Road Dogs
(Libby/OverDrive eBook, Kindle)

Readers who enjoy Elmore Leonard's ear for speech will love the sardonic, dialogue-driven crime and political thrillers of George V. Higgins, who was a master at conveying the daily concerns, motivations, and quirks of the criminal mind through strikingly naturalistic speech. -- Shauna Griffin

Knopf and Leonard write hardboiled mysteries that feature street smart dialogue, oddball characters, and slick plots with numerous twists and turns. The characters are often funny and get themselves into dangerous situations that are fraught with violence. The intricate plots are fast moving and often have surprise endings. -- Merle Jacob

Both of these authors write action-packed crime dramas, often paying homage, with love and sleaze, to the city of Detroit. Great dialogue, intricate plotting, and gritty settings characterize the work of both. -- Victoria Fredrick

These authors specialize in off-beat humor combined with non-stop adventure. Local color is provided not only by characters but also by the carefully-developed setting, making the landscape integral to the story. -- Lynne Welch

Chris Grabenstein and Elmore Leonard are experts at fast-paced mysteries featuring common criminals and everyday heroes. They have a sensitivity to mundane existence, sudden violence, and skewed motivations. Both use unadorned language to tell darkly humorous, surprisingly elaborate crime stories. -- Mike Nilsson

Inspired by his own career, Joe Gores's convoluted capers featuring dogged PIs impress with their hard-won authenticity and gritty verisimilitude, even as they amuse with risky escapades and characters that are truly stranger than fiction; these should appeal to Elmore's fans. -- Shauna Griffin

Timothy Watts and Elmore Leonard read so much alike--thanks to similar whimsical tones, oddball cons, thieves and scam artists, haywire plots with high body counts, and street-smart dialogue--that it may be tough to tell them apart. -- Shauna Griffin

Jon A. Jackson's mordantly funny stories are packed with guns, grit, gore, and the intriguing preoccupations of some terrible, awful, lousy people, combining offhand brutality and unexpected hilarity in the best Elmore Leonard tradition. -- Shauna Griffin

Robert Ferrigno weaves together social satire, black humor and nerve-wracking suspense into fast-paced, unpredictable plots in which large casts of eccentric lowlifes and menacing psychos will stop at nothing in their quest for cash, drugs, sex and fame. Elmore fans will enjoy! -- Shauna Griffin

Both Tom O'Neill and Elmore Leonard write noirish suspense stories featuring smart dialogue, inventive characters, and inspired, fast-paced writing. -- Shauna Griffin

Both Elmore Leonard and Marc Lecard write fast-moving novels full of oddball characters, humor, satire, and violence. -- Shauna Griffin

With strong ears for dialect and dialogue, both Elmore Leonard and Laurence Shames add dark humor, a bit of violence, and some truly unique characters to serve up an entertaining mix of comedy and crime in their caper novels. -- Shauna Griffin