Sinopsis

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.

From Library Journal

Even though one of Leonard's more memorable characters, Ernest Stickley Jr. is introduced in Swag and continues his adventures in Stick, and there's a world of difference between the two. In Swag, "Stick" meets Frank, a Detroit used car salesman who has decided that armed robbery is an easy way to make a living. Between dull jobs that seem impossibly easy, our pair seduce equally bored women. Finally, the big job comes, and they violate the rules with predictable results. Stick continues Stick's adventures after prison and changes the locale to Florida's gold coast, where Stick tries to go straight. He chauffeurs for a hotshot stock broker who juggles a wife, a mistress, and an attractive investment analyst. Stick gets involved with all three while crossing the paths of some big-time drug dealers who try to get rid of him. At the same time, he's mastering a new career. Stick manages to play his adversaries against one another. Here's the skinny: Leonard misses the mark with Swag but is right on target with Stick. Narrator Frank Muller, perhaps inspired by the material, does far better with Stick as well. Skip Swag and put your money on Stick if you want to please the action-adventure crowd.?James Dudley, Copiague, N.Y.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From the Back Cover

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.

About the Author

Elmore Leonard wrote forty-five novels and nearly as many western and crime short stories across his highly successful career that spanned more than six decades. Some of his bestsellers include Road Dogs, Up in Honey’s Room, The Hot Kid, Mr. Paradise, Tishomingo Blues , and the critically acclaimed collection of short stories Fire in the Hole. Many of his books have been made into movies, including Get Shorty, Out of Sight , and Rum Punch , which became Quentin Tarantino’s Jackie Brown. Justified , the hit series from FX, is based on Leonard’s character Raylan Givens, who appears in Riding the Rap, Pronto , Raylan and the short story “Fire in the Hole”. He was a recipient of the National Book Foundation’s Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, the Lifetime Achievement Award from PEN USA, and the Grand Master Award of the Mystery Writers of America. He was known to many as the ‘Dickens of Detroit’ and was a long-time resident of the Detroit area.