City Primeval

How can I not include an Elmore Leonard title in a list of favorite novels about murder and matters of the heart?

Of course, no compliment by me of Mr. Leonard will be anywhere in the vicinity of new, but I will add to the heap of praise of the man that in this particular novel of his, the snappiness of the dialogue, the overall wit, and the surprising nature of the twists and turns will always strike me as ideals to strive for as I write my own noir.

After all, writers can dream, can’t they?

This book inspired me to place my own novels in Detroit. Leonard was a master storyteller and I learned that the city scene could be as important as any character in the book. He drew me into this tale right from the beginning and his cast of characters had plenty of quirks to set them apart from a traditional detective story. Even Raymond Cruz, the protagonist tends to bend the rules occasionally if it means arresting the bad guys. Leonard’s ear for dialogue always captured my attention.

This was the first book by Leonard that I read but it certainly… show more.