Murder Ink is the mystery readers' group which meets regularly at the Palmdale Barnes & Noble. Each month we discuss a mystery or crime novel. So far we've discussed classic and not-so-classics; both old and new. We pull no punches and we play no favorites -- we're covering everything from the genre's early years to this week's hot new author, and eventually we hope to get to everything in between. Not convinced? Read some more about us, or check out some of our previous reads. Or just drop by at our next meeting. We'd love to see you. * * * * * Next meeting Featured Discussion: Road Dogs by Elmore Leonard Wednesday, July 28 at 7:00 p.m. It still surprises me that somehow, over the last four years, we've missed reading anything by Elmore Leonard. He's one of my favourites. And he's simply one of the most influential and respected crime writers of the last forty years or so -- and one of the most filmed. His dead-on dialogue, his seemingly never-ending cast of gabby grifters, chatterbox con men, daydreamers and brainlocked thugs, disillusioned lawmen and desperate desperadoes, his quirky, off-kilter plotting and knack for big, ready-for-Hollywood scenes -- it's all become pretty much the standard formula for modern day crime fiction. But Leonard did it all first. And he's been doing it for so long and making it look so effortless for all that time that it's easy to just take him for granted. Go figure. Another reason may be because Leonard is one of the few bestselling crime authors not to rely on series characters. Oh, every now and then he'll drag a character back, or obliquely refer to someone from a previous novel, but it's still relatively rare for him to call in someone from the bench for anything more than a cameo. Which is another reason Road Dogs is so much fun. He brings back not one, not two, but three (count 'em) of his characters. Easy-going, affable bank robber Jack Foley from Out of Sight (played by George Clooney in the film), ex-pat Cuban gangster and Scarface wannabe Cundo from La Brava and scam artist/fortune-teller Reverend Dawn Navarro from Riding the Rap (which partially served as the basis for TV's Justified) are tossed together in Venice Beach, along with a fortune in ill-gotten goods and a veritable rogue's gallery of gangbangers, Hollywood types, obsessed FBI agents and other miscreants. With all the shout-outs and sly winks to other characters and other books, Road Dogs almost serves as Elmore Leonard's Greatest Hits. Oh, what fun we'll have! We'll talk and we'll talk and we'll talk... * * * * * UPCOMING READS Our August 2010 read will be: Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets by David Simon | Home | About us | Previous Reads | For any questions regarding Murder Ink, please drop e-mail Kevin.