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Cooler Than Cool: The Life and Work of Elmore Leonard
Drawing on unprecedented archival and family access, Cooler Than The Life of Elmore Leonard, is the first comprehensive biography of the master American crime writer, author of witty, gritty bestsellers like Get Shorty and Raylan.
Over the course of his sixty-year career, Elmore Leonard, “the Dickens of Detroit,” published forty-five novels that have had enduring appeal to readers around the world. Revered by Martin Amis, Margaret Atwood, Raymond Carver, and Stephen King, his books were innovative in their blending of a Hemingway-inspired noirish minimalism and a masterful use of realistic dialogue over exposition—a direct evolution spurred by his years as a screenwriter.
Leonard’s fiction contained many layers, and at the heart of his work were progressive themes, stemming from his years as a student of the Jesuit religious order, his personal beliefs in social justice, and his successful battle over alcoholism. He drew inspiration from greats like Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett, but the true motivation and brilliance behind his crime writing was the ongoing class struggle to achieve the American Dream—often seen through the eyes of law enforcement officers and the criminals they vowed to apprehend.
C. M. Kushins tells Leonard’s full life story against recurring themes and evolving storytelling methods of his work, drawing on interviews with primary sources ranging from Leonard’s family and friends to those who acted in, produced, and directed his work onscreen. He also includes never-before-published excerpts from Leonard’s unfinished final novel and planned memoir. Definitive and revealing, Cooler Than Cool shows Leonard emerging as one of the last writers of the “pulp fiction” era of midcentury America, to ultimately become one of the most successful storytellers of the twentieth century, whose influence continues to have far-reaching effects on both contemporary crime fiction and American filmmaking.
Over the course of his sixty-year career, Elmore Leonard, “the Dickens of Detroit,” published forty-five novels that have had enduring appeal to readers around the world. Revered by Martin Amis, Margaret Atwood, Raymond Carver, and Stephen King, his books were innovative in their blending of a Hemingway-inspired noirish minimalism and a masterful use of realistic dialogue over exposition—a direct evolution spurred by his years as a screenwriter.
Leonard’s fiction contained many layers, and at the heart of his work were progressive themes, stemming from his years as a student of the Jesuit religious order, his personal beliefs in social justice, and his successful battle over alcoholism. He drew inspiration from greats like Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett, but the true motivation and brilliance behind his crime writing was the ongoing class struggle to achieve the American Dream—often seen through the eyes of law enforcement officers and the criminals they vowed to apprehend.
C. M. Kushins tells Leonard’s full life story against recurring themes and evolving storytelling methods of his work, drawing on interviews with primary sources ranging from Leonard’s family and friends to those who acted in, produced, and directed his work onscreen. He also includes never-before-published excerpts from Leonard’s unfinished final novel and planned memoir. Definitive and revealing, Cooler Than Cool shows Leonard emerging as one of the last writers of the “pulp fiction” era of midcentury America, to ultimately become one of the most successful storytellers of the twentieth century, whose influence continues to have far-reaching effects on both contemporary crime fiction and American filmmaking.
512 pages, Hardcover
Published June 10, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
August 10, 2025
"If I just sit here, what am I going to do? I don't have a trade. I don't teach or anything. I just love to make up characters, and gradually build a story around them." -- Elmore Leonard
Tagged with the sobriquet 'The Dickens of Detroit' - although that is his adopted hometown; he was actually born in New Orleans - Elmore 'Dutch' Leonard clocked in a highly respectable and prolific 60 years as a fiction writer. A WWII veteran serving with the Navy's 'Seabees' in the Pacific Theater and then an advertising copy writer for Chevrolet, Leonard initially started his extensive storytelling journey penning many Western novellas during the 1950's and 60's. This soon led to successful silver-screen adaptations - see 3:10 to Yuma, Hombre, and Valdez is Coming - although Leonard gradually moved to the crime genre for which he is best known. For approximately his final four decades he was averaging a book a year, and arguably achieved and cemented his 'cool' status when a trio of his best-selling works - Get Shorty, Out of Sight, and Rum Punch (it was retitled Jackie Brown) - were made into rare critically-acclaimed and commercially successful movie versions, that were all ALSO astoundingly faithful to source material, in the mid-1990's. But does this background make for an interesting bio on said author? Leonard was a pretty chill dude it seems, and mostly lived a relatively quiet and unpretentious life in the suburban Motor City while raising five children. Cooler Than Cool works best when it delves into Leonard's research and writing process, and how he set out to create his durable books such as Mr. Majestyk and 52 Pick-Up. Especially heartwarming was an anecdote in the final chapter where author Kushins details his youthful correspondence to Leonard for writing advice, and Leonard - in a subversion of the old 'never meet your heroes' dictum - responds to him in a sincere, helpful and completely non-condescending manner.
Tagged with the sobriquet 'The Dickens of Detroit' - although that is his adopted hometown; he was actually born in New Orleans - Elmore 'Dutch' Leonard clocked in a highly respectable and prolific 60 years as a fiction writer. A WWII veteran serving with the Navy's 'Seabees' in the Pacific Theater and then an advertising copy writer for Chevrolet, Leonard initially started his extensive storytelling journey penning many Western novellas during the 1950's and 60's. This soon led to successful silver-screen adaptations - see 3:10 to Yuma, Hombre, and Valdez is Coming - although Leonard gradually moved to the crime genre for which he is best known. For approximately his final four decades he was averaging a book a year, and arguably achieved and cemented his 'cool' status when a trio of his best-selling works - Get Shorty, Out of Sight, and Rum Punch (it was retitled Jackie Brown) - were made into rare critically-acclaimed and commercially successful movie versions, that were all ALSO astoundingly faithful to source material, in the mid-1990's. But does this background make for an interesting bio on said author? Leonard was a pretty chill dude it seems, and mostly lived a relatively quiet and unpretentious life in the suburban Motor City while raising five children. Cooler Than Cool works best when it delves into Leonard's research and writing process, and how he set out to create his durable books such as Mr. Majestyk and 52 Pick-Up. Especially heartwarming was an anecdote in the final chapter where author Kushins details his youthful correspondence to Leonard for writing advice, and Leonard - in a subversion of the old 'never meet your heroes' dictum - responds to him in a sincere, helpful and completely non-condescending manner.
August 19, 2025
Every year I post a reel on my socials when it’s Elmore Leonard’s birthday. As a writer, I copy his sentences, study his style, and have read most of his works.
The publisher gave me a copy of this bio, and I appreciated the details of his life. That said, it was at times a slog through information. I prefer biographers like David McCullough or Ron Chernow for style because they capture the person’s essence in addition to the facts.
Here are some favorite quotes:
When he was a Seabee in WW II he wrote short stories in letters & said “Someday I’m going to get good and drunk and write a book.”
“I was reading very closely —and deciding most people used too many words.”
Elmore defended his choice to write mainstream fiction, saying it was the most assured outlet for a writer to be read.
Of a western story published in 1961, Trail of the Apache, he later commented on a lengthy description: “You hear all that writing in there? I don’t do that anymore.”
“You have to write well enough to get someone’s attention. The writer has to have patience, the perseverance to just sit there alone and grind it out. Hemingway said ‘Anyone who wants to be a writer and isn’t writing, doesn’t.’”
“I’ve heard of writers who claim they don’t read their reviews and find that impossible to believe. You write to please yourself first, if you’re serious and you’re honest. But you’re also communicating, otherwise why have the work published?”
“Publishers have always liked my work, but we’re unable to sell it because it didn’t fit neatly into a category. My work was sort of a hybrid. Not literary, but not pure thriller either.”
About marketing he sent a note to his agent, “I can understand why the sales department (at Delacorte) had trouble selling my books. Maybe they ought to take their head out of their ass and read one.”
“A reporter asked what it’s like to achieve success ‘finally, at your age.’ (1980) I told him I’ve never considered myself unsuccessful, or that being on a bestseller list had anything to do with it. My job is not to sell books, it’s to write them.”
About the book City Primeval, The NY Times said “Leonard is an entertainer of enormous finesse who can write circles around almost anyone active in the crime novel genre today.”
“You hear tales in the picture business, people have been getting F’d since before Birth of a Nation. It’s sometimes part of the deal. I’m taking money, you assume the position.”
Writer John McDonald said of Split Images: “Leonard can really write. He’s astonishingly good. He doesn’t cheat the reader. The images stay in the mind a long time. The character Walter is one of the most dimensional people I have come across in fiction in a long time.”
Leonard had studied McDonald’s Travis McGee books saying, “I read him like a textbook in the 50’s.”
In the 80’s, 30 years into writing, he said “in only the last 5-6 years have I developed my style to the point where I know exactly how I want to tell a story. I think I’ve learned what to leave out.”
“If I were to fade back to a safe place, say just this side of obscurity, at least I’d have time to write.”
“The trick to writing is to remain calm, try not to choke, avoid adverbs, and use not more than 5 exclamation points in 300 pages.”
Of Edgar winning novel LaBrava, a reviewer said “Call it vernacular or the American language, Leonard does it as well as any writer. “
To his agent: “I don’t understand your desire to get me into TV writing. They want plot. But I don’t sit down and plot. I concentrate on people and let the plot happen.”
Nickname and on his tombstone: The Dickens of Detroit.
Regarding films made from his books: “the books are ours; everything else is virgins thrown in the volcano.”
Elmore continued to write all of his books in longhand and remained steadfast in his aversion to computers.
“Anybody who can turn misfortune into a book as witty and satisfying as Get Shorty has obviously learned long ago not to take anything seriously—save his craft.”- Dayton Daily News review
He wore Hawaiian shirts, rock band shirts like 9 Inch nails, Birkenstocks with white socks. Had Aerosmith at his house for a pool party and only served peanuts. He smoked a lot of weed.
Kept a framed photo of a publisher friend on a book stand behind his desk, recalling he had told Elmore “if it isn’t fun, it isn’t worth doing.”
Directors didn’t understand Elmore’s comedy. A screenwriter told Elmore what he thought a book’s theme was, and he said “I didn’t know that. I thought I was just writing a book.”
Quentin Tarantino claimed to owe a big debt to Elmore. He said “ Leonard helped me figure out my style. He was the first writer I’d ever read who let mundane conversations inform the characters.”
When Tarantino took Leonard’s book Rum Punch and turned it into Jackie Brown, the film, Leonard was introduced to a new generation of fans.
“Learn your craft or your art. Dedicate yourself to it. Starve if you have to. Don’t think as much; do. Don’t be impatient. Find out if you’re any good before you try to sell whatever it is you have.”
Writing Road Dogs was a new exercise for Leonard. He had to reference 3 of his previous novels for both continuity and accurate biographical info of his characters.
“John McDonald said you have to write a million words before you know what you’re doing, have real control over your sound that you’re consistent with what you want your prose to sound like.”
On the set of the hit TV show Justified, based on Elmore’s books, the show writers wore plastic bracelets embossed WWED (What Would Elmore Do)
When asked why it took him so long to win a National Book Award (2012) he said “perhaps because I’ve written so much.”
His idea of perfect happiness? “ having time to practice my craft without interruption.”
“Perhaps my epitaph could read ‘He wasn’t a bad writer.’ That would be nice.”
When a professor rhapsodized about his patterns of imagery, Leonard said “What’s he talking about?”
From Hombre, but to describe Leonard at his funeral, “You will never see another one like him as long as you live.”
His advice to the man who became his biographer, “Write every day whether you feel like it or not.”
The publisher gave me a copy of this bio, and I appreciated the details of his life. That said, it was at times a slog through information. I prefer biographers like David McCullough or Ron Chernow for style because they capture the person’s essence in addition to the facts.
Here are some favorite quotes:
When he was a Seabee in WW II he wrote short stories in letters & said “Someday I’m going to get good and drunk and write a book.”
“I was reading very closely —and deciding most people used too many words.”
Elmore defended his choice to write mainstream fiction, saying it was the most assured outlet for a writer to be read.
Of a western story published in 1961, Trail of the Apache, he later commented on a lengthy description: “You hear all that writing in there? I don’t do that anymore.”
“You have to write well enough to get someone’s attention. The writer has to have patience, the perseverance to just sit there alone and grind it out. Hemingway said ‘Anyone who wants to be a writer and isn’t writing, doesn’t.’”
“I’ve heard of writers who claim they don’t read their reviews and find that impossible to believe. You write to please yourself first, if you’re serious and you’re honest. But you’re also communicating, otherwise why have the work published?”
“Publishers have always liked my work, but we’re unable to sell it because it didn’t fit neatly into a category. My work was sort of a hybrid. Not literary, but not pure thriller either.”
About marketing he sent a note to his agent, “I can understand why the sales department (at Delacorte) had trouble selling my books. Maybe they ought to take their head out of their ass and read one.”
“A reporter asked what it’s like to achieve success ‘finally, at your age.’ (1980) I told him I’ve never considered myself unsuccessful, or that being on a bestseller list had anything to do with it. My job is not to sell books, it’s to write them.”
About the book City Primeval, The NY Times said “Leonard is an entertainer of enormous finesse who can write circles around almost anyone active in the crime novel genre today.”
“You hear tales in the picture business, people have been getting F’d since before Birth of a Nation. It’s sometimes part of the deal. I’m taking money, you assume the position.”
Writer John McDonald said of Split Images: “Leonard can really write. He’s astonishingly good. He doesn’t cheat the reader. The images stay in the mind a long time. The character Walter is one of the most dimensional people I have come across in fiction in a long time.”
Leonard had studied McDonald’s Travis McGee books saying, “I read him like a textbook in the 50’s.”
In the 80’s, 30 years into writing, he said “in only the last 5-6 years have I developed my style to the point where I know exactly how I want to tell a story. I think I’ve learned what to leave out.”
“If I were to fade back to a safe place, say just this side of obscurity, at least I’d have time to write.”
“The trick to writing is to remain calm, try not to choke, avoid adverbs, and use not more than 5 exclamation points in 300 pages.”
Of Edgar winning novel LaBrava, a reviewer said “Call it vernacular or the American language, Leonard does it as well as any writer. “
To his agent: “I don’t understand your desire to get me into TV writing. They want plot. But I don’t sit down and plot. I concentrate on people and let the plot happen.”
Nickname and on his tombstone: The Dickens of Detroit.
Regarding films made from his books: “the books are ours; everything else is virgins thrown in the volcano.”
Elmore continued to write all of his books in longhand and remained steadfast in his aversion to computers.
“Anybody who can turn misfortune into a book as witty and satisfying as Get Shorty has obviously learned long ago not to take anything seriously—save his craft.”- Dayton Daily News review
He wore Hawaiian shirts, rock band shirts like 9 Inch nails, Birkenstocks with white socks. Had Aerosmith at his house for a pool party and only served peanuts. He smoked a lot of weed.
Kept a framed photo of a publisher friend on a book stand behind his desk, recalling he had told Elmore “if it isn’t fun, it isn’t worth doing.”
Directors didn’t understand Elmore’s comedy. A screenwriter told Elmore what he thought a book’s theme was, and he said “I didn’t know that. I thought I was just writing a book.”
Quentin Tarantino claimed to owe a big debt to Elmore. He said “ Leonard helped me figure out my style. He was the first writer I’d ever read who let mundane conversations inform the characters.”
When Tarantino took Leonard’s book Rum Punch and turned it into Jackie Brown, the film, Leonard was introduced to a new generation of fans.
“Learn your craft or your art. Dedicate yourself to it. Starve if you have to. Don’t think as much; do. Don’t be impatient. Find out if you’re any good before you try to sell whatever it is you have.”
Writing Road Dogs was a new exercise for Leonard. He had to reference 3 of his previous novels for both continuity and accurate biographical info of his characters.
“John McDonald said you have to write a million words before you know what you’re doing, have real control over your sound that you’re consistent with what you want your prose to sound like.”
On the set of the hit TV show Justified, based on Elmore’s books, the show writers wore plastic bracelets embossed WWED (What Would Elmore Do)
When asked why it took him so long to win a National Book Award (2012) he said “perhaps because I’ve written so much.”
His idea of perfect happiness? “ having time to practice my craft without interruption.”
“Perhaps my epitaph could read ‘He wasn’t a bad writer.’ That would be nice.”
When a professor rhapsodized about his patterns of imagery, Leonard said “What’s he talking about?”
From Hombre, but to describe Leonard at his funeral, “You will never see another one like him as long as you live.”
His advice to the man who became his biographer, “Write every day whether you feel like it or not.”
April 4, 2025
This is an extremely in depth look into the life and career of one of the greatest authors of all time, Elmore Leonard. It takes you from his upbringing to the development of (I think) every book that he ever wrote (he wrote a LOT) all the way to his final days.
This book is a must read for all Leonard fans and anyone curious to peer into the inner workings of an all time great author. It drags along at times, but this is overall a fantastic biography.
This book is a must read for all Leonard fans and anyone curious to peer into the inner workings of an all time great author. It drags along at times, but this is overall a fantastic biography.
June 26, 2025
This is an excellent biography for Elmore Leonard fans. Leonard led a productive and happy life, but not necessarily a dramatic one. This must have been a challenge for C.M. Kushkins, but Kushkins made the right decision to focus on the work. You get the inspiration behind Leonard's novels and an insight into his writing process. I think you will want to have read a few of Leonard's novels before reading this. Like I said, this is for the Leonard fans.
The most fascinating parts of the book for me was Hollywood's many attempts to adapt Leonard's work. There are some great movies made from his books (Out of Sight, Get Shorty, Jackie Brown, 3:10 to Yuma), but it's surprising that there weren't more when you consider that Elmore Leonard is one of the greatest dialogue authors ever (not hyperbole) and that about 80% of his novels are told through dialogue (maybe a little hyperbolic).
The most fascinating parts of the book for me was Hollywood's many attempts to adapt Leonard's work. There are some great movies made from his books (Out of Sight, Get Shorty, Jackie Brown, 3:10 to Yuma), but it's surprising that there weren't more when you consider that Elmore Leonard is one of the greatest dialogue authors ever (not hyperbole) and that about 80% of his novels are told through dialogue (maybe a little hyperbolic).
March 8, 2025
4.5 stars a strong biography with lots of detail about Leonard’s writing process
July 23, 2025
This book is for any fan of Elmore's writing, no matter how casual a fan you might be. It's in depth and a really interesting read. You learn so much about how the publishing industry worked back in the '50s, '60s and beyond. Back when a short story could pay a couple of thousand bucks. Plus all the work that goes into making a film from John Wayne to John Travolta. I've read every one of Elmore's books and every one of his son Peter's work and I've never been disappointed. Dutch will be missed.
July 16, 2025
While it is admirable that the author had access to a ton of information about Elmore Leonard, it is obvious he could not decide what to leave out. So what we have here is a rush through the life of one of the greatest American authors.
Pretty much every book written by Leonard gets a rehash, which means it's a few graphs on one book before we're off to the next one. You want him to slow down, maybe leave some of the lesser works out, and talk more about the cream of the crop and the motivations behind them.
What's particularly frustrating is that when he does slow down, the critical study here is quite good. (In fact, right in the middle of all this is a breakdown of George V. Higgins' The Friends of Eddie Coyle that might just be the best thing I've ever read on that book.)
Instead, we speed along through the work and the life, and then, before you know it, Elmore Leonard is dead, and the book is done. Less maybe would have been more?
Pretty much every book written by Leonard gets a rehash, which means it's a few graphs on one book before we're off to the next one. You want him to slow down, maybe leave some of the lesser works out, and talk more about the cream of the crop and the motivations behind them.
What's particularly frustrating is that when he does slow down, the critical study here is quite good. (In fact, right in the middle of all this is a breakdown of George V. Higgins' The Friends of Eddie Coyle that might just be the best thing I've ever read on that book.)
Instead, we speed along through the work and the life, and then, before you know it, Elmore Leonard is dead, and the book is done. Less maybe would have been more?
July 12, 2025
A smooth, fast-moving, and comprehensive biography that pays good attention to three major threads of Leonard’s life: the biographical facts, his work, and the evolution of his craft.
December 28, 2025
Like most novelists, Dutch's life wasn't terribly interesting. Worth reading for the details into his creative process. His novels were never my favorites but they were always readable and some were genuinely great. My faves were Freaky Deaky and Unknown Man #89.
May 30, 2026
Read this knowing I am not reviewing the book, but rather leaving notes and asides to remind me of my readings year to year. Much has been lost in terms of childhood on, but perhaps today’s children can use the tools now available and be more vigorous in their record keeping.
This is an insightful, detailed and extremely well-documented biography of Elmore Leonard, a must have for any diehard Leonard fan and also for anyone with an interest in writing fiction, publishing and the business and creative dynamics that inform the transition from literature to film and television adaptations. At the least you pick up a caveat against trying to merge the two: fiction into movie or television or series. Lots of pit falls along the way with missed opportunities and big wins of bringing Leonard's novels and Western short stories to the screen. The author takes a very deep dive into documenting the development and evolution of Leonard's career as well as painstakingly examining the genesis, development and final publications of the author's large canon of work through the entirety of his career. He succeeds in letting the reader know who Leonard was as a person, family man while also ambitious, and an incredibly disciplined author who strove to learn and grow as an author and to navigate the demands and advice from often well intended agents, producers, actors while also trying to remain true to himself, his stories and his characters.
The only criticism I have is that I believe the book would have benefitted from an appendix that provided the correlation of Leonard's written work (stories, novels, screenplays) to the films and television shows that they were based upon. I also wished there was a compilation of his entire work body. If anything, I was expecting it since he was so prolific and had a long history of struggling to get works into print, or achieving print through cheap fanzines of westerns or crime only to later flush out the work into a novel.
While he had several marriages under his belt (number two being particularly disastrous,) he seemed to have a loving relationship with his children, admitting to his failings as a father through his focus on work. He is buried in Greenwood Cemetery in Birmingham, Michigan. His stone marker has his name, the years of his birth and death and underneath, "The Dickens of Detroit."
Elmore Leonard: 10 Rules Of Good Writing:
These are rules I’ve picked up along the way to help me remain invisible when I’m writing a book, to help me show rather than tell what’s taking place in the story. If you have a facility for language and imagery and the sound of your voice pleases you, invisibility is not what you are after, and you can skip the rules. Still, you might look them over.
Onto the rules.
1. Never open a book with weather.
If it’s only to create atmosphere, and not a character’s reaction to the weather, you don’t want to go on too long. The reader is apt to leaf ahead looking for people. There are exceptions. If you happen to be Barry Lopez, who has more ways to describe ice and snow than an Eskimo, you can do all the weather reporting you want.
2. Avoid prologues.
They can be annoying, especially a prologue following an introduction that comes after a foreword. But these are ordinarily found in nonfiction. A prologue in a novel is backstory, and you can drop it in anywhere you want. There is a prologue in John Steinbeck’s “Sweet Thursday,” but it’s O.K. because a character in the book makes the point of what my rules are all about. He says: “I like a lot of talk in a book and I don’t like to have nobody tell me what the guy that’s talking looks like. I want to figure out what he looks like from the way he talks. . . . figure out what the guy’s thinking from what he says. I like some description but not too much of that. . . . Sometimes I want a book to break loose with a bunch of hooptedoodle. . . . Spin up some pretty words maybe or sing a little song with language. That’s nice. But I wish it was set aside so I don’t have to read it. I don’t want hooptedoodle to get mixed up with the story.”
3. Never use a verb other than “said” to carry dialogue.
The line of dialogue belongs to the character; the verb is the writer sticking his nose in. But said is far less intrusive than grumbled, gasped, cautioned, lied. I once noticed Mary McCarthy ending a line of dialogue with “she asseverated,” and had to stop reading to get the dictionary.
4. Never use an adverb to modify the verb “said.”
…
To use an adverb this way (or almost any way) is a mortal sin. The writer is now exposing himself in earnest, using a word that distracts and can interrupt the rhythm of the exchange. I have a character in one of my books tell how she used to write historical romances “full of rape and adverbs.”
5. Keep your exclamation points under control.
You are allowed no more than two or three per 100,000 words of prose. If you have the knack of playing with exclaimers the way Tom Wolfe does, you can throw them in by the handful.
6. Never use the words “suddenly” or “all hell broke loose.”
This rule doesn’t require an explanation. I have noticed that writers who use “suddenly” tend to exercise less control in the application of exclamation points.
7. Use regional dialect, patois, sparingly.
Once you start spelling words in dialogue phonetically and loading the page with apostrophes, you won’t be able to stop. Notice the way Annie Proulx captures the flavor of Wyoming voices in her book of short stories “Close Range.”
8. Avoid detailed descriptions of characters.
Which Steinbeck covered. In Ernest Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants” what do the “American and the girl with him” look like? “She had taken off her hat and put it on the table.” That’s the only reference to a physical description in the story, and yet we see the couple and know them by their tones of voice, with not one adverb in sight.
9. Don’t go into great detail describing places and things.
Unless you’re Margaret Atwood and can paint scenes with language or write landscapes in the style of Jim Harrison. But even if you’re good at it, you don’t want descriptions that bring the action, the flow of the story, to a standstill.
10. Try to leave out the part that readers tend to skip.
A rule that came to mind in 1983. Think of what you skip reading a novel: thick paragraphs of prose you can see have too many words in them. What the writer is doing, he’s writing, perpetrating hooptedoodle, perhaps taking another shot at the weather, or has gone into the character’s head, and the reader either knows what the guy’s thinking or doesn’t care. I’ll bet you don’t skip dialogue.
My most important rule is one that sums up the 10.
If it sounds like writing, I rewrite it. Or, if proper usage gets in the way, it may have to go. I can’t allow what we learned in English composition to disrupt the sound and rhythm of the narrative. It’s my attempt to remain invisible, not distract the reader from the story with obvious writing. (Joseph Conrad said something about words getting in the way of what you want to say.)
If I write in scenes and always from the point of view of a particular character — the one whose view best brings the scene to life — I’m able to concentrate on the voices of the characters telling you who they are and how they feel about what they see and what’s going on, and I’m nowhere in sight.
What Steinbeck did in “Sweet Thursday” was title his chapters as an indication, though obscure, of what they cover. “Whom the Gods Love They Drive Nuts” is one, “Lousy Wednesday” another. The third chapter is titled “Hooptedoodle 1” and the 38th chapter “Hooptedoodle 2” as warnings to the reader, as if Steinbeck is saying: “Here’s where you’ll see me taking flights of fancy with my writing, and it won’t get in the way of the story. Skip them if you want.” “Sweet Thursday” came out in 1954, when I was just beginning to be published, and I’ve never forgotten that prologue.
Words to live and write by.
This is an insightful, detailed and extremely well-documented biography of Elmore Leonard, a must have for any diehard Leonard fan and also for anyone with an interest in writing fiction, publishing and the business and creative dynamics that inform the transition from literature to film and television adaptations. At the least you pick up a caveat against trying to merge the two: fiction into movie or television or series. Lots of pit falls along the way with missed opportunities and big wins of bringing Leonard's novels and Western short stories to the screen. The author takes a very deep dive into documenting the development and evolution of Leonard's career as well as painstakingly examining the genesis, development and final publications of the author's large canon of work through the entirety of his career. He succeeds in letting the reader know who Leonard was as a person, family man while also ambitious, and an incredibly disciplined author who strove to learn and grow as an author and to navigate the demands and advice from often well intended agents, producers, actors while also trying to remain true to himself, his stories and his characters.
The only criticism I have is that I believe the book would have benefitted from an appendix that provided the correlation of Leonard's written work (stories, novels, screenplays) to the films and television shows that they were based upon. I also wished there was a compilation of his entire work body. If anything, I was expecting it since he was so prolific and had a long history of struggling to get works into print, or achieving print through cheap fanzines of westerns or crime only to later flush out the work into a novel.
While he had several marriages under his belt (number two being particularly disastrous,) he seemed to have a loving relationship with his children, admitting to his failings as a father through his focus on work. He is buried in Greenwood Cemetery in Birmingham, Michigan. His stone marker has his name, the years of his birth and death and underneath, "The Dickens of Detroit."
Elmore Leonard: 10 Rules Of Good Writing:
These are rules I’ve picked up along the way to help me remain invisible when I’m writing a book, to help me show rather than tell what’s taking place in the story. If you have a facility for language and imagery and the sound of your voice pleases you, invisibility is not what you are after, and you can skip the rules. Still, you might look them over.
Onto the rules.
1. Never open a book with weather.
If it’s only to create atmosphere, and not a character’s reaction to the weather, you don’t want to go on too long. The reader is apt to leaf ahead looking for people. There are exceptions. If you happen to be Barry Lopez, who has more ways to describe ice and snow than an Eskimo, you can do all the weather reporting you want.
2. Avoid prologues.
They can be annoying, especially a prologue following an introduction that comes after a foreword. But these are ordinarily found in nonfiction. A prologue in a novel is backstory, and you can drop it in anywhere you want. There is a prologue in John Steinbeck’s “Sweet Thursday,” but it’s O.K. because a character in the book makes the point of what my rules are all about. He says: “I like a lot of talk in a book and I don’t like to have nobody tell me what the guy that’s talking looks like. I want to figure out what he looks like from the way he talks. . . . figure out what the guy’s thinking from what he says. I like some description but not too much of that. . . . Sometimes I want a book to break loose with a bunch of hooptedoodle. . . . Spin up some pretty words maybe or sing a little song with language. That’s nice. But I wish it was set aside so I don’t have to read it. I don’t want hooptedoodle to get mixed up with the story.”
3. Never use a verb other than “said” to carry dialogue.
The line of dialogue belongs to the character; the verb is the writer sticking his nose in. But said is far less intrusive than grumbled, gasped, cautioned, lied. I once noticed Mary McCarthy ending a line of dialogue with “she asseverated,” and had to stop reading to get the dictionary.
4. Never use an adverb to modify the verb “said.”
…
To use an adverb this way (or almost any way) is a mortal sin. The writer is now exposing himself in earnest, using a word that distracts and can interrupt the rhythm of the exchange. I have a character in one of my books tell how she used to write historical romances “full of rape and adverbs.”
5. Keep your exclamation points under control.
You are allowed no more than two or three per 100,000 words of prose. If you have the knack of playing with exclaimers the way Tom Wolfe does, you can throw them in by the handful.
6. Never use the words “suddenly” or “all hell broke loose.”
This rule doesn’t require an explanation. I have noticed that writers who use “suddenly” tend to exercise less control in the application of exclamation points.
7. Use regional dialect, patois, sparingly.
Once you start spelling words in dialogue phonetically and loading the page with apostrophes, you won’t be able to stop. Notice the way Annie Proulx captures the flavor of Wyoming voices in her book of short stories “Close Range.”
8. Avoid detailed descriptions of characters.
Which Steinbeck covered. In Ernest Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants” what do the “American and the girl with him” look like? “She had taken off her hat and put it on the table.” That’s the only reference to a physical description in the story, and yet we see the couple and know them by their tones of voice, with not one adverb in sight.
9. Don’t go into great detail describing places and things.
Unless you’re Margaret Atwood and can paint scenes with language or write landscapes in the style of Jim Harrison. But even if you’re good at it, you don’t want descriptions that bring the action, the flow of the story, to a standstill.
10. Try to leave out the part that readers tend to skip.
A rule that came to mind in 1983. Think of what you skip reading a novel: thick paragraphs of prose you can see have too many words in them. What the writer is doing, he’s writing, perpetrating hooptedoodle, perhaps taking another shot at the weather, or has gone into the character’s head, and the reader either knows what the guy’s thinking or doesn’t care. I’ll bet you don’t skip dialogue.
My most important rule is one that sums up the 10.
If it sounds like writing, I rewrite it. Or, if proper usage gets in the way, it may have to go. I can’t allow what we learned in English composition to disrupt the sound and rhythm of the narrative. It’s my attempt to remain invisible, not distract the reader from the story with obvious writing. (Joseph Conrad said something about words getting in the way of what you want to say.)
If I write in scenes and always from the point of view of a particular character — the one whose view best brings the scene to life — I’m able to concentrate on the voices of the characters telling you who they are and how they feel about what they see and what’s going on, and I’m nowhere in sight.
What Steinbeck did in “Sweet Thursday” was title his chapters as an indication, though obscure, of what they cover. “Whom the Gods Love They Drive Nuts” is one, “Lousy Wednesday” another. The third chapter is titled “Hooptedoodle 1” and the 38th chapter “Hooptedoodle 2” as warnings to the reader, as if Steinbeck is saying: “Here’s where you’ll see me taking flights of fancy with my writing, and it won’t get in the way of the story. Skip them if you want.” “Sweet Thursday” came out in 1954, when I was just beginning to be published, and I’ve never forgotten that prologue.
Words to live and write by.
April 17, 2025
My thanks to NetGalley and Mariner Books for an advance copy of this biography about an author who transcended genres, a man who created characters that lived, talked and felt more alive than the people sitting next to one in a coffee shop, an author's whose work, and writing tips will still be talked about as long as people read and create.
I remember having a Mystery Book Club edition of Glitz, with the name Elmore Leonard on the cover bigger than the title. I do think the first book I read was Unknown Man#89, a Dell paperback in green with a group of doctors looking down, from a corpse's point of view. I'm sure that is the first one I read, the vague horror, the faint science fiction title. This was so different from the Sherlock Holmes books I was reading. This was gritty, hard, and so much more speaking than I was used to in a book. I found some more, and was hooked. I don't think I am exaggerating in saying that Elmore Leonard was one of my favorite writers. Whose books have been translated into films, a few of them Out of Sight and Jacke Brown in my top ten, and a few of them well Burt Reynolds was ok. Leonard changed the way crime was looked at, reviewed, and even written. Leonard's tips on writing, don't start with weather, cut out adverbs, have become commandments to many writers. This success wasn't overnight, but over a long period of time, or learning, failing, slipping, climbing, and trying new things. All this is documented in this magisterial biography. Cooler Than Cool: The Life and Work of Elmore Leonard by C. M. Kushins looks at the life and career of the man nicknamed Dutch, who loved to read, loved to write, and changed an entire genre, with books that will stand the test of time.
Elmore Leonard was born in New Orleans in 1925. Leonard's parents moved a lot from job to job, until finally Leonard's father landed a job with Chevrolet and they moved to Detroit, the place that Leonard called home, and set many of his early works in. Leonard was a lover of books and dreamed of being a writer like his hero Ernest Hemingway. Leonard broke down stories, getting to what worked, what didn't and why. Leonard also loved to tell stories, one's he would use to get along with people, adding to his popularity. After the Second World War, where Leonard served in the Seebees, building and maintaining airfields in the South Pacific, Leonard went to college, married and was hired to work advertising, something Leonard did to support his growing family. However writing was still something he wanted to follow. Leonard would arise at 5am work until he had two pages done, go to church, than work, come home read to his kids, and do a little editing. These stories were Westerns and within a short time he was placing them in magazines, but the field was dying. Crime or regular fiction was where the money was. Even screenwriting, which Leonard took too. Leonard however kept writing, and soon he found his own style, and a literary career was born.
I could go on, but I will let the book tell the story. This is a fantastic work, one that looks at Leonard's life warts and all. Kushins has really done a lot of research talking to friends, family, researching old interviews and really getting into the mind of the writer. Kushins looks at everything written and even non-published. detailing stories, plots, where characters came from, revisions, changes and more. One sees the slow pace that Leonard's career had, and how Leonard worked on and shaped his craft.
One of the best books I have read about a writer, and one of the most comprehensive. There is really a lot here, especially for writers who wonder about their own work. Reading this gives one hope. Writing two-hours a day, working full-time, playing with his children, and always thinking. Yes Leonard had some luck, but that luck was hard earned and for every success, there was a project that went bad, especially in Hollywood. I can't recommend this book enough, for fans, for future writers and for those struggling to find their style.
I remember having a Mystery Book Club edition of Glitz, with the name Elmore Leonard on the cover bigger than the title. I do think the first book I read was Unknown Man#89, a Dell paperback in green with a group of doctors looking down, from a corpse's point of view. I'm sure that is the first one I read, the vague horror, the faint science fiction title. This was so different from the Sherlock Holmes books I was reading. This was gritty, hard, and so much more speaking than I was used to in a book. I found some more, and was hooked. I don't think I am exaggerating in saying that Elmore Leonard was one of my favorite writers. Whose books have been translated into films, a few of them Out of Sight and Jacke Brown in my top ten, and a few of them well Burt Reynolds was ok. Leonard changed the way crime was looked at, reviewed, and even written. Leonard's tips on writing, don't start with weather, cut out adverbs, have become commandments to many writers. This success wasn't overnight, but over a long period of time, or learning, failing, slipping, climbing, and trying new things. All this is documented in this magisterial biography. Cooler Than Cool: The Life and Work of Elmore Leonard by C. M. Kushins looks at the life and career of the man nicknamed Dutch, who loved to read, loved to write, and changed an entire genre, with books that will stand the test of time.
Elmore Leonard was born in New Orleans in 1925. Leonard's parents moved a lot from job to job, until finally Leonard's father landed a job with Chevrolet and they moved to Detroit, the place that Leonard called home, and set many of his early works in. Leonard was a lover of books and dreamed of being a writer like his hero Ernest Hemingway. Leonard broke down stories, getting to what worked, what didn't and why. Leonard also loved to tell stories, one's he would use to get along with people, adding to his popularity. After the Second World War, where Leonard served in the Seebees, building and maintaining airfields in the South Pacific, Leonard went to college, married and was hired to work advertising, something Leonard did to support his growing family. However writing was still something he wanted to follow. Leonard would arise at 5am work until he had two pages done, go to church, than work, come home read to his kids, and do a little editing. These stories were Westerns and within a short time he was placing them in magazines, but the field was dying. Crime or regular fiction was where the money was. Even screenwriting, which Leonard took too. Leonard however kept writing, and soon he found his own style, and a literary career was born.
I could go on, but I will let the book tell the story. This is a fantastic work, one that looks at Leonard's life warts and all. Kushins has really done a lot of research talking to friends, family, researching old interviews and really getting into the mind of the writer. Kushins looks at everything written and even non-published. detailing stories, plots, where characters came from, revisions, changes and more. One sees the slow pace that Leonard's career had, and how Leonard worked on and shaped his craft.
One of the best books I have read about a writer, and one of the most comprehensive. There is really a lot here, especially for writers who wonder about their own work. Reading this gives one hope. Writing two-hours a day, working full-time, playing with his children, and always thinking. Yes Leonard had some luck, but that luck was hard earned and for every success, there was a project that went bad, especially in Hollywood. I can't recommend this book enough, for fans, for future writers and for those struggling to find their style.
October 16, 2025
As a Detroiter, I know that Elmore "Dutch" Leonard was one of ours — the Dickens of Detroit as he is memorialized, the writer of crime novels, mysteries, westerns, satires, many of which were made into movies.
In Cooler Than Cool, author C.M. Cushins takes us through Leonard's long and ultimately successful career with extensive access to his notes, assistants, agents, and family members. Whether you are deeply into his novels or would like to get a real sense of what the life of an author — behind the scenes, complete with battles with alcoholism and family dysfunction — may be like, the book will enlighten you. The detail can at times overwhelm, but it seems clear it's all there as a comprehensive documentation.
It had been a while, so I grabbed one of Leonard's "Jack Foley" crime novels — Out of Sight — and read it with a new appreciation for how dialog carries and even creates the story, so masterfully written as to seem effortless. Like maybe he just recorded it. Of course, he didn't, but the true mark of a professional is to make the difficult seem effortless and perfect.
On a personal note, I was pleasantly surprised to see my own name appear in this book (p. 416 and 425) acknowledging my efforts in 2013 to set up an interview for PBS's American Masters series while I was at the Detroit PBS station. I wrote how he belonged there, comparing it to the importance of Johnny Carson's recent successful portrayal on the series. Although Leonard declined because he was in the throes of trying to finish what would be his last book (but who knew that at the time?), I appreciated the seriously hard effort that Elmore's researcher Greg Sutter made to make my case.
The book also notes another PBS connection:
Favorite fun quote to go out on from agent H.N. Swanson:
In Cooler Than Cool, author C.M. Cushins takes us through Leonard's long and ultimately successful career with extensive access to his notes, assistants, agents, and family members. Whether you are deeply into his novels or would like to get a real sense of what the life of an author — behind the scenes, complete with battles with alcoholism and family dysfunction — may be like, the book will enlighten you. The detail can at times overwhelm, but it seems clear it's all there as a comprehensive documentation.
Leonard had become a workaholic without his ex-wife and grown children and opted to take [agent] H.N. Swanson's advice: "Nothing in this world can take the place of work. It's the best companion you will ever have. It will never upset your life style, and there is always the chance it will make you rich as well as famous."
It had been a while, so I grabbed one of Leonard's "Jack Foley" crime novels — Out of Sight — and read it with a new appreciation for how dialog carries and even creates the story, so masterfully written as to seem effortless. Like maybe he just recorded it. Of course, he didn't, but the true mark of a professional is to make the difficult seem effortless and perfect.
On a personal note, I was pleasantly surprised to see my own name appear in this book (p. 416 and 425) acknowledging my efforts in 2013 to set up an interview for PBS's American Masters series while I was at the Detroit PBS station. I wrote how he belonged there, comparing it to the importance of Johnny Carson's recent successful portrayal on the series. Although Leonard declined because he was in the throes of trying to finish what would be his last book (but who knew that at the time?), I appreciated the seriously hard effort that Elmore's researcher Greg Sutter made to make my case.
The book also notes another PBS connection:
In 1984, he had accepted an invitation from Dennis Wholey, the host of LateNight America, a talk-show out of Detroit and a recovered alcoholic, to contribute an essay to his anthology on alcoholism, The Courage to Change. For the one and only time, Leonard wrote an unbridled, no-punches-pulled chronicle of his youthful addiction, and its effects on his marriage to Beverly and writing career.
Favorite fun quote to go out on from agent H.N. Swanson:
Whenever I am asked what kind of writing is the most lucrative, I have to say, ransom notes.
Read
July 16, 2025This is a biography of Elmore Leonard. I am a tremendous fan of his. I read pretty much all of his crime books as they were released. He published about thirty of them between 1971 and 2002. I started to reread some of them, with great pleasure.
The problem for Kushins is that Leonard did not live a tremendously exciting life. Leonard was a professional writer. He sat down every day and worked on his current book or script. He produced a huge amount of work, because he worked at it like a job. He didn't party in Paris like Hemingway or experiment with drugs like P.K. Dick or hitchhike cross country like J. D. Salinger. He mostly wrote.
Leonard also spent a huge amount of time writing and rewriting scripts for possible movie productions. All of his book got sold to studios for production. He wrote great stories. He spent a huge amount of time in Hollywood meetings and production meetings. Many of the books did not get filmed. Many were made into mediocre movies or TV shows. Two great movies were made based on his stories, "Get Shorty" and "Jacie Brown".
As a result, most of this book is Leonard outlining and researching his new book, writing the book and the reviews and reception for each book. There are also endless details of movie deals, most of which go nowhere.
Leonard was a fanatic about researching his books. From 1980 he had a full-time researcher, Greg Sutton, working for him. The details of his research are interesting, although the source for the names of each of his characters get a bit much at times.
It is also ironic that this biography of such an elegant and crisp writer is not particularly well written or edited. For example, he misuses "apprehensive", and he describes something as "an issue of ire for many critics" and then there is train wreck of a sentence;
"What had been most unique was the young author's dependence on dialogue, and his grasp of street dialects not often found in the world of his immediate peers."
"Most unique" is not a thing.
Having two things be "most unique" is not a thing
If it is a grasp of street dialects that is sometimes found in his peers, it is not unique.
I found myself skimming as this book went along. My recommendation is, read Leonard's books.
The problem for Kushins is that Leonard did not live a tremendously exciting life. Leonard was a professional writer. He sat down every day and worked on his current book or script. He produced a huge amount of work, because he worked at it like a job. He didn't party in Paris like Hemingway or experiment with drugs like P.K. Dick or hitchhike cross country like J. D. Salinger. He mostly wrote.
Leonard also spent a huge amount of time writing and rewriting scripts for possible movie productions. All of his book got sold to studios for production. He wrote great stories. He spent a huge amount of time in Hollywood meetings and production meetings. Many of the books did not get filmed. Many were made into mediocre movies or TV shows. Two great movies were made based on his stories, "Get Shorty" and "Jacie Brown".
As a result, most of this book is Leonard outlining and researching his new book, writing the book and the reviews and reception for each book. There are also endless details of movie deals, most of which go nowhere.
Leonard was a fanatic about researching his books. From 1980 he had a full-time researcher, Greg Sutton, working for him. The details of his research are interesting, although the source for the names of each of his characters get a bit much at times.
It is also ironic that this biography of such an elegant and crisp writer is not particularly well written or edited. For example, he misuses "apprehensive", and he describes something as "an issue of ire for many critics" and then there is train wreck of a sentence;
"What had been most unique was the young author's dependence on dialogue, and his grasp of street dialects not often found in the world of his immediate peers."
"Most unique" is not a thing.
Having two things be "most unique" is not a thing
If it is a grasp of street dialects that is sometimes found in his peers, it is not unique.
I found myself skimming as this book went along. My recommendation is, read Leonard's books.
June 12, 2025
“Cooler Than Cool” lives up to its name. It’s an amazingly well-researched and utterly gripping read that will delight both dedicated Elmore Leonard fans and those just discovering his work. In this, his third biography, C.M. Kushins delivers a comprehensive and compelling portrait of the man behind the stories and the unforgettable characters.
Kushins masterfully works chronologically through Leonard’s life, seamlessly weaving together biographical details, insightful analysis of his writing, and a vivid sense of the cultural moments that shaped him. We gain a fascinating understanding not only of Leonard’s artistic development, but also of the man himself, his passions, his quirks, and his dedication to the craft. This isn’t just a story of a writer “putting in the work,” it’s a compelling look at a life lived fully.
Beyond the literary insights, “Cooler Than Cool” also offers a fascinating and often revealing glimpse into the publishing industry and the often-turbulent world of Hollywood adaptations. This broad appeal makes it a book that will suit a variety of interests. This story also has a touching and deeply personal connection to be discovered in the afterward, offering insight in to the passion with which the book is written. Ultimately, Kushins brings Elmore Leonard to life as a vibrant, complex individual who embraced life to the fullest, right up until his final days. A highly recommended read for anyone interested in American literature, crime fiction, or the creative process itself.
Thank you to NetGalley and Mariner Books for a digital advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
June 7, 2026
Cooler Than Cool: The Life and Work of Elmore Leonard is the kind of literary biography that sends you straight back to the books. C. M. Kushins traces Elmore Leonard’s life from his early days writing westerns to his evolution into one of the most distinctive voices in American crime fiction, and what emerges is a portrait of someone who took storytelling seriously without ever taking himself too seriously. The book captures Leonard’s work ethic, his ear for dialogue, and his remarkable ability to make readers care about people who were often operating somewhere outside the law. There’s a real sense of momentum to the narrative, mirroring the energy that made Leonard’s own novels so addictive.
What makes the biography especially enjoyable is how closely it connects the man to the work without reducing either one to the other. Kushins is interested in process, persistence, and craft the years spent learning how to write sentences that sounded effortless. There’s something reassuring about seeing how much discipline sat behind Leonard’s famously cool style. Reading Cooler Than Cool feels like spending time with someone who genuinely loves the art of storytelling and wants to understand how it’s made. You finish it with a renewed appreciation for Leonard’s talent and a strong urge to pick up one of his novels just to hear those voices again.
What makes the biography especially enjoyable is how closely it connects the man to the work without reducing either one to the other. Kushins is interested in process, persistence, and craft the years spent learning how to write sentences that sounded effortless. There’s something reassuring about seeing how much discipline sat behind Leonard’s famously cool style. Reading Cooler Than Cool feels like spending time with someone who genuinely loves the art of storytelling and wants to understand how it’s made. You finish it with a renewed appreciation for Leonard’s talent and a strong urge to pick up one of his novels just to hear those voices again.
August 19, 2025
Here’s a massive authorized biography about a legendary American writer, Elmore "Dutch" Leonard, the “Dickens of Detroit.” While drawing on other biographies of Leonard, Kushins’ biography is the first cradle-to-grave biography of Leonard in which the author was granted full access to the Leonard archives from the University of South Carolina (including Leonard’s annotated manuscripts) and unprecedented access to Leonard’s family (including first wife Beverly). Kushins also interviewed many people who knew or worked with Leonard. Though packed with a treasure trove of information, the book never overwhelms the reader with irrelevant facts or tedious trivia. It approaches its subject with reverence, respect, and wit. Kushins, like Leonard, put in the work and it shows. Cooler Than Cool is the most authoritative account of Leonard’s life and work.
For my complete review, go here.
For my complete review, go here.
December 31, 2025
Here it is, want-to-be writers. The story of the numero uno writer of the past 50 years: novelist, screenwriter, icon. And the secret of writing is on almost every page. Sadly, it comes down to being a case of either loving the process or doing hard work. Write every day. Hope to live long.
Leonard spent years at a day job (involved writing) while rising at 5 a.m. every day to write. He did that for decades. Eventually, he was able to forgo the day job. Indeed, in the fullness of time, he made a lot of money both from novels and from selling screen rights.
Luck helps. He met Marguerite Harper, who became his agent and so much more. She was perhaps 30 years his senior, knew the ropes, and knew how to coach him. Huge help.
The narrative benefits from the large number of folks who are quoted and cited. Many wonderful bits.
Recommended.
Leonard spent years at a day job (involved writing) while rising at 5 a.m. every day to write. He did that for decades. Eventually, he was able to forgo the day job. Indeed, in the fullness of time, he made a lot of money both from novels and from selling screen rights.
Luck helps. He met Marguerite Harper, who became his agent and so much more. She was perhaps 30 years his senior, knew the ropes, and knew how to coach him. Huge help.
The narrative benefits from the large number of folks who are quoted and cited. Many wonderful bits.
Recommended.
February 8, 2026
I’ll just out myself as not a biography guy. Still enjoyable if sloggish. So much of it is filled with correspondence between Leonard and agents. What a great way to chronicle the inception and distribution of a book or the production of a film, what a bore to read through. And yet, once the agent passed away and letters aren’t available for reference, the last 1/4 of the book is truly a slog.
Facts and dates pile upon each other. Meticulous to the point of boredom.
I don’t walk away feeling like I know Dutch (does anyone ever know anyone?) and it fails in driving interest to the novels (how many times can you say a book come out to rave reviews?).
Which leaves me to say, this kind of bio is not entirely my bag. Leonard was a worker, putting it out year after year. And the work is the place to encounter him.
Facts and dates pile upon each other. Meticulous to the point of boredom.
I don’t walk away feeling like I know Dutch (does anyone ever know anyone?) and it fails in driving interest to the novels (how many times can you say a book come out to rave reviews?).
Which leaves me to say, this kind of bio is not entirely my bag. Leonard was a worker, putting it out year after year. And the work is the place to encounter him.
June 22, 2026
I’m far from the biggest Leonard fan and certainly no scholar of his work, but I simply loved immersing myself in the myriad details author Kushins provides regarding his subject's background, writing process, career progression and personal life. As Elmore Leonard's story came to end, I was quite moved—I felt as though I knew so much about him that I’d lost a friend.
This is an exemplary literary biography, one that's essential reading for anyone with an interest in this unique and accomplished American author who straddled the fence of commercial success and literary recognition in a manner that should be inspiring to anyone still dreaming of becoming a writer. Alternately, the scholarship on display here should be held as a benchmark for anyone considering writing a biography. Highest recommendation.
This is an exemplary literary biography, one that's essential reading for anyone with an interest in this unique and accomplished American author who straddled the fence of commercial success and literary recognition in a manner that should be inspiring to anyone still dreaming of becoming a writer. Alternately, the scholarship on display here should be held as a benchmark for anyone considering writing a biography. Highest recommendation.
January 3, 2026
I went into the book knowing very little about Elmore Leonard, aside from awareness of some film adaptations. Initially, I found it tedious because it went through each of his works in detail.
However, I gradually came to see that this detailed examination was necessary to understand Leonard and his writing. In the end, I came to appreciate both the book’s approach and Leonard himself.
Leonard was unassuming and highly disciplined, someone who simply loved to write and was very good at it. He did so for many years. I liked the way his wit and underlying humanity came through in the portrayal.
Although detective fiction is not my preferred genre, I am now more open to reading Leonard’s books in the future.
However, I gradually came to see that this detailed examination was necessary to understand Leonard and his writing. In the end, I came to appreciate both the book’s approach and Leonard himself.
Leonard was unassuming and highly disciplined, someone who simply loved to write and was very good at it. He did so for many years. I liked the way his wit and underlying humanity came through in the portrayal.
Although detective fiction is not my preferred genre, I am now more open to reading Leonard’s books in the future.
April 12, 2026
Good read about an author who is highly regarded as a master of dialogue. Kushins does a good job of organizing the book and telling the story of the Dickens of Detroit After reading, I realized that I need to read Leonard’s books to understand his literary prowesses and because some sound very good. I have seen movies which are based on Leonard’s books without realizing he was behind the story. I gave this a five star review because it was written well, did a successful job of portraying the life and works of Leonard not only from historical data pertaining specifically to Leonard, but also from the perspective of publishing as well as hollywood and because it stirred me to get into a writer.
December 8, 2025
COMPREHENSIVE - Kushins had lots of access to Leonard's letters, notebooks, and copiouis research materials. He takes you through Leonard's professional life (and personal too - for Leonard struggled with alcoholism until he met his second wife) beat by beat, from a writer of western stories, to the king of Detroit crime novels, to Hollywood success - although this last thing was never without conflict and amusing annoyances. A must-read for his fans, and it will also put together a good reading list for you if you've only read a handful of his books.
July 2, 2026
Cooler Than Cool is a book that lives up to its title. Fans of Elmore Leonard will enjoy learning how the forces that shaped him found their way into the fiction they love. Writers and aspiring writers will gain practical knowledge about the craft they are pursuing. Everyone with a favorite Leonard book or movie will enjoy the fascinating backstories of how they came to be. Writing about one of the greatest writers of the past 100 years is a daunting task, C.M. Kushins does it here with the understated expertise of a Leonard character getting out of a tight jam.
Very cool.
Very cool.
July 27, 2025
Excellent comprehensive biography of Elmore Leonard.
You get to know Leonard and the influence his writing had on the world.
I am taking off one star for this biography for being a little too detailed.
I could have easily skipped every name change of Leonard's characters and how he used something similar in an earlier book. The man wrote 45 novels. That's a lot of character tracking.
With that small criticism I would highly recommend this book.
You get to know Leonard and the influence his writing had on the world.
I am taking off one star for this biography for being a little too detailed.
I could have easily skipped every name change of Leonard's characters and how he used something similar in an earlier book. The man wrote 45 novels. That's a lot of character tracking.
With that small criticism I would highly recommend this book.
August 19, 2025
No question Elmo Leonard led a lot of life. And wrote lot of books, at least forty, from westerns to thrillers to hard boiled police – procedurals, and movie scripts based on his books. He also left behind diaries and correspondence filled with and terms of phrase.
Which makes this extensive biography a fun read with insights about his writing process, and the characters in his life, including himself. If nothing else it’s brought me back to reading his literary output.
Which makes this extensive biography a fun read with insights about his writing process, and the characters in his life, including himself. If nothing else it’s brought me back to reading his literary output.
July 4, 2025
This book is an excellent biography of Elmore Leonard and his work. It is comprehensive and shows the work ethic of a real writer. Leonard's legacy covers a variety of topics, writing techniques, character and plotting. This is required reading for anyone looking to write. It is a top book, informative and readable.
November 17, 2025
Mr. Kushins has delivered a very good accounting of his favorite author. I see perils considering the many tremendous fans, including myself, should there be shortfalls. Mr. Kushins' great commitment shines through. Exciting background to the author's beginning story, practice and each of Elmore's projects, charting his prolific production through the final uncompleted novel.
November 29, 2025
If there’s such a thing as “too exhaustively researched,” this is it. For me, the first third of the book, his upbringing, early years and westerns, moved really slowly. Maybe that just reflects my level of interest. Second half of the book moved quicker and had lots of fascinating detail. Elmore Leonard was one of a kind.
February 18, 2026
This is a great book, I am certain, if you are an Elmore Leonard fan. I was not but this book has motivated me to want to read more of his work and watch the movies and TV shows that his work inspired. The book is an exhausting narrative of Leonard's career with a level of detail that includes his writing process, his stops and starts, as well as much about his family. It is not a quick read.
August 24, 2025
This book covers a lot of ground. Leonard wrote over 40 novels, plus many short stories and Kushins describes the process of how Leonard for each came up with the story, the characters, and how he wrote them. Also covered is the process of how some are made into movies, whew!
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