Pronto

I've been binge-watching FX's series Justified, and decided it might be fun to extend my binge by reading the Elmore Leonard books that inspired the series. I figured I'd start out with Pronto, the first novel to feature stetson-wearing Federal Marshal Raylan Givens, native of Harlan County and vete......more

Published in 1993, Pronto is the novel that introduced U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens, although as is typical of a novel by Elmore Leonard, Givens is only one of a cast of great characters who populate the story. The real center of the story is a sixty-six-year-old Miami bookie named Harry Arno. Arno ha......more

The Raylan Givens character that Elmore Leonard introduced in this book is the basis of a new TV show called Justified that will be premiering soon. If you just read the first half of the book, you’d probably wonder why anyone would do a show where the hero is a complete moron. If you read the whole......more

Reading an Elmore Leonard novel is a visceral experience, like eating a great burger paired with a perfect cold glass of pilsner. It's like watching a boxing match in which the boxer you're rooting for lands every punch perfectly. It's exhilerating. Leonard works on that viceral level. You become a f......more

My book recommendation for this month is not "a" book recommendation, but a body of work. Like many writers, I want to pay tribute to Elmore Leonard, who recently passed away. He was for me the quintessential writer of quirky, engaging and thoroughly believable dialogue. When reading his books, I ne......more