Elmore’s exceptions to the rules were of a completely different nature. He was a master of the English language, both written and—more important—as spoken. He was the most literary of all the crime/thriller writers.
I can’t bear to give his books away. They are all lined up on a convenient shelf and I read them when I want to be amused and amazed all over again and am never disappointed.
I continue to read Leonard’s works over and over in the hopes of learning though osmosis.