By: Elmore Leonard Publisher: Harper Paperbacks Average Rating: Binding: Paperback Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 272 Publication Date: April 01, 2009 Release Date: April 14, 2009 Studio: Harper Paperbacks
The smallest of small-time criminals, Ernest Stickley Jr. figures his luck's about to change when Detroit used-car salesman Frank Ryan catches him trying to boost a ride from Ryan's lot. Frank's got some surefire schemes for getting rich quick—all of them involving guns—and all Stickley has to do is follow "Ryan's Rules" to share the wealth. But sometimes rules need to be bent, maybe even broken, if one is to succeed in the world of crime, especially if the "brains" of the operation knows less than nothing.
Great writing but maybe more appealing to male reviewers? ^ My brother-in-law recommended Leonard to me and I started with 3 novels in 'Dutch Treat'--Swag, The Hunted and Mr. Majestyk--and since we share a love of mystery series I figured I'd love him. My problem with Leonard is I love his writing but I can't stand his characters. I mean how many lowlife thugs and their ditzy women who crave abuse of one sort or another can I warm up to or be amused by? His painful depictions of how men view women are hard to bear. It's true his flawless writing and plotlines keep me glued to the end but after it's over I just don't care what happened to any of the dumbheads I've just finished reading about. Maybe I'm just inured by professional liability to the charms of damaged men whose early life tragedies led them to self destructive behavior.
Wish I knew what percentage of all 5-star Leonard reviews were by males. I'll keep reading 'till I can't take it anymore as the pleasure of his prose and curiosity about what's going to happen are enough to keep me going for now.
The Odd Couple Discovers the Joys of Armed Robbery ^ "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal." -- Matthew 6:19
Following a most unusual introduction to one another, a used car salesman, Frank Ryan, and an incorrigible car thief, Ernest Stickley, team up to make armed robbery safe and profitable by following the rules that Ryan swears by. Soon they are living the high life while doing relatively few heists to pay for it all. With time, their confidence grows . . . and so do their targets. Can they succeed in taking down one of Detroit's biggest businesses?
As in all of Elmore Leonard's crime stories about Detroit, his leading hooligans are more hapless than dangerous (except perhaps to themselves), stupid while thinking they are very smart, and trusting where they shouldn't be. If you are thinking about leading a life of crime, don't do what these guys do!
The story has a nice pace to it that makes the action move along at a good speed while adding complications without overly weighing down the plot.
While there are relatively few gut-busting funny parts, the overall humor level is quite good and will keep you smiling virtually from beginning to end.
Leonard holds up over time ^ First I must confess that Elmore Leonard is by far my favorite contemporary author so take everything I say through that filter. I went back to this early novel because I wondered if I had embelished earlier works with a patena informed by later opinions. But it was there even back in those early Detroit novels. The dialogue crackles, the set ups are just as crisp, the humor is every bit as cutting and subtle and the plotting is just as masterful. If you picked up Dutch with the later works perhaps because of the success of 'Get Shorty' or 'Strip Teaste', treat yourself to an extra helping - go back to the early stuff - you won't regret it.
Meet Stick. ^ I may be on a Leonard kick for the rest of the Summer. It started with his most recent book, Road Dogs, which led me -- probably via an Amazon.com recommendation, to one of his first published crime stories. Set in Detroit, Swag is the first of what becomes a series of stories about a car thief turned armed robber named Stick. Stick is a cool guy and like most of Leonard's work, this story just moves.
In fact, I was late to work one day this week because I got caught up in the last 3rd of the book and had to finish. That's usually a behavior I only reserve for Harry Potter and Fables trades. It's the dialogue and the shifting points of view that I enjoy the most. These are not characters filled to the brim with smarts or complex motivations. They are caught up in situations they don't want to be in or think they can control but they are never in control.
They just don't know it until it's too late.
When I return this to the library on Sunday, I believe I'll be replacing it with what I think is the next in the "Stick" stories, the appropriately titled--Stick. It was also a film starring Burt Reynolds.
Swag is highly recommended but you knew that. Who doesn't like Elmore Leonard novels?
A tale of two losers ^ The more of Elmore Leonard's work I read, the more I realize it's not my cup of tea (except for Glitz, which has an actual good guy to root for). Leonard's affection for low-lifes like Frank and Stick is apparent; I guess I just don't share it. But there's no denying the excellence of his craft- Swag is set in the mid-Seventies, and reading it, you can almost smell the Marlboros and Crown Royal on everyone's breath, and picture Frank in his Day-Glo polyester suit. Swag certainly confirms the adage that geniuses don't go into crime.
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