Picket Line: The Lost Novella

by Elmore Leonard, C.M. Kushins (introduction)

The first major release in nearly a decade from the late New York Times bestselling author Elmore the never-before-published story of a budding agricultural strike in Texas, the racial tension brewing in the fields, and what happens when brutality from “the man” goes unchecked.

“If a man comes out of the field and goes on the picket line, even for one day, he’ll never be the same...” 

Chino and Paco Rojas seem well-mannered, at least for Chicanos, to the white cops that pull them over for littering on the long drive from California to Trinity, Texas. So well-mannered, in fact, that Captain Frank McKellan lets them off with a warning and recommends them a job at Stanzik Farms, the largest independent melon grower in the area. But Chino and Paco didn’t drive all this way for work. Instead, Chino is looking for a mysterious man, Vincent Mora, whose new Valley Agricultural Workers Association is causing a scene striking against the farm owners. 

Stanzik’s fields and Mora’s union bring together a cast of unlikely Connie Chavez, a former picker and blossoming revolutionary who leads with a bullhorn and a fearless mouth; Bud Davis, a white Xavier University student working for spending money; Harold Ritchie, a local marine-turned-cop; Luis Tamez, a striker whose grandson served with Harold in Vietnam; and many more, including the pragmatic Chino, who finds himself pulled irrevocably into the cause. Some are neighbors, others just passing through. Some know each other well, or at least thought they did…before the picket line.  

This never-before-published gem from master storyteller Elmore Leonard describes the early days of an unprecedented farmers’ movement; the complex cast of Chicanos, Anglos, and migrants that impact the union; and the careful balance of passion, patience, and pure, stupid guts that it takes to hold the line. 

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction

128 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication September 30, 2025

About the author

Elmore John Leonard lived in Dallas, Oklahoma City and Memphis before settling in Detroit in 1935. After serving in the navy, he studied English literature at the University of Detroit where he entered a short story competition. His earliest published novels in the 1950s were westerns, but Leonard went on to specialize in crime fiction and suspense thrillers, many of which have been adapted into motion pictures.

Father of Peter Leonard.

Reviews

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not the usual Elmore Leonard book. It is not a western or a crime story. It is a story about migrant and Mexican American workers in Texas near the Mexican border. There is an effort by an agricultural union to get them to join a union and secure better pay and working conditions. The farm owner is aided in his strikebreaking efforts by the local corrupt sheriff's department. The interaction between the union organizers on the pocket line, the farm workers, the foremen and the Sheriff Deputies makes for an interesting story. It was originally written at the request of a Hollywood producer who then decided against it. Leonard rewrote it and it was turned into a movie by Charles Bronson, "Mr. Majestyk."
So this novella was found among the deceased author's papers and is now being published. It is only 128 pages and can be read in one day.
I rate it 4 stars and recommend it to Elmore Leonard fans.
#PicketLine #NetGalley.
Thank You Mariner Books for sending me this eARC through NetGalley.
Pub. date Sept 30, 2025

[Terry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Elmore Leonard proves he can still hit the bullseye from beyond the grave. Picket Line: The Lost Novella is being published twelve years after his death. It feels startlingly timely given some of the issues shaking America right now.

Originally conceived as the basis for a film that never came to be, this novella arrives with an intriguing backstory, explained in the introduction. I found that peek into Leonard’s creative process fascinating. Still, what a shame the movie was never made. I would have loved to see it on screen.

The story itself unfolds over 24 hours in rural Texas, where an agricultural union is striking for better wages for melon pickers. The characters are compelling, though they would have benefited from the breathing room of a longer novel. You catch glimpses of deeper complexity, but the brevity of the tale means those layers remain just out of reach. The setting, however, is richly done. Having passed through that part of Texas many times, and having lived in Mexico for a year, I could vividly picture the landscape. Leonard sets his story decades before my own travels, but it still felt familiar.

This was my first time reading Leonard, and it will not be my last. His knack for capturing characters’ voices is outstanding, and his lean, direct style kept me hooked. At just 128 pages, this novella is a one-sitting read. Yet it manages to highlight issues that still resonate today. The casual racism directed at the striking workers was shocking and heartbreaking. It is also, unfortunately, all too recognizable. I finished the last page wishing I could follow these characters into the next day and the one after that.

I would recommend this to most readers, as the issues it raises are still important today. It will be especially meaningful to longtime fans of Elmore Leonard, as well as to readers who enjoy novellas and stories that highlight cultural struggles and social justice.

A small book with a big punch. Well done, Mr. Leonard. Thank you for leaving us this story.

Many thanks to Mariner Books and NetGalley for the review copy. All opinions are my own.

[Richard Jaffe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins/Mariner Books for an eARC of this title.

Picket Line is a novella written about 50 years ago by Elmore Leonard, published posthumously and much like the endless Jimi Hendrix releases maybe this was not the finished product he would have wanted. Per the Introduction, this story was the basis for a movie never made due to numerous rewrites and changes in focus and direction when Leonard was working more as a screenwriter than the crime novelist we have come to know and love several years later.

Still this is an interesting story about an attempt to unionize melon pickers in the heart of Texas that takes place over the course of one day. Several characters are introduced, but not properly developed, as the movie producers Leonard was working for, kept throwing curve balls at him in an attempt to commercialize the story, before eventually abandoning the project. As such I think this novella was never completed.

A good quick read, and an interesting topic with some half baked characters ( the Union man, Vincent Mora used to be a Priest was just thrown out there at the end without much explanation ) and Chino who we are first introduced to driving down the highway to the Melon Farm gets lost in the shuffle of the drama between the "picket line" the Foreman and crooked cops, before reappearing at the end. Who was Chino and why was he there? All questions that might have been answered if Leonard finished this novella for publication.

For those readers who love Elmore Leonard, this is a bridge between his earlier westerns like the Raylan Givens novels and his more well known works like Get Shorty, Out of Sight and 52 pick up.
If you have a coupla free hours, pick this up and Strike to help the migrant workers of the Texas melon farms.

[Jamie Barringer (Ravenmount) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four Hispanic migrant workers face discrimination from gas station attendants and cops, on their way from California to pick crops someplace different, and find themselves in the middle of a strike, where they can make great wages if they are willing to work as scabs. This story packs quite a few issues into a rather short book.
I am not always a fan of the sort of violent story Elmore Leonard tends to write, but I always admire how Leonard writes, and this novella is a great example. Right from the start this story draws the reader into the scene with all five senses, with no unnecessary filler. The pacing is efficient and keeps the story moving steadily while developing the setting, situation, and characters along the way. This is the sort of writing that aspiring writers should read and study to improve their own storytelling skills.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

***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!

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

First off, my thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins/Mariner Books for an eARC of this title. To be published September 30, 2025.
It has been a long while since I have read any Leonard. This is more of an unfinished novel, the beginnings of one, than a complete novella.
A really good Intro by C. M. Kushins. His bio of Leonard, with the great title, "Cooler Than Cool: The Life and Work of Elmore Leonard―A Biography of the Master of American Crime Writing", was released June 10, 2025, as were some reprints of his novels.
The Intro goes through the history of the story idea and manuscript. It is a great explanation of a genre writer on the make (Leonard was not yet famous at this time). Writing, rewriting, taking "suggestions" from publishers and producers. Ultimately it kind of turned into the movie "Mr. Majestyk" (1974, with Charles Bronson). And was rewritten again, and published as a movie tie-in PBO.
Rather for Leonard completists only. Short, and incomplete. But some of Leonard's usual great detail and dialog, and ideas he would reuse later.
3 out of 5 - because, after all it IS Leonard. I just wish the whole thing was there.
I had forgotten how fast Leonard reads. Maybe I will go back and read some of his books again. They are fun, and fast paced.

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks for the ARC!! I enjoyed this short story, which isn't surprising because I've liked just about everything I've read of Elmore Leonard's. This one is an interesting time capsule though, as it's from a period where Leonard was starting to develop his voice. I also find the labor movement fascinating, and am glad to see stories that dive into the issues. I wish this had actually been made into the movie it was written as a treatment for!

[Wayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

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

[Sue May · Rating 5 out of 5]

How I miss Elmore Leonard. This was such a find! I read it in one sitting and hunger for more. Maybe if time permits will reread all Elmore Leonard. Great story and characters. Highly recommend.