''Pronto'' is a

crime In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definitions of", in Ca ...

novel written by Elmore Leonard and published in 1993. Leonard introduces three main characters and gets them moving against each other. Harry is constantly reminiscing about World War II. Tommy carries a picture of the old crime boss

Frank Costello Frank Costello (; born Francesco Castiglia; ; January 26, 1891 – February 18, 1973) was an Italian-American crime boss of the Luciano crime family. In 1957, Costello survived an assassination attempt ordered by Vito Genovese and carried out by ...

in his wallet. Raylan is a U.S. Marshal who wears a cowboy hat. In addition, the inclusion of the Ezra Pound stories add more to the understanding of Harry and his reasons for retiring to

Rapallo Rapallo ( , , ) is a municipality in the Metropolitan City of Genoa, located in the Liguria region of northern Italy. As of 2017 it had 29,778 inhabitants. It lies on the Ligurian Sea coast, on the Tigullio Gulf, between Portofino and Chiav ...

, Italy. A 1997 made-for-TV film version of ''Pronto'' starred Peter Falk,

Glenne Headly Glenne Aimee Headly (March 13, 1955 – June 8, 2017) was an American actress. She was widely known for her roles in '' Dirty Rotten Scoundrels'', ''Dick Tracy'', and '' Mr. Holland's Opus''. Headly received a Theatre World Award and four Joseph ...

and

James LeGros James Le Gros () (born April 27, 1962) is an American actor. He was nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male for his performance in '' Living in Oblivion''. Career James Le Gros appeared as Rick in Gus Van Sant's 1989 ...

Plot summary

Harry Arno, an over-the-hill

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...

bookmaker A bookmaker, bookie, or turf accountant is an organization or a person that accepts and pays off bets on sporting and other events at agreed-upon odds. History The first bookmaker, Ogden, stood at Newmarket in 1795. Range of events Bookm ...

, quietly lives the good life with his girlfriend, Joyce Patton. He has skimmed for years from his corpulent mob boss, Jimmy "Cap" Capotorto, and managed to salt away nearly a million dollars in a Swiss bank account. Harry wants to retire and move to

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

, dreaming of an idyllic existence with Joyce in a villa by the sea. As a soldier in Rapallo, he once briefly talked to Ezra Pound when the poet was incarcerated. The Justice Department sets up Harry by putting out the word about his skimming activities, assuming that Harry will be forced to ask for

witness protection Witness protection is security provided to a threatened person providing testimonial evidence to the justice system, including defendants and other clients, before, during, and after a trial, usually by police. While a witness may only require p ...

and turn state's evidence against Jimmy Cap. Jimmy dispatches a low-life

hit man Contract killing is a form of murder or assassination in which one party hires another party to kill a targeted person or persons. It involves an illegal agreement which includes some form of payment, monetary or otherwise. Either party may ...

named Earl Crowe, but Harry proves to be faster with a gun. Harry skips his bond and eludes

U.S. Marshal The United States Marshals Service (USMS) is a federal law enforcement agency in the United States. The USMS is a bureau within the U.S. Department of Justice, operating under the direction of the Attorney General, but serves as the enforce ...

and former Marine

Raylan Givens Raylan Givens is a fictional character created by American novelist and screenwriter Elmore Leonard. Givens is a Deputy U.S. Marshal and initially appeared in the novels ''Pronto'' and ''Riding the Rap''. (''Pronto'' was adapted as a TV movie in ...

.Pronto
browse inside in

harpercollins HarperCollins Publishers LLC is one of the Big Five English-language publishing companies, alongside Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Hachette, and Macmillan. The company is headquartered in New York City and is a subsidiary of News ...

website, page 61. Harry makes a nostalgic dash for Rapallo. Holed up in a picturesque Italian resort, Harry is soon pursued by Joyce and Raylan. Tommy "the Zip" Bitonti, another mob affiliate, wants to take over Harry's action, so he tells Jimmy that he'll take out Harry in Italy. If Harry ends up dead, the Zip gets to take over the bookie operation, which is going to mean a lot more money. The Zip, who in Miami endlessly humiliates "Stronzo" Nicky Testa, demonstrates his penchant for violence with a cold-blooded murder. Harry now has so many people following him that the small village of Rapallo becomes inundated with mobsters and federal agents. To his aid comes Robert Gee, a former French foreign legionnaire, who helps him defend the villa against the trigger-happy mobsters. During these events, the 66-year-old Harry starts drinking again, which causes the situation to deteriorate even faster. Harry is in real danger of losing his life but Raylan makes sure that doesn't happen.

Characters in ''Pronto''

* Harry Arno – 66-year-old bookie * Joyce Patton – Harry's girlfriend and former topless dancer * Robert Gee – Harry's Italian aide and former French foreign legionary * Buck Torres – Miami homicide detective *

– (Deputy) U.S. Marshal and former Marine. * Jimmy 'Cap' Capotorto – Miami wiseguy * Earl Crowe – Miami hitman * Tomasino Bitonti – Tommy Bucks – 'the Zip' – Detroit wiseguy and Jimmy Cap's main enforcer * Nicky Testa – Jimmy Cap's assistant * Fabrizio – Italian wiseguy * Nicky – Italian wiseguy * Benno – Italian wiseguy

Connections

It was followed by the 1995 novel '' Riding the Rap''. A 1997 made-for-TV film version of ''Pronto'' starred Peter Falk,

and

as Arno, Patton and Givens, respectively. The character of Raylan Givens would later become the protagonist for the television series '' Justified''.

References

External links

''Pronto''
a
ElmoreLeonard.com
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pronto 1993 American novels Novels by Elmore Leonard Novels set in Miami Novels set in Liguria American crime novels American novels adapted into television shows American novels adapted into films