HispanicBusiness

Staring down a no-good, gun-toting heir to a marijuana empire in rural Kentucky who's just thrown a dead rat at his car, Raylan Givens stands unfazed.

"You know how many wanted felons have given me that look?" he says, calm as a man on a Sunday stroll. "I say a thousand. I know I'm low."

Cool.

Raylan Givens is one cool character, whether he's enforcing the law as a deputy U.S. marshal in Elmore Leonard's new novel "Raylan" or on "Justified," the taut, moody FX series that has become a critical favorite.

The book comes out Tuesday, the same day that "Justified" returns for its third season.

It only takes this snippet of dialogue from "Raylan" to establish that this is a man who's a neo-Steve McQueen, who goes by his own code, who never strains to create an impression, but who has complexities simmering underneath that super-cool exterior.

Leonard, Detroit's own best-selling author and longtime bard of crime writing, says cool is a good word to describe his creation. "Cool, in a very not showy way, but an honest way. He is cool, no question about it."

The Raylans of print and small screen have meshed into one of the most unusual and successfully interwoven relationships in the entertainment business.

"Justified" was inspired by a Leonard short story featuring Raylan, "Fire in the Hole," and carefully developed for TV by series executive producer Graham Yost, whose team of producers, writers, directors and actors share a "What would Elmore do?" dedication to honoring Leonard's distinctive style.

From the start, the show has put Raylan Givens into the rugged setting of his Kentucky hometown. It has added characters and built story lines that stay true to Leonard's gritty, smart, wry style.

Leonard -- whose work has been a constant source for Hollywood, from stylish crime romps like "Out of Sight" and "Get Shorty" to Westerns like "3:10 to Yuma" -- was so pleased with "Justified" and actor Timothy Olyphant's performance as Raylan that he was inspired to write more about the lawman.

The author, who is an executive producer of "Justified" but isn't involved in the day-to-day details, describes it more laconically.

"I felt, well, I can't just take money for nothing. I thought, 'I'm going to write something.' So I wrote a book and thought they could use any part of it they want."

A page-turner with three distinct story arcs, "Raylan" brings the federal marshal into contact with three intriguing women: a nurse running a bloody medical scheme, a ruthless mine company executive and a college student who's an expert poker player. (That poker player goes by the first name of Jackie, but her actual name is Rachel Nevada, a nod to Detroit's real-life radio personality and producer Rachel Nevada, who says having her name in the book is "a total honor.")

"Raylan," the novel, is dedicated to Yost and Olyphant.

"You know what, that's one of the coolest things that's ever happened in this business for me," says Yost. "Tim's pretty tickled, too."

"Justified," which debuted in 2010, won over critics instantly and hit its creative stride in its second season, which was dominated by Raylan's encounters with crime matriarch Mags Bennett and her three sons. The second season averaged about 4 million viewers, up 16 percent from the first season. Last year, Margo Martindale won an Emmy for her portrayal of Mags, and Olyphant, costar Walton Goggins and guest-star Jeremy Davies earned nominations.