--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Clifford paints true-to-life characters…" description: "\"Clifford paints true-to-life characters with the same gritty touch as the best of Dennis Lehane. Straightforward and edgy, Lamentation gnaws with nail-..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f35/robert-dugoni-14409_appreciate_clifford-paints-true-to-life-characters_2231039.jpg" --- # Clifford paints true-to-life characters with the same… ![“Clifford paints true-to-life characters with the same gritty touch as the best of Dennis Lehane. Straightforward and edgy, Lamentation gnaws with nail-biting tension on every page. A must-read for contemporary hardboiled mystery fans who appreciate the type of terse dialogue and real life…” quote by Robert Dugoni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f35/robert-dugoni-14409_appreciate_clifford-paints-true-to-life-characters_2231039.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f35/robert-dugoni-14409_appreciate_clifford-paints-true-to-life-characters_2231039.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f35/robert-dugoni-14409_appreciate_clifford-paints-true-to-life-characters_2231039.jpg) > “Clifford paints true-to-life characters with the same gritty touch as the best of Dennis Lehane. Straightforward and edgy, Lamentation gnaws with nail-biting tension on every page. A must-read for contemporary hardboiled mystery fans who appreciate the type of terse dialogue and real life conflicts and settings Elmore Leonard so richly brought to life.” [Robert Dugoni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dugoni/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The novel delivers gritty, realistic characters and tense, terse dialogue, echoing hardboiled mystery masters like Dennis Lehane and Elmore Leonard. **In simple terms:** Hardboiled mystery with vivid, tense storytelling. Key Takeaway Read for raw, gripping mystery narrative. Themes mystery gritty realism dialogue tension Mood intense engaging Type literary genre When to use this quote - crime investigation - urban settings - detective work Key Concepts hardboiled genre character depth plot pacing Questions to Reflect On - Which character’s struggle resonates most with you? - How does terse dialogue affect suspense? A Different Perspective May alienate readers seeking lighter, less violent content. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Appreciate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/appreciate/) [Biting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/biting/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Characters Gritty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/characters-gritty-5019348/) [Conflict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conflict/) [Contemporary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contemporary/) [Contemporary Hardboiled](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contemporary-hardboiled-5019345/) [Dialogue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dialogue/) [Edgy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/edgy/) [Fans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fans/) [Hardboiled Mystery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hardboiled-mystery-5019347/) [Lamentation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lamentation/) [Lehane Straightforward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lehane-straightforward-5019344/) [Life Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-character/) [Mystery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mystery/) [Nails](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nails/) [Pages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pages/) [Paint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paint/) [Real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real/) [Real life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-life/) [Setting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/setting/) [Settings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/settings/) [Straightforward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/straightforward/) [Straightforward Edgy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/straightforward-edgy-5019346/) [Tension](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tension/) [True life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/true-life/) [Type](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/type/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [Time is never more misspent than while we declaim against the want of it; all our actions are then tinctured with peevishness. The yoke…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-georg-ritter-von-zimmermann/time-is-never-more-misspent-than-while-we-declaim-against-the-want-of/) [Johann Georg Ritter von Zimmermann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-georg-ritter-von-zimmermann/) > [If I have learned one thing in my life, it is that lamentation and regrets only make things worse. A person must move on,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorraine-heath/if-i-have-learned-one-thing-in-my-life-it-is-that-lamentation-and/) [Lorraine Heath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorraine-heath/) > [I confess, without shame, that I am sick and tired of fighting — its glory is all moonshine; even success the most brilliant is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-tecumseh-sherman/i-confess-without-shame-that-i-am-sick-and-tired-of-fighting-its/) [William Tecumseh Sherman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-tecumseh-sherman/) > [There was much woe and lamentation in the seventies that the game was dying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-thorn/there-was-much-woe-and-lamentation-in-the-seventies-that-the-game-was/) [John Thorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-thorn/) > [A young man had become possessed by a devil. The thing within him burst into loud lamentation and departed from the man. At once…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-augustine/a-young-man-had-become-possessed-by-a-devil-the-thing-within-him/) [Saint Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-augustine/) > [There sighs, lamentations and loud wailings resounded through the starless air, so that at first it made me weep; strange tongues, horrible language, words…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dante-alighieri/there-sighs-lamentations-and-loud-wailings-resounded-through-the/) [Dante Alighieri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dante-alighieri/) > [Jerusalem is a festival and a lamentation. Its song is a sigh across the ages, a delicate, robust, mournful psalm at the great junction…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-k-shipler/jerusalem-is-a-festival-and-a-lamentation-its-song-is-a-sigh-across/) [David K. Shipler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-k-shipler/) > [“When situated in the transcendental position, one is freed from the two kinds of material diseases – hankering and lamentation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-situated-in-the-transcendental-position-one-is-freed-from-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Great were the lamentation and the cry when the news of this mischance was noised about the city. Such a tumult of mourning was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-de-france/great-were-the-lamentation-and-the-cry-when-the-news-of-this/) [Marie de France](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-de-france/) > [It's a great wonder to me, the Irish attachment to our history. What is it but a series of lamentations?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-salisbury-davis/it-s-a-great-wonder-to-me-the-irish-attachment-to-our-history-what-is/) [Dorothy Salisbury Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-salisbury-davis/) > [Every class of society has its cant of lamentation, which is understood or regarded by none but themselves; and every part of life has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/every-class-of-society-has-its-cant-of-lamentation-which-is/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Let no one honour me with tears, or bury me with lamentation. Why? Because I fly hither and thither, living in the mouths of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quintus-ennius/let-no-one-honour-me-with-tears-or-bury-me-with-lamentation-why/) [Quintus Ennius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quintus-ennius/) > [Men ought to know that from nothing else but the brain come joys, delights, laughter and sports, and sorrows, griefs, despondency, and lamentations. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hippocrates/men-ought-to-know-that-from-nothing-else-but-the-brain-come-joys/) [Hippocrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hippocrates/) > [Alexander wept when he heard from Anaxarchus that there was an infinite number of worlds; and his friends asking him if any accident had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plutarch/alexander-wept-when-he-heard-from-anaxarchus-that-there-was-an/) [Plutarch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plutarch/) > [“If the years have taught me one thing it's that those who care are always scarce. Those who genuinely care; not the acquaintances, false…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darrell-drake/if-the-years-have-taught-me-one-thing-it-s-that-those-who-care-are/) [Darrell Drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darrell-drake/) ## More by Robert Dugoni > [“You’ve climbed higher mountains than I ever had to climb, but you have one more mountain to climb, and you know it. The past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dugoni/you-ve-climbed-higher-mountains-than-i-ever-had-to-climb-but-you-have/) [Robert Dugoni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dugoni/) > [“A disorganized killer is much more impulsive and haphazard. Disorganized killers make mistakes, leave fingerprints, fail to keep from being seen. Organized killers consider…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dugoni/a-disorganized-killer-is-much-more-impulsive-and-haphazard/) [Robert Dugoni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dugoni/) > [“Kimi Kanasket was a black mark on an otherwise joyous occasion, like the drunk uncle who causes a scene at a family wedding. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dugoni/kimi-kanasket-was-a-black-mark-on-an-otherwise-joyous-occasion-like/) [Robert Dugoni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dugoni/) > [“Interrupting a man when he’s discussing his profession is like telling him what he has to say isn’t important. Besides, you never learn anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dugoni/interrupting-a-man-when-he-s-discussing-his-profession-is-like/) [Robert Dugoni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dugoni/) > [“Moving forward doesn’t mean forgetting the past. Moving forward means doing something about the past.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dugoni/moving-forward-doesn-t-mean-forgetting-the-past-moving-forward-means/) [Robert Dugoni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dugoni/) > [“building, all tinted glass and natural lighting, was nothing like the cement tomb where”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dugoni/building-all-tinted-glass-and-natural-lighting-was-nothing-like-the/) [Robert Dugoni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dugoni/) > [Whether you're an unpublished novelist or a sixteen-time New York Times bestselling author, you can always improve your craft. You can always become a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dugoni/whether-you-re-an-unpublished-novelist-or-a-sixteen-time-new-york/) [Robert Dugoni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dugoni/) > [“In time, though, you learn how to live with the pain. You learn how to live with all the memories, and you learn not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dugoni/in-time-though-you-learn-how-to-live-with-the-pain-you-learn-how-to/) [Robert Dugoni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dugoni/) > [The walls were down, the only thing I could do was rebuild.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dugoni/the-walls-were-down-the-only-thing-i-could-do-was-rebuild/) [Robert Dugoni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dugoni/) > [“That’s what our minds do. They protect us. They bury those memories that would cripple us, so that we can live with ourselves.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dugoni/that-s-what-our-minds-do-they-protect-us-they-bury-those-memories/) [Robert Dugoni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dugoni/) > [“There’s a can of cat food and a spoon on the floor somewhere. Take it out back and bang on it. My cat’s still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dugoni/there-s-a-can-of-cat-food-and-a-spoon-on-the-floor-somewhere-take-it/) [Robert Dugoni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dugoni/) > [“You just need to show a little initiative and you could have my job someday.” Hooray! At least I’d have a window to throw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dugoni/you-just-need-to-show-a-little-initiative-and-you-could-have-my-job/) [Robert Dugoni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dugoni/) > [“There’s a huge difference between love and need. Someone who needs you will put themselves first. Someone who loves you will put you first.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dugoni/there-s-a-huge-difference-between-love-and-need-someone-who-needs-you/) [Robert Dugoni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dugoni/) > [“We try too hard to figure out why these guys kill when it’s really not possible to identify all of the factors that cause…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dugoni/we-try-too-hard-to-figure-out-why-these-guys-kill-when-it-s-really/) [Robert Dugoni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dugoni/) > [“It’s a terrible thing when a child is stripped of his perception that his parents are perfect. Kids want to believe their parents will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dugoni/it-s-a-terrible-thing-when-a-child-is-stripped-of-his-perception-that/) [Robert Dugoni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dugoni/) [Explore all 43 Robert Dugoni quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dugoni/) ## More Appreciate quotes > [All I hear is the people that appreciate me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-hardy/all-i-hear-is-the-people-that-appreciate-me/) [Greg Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-hardy/) > [I think that kind of balance comes with the process of growing together as a band, the Little Dragon. We love to write, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yukimi-nagano/i-think-that-kind-of-balance-comes-with-the-process-of-growing/) [Yukimi Nagano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yukimi-nagano/) > [Time is really gold,spent it wisely with the people around you.Spread love,appreciate the beauty around you!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jglargosta/time-is-really-gold-spent-it-wisely-with-the-people-around-you-spread/) [Jglargosta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jglargosta/) > [Because there are three classes of intellects: one which comprehends by itself; another which appreciates what others comprehend; and a third which neither comprehends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niccolo-machiavelli/because-there-are-three-classes-of-intellects-one-which-comprehends/) [Niccolo Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccolo-machiavelli/) > [Eventually the consumer will come to appreciate the editorial point of view of every different brand. User-generated content without editorial oversight will simply be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eisner/eventually-the-consumer-will-come-to-appreciate-the-editorial-point/) [Michael Eisner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eisner/) > [The connoisseur of art must be able to appreciate what is simply beautiful, but the common run of people is satisfied with ornament](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/the-connoisseur-of-art-must-be-able-to-appreciate-what-is-simply/) [Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [The laws of thermodynamics, as empirically determined, express the approximate and probable behavior of systems of a great number of particles, or, more precisely,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-willard-gibbs/the-laws-of-thermodynamics-as-empirically-determined-express-the/) [J. Willard Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-willard-gibbs/) > [This time, there were no drugs involved. The hours were completely normal daytime hours. I think we were able to appreciate the interplay, where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsey-buckingham/this-time-there-were-no-drugs-involved-the-hours-were-completely/) [Lindsey Buckingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsey-buckingham/) > [I would like beautiful gymnastics to be recognized as the best. I want the judges to appreciate things that are not necessarily winning points.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kohei-uchimura/i-would-like-beautiful-gymnastics-to-be-recognized-as-the-best-i-want/) [Kohei Uchimura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kohei-uchimura/) > [One of the most important rules for success is this: Every great success is the result of hundreds and thousands of small efforts and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tracy/one-of-the-most-important-rules-for-success-is-this-every-great/) [Brian Tracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-tracy/) > [It's great at this stage in my life to still be in the running, that people appreciate you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dolly-parton/it-s-great-at-this-stage-in-my-life-to-still-be-in-the-running-that/) [Dolly Parton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dolly-parton/) > [The sectaries of a persecuted religion, depressed by fear, animated with resentment, and perhaps heated by enthusiasm, are seldom in a proper temper of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/the-sectaries-of-a-persecuted-religion-depressed-by-fear-animated/) [Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/) > [Love is too wonderful for us but why we often times do not ever appreciate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohamad-idrus/love-is-too-wonderful-for-us-but-why-we-often-times-do-not-ever/) [Mohamad Idrus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohamad-idrus/) > [I think the most important thing is to stay hopeful, to believe wonderful things are possible and do your best. Basically, to not give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irena-a-hoffman/i-think-the-most-important-thing-is-to-stay-hopeful-to-believe/) [Irena A. Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irena-a-hoffman/) > [“Admire and appreciate your man and he will be happy on your side”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-alfiori/admire-and-appreciate-your-man-and-he-will-be-happy-on-your-side/) [Linda Alfiori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-alfiori/) [Browse all 3,873 Appreciate quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/appreciate/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Clifford paints true-to-life characters with the same gritty touch as the best of Dennis Lehane. Straightforward and edgy, Lamentation gnaws with nail-biting tension on every page. 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