Maximum Bob

As a woman who was raised to have a moral compass, I am outraged whenever someone in authority abuses their power and gets away with it.

While I don’t condone revenge, nonetheless, I have to admit I cheered when lewd, lecherous, law-bending Florida Judge Robert “Maximum Bob” Gibbs finally gets his comeuppance and is judged guilty by a grudge-bearing malefactor and sentenced to death-by alligator, a unique means of execution, to say the least.

Ingenious, more than slightly off-kilter Elmore Leonard is the undisputed king of criminal mayhem. His wacky, raucous Maximum Bob is a delightfully dark humorous tale chocked… show more.

My wife grew up in South Florida, and I can tell you from personal experience that if Florida Man didn't exist, Elmore Leonard would have invented him. In Maximum Bob, the criminal screw-ups are all too believable. Murderers, brawlers, alligator poachers, dognappers, and drug dealers—their brilliant schemes invariably go awry, and they think it's unfair that Judge Bob Gibbs doesn't accept plea bargains. Bob himself is a slimy character with a soft spot for anything in a skirt—except his irritatingly psychic wife, Leanne. One night an alligator shows up on the Gibbs' porch and eats Leanne's dog. The… show more.

I started with Elmore Leonard’s amazing westerns, but it was crime novels that really blew me away. He created the most surprising, vivid, weird, hilarious, and human characters. Maximum Bob is one of his best. He’s kind of modern Roy Bean, handing out insanely harsh sentences to the denizens of South Florida. His wife Leanne is a new-age nutcase who believes she is possessed by the ghost of a young slave girl. In a conversation with Martin Amis, Leonard talked about how it all starts with character for him. Each character auditions with their first conversation. Either they can talk… show more.