Recs?

[seekingferret]

I've been reading Elmore Leonard lately and was wondering if people had recommendations for authors of color in a similar vein- gritty settings, colorful characters, a bit of a light touch? Other writers in a broadly similar vein might be Florida Crime writers like Carl Hiaasen or John MacDonald. Doesn't need to be crime stories, though, if you feel it's similar in other ways.

Comments

[tim]

Walter Mosley, although I couldn't get into the book of his I started reading.

[seekingferret]

I've only read his SF, but I liked Futureland.

My impression is that Mosley's crime fiction is more detective-driven than Leonard. Leonard is rather like Damon Runyon- his stories might have plots, but the plots are not the point. But I do need to check out Mosley's crime fiction eventually, so thanks for reminding me.