Like all Leonard books the plot is rudimentary, and Raylan can’t really be described as a mystery since it is clear pretty much from the outset who is doing what, and how things will end up. For many authors this would be quite crippling, but with Leonard the pleasure is found elsewhere. His ear for dialogue is peerless, and his ability to draw characters through what they say, and how they say it, is a marvel. Again and again wonderfully comic situations are finished with great timing. Raylan is a blast from start to finish, without any redundant writing, and we defy other crime fiction lovers to find a single boring scene within. It’s a major return to form, a book which only Leonard could write, and his best since Tishomingo Blues.
