Recommended reading - City Primeval & Fire in the Hole, by Elmore Leonard:

City Primeval: High Noon in Detroit
Fire in the Hole: and Other Stories

Both books filmed as the TV series Justified: City Primeval (2023).

City Primeval: High Noon in Detroit

By Elmore Leonard.

Published by Mariner Books.

First published 1980

ISBN-10: 0062191357

ISBN-13: 978-0062191359

Description:

“As gritty and hard-driving a thriller as you’ll find…. The action never stops, the language sings and stings.”

– Washington Post.

Clement Mansell knows how easy it is to get away with murder. The cool killer is already back on the Detroit scene – thanks to some nifty courtroom moves by his lawyer – and he's feeling invincible enough to execute a crooked judge on a whim. Lieutenant Raymond Cruz thinks the “Oklahoma Wildman” crossed the line long before this latest outrage, and he's determined to see that the hayseed psycho meets an end he deserves, with a gun pointed at him. But that means a good cop, having to play somewhat fast and loose with the rules . . . in order to maneuver Mansell into a wild Midwest showdown that he can't walk away from.

Fire in the Hole: and Other Stories

By Elmore Leonard.

Published by Mariner Books.

Published 2012.

ISBN-10: 0062120344

ISBN-13: 9780062120342

Description:

“[Leonard’s] most satisfying book since Out of Sight…. Top-notch work from one of our most gifted and consistently entertaining writers.” – New York Times Book Review.

“Vintage Leonard…. Nine stories with booze and shotguns and lowlifes…and lots of scenes that ought to be in movies.”

– Detroit Free Press.

“If Leonard were a new kid instead of a past master, this fiction collection would make his name.” – People.

“Rummaging through Leonard’s attic via these nine stories revives some fond memories and turns up a couple of forgotten treasures.” – Kirkus Reviews.

“Elmore Leonard’s 39th book ...finds one of America’s most accomplished novelists presenting his most accomplished female characters in years.” – USA Today.

In this superb short fiction collection, Elmore Leonard, “the greatest crime writer of our time, perhaps ever” (New York Times Book Review), once again illustrates how the line between the law and the lawbreakers is not as firm as we might think. In the title story, the basis for the hit FX series Justified, U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens meets up with an old friend, but they’re now on different sides of the law. Federal marshal Karen Sisco, from Out of Sight, returns in “Karen Makes Out,” once again inadvertently mixing pleasure with business. In “When the Women Come Out to Dance,” Mrs. Mahmood gets more than she bargains for when she conspires with her maid to end her unhappy marriage. These nine stories are the great Elmore Leonard at his vivid, hilarious, and unfailingly human best.

Recommended reading - Fire in the Hole: and Other Stories, by Elmore Leonard (2012):

Fire in the Hole: and Other Stories

By Elmore Leonard

Published by Mariner Books.

Published 2012.

Paperback.

ISBN-10: 0062120344

ISBN-13:‎ 978-0062120342

Filmed as the TV series Justified, directed by Graham Yost.

Description:

“If Leonard were a new kid instead of a past master, this fiction collection would make his name.” – People.

“Rummaging through Leonard’s attic via these nine stories revives some fond memories and turns up a couple of forgotten treasures.” – Kirkus Reviews.

“Elmore Leonard’s 39th book ...finds one of America’s most accomplished novelists presenting his most accomplished female characters in years.” – USA Today.

“[Leonard’s] most satisfying book since Out of Sight…. Top-notch work from one of our most gifted and consistently entertaining writers.” – New York Times Book Review.

“Vintage Leonard…. Nine stories with booze and shotguns and lowlifes…and lots of scenes that ought to be in movies.” – Detroit Free Press.

Originally published as When the Women Came Out to Dance, Elmore Leonard’s extraordinary story collection, Fire in the Hole reconfirms his standing as the “King Daddy of crime writers” (Seattle Times) – a true Grand Master in the legendary company of John D. MacDonald, Dashiell Hammett, and James M. Cain. These nine riveting tales of crime and (sometimes) punishment – including the title story starring U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens, which was the basis for the smash hit TV series Justified – feature all the elements that have made the great Elmore Leonard great: superb writing, unforgettable characters, breathtaking twists, and the sharpest, coolest dialogue in the mystery-thriller genre.

Recommended reading - Unknown Man #89, by Elmore Leonard (1977):

Unknown Man #89

By Elmore Leonard.

Published by Mariner Books.

First published 1977.

Paperback.

ISBN-10: 006218928X

ISBN-13: 978-0062189288

Description:

“The greatest crime writer of our time, perhaps ever!” – The New York Times Book Review.

“An absolute master.” – The Detroit News.

“No one is Leonard’s equal,” declares the Chicago Tribune – and anyone who might doubt it would only have to read Elmore Leonard’s riveting noir classic, Unknown Man #89, to become a true believer.

Detroit process server Jack Ryan has a reputation for being the best in the business at finding people who don't want to be found. Now he's looking for a missing stockholder known only as "Unknown Man No. 89." But his missing man isn't "unknown" to everyone: a pretty blonde hates his guts and a very nasty dude named Royal wants him dead in the worst way. Which is very unfortunate for Jack Ryan, who is suddenly caught in the crossfire of a lethal triple-cross and as much a target as his nameless prey.

The twisty tale of a Detroit process server whose search for a missing stockholder leads him into more serious peril than he ever imagined possible, Unknown Man #89 is a gourmet stew of mystery, suspense, and double and triple cross, peppered with the razor-sharp dialogue for which Grand Master Leonard is justifiably famous.

Exhilarating old-school crime fiction that the late, great John D. MacDonald, Dashiell Hammett, James M. Cain, and Robert Parker would have been proud to call their own, Unknown Man #89 is a gem – nothing less than we’d expect from the man who created the incomparable U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens of the hit TV series Justified.

Recommended reading - Gold Coast, by Elmore Leonard (1980):

Gold Coast

By Elmore Leonard.

Published by MarinerBks.

First published 1980.

Paperback.

ISBN-10: 0062206095

ISBN-13: 978-0062206091

Description:

“Lean, mean, darkly funny.” – Boston Globe.

“A zingy thriller by the master of hard-boiled suspense.” – Dallas Morning News.

Just follow the Grand Master of mystery and suspense to Florida’s Gold Coast and you’ll quickly discover that it’s so. In this classic Elmore Leonard thriller, a beautiful mafia widow stands to lose everything her late mob boss husband left her if she succumbs to her desire for an attractive Detroit ex-con – so the two conspire to outwit the thugs the dead capo assigned to make sure she stays chaste. Superior crime fiction in the vein of John D. MacDonald, Dashiell Hammett, James M. Cain, and Robert Parker – chock full of the eccentric characters, black humor, and razor-sharp dialogue for which the acclaimed creator of U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens (of TV’s Justified) is justifiably famous – Gold Coast is gold standard Leonard.

Recommended reading - The Big Bounce by Elmore Leonard (1969):

The Big Bounce

By Elmore Leonard.

Published by Mariner Books.

First published 1969.

Paperback.

ISBN-10: 0062184288

ISBN-13: 978-0062184283

Description:

Jack Ryan always wanted to play pro ball. But he couldn't hit a curveball, so he turned his attentions to less legal pursuits. A tough guy who likes walking the razor's edge, he's just met his match – and more – in Nancy. She's a rich man's plaything, seriously into thrills and risk, and together she and Jack are pure heat ready to explode. But when simple housebreaking and burglary give way to the deadly pursuit of a really big score, the stakes suddenly skyrocket. Because violence and double-crosses are the name of this game – and it's going to take every ounce of cunning Jack and Nancy possess to survive . . . each other.

Recommended reading: Stick by Elmore Leonard (1983):

Stick

By Elmore Leonard.

Published by Arbor House.

First published 1983.

Hardcover.

ISBN-10: 0877954364

ISBN-13: 978-0877954361

Description:

After serving time for armed robbery, Ernest "Stick" Stickley is back on the outside and trying to stay legit. But it's tough staying straight in a crooked town -- and Miami is a pirate's paradise, where investment fat cats and lowlife drug dealers hold hands and dance. And when a crazed player chooses Stick at random to die for another man's sins, the struggling ex-con is left with no choice but to dive right back into the game. Besides, Stick knows a good thing when he sees it -- and a golden opportunity to run a very profitable sweet revenge scam seems much too tasty to pass up.

Recommended reading - Rum Punch (1992):

Rum Punch

By Elmore Leonard.

Published by Delacorte Press.

First published 1992.

Hardcover.

ISBN-10: 038530143X

ISBN-13: 978-0385301435

Description:

Pretty working-girl Jackie Burke is in a tight spot.  She's just been picked up at Palm Beach International with fifty grand and some blow stashed in her flight bag.  Lucky for her, the Feds want something Jackie's got:  the inside track to Ordell Robbie, the notoriusly slick arms dealer.  And they're ready to deal – Ordell in exchange for her freedom.  But Jackie's got another ace up her sleeve. . .Enter Max Cherry, bail bondsman.  Big, tough, basically decent Max is on the verge of divorce and tired of the same old grind.  That's where Jackie comes in.  The fifty big ones are peanuts compared to what Ordell's got locked away in Freeport.  But when a blowsy blond blowhead and a none-too-bright ex con try to muscle in on the action, it's time to pull and old bait and switch – where the good guys are played off against the bad guys – and where Jackie and Max hope to walk off into the Florida sunset with a hot half million in cold cash.

"Unputdownable! Benath it's fast moving surface, Rum Punch is a novel about growing old, about the way that time changes us, about the old dream of starting over agian and its cost." – The Washington Post Book World.

"Expertly blended. . .potent Dutch." – Chicago Sun-Times.

"Rum Punch is Leonard's best work! He brilliantly reaffirms his right to the title of America's finest crime-fiction writer." – People.

Recommending reading - The Switch (1978):

The Switch

By Elmore Leonard.

Published by Mariner Books.

First published 1978.

Paperback.

ISBN-10: 0062206133

ISBN-13: 978-0062206138

Description:

“My favorite Leonard book….He writes the way Hammett and Chandler might write today, if they sharpened their senses of ironic humor and grew better ears for dialogue.” – Dallas Morning News.

“The best writer of crime fiction alive.” – Newsweek.

“The greatest crime writer of our time, perhaps ever!” – The New York Times Book Review.

“An absolute master.” – The Detroit News.

Dangerously eccentric characters, razor-sharp black humor, brilliant dialog, and suspense all rolled into one tight package – that’s The Switch, Elmore Leonard’s classic tale of a kidnapping gone wrong…or terribly right, depending on how you look at it. The Grand Master whom the New York Times Book Review calls, “the greatest crime writer of our time, perhaps ever,” has written a wry and twisting tale that any of the other all-time greats – Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler, John D. MacDonald, James M. Cain, Robert Parker…every noir author who ever walked a detective, cop, or criminal into a shadowy alley – would be thrilled to call their own. Leonard, the man who has given us U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens (currently starring in TV’s Justified) is at his storytelling best, as a spurned wife decides to take a rightful – and profitable – revenge on her deceiving hubby by teaming up with the two thugs he hired to abduct her.

Ordell Robbie and Louis Gara hit it off in prison, where they were both doing time for grand theft auto. Now that they're out, they're joining forces for one big score. The plan is to kidnap the wife of a wealthy Detroit developer and hold her for ransom. Looks good until they learn the lowlife husband doesn't want his wife back. So it's time for Plan B and the opportunity to make a real killing – with the unlikely help of a beautiful, ticked-off housewife who's hungry for a large helping of sweet revenge.

Recommended reading - Swag (1976):

Swag

By Elmore Leonard.

aka Ryan's Rules.

Published by Mariner Books.

First published 1976.

Paperback.

ISBN-10: 0062227866

ISBN-13: 978-0062227867

Description:

The smallest of small-time criminals, Ernest Stickley Jr. figures his luck's about to change when Detroit used car salesman Frank Ryan catches him trying to boost a ride from Ryan's lot. Frank's got some surefire schemes for getting rich quick – all of them involving guns – and all Stickley has to do is follow "Ryan's Rules" to share the wealth. But sometimes rules need to be bent, maybe even broken, if one is to succeed in the world of crime, especially if the "brains" of the operation knows less than nothing.

Recommended reading - Be Cool (1999):

Be Cool

By Elmore Leonard.

Published 1999.

Published by Mariner Books.

Paperback.

ISBN-10: 0062265997

ISBN-13: 978-0062265999

Description:

“The greatest crime writer of our time, perhaps ever!” – New York Times Book Review.

“An absolute master.” – Detroit News.

Get Shorty's Chili Palmer is back. No more Mr. Nice Guy.

After a smash hit and a flop, B-movie producer Chili Palmer is looking for another score. Lunching with a record company executive, Chili's exploring a hot new idea – until the exec, a former "associate" from Chili's Brooklyn days, gets whacked.

Segue from real life to reel life. Chili's found his plot. It's a slam-bang opener: the rubout of a record company mogul. Cut to an ambitious wannabe singer named Linda Moon. She has attitude and a band. She's perfect. Zoom into reality. Linda's manager thinks Chili's poaching and he's out to get even, with the help of his switch-hitting Samoan bodyguard. But somebody else beat them to the punch, as Chili discovers when he gets home and finds a corpse at his desk. Somebody made a mistake….

Recommended reading - 52 Pick-up (1974):

52 Pick-up

By Elmore Leonard.

aka Fifty-Two Pick Up.

Published by Mariner Books.

First published 1974.

ISBN-10: 0062266004

ISBN-13: 978-0062266002

Description:

Detroit businessman Harry Mitchell had had only one affair in his twenty-two years of happy matrimony. Unfortunately someone caught his indiscretion on film and now wants Harry to fork over one hundred grand to keep his infidelity a secret. And if Harry doesn't pay up, the blackmailer and his associates plan to press a lot harder – up to and including homicide, if necessary. But the psychos picked the wrong pigeon for their murderous scam. Because Harry Mitchell doesn't get mad ... he gets even.

"Probably no one knows this nation's rogues, bent cops, and sleazebags better than Elmore Leonard." – Newsday.

“An absolute master.” – The Detroit News.

Born on this day – Elmore Leonard:

Elmore Leonard

Writer

October 11, 1925 – August 20, 2013

Credits:

Books:

The Big Bounce (1969); Unknown Man #89 (1977); Swag (aka Ryan's Rules) (1976); Stick (1982); Get Shorty (1990); Be Cool (1999); Pronto (1993); Riding the Rap (1995); Fire in the Hole (2001); Raylan (2011); Raylan Goes to Detroit (2018); Out Of Sight (1996); Road Dogs (2009); The Hot Kid (2005); Up in Honey's Room (2007); Comfort to the Enemy and Other Carl Webster Stories (2009); The Switch (1978); Rum Punch (1992); Elmore Leonard's Western Roundup #1 (1998); Elmore Leonard's Western Roundup #2 (1998); Elmore Leonard's Western Roundup #3 (1998); The Bounty Hunters (1953); The Law at Randado (1954); Escape from Five Shadows (1956); Last Stand at Saber River (1959); Hombre (1961); The Moonshine War (1969); Valdez Is Coming (1970); Forty Lashes Less One (1972); 52 Pick Up (1974); Mr Majestyk (1974); The Hunted (1977); Gunsights (1979); Gold Coast (1980); City Primeval: High Noon in Detroit (1980); Split Images (1981); Cat Chaser (1982); LaBrava (1983); Glitz (1985); Bandits (1987); Touch (1987); Freaky Deaky (1988); Killshot (1989); Maximum Bob (1991); Cuba Libre (1998); Pagan Babies (2000); Tishomingo Blues (2002); Mr. Paradise (2004); A Coyote's in the House (2004); Djibouti (2010); The Trespassers (2013); Confession (2013); Three-Ten to Yuma and Other Stories (1953); The Tonto Woman and Other Western Stories (1975); Dutch Treat (1985); When the Women Come Out to Dance (2001); The Complete Western Stories of Elmore Leonard (2004); The Complete Western Stories (2004); Moment of Vengeance and Other Stories (2006); Blood Money and Other Stories (2006); Trail of the Apache and Other Stories (2007); Charlie Martz and Other Stories (2015); Notebooks (1990); Elmore Leonard's 10 Rules of Writing (2006); New Orleans Stories (1992); Chicago Stories (1993); Southwest Stories (1993); Florida Stories (1993); Lust: Lascivious Love Stories and Passionate Poems (1994); Alaska Stories (1995); Texas Stories (1995); San Francisco Thrillers (1995); Cape Cod Stories (2002); Florida Stories (1993); New Trails: Twenty-Three Original Stories (1994); Murder For Love (1996); Pulp Frictions: Hardboiled Stories (1996); Naked Came the Manatee (1997); Western Movies (1997); The Best American Mystery Stories 1997 (1997); Murder On The Railways (2003); The Best American Mystery Stories 2003 (2003); Mysterious Writers: The Many Facets of Mystery Writing (2010); Books to Die For (2012); Long Night (2014); The Best American Mystery Stories 2016 (2016); Miami Noir (2020).

Movies and television:

3:10 to Yuma (1957 / 2007); 52 Pick-Up (1986); A Conversation with Elmore Leonard (2007); AFI's 100 Years... 100 Heroes & Villains (2003); American Cinema (1995); Arena (1991); Be Cool (2005); Border Shootout (1990); Byline Showtime (1988); Cat Chaser (1989); Charlie Rose (1995–2000); Cooper and Hemingway: The True Gen (2013); Desperado (1987); Desperado: Avalanche at Devil's Ridge (1988); Desperado: Badlands Justice (1989); Desperado: The Outlaw Wars (1989); Días de cine (2013); Elmore Leonard - But Don't Try to Write (2021); Elmore Leonard: A Detroit Classic (2010); Freaky Deaky (2012); Get Shorty (1995); Get Shorty / TV Series (2017–2019); Get Shorty: Look at Me (2005); Get Shorty: Wiseguys and Dolls (2005); Glitz (1988); Gold Coast (1997); High Noon, Part II: The Return of Will Kane (1980); Hombre (1967); Jackie Brown (1997); Jackie Brown: How It Went Down (2002); Joe Kidd (1972); Justified (2010–2015); Justified: City Primeval (2023); Justified: Sneak Peek (2013); Karen Sisco (2003–2004); Killshot (2008); Last Stand at Saber River (1997); Les Carnets de route de François Busnel (2012); Life of Crime (2013); Maximum Bob (1998); Michigan & Trumbull (1999); Mr. Majestyk (1974); Out of Sight (1998); Pronto (1997); Schlitz Playhouse (1956); Sparks (2009); Split Images (1992); Squzz Corn N' Ole Scratch (2012); Stick (1985); The 2007 Academy Award Nominated Short Films: Live Action (2008); The Ambassador (1984); The Arrangement (2013); The Big Bounce (1969 / 2004); The Daily Show (2002); The Media Show (1988–1989); The Moonshine War (1970); The Oscars (2014); The Return of Desperado (1988); The Rosary Murders (1987); The Tall T (1957); The Tonto Woman (2008); Touch (1997); Valdez Is Coming (1971).

Recommended reading – Get Shorty (1990):

Get Shorty

By Elmore Leonard.

First published 1990.

Published by Mariner Books.

Paperback.

ISBN-10: 0062120255

ISBN-13: 978-0062120250

Description:

“The coolest, hottest writer in America.” – Chicago Tribune.

Mob-connected loan shark Chili Palmer is sick of the Miami grind – plus his “friends” have a bad habit of dying there. So when he chases a deadbeat client out to Hollywood, Chili figures he might like to stay. This town, with its dream-makers, glitter, hucksters, and liars – plus gorgeous, partially clad would-be starlets everywhere you look – seems ideal for an enterprising criminal with a taste for the cinematic. Besides, Chili’s got an idea for a killer movie, though it could very possibly kill him to get it made.

“The funniest crime thriller ever set among the hustlers and con artist of the movie colony.” – Wall Street Journal.

“A Hollywood hit…. Taut, inimitable prose and characters who could have only sprung from the mind of Elmore Leonard.”

– Detroit News.

“A terrific thriller…. The kind of entertainment that usually makes Hollywood types talk about selling their souls (or their mothers).” – Orlando Sentinel.