Cons and Criminals

No, I'm not talking about the current administration. (Though they certainly deserve the title.) I'm talking about the delightful, wacky, precisely drawn characters that inhabit Elmore Leonard's novels.

These cons and criminals generally turn out to be pretty good guys--and capable of turning a terrific phrase or two. "Terry's answer to any problem was based on the Serenity Prayer. If you can handle it, do it. If you can't, f**k it." Or "I'm an ordained minister of the Spiritualist Assembly of Waco, Texas, though I started out doing nails." Or "The publishing business isn't about writing, Jack, it's about selling books."

Leonard's plots are as devious as his characters and every bit as much fun. His novels are a great escape from the sordid day to day criminality at work in DC. Highly recommended.