History Creator / ElmoreLeonard

** U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens, currently appearing on TV's ''Series/{{Justified}}'', was the lead character in ''Pronto'' and ''Riding the Rap'' before being reassigned to Kentucky in the short story "Fire in the Hole," on which the series is technically based.

* ''City Primeval'' (1980)

* BlackAndGrayMorality: Less between the Cops and Robbers - although the occasional {{Dirty Cop}}s may show up - than between the members of any given scheme going down, often between the {{Anti Villain}}s who just want to get the job done and the villains willing to [[KillEmAll wipe out everybody]] without a care.

* ActionGirl: Karen Sisco is a strong, independent, and sometimes ''very violent'' leading lady.

* CasualDangerDialog: Leonard was a master of cool chatter.

* ''Hombre'' (1961): big screen in 1967, starring Paul Newman

* ''Film/MrMajestyk'' (1974): big screen the same year, starring Charles Bronson

* ''The Rosary Murders'' (1987), starring Donald Sutherland and an uncredited [[Music/TheWhiteStripes Jack White]] (as an [[PlayingAgainstType altar boy]]!)

* BlackAndGrayMorality: Less between the Cops and Robbers - although the occasional CrookedCop may show up - than between the members of any given scheme going down, often between the AntiVillains who just want to get the job done and the villains willing to [[KillEmAll wipe out everybody]] without a care.

* ''Valdez is Coming'' (1970): [[Film/VadezIsComing big screen in 1971]]

* ''Valdez is Coming'' (1970): big screen in 1971

* ''Joe Kidd'' (1972), starring Creator/ClintEastwood

* ''Mr. Majestyk'' (1974): big screen the same year, starring Charles Bronson

Elmore Leonard (1925–2013) was an American novelist and screenwriter. He started as a writer of westerns, but switched to whodunits and modern pulp fiction, where he got the most acclaim. Several of his novels have been adapted to screen, both big and small, and he also wrote a few screenplays. His career spanned six decades, and he continued working up until his death.

Sadly, he was struck down by stroke and died on August 20, 2013 at his home in Detroit from complications of the stroke.

!!Some of his better-known novels:
* ''Three-Ten to Yuma'' (short story, 1953): adapted for the big screen [[Film/ThreeTenToYuma1957 in 1957]] and again [[Film/ThreeTenToYuma2007 in 2007]]

* ''Stick'' (1983): made into a movie in 1985, directed by and starring Burt Reynolds

Elmore Leonard (1925–2013) was an American novelist and screenwriter. He started as a writer of westerns, but switched to whodunits and modern pulp fiction, where he has gotten the most acclaim. Several of his novels have been adapted to screen, both big and small, and he also wrote a few screenplays. His career spanned six decades, and he continued working up until his death.

* ''The Switch'' (1978): Famously the book that Creator/QuentinTarantino accidently shoplifted as a kid. Big screen in 2013 as ''Life of Crime''.

* AntiVillain: The main characters of a novel that happen to be on the bad side of the law may have a few [[HiddenDepths rules]] [[EvenEvilHasStandards they do follow themselves]] that make them sometimes more trustworthy and noble than the cops hunting them.

* BlackAndGrayMorality: Less between the Cops and Robbers - although the occasional CrookedCop may show up - than between the members of any given scheme going down, often between the AntiVillains who just want to get the jobs done and the villains willing to [[KillEmAll wipe out everybody]] without a care.

** Leonard's skill has been taking the ethos of the Wild West and transplanting it to modern day. Guys like Raylan Givens or Jack Foley wouldn't be out of place in 1880s Arizona. And Ben Wade would fit right in to modern-day Miami.

* ''The Rosary Murders'' (1987), starring Donald Sutherland and an uncredited [[TheWhiteStripes Jack White]] (as an [[PlayingAgainstType altar boy]]!)

* BlackAndGrayMorality: Less between the Cops and Robbers - although the occasional CrookedCop may show up - than between the members of any given scheme going down, often between the AntiVillains who just want to get the jobs done and the {{Complete Monster}}s willing to [[KillEmAll wipe out everybody]] without a care.

* BlackAndGrayMorality: Less between the Cops and Robbers - although the occasional CrookedCop may show up - than between the members of any given scheme going down, often between the AntiVillains who just want to get the jobs done and the CompleteMonsters willing to [[KillEmAll wipe out everybody]] without a care.

* AntiHero: The main characters of a novel that happen to be law enforcement - hi, {=Raylan=}! - may have a few problems playing by the rules...

* AntiHero: The main characters of a novel that happen to be law enforcement - hi, Ray1an! - may have a few problems playing by the rules...

%%* AffablyEvil
%%* AntiHero
%%* AntiVillain

%%* BlackAndGrayMorality
%%* CasualDangerDialog

%%* KudzuPlot: The beauty of Leonard's prose is that it tends to un-complicate complicated plots. (Check out ''La Brava''.)

%%* OnlyInFlorida: While UsefulNotes/{{Detroit}} gets a lot of love, Elmore also sets a lot of action in Florida.

%%* ThePlan: He's got a funny way of making them ''seem'' pretty simple.

%%* TooDumbToLive: His villains typically have at least one [[StupidCrooks comically incompetent member]] in the group, though it's even odds if it's actually their fault when they lose.

* ''Three-Ten to Yuma'' (short story, 1953): adapted for the big screen [[Film/ThreeTenToYuma1957 in 1957]] and again [[Film/ThreeTenToYuma in 2007]]

* ActionGirl: Elmore features strong, independent, and sometimes ''very violent'' leading ladies. Karen Sisco is perhaps his best-known heroine.
* AffablyEvil
* AntiHero
* AntiVillain

* BlackAndGrayMorality
* CasualDangerDialog: Good examples abound in his fiction.
* ChekhovsGun: Best example -- the ice-cream cone in ''The Hot Kid''.

* HelloAttorney: Several examples, most notably Carolyn Wilder in ''City Primeval''.
* KudzuPlot: The beauty of Leonard's prose is that it tends to un-complicate complicated plots. (Check out ''La Brava''.)

* OnlyInFlorida: While UsefulNotes/{{Detroit}} gets a lot of love, Elmore also sets a lot of action in Florida.

* ThePlan: He's got a funny way of making them ''seem'' pretty simple.

* TooDumbToLive: His villains typically have at least one [[StupidCrooks comically incompetent member]] in the group, though it's even odds if it's actually their fault when they lose.