I admit to having picked up this book and set it aside several times. Having just started a new job, I’ve been tired and not feeling up to any additional mental challenges! In the beginning of the book you are introduced to several characters in rapid succession. I have found that when this happens, I often quickly lose track of who is who and what and why, and given my mental exhaustion these days I thought it was hopeless.
I was wrong. By the time you are introduced to them all, each is a strong presence of their own in your mind. As their stories interweave, I promise you will not lose track. You will also find it impossible to put the book down after a certain point. Laughs, excitement, and drama in a setting that is as down home as apple pie.
In fact, the book was set in Oklahoma, my home state up until recently. It is set a few years back in history though – back when Pretty Boy Floyd was making a pretty good living robbing banks and every criminal aspired to be just as famous.
The Hot Kid is really about three “hot kids”. One, a U. S. Marshall, who never draws his weapon unless he is going to shoot to kill – but who is a fair man, if a bit of an egotist. The second is a rich kid gone bad, determined to be Public Enemy number one – but always just a bit shy of the mark. And third, an aspiring young writer who follows both their stories hoping for his own chance at fame in the pages of the True Detective magazine.
The three of them are inevitably drawn together in a mixture of rivalry, respect, and revenge. And don’t forget the hot chicks – Luly and Heidi are each a force to be reckoned with in their men’s lives.
Elmore Leonard has really outdone himself with this book. I think it may be his best yet.