Walter Schoen isn't just a Heinrich Himmler look-alike; this Detroit butcher is a dedicated Nazi spy who, when not busy slicing sausage, is avidly assembling Allied production data for his friends in Berlin. Tired of his covert shenanigans, his wife, Helen, divorces him. Looking for a good time, if not more, she lands in the lap of Carl Webster, the "Hot Kid" of the U.S. Marshals Service. At the moment though, the only couplings that interest Webster are the handcuffs that he'd like to snap onto the wrists of Hitler's American helpers. Elmore Leonard's unconventional crime novel has more wrinkles than a bloodhound.
Carolyn See
… reading Up in Honey's Room is like dancing with the stars, and he's the star. You don't have to teach him anything or look for flaws in the smoothness of his steps or watch to see whether there will be gaps in his plots, or whether his characters will -- if even for an instant -- slip out of character. You just get to be lost in the dance with him as he gives unimaginable depth and dimension to the phrase "easily and effortlessly."
The Washington Post
Publishers Weekly
Set in the waning days of WWII, bestseller Leonard's disappointing 40th novel finds gunslinging U.S. marshal Carl Webster, introduced in 2005's The Hot Kid, on the trail of Jurgen Schrenk and Otto Penzler, German POWs escaped from their Okmulgee, Okla., detention camp. The pair wind up in Detroit in the care of Walter Schoen, a butcher and Himmler look-alike, with whose ex-wife, wisecracking bottle-blonde Honey Deal, Carl soon finds himself smitten. While married Carl contemplates breaking his marriage vows (Honey does anything but dissuade him), Otto disappears and a dysfunctional German spy ringled by hard-drinking Vera Mezwa and her cross-dressing manservant, Bohdancozies up with Jurgen. Vera and Bohdan, meanwhile, are secretly planning to disappear, but Bohdan wants to put in the ground anyone who could later give them up to the Feds. Leonard's writingline by lineis as sharp as ever, but the plotting is uncharacteristically clunky and the pacing is stuck in low gear. Leonard has written a lot of great books, but this isn't one of them. (May)
Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information
Library Journal
Set in the Midwest during the last year of World War II, this book brings back Carl Webster, the U.S. marshall whom Leonard introduced in The Hot Kid. This time Carl is on the trail of two escaped German prisoners of war, one of whom aspires to be a real cowboy while the other runs off with a Jewish woman. Carl himself gets tangled up with Honey, a beautiful young woman once married to a German American butcher who prides himself on being a dead ringer for Nazi SS commander Heinrich Himmler. Carl's investigation eventually leads him to an inept Nazi spy ring and a nest of bizarre characters who could form the nucleus of a promising freak show. Compared with Leonard's other novels, Up in Honey's Roomis slow moving and doesn't have a particularly satisfying resolution. Nevertheless, its quirky characters and interesting period setting should fascinate many listeners, who will also enjoy Arliss Howard's laconic narration. Recommended for libraries with established Leonard fans.
R. Kent Rasmussen
Kirkus Reviews
Tulsa deputy U.S. Marshal Carl Webster, his hell-raising reputation secured by The Hot Kid (2005), tangles with Nazis in a slow-motion dance in wartime Detroit. Walter Schoen, a dead ringer for Heinrich Himmler who was born the same day at the same hospital, is convinced that he's Himmler's secret twin. Apart from his oh-so-cute habit of pointing a cocked finger at his now-estranged wife Honey while passing gas, Walter isn't a lot of fun, and it's no wonder Honey left him five years ago. Now, as the war winds down, Walter's in the spotlight-not because he looks like Himmler, but for equally unlikely reasons. Otto Penzler and Jurgen Schrenk, a pair of SS officers imprisoned in Tulsa, have escaped and made a beeline for Detroit, where Walter holds court with Countess Vera Mezwa Radzykewycz and her motley retinue: transvestite cook/housekeeper Bohdan Kravchenko, rib-joint Grand Dragon Joseph J. Aubrey and obstetrician Michael Taylor. Carl Webster has followed Otto and Jurgen in cold pursuit-not because he's reluctant to capture or kill them, but because FBI agent Kevin Dean has ordered him to leave them alone until the Feds figure out what they're up to. The upshot is that the SS escapees are hiding in plain sight with Walter and company while Carl circles in frustration, unable to get any closer to them than Honey, who's perfectly willing to go to bed with both him and Jurgen. The extended tableau vivant is the perfect backdrop for the laid-back conversations in which the characters discuss love, loyalty and a plan to assassinate President Roosevelt in honor of the Fuhrer's birthday. Despite constant threats of violence and occasional doses of same, the lazy plot is almost an afterthoughtto the spectacle of a bunch of "useless spy ring guys" as compulsive as windup toys, and about as consequential.
From the Publisher
Combines everything we love about Leonard’s worksbig guns, morally clueless murderers, sexy dames and handsome lawmen. A masterpiece.” — USA Today
“When you read Elmore Leonard, you enter Mr. Leonard’s world. A trip like that is its own kind of vacation.” — New York Times
“Reading UP IN HONEY’S ROOM is like dancing with the stars and Elmore Leonard’s the star.” — Washington Post
“Bullets fly, but as with most ELmore Leonard novels, things really move when the dialogue gets going. Grade A.” — Christian Science Monitor
“Proof that (Leonard) is at the top of his game.” — Seattle Times
“The dialogue flows as fast and smooth as any words ever uttered in the service of a story.” — Booklist (starred review)
“Elmore Leonard is still at the top of his game.” — Philadelphia Inquirer
“It’s the cast of characters that makes readers keep turning the pages.” — Richmond Times-Dispatch
“Leonard’s writingline by lineis as sharp as ever.” — Publishers Weekly
“With Dashiell Hammett-type wit (Leonard) has once again created characters who live far beyond their storylines.” — Boston Globe
“Honey Deal is hot, hot, hot. Classic Leonard.” — Toronto Sun
“No American author has a better ear for dialogue. Leonard is as straight a shooter as his hot-kid hero.” — Newsday
“A best-selling bet. Dead-perfect dialogue, deadpan humor and dead-on vivid characters typical of Leonard.” — Cleveland Plain Dealer
“The wisecracks and sexy patter and vivid characters are what make Leonard a guy we’re always happy to see.” — St. Petersburg Times
“The kind of delicious drama that will keep you coming back for more.” — Buffalo News
“A great summer read.” — Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
“UP IN HONEY’S ROOM is a fun read. Leonard’s gift for dialogue is as shiny as ever.” — Vancouver Sun
“As usual, (Elmore Leonard) tells his story in his flawlessly colloquial prose style, with pitch-perfect dialogue. — Lisa Ko, author of The Leavers
“So compulsive, so entertaining, so satisfying. Dialogue as imaginative, unpredictable and witty as we have come to expect from Leonard.” — The Times (London)
“Action-packed and pricelessly funny.” — The Age (Melbourne, Australia)
“The pacing is fast. The dialogue is dead-on. This is vintage Leonard.” — Poughkeepsie Journal
Richmond Times-Dispatch
It’s the cast of characters that makes readers keep turning the pages.
Booklist (starred review)
The dialogue flows as fast and smooth as any words ever uttered in the service of a story.
Seattle Times
Proof that (Leonard) is at the top of his game.
USA Today
Combines everything we love about Leonard’s worksbig guns, morally clueless murderers, sexy dames and handsome lawmen. A masterpiece.
Boston Globe
With Dashiell Hammett-type wit (Leonard) has once again created characters who live far beyond their storylines.
Philadelphia Inquirer
Elmore Leonard is still at the top of his game.
New York Times
When you read Elmore Leonard, you enter Mr. Leonard’s world. A trip like that is its own kind of vacation.
Washington Post
Reading UP IN HONEY’S ROOM is like dancing with the stars and Elmore Leonard’s the star.
Christian Science Monitor
Bullets fly, but as with most ELmore Leonard novels, things really move when the dialogue gets going. Grade A.
Washington Post
Reading UP IN HONEY’S ROOM is like dancing with the stars and Elmore Leonard’s the star.
USA Today
Combines everything we love about Leonard’s worksbig guns, morally clueless murderers, sexy dames and handsome lawmen. A masterpiece.
Lisa Ko
As usual, (Elmore Leonard) tells his story in his flawlessly colloquial prose style, with pitch-perfect dialogue.
Vancouver Sun
UP IN HONEY’S ROOM is a fun read. Leonard’s gift for dialogue is as shiny as ever.
Poughkeepsie Journal
The pacing is fast. The dialogue is dead-on. This is vintage Leonard.
St. Petersburg Times
The wisecracks and sexy patter and vivid characters are what make Leonard a guy we’re always happy to see.
Buffalo News
The kind of delicious drama that will keep you coming back for more.
The Times (London)
So compulsive, so entertaining, so satisfying. Dialogue as imaginative, unpredictable and witty as we have come to expect from Leonard.
Cleveland Plain Dealer
A best-selling bet. Dead-perfect dialogue, deadpan humor and dead-on vivid characters typical of Leonard.
Newsday
No American author has a better ear for dialogue. Leonard is as straight a shooter as his hot-kid hero.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
A great summer read.
Toronto Sun
Honey Deal is hot, hot, hot. Classic Leonard.
The Age (Melbourne
Action-packed and pricelessly funny.
Associated Press Staff
As usual, (Elmore Leonard) tells his story in his flawlessly colloquial prose style, with pitch-perfect dialogue.
The Age (Melbourne)
"Action-packed and pricelessly funny."
Booklist
"The dialogue flows as fast and smooth as any words ever uttered in the service of a story."
The Age (Melbourne))
"Action-packed and pricelessly funny."
Associated Press
As usual, (Elmore Leonard) tells his story in his flawlessly colloquial prose style, with pitch-perfect dialogue.
AUG/SEP 07 - AudioFile
Arliss Howard demonstrated his mastery of rural American voices in Elmore Leonard’s THE HOT KID, in which he first breathed life into the character of Deputy U.S. Marshal Carl Webster. Now, in UP IN HONEY’S ROOM—a sequel of sorts—Howard expands on that performance as he voices Nazi POWs, a Ukrainian femme fatale, a cross-dressing hit man, and one of the most carnal Elmore Leonard characters, the lovely Honey Deal. Though the plot sounds like pulp fiction—a lawman tracks POWs and spy rings in 1945 Detroit—the novel is much more. It’s a strange, often absurd history lesson that ultimately hinges on whether Carl will honor his marriage vows to his machine-gun-toting spouse . . . or succumb to Honey’s charms. R.W.S. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine