Am currently reading Dark Star . . . A typically excellent Alan Furst novel, crammed with authentic details, and brilliantly capturing the moods of Central Europe immediately prior to WWII.  The dialogue is without peer, and yes, often better than Elmore Leonard's.  Furst is a brilliant author with inexhaustible research skills.  Be advised, his novels are not 'fast reads', ala Sandford, Connelly, and other talented (and more popular) authors.  Furst requires your attention, and holds it steadfastly.  Oftentimes, he alarms me, such is his gift for narrative.  I plan to own all of his novels, and have read about half of them so far.  Absolutely stunning writing, and almost all critics have agreed, he is historically accurate.  Thus, his novels have been called 'historical fiction', a somewhat dubious term, although certainly accurate and well-deserved.
Am currently reading Dark Star. . . A typically excellent Alan Furst novel, crammed with authentic details, and brilliantly capturing the moods of Central Europe immediately prior to WWII. The dialogue is without peer, and yes, often better than Elmore Leonard's. Furst is a brilliant author with inexhaustible research skills. Be advised, his novels are not 'fast reads', ala Sandford, Connelly, and other talented (and more popular) authors. Furst requires your attention, and holds it steadfastly. Oftentimes, he alarms me, such is his gift for narrative. I plan to own all of his novels, and have read about half of them so far. Absolutely stunning writing, and almost all critics have agreed, he is historically accurate. Thus, his novels have been called 'historical fiction', a somewhat dubious term, although certainly accurate and well-deserved.