Elmore Leonard, bestselling chronicler of schemers, clever conmen and casual killers, dies
DETROIT - Elmore Leonard, a former adman who later became one of America's foremost crime writers, has died. He was 87.
His researcher, Gregg Sutter, says Elmore died Tuesday morning from complications from a stroke.
Leonard's books were populated by pathetic schemers, clever con men and casual killers. Many of the novels — notably "Out of Sight," ''Get Shorty" and "Be Cool" — were made into films. Critics adored his simple, direct language.
More recently, he served as executive producer of the FX drama "Justified," which featured U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens, a recurring Leonard character.
Earlier in his career, the man known to friends as "Dutch" wrote Western novels and stories, but his major commercial success didn't come until the 1980s.
