The French have a phrase for it. The bastards have a phrase for everything and they are always right. To say goodbye is to die a little.

I'm in a wild mood tonight. I want to go dance in the foam. I hear the banshees calling.

I don’t mind if you don’t like my manners. They’re pretty bad. I grieve over them during the long winter evenings.

From 30 feet away she looked like a lot of class. From 10 feet away she looked like something made up to be seen from 30 feet away.

She gave me a smile I could feel in my hip pocket.

Love interest nearly always weakens a mystery because it introduces a type of suspense that is antagonistic to the detective's struggle to solve the problem. It stacks the cards, and in nine cases out of ten, it eliminates at least two useful suspects. The only effective love interest is that which creates a personal hazard for the detective - but which, at the same time, you instinctively feel to be a mere episode. A really good detective never gets married.

A good title is the title of a successful book.