About this item
The definitive edition of America's modern master of crime fiction continues with four classic novels widely considered his best, presented in one volume for the first time with behind-the-scenes accounts of their genesis by editor Gregg Sutter, Leonard's longtime researcher, and rare archival material: a must for any fan. It was during the 1980s that Elmore Leonard came into his own as the most popular and critically acclaimed crime writer in America. The four novels collected here show him at the top of his form, each in its own distinct way: City Primeval is a modern-day Western pitched on the border between law and lawlessness, with Detroit as the frontier; LaBrava, set in Miami, orchestrates a complex scheme involving a long-forgotten film noir actress and an ex-Secret Service man turned photographer; Glitz plunges into the seedy world of Atlantic City casinos and into the twisted mind of the unforgettable Teddy Magyk, one of Leonard's most indelible bad guys; and Freaky Deaky sets in motion a tumultuous '60s flashback, laced with harsh and outlandish comic touches, as a pair of morally dubious veterans of Ann Arbor revolutionary politics try out some new scams.
About the Author
Elmore Leonard wrote forty-five novels and nearly as many western and crime short stories across his highly successful career that spanned more than six decades. Some of his bestsellers include Road Dogs, Up in Honey's Room, The Hot Kid, Mr. Paradise, Tishomingo Blues, and the critically acclaimed collection of short stories Fire in the Hole. Many of his books have been made into movies, including Get Shorty, Out of Sight, and Rum Punch, which became Quentin Tarantino's Jackie Brown. Justified, the hit series from FX, is based on Leonard's character Raylan Givens, who appears in Riding the Rap, Pronto, Raylan and the short story "Fire in the Hole". He was a recipient of the National Book Foundation's Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, the Lifetime Achievement Award from PEN USA, and the Grand Master Award of the Mystery Writers of America. He was known to many as the 'Dickens of Detroit' and was a long-time resident of the Detroit area.
