A Justified Reading List
The critically acclaimed crime drama, taking inspiration from Elmore Leonard's masterfully plotted books, has twisted and turned through six seasons of complex storylines like a crooked trail through the wild Kentucky hills. Its unique blend of western tropes, film noir and black comedy is ending on a high note, but feelings of melancholy are... well, justified! To help soothe the pain of the impending finale, instead of a glass of Mags Bennett's apple pie, how about some books?
Justified and Philosophy edited by Rod Carveth and Robert Arp
Are Raylan's trigger-happy antics really justified? Part of a series examining pop culture through a philosophical lens, this book delves into issues of crime and punishment, law and morality.
Of Human Bondage by W. Somerset Maugham
Erudite criminal Boyd Crowder, who quotes science fiction writer Isaac Asimov and economist John Maynard Keynes with equal aplomb, is seen reading this classic in Season Two. A semi-autobiographical novel of love and yearning, chock full of cathartic emotional turmoil.
In his first outing on the page, our cowboy hero Raylan pursues a fugitive bookie all the way to Italy.
Leonard's final novel features many familiar characters fans may be glad to see again when the show ends.
Riding the Rap by Elmore Leonard
The sequel to Pronto involves dim-witted kidnappers and a psychic, a plotline loosely adapted on the show. Riding the Rap is also available in this eBook collection along with Pronto and the short story "Fire in the Hole," on which the pilot episode is based.
Related:
Remembering Elmore Leonard (October 11, 1925 – August 20, 2013)
Snapshots in History: August 20 Remembering Elmore Leonard
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