Djibouti: A Novel

“Elmore Leonard is in a class of one….The greatest crime writer who ever lived.”
—Dennis Lehane

“Elmore Leonard is our greatest crime novelist…the best in the business.”
 —Washington Post

44 novels and still going strong! The incomparable Elmore Leonard—“The reigning King Daddy of crime writers” (Seattle Times)—is back with Djibouti, a gripping, twisting, playful, and always surprising tale of modern-day piracy. Djibouti sparkles with the trademark Leonard style, wit, and crackling dialogue that have made novels like Get Shorty, Out of Sight, and The Hot Kid crime fiction classics. This time Elmore’s taking us to the Horn of Africa for an unforgettable confrontation with con men, crooked diplomats, documentary filmmakers, and pirates…and it’s going to be a wild ride!

Elmore Leonard, New York Times bestselling author and "the hippest, funniest national treasure in sight" (Washington Post), brings his trademark wit and inimitable style to this twisting, gripping—and sometimes playful—tale of modern-day piracy

Dara Barr, documentary filmmaker, is at the top of her game. She's covered the rape of Bosnian women, neo-Nazi white supremacists, and post-Katrina New Orleans, and has won awards for all three. Now, looking for a bigger challenge, Dara and her right-hand-man, Xavier LeBo, a six-foot-six, seventy-two-year-old African American seafarer, head to Djibouti, on the Horn of Africa, to film modern-day pirates hijacking merchant ships.

They learn soon enough that almost no one in the Middle East is who he seems to be. The most successful pirate, driving his Mercedes around Djibouti, appears to be a good guy, but his pal, a cultured Saudi diplomat, has dubious connections. Billy Wynn, a Texas billionaire, plays mysterious roles as the mood strikes him. He's promised his girlfriend, Helene, a nifty fashion model, that he'll marry her if she doesn't become seasick or bored while circling the world on his yacht. And there's Jama Raisuli, a black al Qaeda terrorist from Miami, who's vowed to blow up something big.

What Dara and Xavier have to decide, besides the best way to stay alive: Should they shoot the action as a documentary or turn it into a Hollywood feature film?

“Much of the dialogue and internalized patterns of speech are simply to die for.... The language, the lingo, always a big reason to turn to this author, pops at times; other times it unfurls with wit and grace.... Leonard is still pushing at the edges of the genre one of whose undisputed masters he remains.” - Los Angeles Times

“Elmore Leonard is still swinging for the fences, and Djibouti knocks it out of the park. Funny, smart, sharp, sly.” - Seattle Times

“Elmore Leonard isn’t old school; Elmore Leonard built the school.” - Joe Hill

“Whatever toll age may be taking on Leonard, it hasn’t touched his literary faculties. His ear for dialogue is as finely tuned as ever, and he has created another cast of characters as colorful and quirky as they are entertaining.... Another highly combustible Leonard page-burner.” - Detroit Free Press

“America’s greatest crime writer.” - Newsweek

“A master of narrative.” - The New Yorker