Elmore Leonard

Arguably one of the most popular and prolific genre writers of the 20th century, Elmore Leonard brought street smarts, honesty and an ear for genuine dialogue to the Western and crime novels for over five decades, including such works as Hombre (1967), The Big Bounce (1969), Glitz (1985), Get Shorty (1990) and Rum Punch (1992). Leonard's best work sparkled with a blend of dark humor and violence that elevated his characters - a roguish collection of criminals and cops whose moral codes often made them indistinguishable from each other - from their humble surroundings, usually his preferred settings of Detroit and Miami. A cult favorite in the 1960s and 1970s, his work had been fodder for Hollywood since the 1950s, but was never properly translated until the 1990s when Barry Sonnenfeld adapted "Get Shorty" (1995). Quentin Tarantino followed with a compelling take on Rum Punch that the director renamed "Jackie Brown" (1997), while Steven Soderbergh helmed arguably the best of the bunch, "Out of Sight" (1998). Still producing one novel a year up until his 2013 death, while remaining a hot commodity in Hollywood, Leonard was among the greatest genre writers of his time.