Enjoyed this short book by Elmore Leonard. Great characters, story, and pacing. #PicketLine #NetGalley

Picket Line is a lean, taut novella that captures a moment of tension amid labor unrest and racial conflict in 1970s Texas. Leonard’s writing is sharp and direct, with dialogue that feels lived-in and characters who carry the weight of complicated histories and motivations.

I appreciated how Leonard doesn’t paint anyone in pure black or white. The story moves with a steady, quiet intensity that kept me engaged without unnecessary flashiness. It’s a story about power — who has it, who’s denied it, and how it’s fought over — all under the harsh sun of a migrant labor strike.

While the narrative is concise, it leaves room to reflect on social injustice and personal loyalty in a way that lingers beyond the final page. At times I wanted a bit more depth on some characters, but the restrained style ultimately suits the story’s hard edges.

It’s a strong, thoughtful work that feels both timely and timeless, and it’s worth reading for anyone interested in the human dynamics behind social upheaval.

***Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this upcoming book***
It's more Elmore Leonard! What is there to say? It's a little weird when an artist's unreleased works are released posthumously, because their intention might not have been for them to be seen by the public. In this case, I think this book was tangled up in rights issues and Dutch fully intended for it to be released. Anyhow, it's as effortlessly readable though not as interesting as some of his other works. Give this a read if you are an Elmore Leonard fan!

So great to read something new by the greatest crime writer of them all. It’s a novella-not specifically a crimes story but a brief slice of life about life on and around a picket line in the early seventies. In it you can see all of Leonard’s hallmark writing techniques and skills. He’s just so good. You can’t help but enjoy it. And you’ll want to go back and read his other stuff.