In his latest work, the unrivaled master of the crime novel once again breaks all the rules as he redefines the standards of the art. Out of Sight crackles with originality and wicked brilliance, displaying all the razor-sharp dialogue, inimitable wit, and memorable characters who have become the signature of "our greatest crime novelist...the best in the business" ( The Washington Post ). Deputy U.S. Marshal Karen Sisco is just stopping off to serve a summons and complaint on Florida's Glades Prison. She's all decked out in her black Chanel suit and heels, but ready with her pump-action shotgun when the breakout begins, minutes after she pulls into the prison parking lot. But she's not ready for Jack Foley, the celebrity con who disarms her, invites her to climb into the trunk of her own car, and then joins her as his pal Buddy guns the blue Caprice onto the highway, heading for freedom. Squeezed into a trunk littered with handcuffs and tactical gear, the escapee bank robber is a perfect gentleman who shares her passion for movies and wonders if it would be different if they'd met in a bar. Karen escapes and they do meet again. Only this time she's part of the federal task force hunting the escapees. This time she's sitting in the bar of the Detroit Westin, nursing a sour mash and watching a blizzard outside. This time Foley finds her. First some cocktails and conversation. Then Time Out. In Karen's suite. "You like taking risks," she says. "So do I." Next morning Foley's gone and Karen's out to get him. She cruises Detroit's mean street and boxing hangouts looking for Foley, Buddy, and a hardcase named Maurice, one step behind them as they plot the biggest heist of their careers--and a double cross that will leave only one man holding the goods. This time Karen means business as she races toward a hair-raising climax that careens pell-mell into suspense-writing history. When Jack Foley, a career bank robber, surfaces after tunneling out of a medium-security penitentiary in Florida, he comes face to face with Karen Sisco, a beautiful federal marshal. Though the barrel of her shotgun is pointed right at his face, she doesn't shoot, and Foley's accomplice, Buddy, overpowers her and puts her in the trunk of a car. Foley gets in with her and the car takes off, the escapee seemingly home free. In the cramped darkness of the trunk, the criminal and marshal find they have much in common and by the time the car reaches its destination, the two have become infatuated with each other. After Karen manages to escape, she and Foley try to reconnect outside the confining roles of kidnapper and victim. YA. This novel stands out for two reasons: one is Deputy U.S. Marshal Karen Sisco and the other is the sense of untarnished justice. A 29-year-old Florida native, Karen wears Chanel suits and carries a Sig Sauer .38 pistol as her "evening-wear piece." She also carts around leg irons, handcuffs, and a pump-action shotgun in the trunk of her car. She will use the weapons if necessary, and fearlessly, but its her brain that is her primary weapon. While waiting to serve a summons at Florida's Glades Prison, she meets Jack Foley, bank robber, escaping from a tunnel. He and his ex-con friend, Buddy, who is waiting for him, toss her in the trunk of her car. Foley climbs in with her and the story begins. Jack is attracted to Karen; admires her wit, courage, and knowledge of old movies; and wonders what might have happened if they had met under "different circumstances." Karen finds herself unaccountably attracted to him, as well, but she always sees him for exactly what he is. Nevertheless, she escapes, Foley and Buddy go on to become involved in a crime beyond their control, and Karen relentlessly tracks their movements. YAs will enjoy this fast-paced novel that features a heroine who is a delightful stereotype breaker.?Carol DeAngelo, formerly at Fairfax County Public Library, VA Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. U.S. Marshal Karen Sisco, 29, wearing a $3500 Chanel suit, meets escaping con, bank robber Jack Foley, 47, and can't get him out of her mind. The attraction is mutual, and as their paths diverge and converge, the Leonard-ian plot predictably gets more convoluted and the characters more bizarre. Foley and Co.'s hit on the house of an ex-junk bond trader who reportedly has a million stashed away there brings the star-crossed lovers together once more, but without Leonard's typical happy ending for the "good" bad guys. Scheduled for filmdom by the Get Shorty team, this has the requisite quirkiness but lacks the trademark black humor. Still, you'll want it for your Leonard fans. -?Francine Fialkoff, "Library Journal" Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. If it's Elmore Leonard, there's bound to be an edge: comedy threatening to turn tragic as characters try to scratch itches they can't quite reach. This time there's so much scratching, you'd think the story was set in a swamp. Actually, it begin