Walter is, in fact, hosting Otto and Jurgen on his farm-turned-slaughterhouse outside Detroit, as well as his aunt and uncle and Honey's outlaw brother. Walter is also part of a loose network of German spies who gather occasionally for drinks, and is planning "something big" on his own that will shake the world on April 20th. Meanwhile, Otto and Jurgen go off on their own to see Detroit.

Up In Honey's Room is a delicious ensemble piece. Through conversations in Honey's room of the title, and over lunch at the Pine Room at Hudson's Department Store, Kevin and Carl tell Honey what they know about Walter and his friends and regale her with stories about hunting crooks. Elmore Leonard first introduced Carl Webster in The Hot Kid (2005) and brings him back now all grown up and legendary as the Hot Kid of the Marshall's Service. Honey herself is a new experience for both Kevin and Carl. She's a natural seductress who flirts as easily as she breathes and shows a remarkable aptitude for intrigue. Vera, spymaster to the Krauts, wants to recruit her. Unflappable Carl is almost flapped.

This highly unorthodox spy story is surreal, hilarious, and finally heart-stoppingly suspenseful. It's a fast read, helped by text that is nearly all dialogue and printed in a reader-friendly format: tall, narrow, and with a largish font. Many references to brand names from the 1940s and local place and street names produce high marks for nostalgia. Readers attracted to espionage, World War II, and Elmore Leonard's offhand style of humor are sure to enjoy Up In Honey's Room.