Elmore John Leonard Jr. was an American novelist, short story writer, and screenwriter. His earliest novels, published in the 1950s, were Westerns, but he went on to specialize in crime fiction and suspense thrillers, many of which have been adapted into motion pictures.
Commended by critics for his gritty realism and strong dialogue, Stephen King places Leonard in the same company as John D. MacDonald, Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett, but Leonard himself felt more influenced by Ernest Hemingway and John Steinbeck.
This audio collection includes BBC Radio dramatisations of Leonard novels Hombre and The Hot Kid, plus readings of nine of his novellas and short stories.
Hombre
John Russell has been raised as an Apache. Now he's on his way to live as a white man. But when the stagecoach passengers learn who he is, they want nothing to do with him. That is, until outlaws ride down on them and they must rely on Russell to lead them out of the desert.
Carl Allen .... Trevor White
John Russell .... Elliot Cowan
Mr Mendez .... Javier Marzan
Miss McLaren .... Kelly Burke
Dr Favor .... Nicholas Murchie
Frank Braden .... Steven Hartley
Audra Favor .... Laurel Lefkow
Lamar Dean .... Ben Crowe
Early .... Will Howard
Ex-Soldier .... Rick Warden
Sheriff Lyons .... Michael Shelford
Written by Elmore Leonard
Dramatised by Robert Ferguson
Directed by Sasha Yevtushenko
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2013
The Hot Kid
A criminal odyssey set against the dusty, sun-kissed backdrop of Oklahoma and Kansas during America's Great Depression. Carl Webster is a rising star in the US Marshals Service, one of the elite man-hunters currently chasing the likes of Dillinger, Bonnie and Clyde, and Pretty Boy Floyd across America's Depression-ravaged heartland.
Meanwhile, Jack Belmont, the wayward son of an oil millionaire, wants to be public enemy number one. The lives of the cop and robber criss-cross repeatedly before finally confronting in an inevitable showdown.
Part 1 True American Lawman
Part 2 Shoot-out at Bald Mountain
Part 3 Teddy's on 18th and Central
Part 4 Public Enemy Number One
Tony Antonelli .... Nathan Osgood
Jack Belmont .... Adam Gillen
Carl Webster .... Luke Norris
Louly Brown .... Samantha Dakin
Oris Belmont .... John Chancer
Nancy Polis .... Roslyn Hill
Cecil Guyton .... Ian Conningham
Virgil Webster .... David Acton
Walter .... Shaun Mason
Cellmate .... Paul Heath
Written by Elmore Leonard
Dramatised by Katie Hims
Directed by Sasha Yevtushenko
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2015
When the Women Come Out to Dance
An exotic dancer marries a wealthy Pakistani doctor. A year later, sitting in the lap of luxury, she starts to worry that she’ll meet the gruesome fate of other wives no longer desired by their traditional Pakistani husbands - being burned to death. Her new Colomian maid might be the solution to her problem.
Narrated by Barbara Rosenblat.
Hanging Out at the Buena Vista
At the Buena Vista hospice, cancer patients Natalie and Vincent meet each other and decide how to live the rest of their lives.
Narrated by Henry Stroger.
Chickasaw Charlie Hoke
A colorful story about how Charlie Hoke lands a job as celebrity greeter for a Las Vegas casino. A prequel to Leonard's 2002 book, Tishomingo Blues.
Narrated by Henry Stroger.
Sparks
The widow of a famous record producer is grilled by an insurance company adjuster following the suspicious destruction of her house during a California brush fire.
Narrated by Richard Poe.
Fire in the Hole
Raylan Givens is a US martial, but he used to work in the Harlan County, Kentucky mines, digging coal for a living. A friend from there, Boyd Crowder, has also changed his business: he now heads up a neo-Nazi group that’s threatening to get out of control. When they come head to head, Raylan has to decide how far he'll go in pursuit of justice.
Narrated by Richard Poe.
Trivia: Fire In The Hole was the basis for the TV series Justified
Karen Makes Out
U.S. Marshall Karen Sisco has a brief fling with a man who may or may not be a bank robber. Sisco is featured in Leonard's 1996 novel Out of Sight.
Narrated by Barbara Rosenblat.
Hurrah for Captain Early
The tale of a black U.S. Army veteran of the Spanish-American war, and the myth of the Rough Riders.
Narrated by Tom Stechschulte.
The Tonto Woman
A woman is kidnapped by Indians who tattoo her face. Many years later, she escapes and makes it back home only to be shunned by her husband - until a crafty and honorable Mexican cattle rustler comes along.
Narrated by Henry Stroger.
Tenkiller
Arodeo star turned Hollywood stuntman returns to his tiny hometown in Oklahoma following the death of his wife. He finds a family of white trash thugs have conned their way onto his land and into his house.
Narrated by Tom Stechschulte.
