Elmore Leonard

Elmore Leonard is an American author of crime novels and Westerns famous for his economic, dialogue-heavy style and vivid characterisation.

Born in New Orleans in 1925, Leonard wrote his first novels and short stories whilst working as a copy writer for a Detroit advertising company. These debut works were Westerns which already bore the hallmarks of what would become Leonard’s signature style but his flair for vivid dialogue and characterisation really came to the fore when he started penning crime thrillers, beginning with The Big Bounce in 1969.

The majority of his subsequent crime novels were set either in Detroit or South Florida and proved rich pickings for Hollywood with numerous film adaptations being made over the decades. From the 1980s Leonard’s work became noticeably more humorous with the publication of acclaimed novels such as Get Shorty, Rum Punch and Out of Sight – all of which were adapted successfully for the screen. One of the most distinctive and prolific voices in American crime fiction, Elmore Leonard died in 2013 in the suburbs of his beloved Detroit.