Revisiting genre giants Elmore Leonard and Henning Mankell

In the last two weeks, I revisited two of my favourite crime writers and learned a thing or two – not all of it positive.

Both of these authors have long reached the stage where their names dwarf the actual book titles on the covers. This, more than any printed claim, is the sure sign that an author is successful. So, kids, dreaming of publishing a book isn't the ticket any more – you have to dream of publishing a book where your name is bigger than the title. To achieve success, the author...