Because of its realistic dialogue, Glitz echoes previous Leonard works in a significant way. Indeed, speaking of the novel, Leonard has said: "It's not noticeably better written. I think you'll see the same style, the same tone, the same sound ever since '74, ever since Fifty-Two Pickup [1974] that I would call the beginning of what I'm doing now."

The basic plot pattern of Glitz is similar to that of City Primeval (1980) and Split Images (1981), and central to it is a love story, a commonplace element in Leonard crime novels.