Elmore Leonard’s final published novel is not one for those obsessed with continuity. Raylan is the third Leonard novel featuring U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens, plus the title story from his collection Fire in the Hole. That story was adapted into the FX series Justified, starring Timothy Olyphant, which in turn inspired Leonard to return to the character for this novel. The novel both does and does not incorporate the TV series. Leonard follows suit with the show and brings Boyd Crowder back to life, though […]

Elmore Leonard is known for his convoluted crime plots and his memorable characters, with a special emphasis on the bad guys, whom he imbues with actual personalities as opposed to goals and desires. Leonard is the only author I’ve read whose villains seem like they might go to the movies or have a favorite drink, for example. In Cat Chaser, Leonard’s gift for creating realistically complicated situations in which human failings and foibles lead to plans going awry and poor decisions being made is as […]

Justified is one of my favorite TV shows of all-time, so when I read recently that the producers of that show are in talks to bring the character of Raylan Givens back in a new series, I quickly snapped up the book in question. At first, City Primeval seems like odd choice, since Raylan does not appear in it, but TV writers are clever and I’m sure they’ll figure something out. Otherwise, the novel is Leonard in top form and thus perfect fodder for television. […]