''City Primeval'' is a

crime In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a State (polity), state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definiti ...

novel A novel is an extended work of narrative fiction usually written in prose and published as a book. The word derives from the for 'new', 'news', or 'short story (of something new)', itself from the , a singular noun use of the neuter plural of ...

written by

Elmore Leonard Elmore John Leonard Jr. (October 11, 1925August 20, 2013) was an American novelist, short story author and screenwriter. He was, according to British journalist Anthony Lane, "hailed as one of the best crime writers in the land". His earliest no ...

. A limited television series adaptation of the novel, '' Justified: City Primeval,'' was released in 2023. The story was repurposed as a spinoff of the TV series '' Justified'' and features

Raylan Givens Raylan Givens is a fictional character created by American novelist and screenwriter Elmore Leonard. Givens is a Deputy U.S. Marshal and initially appeared in the novels '' Pronto'' and '' Riding the Rap''. (''Pronto'' was adapted as a TV movi ...

(

Timothy Olyphant Timothy David Olyphant ( ; born May 20, 1968) is an American actor. He made his acting debut in an off-Broadway theater in 1995, in ''The Monogamist'', and won the Theatre World Award for his performance, and then originated David Sedaris' '' ...

) instead of the novel's protagonist, Raymond Cruz. However, Cruz is included as a minor character, portrayed by

Paul Calderón Paul Calderón (born ) is a Puerto Rican actor. He is a founding member of the Touchstone Theatre, the American Folk Theatre and the LAByrinth Theater Company. He is also a member of the Actors Studio, auditioning and accepted as a member i ...

who reprises his role from another adaptation of a novel written by Leonard, ''

Out of Sight ''Out of Sight'' is a 1998 American action comedy film directed by Steven Soderbergh and written by Scott Frank, adapted from Elmore Leonard's 1996 novel. The first of several collaborations between Soderbergh and actor George Clooney, it was ...

'' (1998).

Plot summary

"Oklahoma Wildman" Clement Mansell, having already gotten away with

murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification (jurisprudence), justification or valid excuse (legal), excuse committed with the necessary Intention (criminal law), intention as defined by the law in a specific jurisd ...

once, kills a crooked Detroit judge. Homicide Detective Raymond Cruz pursues him. When Mansell tries to

extort Extortion is the practice of obtaining benefit (e.g., money or goods) through coercion. In most jurisdictions it is likely to constitute a criminal offence. Robbery is the simplest and most common form of extortion, although making unfounded t ...

money from Skender Lulgjaraj, an Albanian criminal, Cruz maneuvers Mansell into a showdown.

References

External links

''City Primeval''
at Elmore Leonard.com 1980 American novels Novels by Elmore Leonard Novels set in Detroit Arbor House books {{1980s-crime-novel-stub