Monday, November 5, 2007

Elmore Leonard

My brother Mike called me from California 25 years ago and said I might like a crime writer he'd found. Elmore Leonard. Can't remember if it was STICK or LA BRAVA, that first one, but it was a flurry for the next few years, catching up with all Elmore had put out.



I was surprised the first time I saw Elmore's name on a western, but that's where he started. If you've seen Paul Newman play HOMBRE, you know that Elmore's cowboys and cops have a whole lot in common.

They're tough.




They don't say a lot.












They know neat stuff.






They take no shit.













These are some of my favorites. KILLSHOT will soon be a movie. LA BRAVA is considered a classic by crime fiction writers. GET SHORTY was written as a dig at Dustin Hoffman because of the actor's behavior on another Elmore movie project.

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