Frank Muller

“Cat Chaser is just what one would expect from Elmore Leonard—quirky, peopled with oddball characters…and more twists and turns than a roller coaster.”
—Cleveland Plain Dealer

“A superior example of gritty writing and violent action.”
—New York Times

There are numerous reasons why Grand Master Elmore Leonard is considered “the coolest, hottest thriller writer in America” (Chicago Tribune) and “the greatest crime writer of our time, perhaps ever” (New York Times Book Review). Cat Chaser is one of them. A gripping, lightning-paced tale of an ex-soldier-turned Florida motel owner whose dangerous affair with the mistress of a Dominican general in exile—a former death squad leader—threatens to have lethal consequences…especially when drugs, double-cross, and murderous mob thugs are added into the mix. A classic thriller from crime fiction master who first brought us U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens, currently of TV’s Justified, Cat Chaser proves once more that when the true greats of mystery and suspense are mentioned—John D. MacDonald, Dashiell Hammett, James M. Cain, Robert Parker, et al—Elmore Leonard tops the list.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperAudio
• Release date: Apr 10, 2012
• ISBN: 9780061993756

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 Cat Chaser

[bjkelley · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great characters, Coherent plot, and of course Leonard's great writing style with that ear for dialogue. A perfect Elmore Leonard book from start to finish.

[antao-3 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

In no other novel is it more clear that Leonard, at his best, is not a genre writer at all, but a mainstream novelist who happens to write about people who get involved in crime. When this approach does not work, as in this book, it can be an embarrassment. The so-called plot is full of implausibilities, which make the enjoyment of the book a real pain in the neck.

The usual snappy Leonard dialog is still there, but there's a lot missing...

[emscape · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I have to say, as a person reading WAY outside her chosen genre, I enjoyed this book pretty well. This is one of the books I acquired when my husband and I merged our libraries, and I probably would not have gotten to reading it any time soon, had it not been for Go Review That Book! I enjoyed the fast-paced writing style, as well, with the exception of how we seemed to be jumping in to the middle of the action towards the beginning. It took quite some time to really get a feel for these characters, and by the time I did, I felt like I had missed some plot points that I hadn't understood were important because I hadn't gotten to know the characters. It sort of felt as though I was reading something from the middle of a series, but as all the characters seemed to have their stories neatly tied up in this book, that must not be the case. The resolution of the tale was quite satisfying, although throughout the book, I didn't really see how it could come to a conclusion I'd be happy with. I'm impressed with Leonard's story.

[kettle666 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The first of Leonard's books I read was Cat Chaser, and I think he may well have written better books, but I retain a deep regard for this one because it convinced me that there was life in the crime novel after Raymond Chandler. Famous for his convincing dialogue, and his self imposed writing rules such as no more than three exclamation marks per book, Leonard stands tall among today's living writers.