Elmore Leonard, best-selling novelist of schemers, clever conmen, dies

Elmore Leonard, a former adman who later became one of America's foremost crime writers, died Tuesday. He was 87. His researcher, Gregg Sutter, said Leonard died from complications from a stroke he suffered a few weeks ago. Leonard won an honorary National Book Award in 2012. His more than 40 novels were populated by pathetic schemers, clever con men and casual killers. Many of the novels - notably "Out of Sight," ''Get Shorty" and "Be Cool" - were made into films. Critics adored his simple, direct language.