Making crime an art and crooks “fun”

I’d love to say something appropriately poignant and witty on the death of Elmore Leonard, who wrote dialogue that made me laugh out loud. (One of his 10 rules of writing? “Try to leave out the parts that readers tend to skip.”) Today, though, I’m intimidated with awe. I only can imagine him and Robert B. Parker and Ed McBain and my other favorites, hanging out and one-upping each other.