Elmore Leonard is known for his convoluted crime plots and his memorable characters, with a special emphasis on the bad guys, whom he imbues with actual personalities as opposed to goals and desires. Leonard is the only author I’ve read whose villains seem like they might go to the movies or have a favorite drink, for example. In Cat Chaser, Leonard’s gift for creating realistically complicated situations in which human failings and foibles lead to plans going awry and poor decisions being made is as strong as ever, but unfortunately the characters are not as strong. Though there are a few notable exceptions, the cast of Cat Chaser is not as dynamic as Leonard’s usual standard. They are defined more by job title or plot function than by personality quirk. The result is still entertaining but not as memorable as Leonard’s best novels.
Cat Chaser follows ex-Marine motel owner George Moran as he navigates a potentially deadly affair with a married woman. After he runs into his old country club acquaintance Mary De Boya on trip to the Dominican Republic (where he served briefly putting down a revolution in 1965) the two start seeing each other at George’s motel. But Mary’s husband isn’t just any wronged man. He’s a former Dominican general known for his ruthlessness and expertise in torture.
George and Mary’s lives are complicated by the presence of both Nolan Tyner, an ex-actor now toiling as a low-rent private eye, and Jiggs Scully, an ex-cop now decidedly on the other side of the law. They’ve come up with a plan to deprive the deposed general of his hidden stockpile of cash and they want George on their side, whether as an accomplice or a scapegoat, George isn’t sure.
As George and Mary try to play both sides and stay alive the odds keep getting longer and the bodies start piling up. It’s all chaotically entertaining, though the lack of distinct personalities for either of them is a real shame. All Leonard can really be bothered to do is describe George as brave and calm and Mary as impossibly good-looking and the two of them madly in love with each other for reasons Leonard seems determined to keep to himself.
