For most of his adult life, Elmore Leonard (1925–2013) wrote complex stories about complex characters, with a special eye for realism and dialogue. Journalist Kushins’s (Nothing’s Bad Luck: The Lives of Warren Zevon) meticulously researched biography of Leonard fills in what was happening behind the scenes of his writing. Kushins had access to copious documents from throughout Leonard’s career and does clear and concise work to reconstruct the trajectory of his life and career. After a start as an advertising man, Leonard began his fiction- writing career with Westerns, shifting to crime novels and thrillers when Westerns appeared to be on their way out. He also worked on numerous screenplays as well as having his novels and short stories adapted into films by others (experiences that ultimately led to Leonard’s well-known novel Get Shorty). Kushins delves into the ongoing publicity around Leonard, unearthing profiles and reviews from throughout his career to further illustrate the novelist’s impact on popular fiction and the reading public at various points in time. VERDICT A thoroughly researched chronicle of Leonard and his literary career. Likely to be popular where Brian Jay Jones’s and Walter Isaacson’s biographies circulate well. —Amber Gray
Cooler than Cool: The Life and Work of Elmore Leonard by C.M. Kushins will be published in the English language by Mariner in June 2025.
C. M. Kushins is the author of Nothing’s Bad Luck: The Lives of Warren Zevon and Beast: John Bonham and the Rise of Led Zeppelin. He has been a freelance journalist for over fifteen years and his work has appeared in High Times and The Daily Beast, among others.