Road Dogs

By: Elmore Leonard

Narrated by: Peter Francis James

Legendary New York Times best-selling author Elmore Leonard returns with three of his favorite characters: Jack Foley from Out of Sight, Cundo Rey from Labrava, and Dawn Navarro from Riding the Rap.

Jack Foley is serving a 30-year sentence in a Miami penitentiary, but he's made an unlikely friend on the inside who just might be able to do something about that. Fellow inmate Cundo Rey, an extremely wealthy Cuban criminal, arranges for Foley's sentence to be reduced from 30 years to three months, and when Jack is released just two weeks ahead of Cundo, he agrees to wait for him in Venice Beach, California.

Also waiting for Cundo is his common-law wife, Dawn Navarro, a professional psychic with a slightly ulterior motive for staying with Cundo: she wants his money. And with the arrival of Jack, she sees the perfect partner in a plan to relieve Cundo of his fortune. Cundo may be Jack's friend, but does that mean he can trust him? And can either of them trust Dawn?

Road Dogs is Elmore Leonard at his best and readers will love seeing Cundo, Jack, and Dawn back in action and working together . . . or are they?

©2009 Elmore Leonard (P)2009 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic reviews

"Elmore Leonard, master of gritty, bad-guy dialogue, is a perfect fit for full audio treatment, as this snappy production proves.... The best part of this audio [is] Peter Francis James's pitch perfect delivery of Leonard's hilarious, if often NC-17-rated, convict chitchat." ( USA Today)

from a big Elmore Leonard fan

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

Yes. Elmore Leonard writes as if for a film, and an audio production comes close.

What did you like best about this story?

The story kept my interest in characters and plot.

Have you listened to any of Peter Francis James???s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I don't keep track of performers, because Audible performers are all pretty good.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

no

Unconventional

The charactors in this book are so unconventional and it feels like we are just getting a peek into their lives. But that is always the case with Elmore Leonard books. Just a taste to keep you coming back for more. Enjoyable, but not complete.

"Road Dogs" in the middle of the pack

This book is vintage Leonard: fascinating lowlifes, quick moving cinematic plot, snappy dialogue - for about the first 2/3 of the book. Then he seems to run out of steam. The ending is somewhat predictable and rather quiet. All in all an engaging light read, but not for first timers who would be better off with "Get Shorty" or "Be Cool"

Not bad, but certainly not great

This is my first Elmore Leonard listen, and I while I agree with the other reviewers with respect to good dialogue, the story just isn't that great.

The narrator has a pleasant voice and reads it smoothly, but he reads it a little to fast, and doesn't effectively pause or disjoint the scene transitions and it is a little hard to follow at times.

You will find yourself rewinding frequently.

Don't get me wrong, it wasn't bad, but certainly not great. I would imagine fans will like it more than I did, and I enjoyed it enough such that I will probably try another Leonard book.

Overall, only a slight thumbs up for me.

GREAT STORY ... and Loved the ending .

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

# 2

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Yes ... surprised by twist away from bank robbery

What about Peter Francis James’s performance did you like?

Believable Voice Characterization

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Foley talks to Lou Adams

Any additional comments?

Elmore Leonard is my favourite author

Crime Fiction at its BEST

The ONLY bad part in an Elmore Leonard novel is "The End". This is the master craftsman just showing off his stuff. It is predictable in that it will entertain, funny, serious and true to life....

Maybe his best

It sounds corny to say something “hits the ground running” but this book never relents and still somehow attracts you to the characters.

A-Z Entertainment

Classic Elmore Leonard, he always leaves you wanting more. Twists and turns, humor, and an excellent read by the narrator.

Another Excellent Elmore Leonard

Jack Foley, the bank robber from “Out of Sight” (George Clooney in the film version) is back in prison, and connects with a Cuban master criminal who has the wherewithal to get Jack’s sentence reduced. Once out of prison, and set in LA, the complicated story gets going, with a cast of very interesting and well portrayed characters, particular Dawn Navarro, the physic “wife” of the master criminal. Sparkling dialogue throughout, suspenseful until the final scene. We’ll read by Peter Francis James.

Pretty fine Elmore Leonard.

Road Dogs is a story featuring Jack Foley, a recurring Leonard character who is "the most notorious bank robber in the country." Cundo Rey is a Cuban who spends three years in prison with Foley. Dawn Navarro is also a recurring Leonard character: a "psychic" bunko artist who in this book is a cold-blooded, calculating murderer. The action takes place mostly in Venice, California. There is scheming and double-crossing and twists and turns. Foley is a very likable character. This is partly because George Clooney played him in the movie "Out of Sight," with Jennifer Lopez as US Marshall Karen Cisco. If I were you, I would read "Out of Sight" first, because it happened long before the action in "Road Dogs," and there are countless references to it. The first book is also better than Road Dogs, in my view. However, Peter Francis James does a really great job of narrating. I would definitely listen to another one of his audiobooks. Actually, if I were you, I would see the movie "Out of Sight" first. Clooney is excellent, as usual, and J. Lo is fine. Sometimes the movie is better than the book.