LaBrava
1983 • 432 pages

Ratings7

Average rating3.9

15

A fun hardboiled tale. I found the exposition a little odd. The reader isn't omniscient but the book reveals info in kind of a haphazard way - sometimes in a slow reveal and at other points with a dump of information.

But Leonard clearly loves writing dialogue and it is a highlight throughout.

I also really enjoyed the imagery of Miami as a decaying city caught between the pounding ocean and the backwaters of rural Florida. It seems no coincidence that one villain comes from Cuba on a boat and the other is a hick from some swamp who winds his way down to the big city.

April 11, 2025