Raylan

A Novel

By: Elmore Leonard

Narrated by: Brian D'Arcy James

Length: 6 hrs and 15 mins

Publisher's summary

With the closing of the Harlan County, Kentucky, coalmines, marijuana has become the biggest cash crop in the state. A hundred pounds of it can gross three-hundred thousand dollars, but that’s chump change compared to the quarter million a human body can get you - especially when it’s sold off piece-by-piece.

So when Dickie and Coover Crowe, dope-dealing brothers known for sampling their own supply, decide to branch out into the body business, it’s up to U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens to stop them. But by the time Raylan finds out who’s making the cuts, he’s lying naked in a bathtub, with Layla the cool transplant nurse about to go for his kidneys.

Dark and droll, Raylan is pure Elmore Leonard - a pause-resister filled with sparkling dialogue and sly suspense that are the hallmarks of this modern master.

©2012 Elmore Leonard, Inc. (P)2012 HarperCollinsPublishers

Justified

Would you consider the audio edition of Raylan to be better than the print version?

I walk about an hour each day and then spend around 30 minutes in the backyard doing odds & ends jobs. During this time I listen to books which I find make these tasks much more enjoyable.

What did you like best about this story?

I enjoy the TV show Justified and found this to be a couple of the TV shows wrapped up in an audible format.

Which character – as performed by Brian D'Arcy James – was your favorite?

Raylan, of course,

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, way too long for one sitting.

Any additional comments?

I believe if you like the TV show Justified then you will like the book.

loved it!

First, the narrator was excellent. We all know and love Timothy Olyphant's voice, but Mr. James did a great job with all the characters and soon disappeared into the story perfectly.

"Raylan" has three storylines intertwined. In the first, I can see the essence of Episode 5 from "Justified" Season 3, "Thick as Mud" involving stolen kidneys. In the second, I see the essense of Episode 8 from Season 2, "The Spoil" involving the mining company woman requesting Marshal Givens to protect her, later trying to seduce him, of course. Although, in both cases some characters and events are changed and narrowed in focus to fit the episode restrictions. The third storyline is completely new, but I'm sincerely hoping we see the bones of that storyline later in an episode or even separated into two episodes of Season 3 as I'd love to see the scene with Delroy Lewis in drag. Very funny and tense at the same time.

I had no trouble following all the characters, especially since we know a lot of them from "Justified" and Harlan County, although a few have been changed in gender, etc. Definitely my favorite book of Leonard's Raylan Givens character. Leonard has such a nice sharp rhythm with his dialogue. Loved it. Loved the Tennessee Ernie Ford reference. Favorite quote -- Art Mullen said,"You don't think of your manners and let the woman go first, not when she's pointing a gun at you." That's so Raylan!

Highly recommended as just a fun read, light entertainment... with some gunfire thrown in.

No need to purchase if you watch Justified

What did you like best about Raylan? What did you like least?

If you watch the TV show

Would you recommend Raylan to your friends? Why or why not?

If someone were looking for an introduction to Raylan Givens, I'd recommend the book. But if you're already a Raylan fan, this book will disappoint.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

The narrator didn't seem to have enough range to capture the whole host of characters in the book. I'm not sure if it was the narrator or the author, but the dialogue was almost exclusively,

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Not a movie, but a TV show, because that's what it's written like.

Novellas, not a novel

Raylan is a pretty cool character, but the stories really stretch plausibility. They are not that interesting for Elmore. I got the feeling he was pretty much phoning this one in. Using up some short stories that he had and reworking them. The characters are great though, and isn't that why we read Elmore Leonard?

Great for fans of Justified

A fast enjoyable listen for someone who enjoys JUSTIFIED ??? and Leonard's particular gifts for dialogue, character, and off-the-wall plotting.

Justified read!

Would you listen to Raylan again? Why?

I enjoyed the TV series based on these books, and so read them afterward. Enjoyed the stories and the narrater did a very good job. Recommend them to those who have seen the series, and if you haven't seen it, you should.

Another Elmore Leonard Winner!

If you could sum up Raylan in three words, what would they be?

Good Read

Who was your favorite character and why?

Raylan, of course!

What does Brian D'Arcy James bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Good Story Teller

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Not Really but it was easy to get back to.

Raylan: my common sense cousin

Where does Raylan rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Good

Who was your favorite character and why?

Raylan because he reminds me of my MO cousins

Which scene was your favorite?

My favorite scene was Boyd (imaginatively) giving the bullets to shoot Ms. Carol.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Raylan: runagin American

Did not care for the performance

I love Elmore Leonard, but I found the performance distracting. I could not finish it.

okay but lacking any real direction

This seemed like a couple of episodes of Justified that didn't get used. seemingly unrelated stories just stuck together into one book with no real common plot. on the other hand, I always like the Raylen Givens character so it was intertaining enough.