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Ordell Robbie & Louis Gara #1
The Switch
Black Ordell Robbie and white Louis Gara have lots in common - time in the same gaol, convictions for auto theft, and a grand plan. They're going to snatch the wife of a Detroit developer and collect some easy ransom money. At least that's what they think ... What they haven't figured on is the fact that the husband has a secret mistress and has absolutely no desire to get his wife back. So now it's time for Plan B. With the help of one seriously ticked-off housewife they are going to take the scumbag for everything he's got...
288 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1978
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3398 people want to read
About the author
Elmore Leonard
169 books3,714 followersElmore John Leonard lived in Dallas, Oklahoma City and Memphis before settling in Detroit in 1935. After serving in the navy, he studied English literature at the University of Detroit where he entered a short story competition. His earliest published novels in the 1950s were westerns, but Leonard went on to specialize in crime fiction and suspense thrillers, many of which have been adapted into motion pictures.
Father of Peter Leonard.
Father of Peter Leonard.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 349 reviews
May 19, 2014
When they hatch a plot to kidnap a millionaire's wife and hold her for ransom, Ordell Robbie and Louis Gara over look one detail: what if the millionaire doesn't want her back?
Ever wonder how the guys in Rum Punch (aka Jackie Brown) ended up where they were? This is the first caper starring Ordell and Louis and is a pretty slick piece of work, as befits a book by Elmore Leonard.
As always with old Dutch, the dialogue is slicker than a water slide covered with Vaseline. Ordell and Louis, the criminals in the piece, are far more likable than their apparent mark, Mickey Dawson's asshole husband Frank.
Once Mickey is kidnapped, the book really takes off. Ordell does some scheming with Melanie behind the backs of Louis and Frank and Mickey steps up.
Still, I had a hard time rating this book. It was enjoyable but honestly, there isn't a lot to it. It has the standard Leonard hallmarks and was fun but it seemed really short and wasn't one of his heavy hitters. There wasn't a lot to distinguish it from the rest of the Leonard library.
The Switch had it's moments but wasn't all that memorable. In fact, I'm already forgetting some of the characters' names. Three out of five stars.
Ever wonder how the guys in Rum Punch (aka Jackie Brown) ended up where they were? This is the first caper starring Ordell and Louis and is a pretty slick piece of work, as befits a book by Elmore Leonard.
As always with old Dutch, the dialogue is slicker than a water slide covered with Vaseline. Ordell and Louis, the criminals in the piece, are far more likable than their apparent mark, Mickey Dawson's asshole husband Frank.
Once Mickey is kidnapped, the book really takes off. Ordell does some scheming with Melanie behind the backs of Louis and Frank and Mickey steps up.
Still, I had a hard time rating this book. It was enjoyable but honestly, there isn't a lot to it. It has the standard Leonard hallmarks and was fun but it seemed really short and wasn't one of his heavy hitters. There wasn't a lot to distinguish it from the rest of the Leonard library.
The Switch had it's moments but wasn't all that memorable. In fact, I'm already forgetting some of the characters' names. Three out of five stars.
March 28, 2017
My annual dive into the pulp fiction of Elmore Leonard begins with The Switch, the 1978 novel that introduced small time crooks Ordell Robbie & Louis Gara and globetrotting pothead Melanie Ralston who sticks her big toe into the men's business. Leonard had so much fun with the trio that he reunited them in 1992 for Rum Punch, which Quentin Tarantino adapted to film as Jackie Brown with Samuel L. Jackson, Robert DeNiro and Bridget Fonda in the roles. Their literary debut not only lacks compelling protagonists but flaunts their ineptitude as extortionists to the point it was hard for me to believe any of them would still be breathing.
The story opens in the northern suburbs of Detroit, where an embattled housewife named Mickey Dawson rides shotgun while her inebriated business developer husband Frank careens his white Mark V into the garage following his latest golf tournament victory. The couple have a teenage son named Bo whose shortcomings on the tennis court are the result of his breeding by an image conscious father and excuse-generating mother. Mickey is unhappy but too intimidated to voice her feelings. When Frank announces he's going out of town to Freeport, Grand Bahamas on business for a week, Mickey has little to say in the matter.
Meanwhile, Ordell Robbie reunites with his friend Louis Gara, who's spent the last three years in Huntsville State Penitentiary.
They even looked somewhat alike, considering Ordell Robbie was a male Negro, 31, and Louis Gara was a male Caucasian, 34. Ordell was light-skinned and Louis was dark-skinned and that put them about even in shade. Ordell had a semi-full round afro, trimmed beard and bandit mustache. Louis had the mustache, and his head was working on a black curly natural, growing it out again after his time at Huntsville. Both were about six feet and stringy looking, weighing in around 160. Ordell wore gold frame Spectra-Shades; he liked sunglasses and beads and rings. Louis wore a cap--this summer a faded tan cap--straight and low over his eyes. Louis didn't go in for jewelry; a watch was enough, a $1,200 Benrus he'd picked up at the Flamingo Motor Hotel, McAllen, Texas.
Ordell sells stolen appliances to a property developer who buys buildings cheap and improves them cheaper, renting in cash, declaring sixty percent occupancy and stashing the ill-gotten gains. Ordell's plan is to kidnap the developer's wife while he's in the Bahamas and ransom her for a million dollars. In on the scam is Richard Edgar Monk, the rent-a-cop fired for looking the other way while Ordell unloaded appliances from a warehouse into his van. Richard has a fetish for the Third Reich, but needs money to get his estranged wife back from California and Ordell knows just how to play him.
Wearing Halloween masks, Ordell, Louis and Richard kidnap Mickey while she's home alone. Mickey puts up no fight, but the kidnapping goes awry when a golfing buddy of Frank's named Marshall Taylor, who invites himself over in a full court press to get in Mickey's warmups and ends up pistol whipped by Ordell and left for dead. While Ordell and Louis stash their hostage at Richard's house on State Street, Frank Dawson galivants in Freeport with his mistress, Melanie Ralston, the best character in the book.
Still, Frank believed Melanie was one in a million. Maybe she was. At any given time there could be ten thousand or more healthy young Melanies lying on the beaches of the world, sitting at chic sidewalk tables with their backpacks stowed away, and each would be one in a million; though Frank would never realize there were so many. Melanie was from Santa Barbara, a California girl. She had been all over the Mediterranean, from Marbella to the Middle East. She had lived with a Hollywood director Frank had never heard of while the director was shooting a western in Spain. She had bunked with Italian film people at a Cannes Festival, moved onto Rome and Cinecittà with a second assistant cameraman--bad for the image, moving down in the ranks--escaped to Piraeus and did the Greek islands on the motor-sailer of a dark little man who imported John Deere tractors, skipped down to Eilat--Israel's Miami Beach on the Gulf of Aqaba--with another film crew, no one in particular. Then, from Eilat to Copenhagen to London to Barbados to Freeport, Grand Bahama, where she'd finally had enough of her British photo-journalist friend, his quaaludes and rum, his cold sweats and crazy-talk in the middle of the night, and connected with Frank at Tano Beach over a bowl of conch chowder and a pint of dark, ten months ago. Mr. Frank A. Dawson from Detroit, with a bank account and development interests in the Bahamas. Melanie could read Frank's mind, anticipate his moods and keep him turned on without shifting into third gear. After some of the others, Frank was like a rest stop.
When Frank refuses to negotiate for the safe return of his wife, Ordell heads down to the Bahamas to investigate. Louis stays in Detroit to make sure no harm comes to their captive. Mickey has already put a cigarette in Richard's eye when she caught him spying on her through a peephole in the wall. Louis, on the other hand, is a nice guy. He later tells Mickey that he was sent to Huntsville for running over a prick foreman during a farmworkers' strike Louis was participating in down in Brownsville, Texas. Ordell is unable to find Frank, but gets enough information out of Melanie to realize he has the wrong partner and that Mickey is worth more to him dead than alive.
There are two types of Elmore Leonard novels: the ones where characters are good at their work and the ones where characters are lousy at their work. Stick and Killshot are a joy to read because the characters demonstrate finesse at what it is they do. It's thrilling to watch one craftsman match skills with another. The "lousy" efforts like Get Shorty and its sequel Be Cool are full of talkers whose self-aggrandizement, while providing some comic relief, isn't nearly as compelling. To their credit, the "lousy" novels may be satirizing the pulp fiction Leonard was justifiably bored by, casting idiots, not tough guys, as his lead characters.
The Switch is one of the lousy novels. For starters, Leonard focuses on the wrong character. Mickey Dawson is more of a whimper than a protagonist. She tries to annoy her husband and protect her son, but not nearly as much as she should. She has no discernible skill and is dependent on the bumbling or good will of stronger characters to survive. Leonard seems fascinated by Ordell Robbie, a bandit comfortable with violence but who would prefer to talk someone else into doing his work. Leonard seems enamored by him, a trickster using his ears and his mouth to outsmart the man. Ordell isn't intelligent, he's dependent on the reduced intelligence of others to profit.
The novel lights up like casino neon when Melanie Ralston enters. She's clearly the author's favorite character, a rolling stone who sees the bottom of the hill coming and is constantly underestimated by the big shots and loud talkers of the world. She isn't a role model, but a character with her history and survival skills can't help but be fascinating. By focusing on the kidnapping scam, The Switch kept circling back to characters I was bored with discussing details I didn't care about. The novel was adapted to film in 2014 under the title Life of Crime with Jennifer Aniston as Mickey, Mos Def as Ordell Robbie, John Hawkes as Louis Gara, Tim Robbins as Frank and Isla Fisher as Melanie.
The story opens in the northern suburbs of Detroit, where an embattled housewife named Mickey Dawson rides shotgun while her inebriated business developer husband Frank careens his white Mark V into the garage following his latest golf tournament victory. The couple have a teenage son named Bo whose shortcomings on the tennis court are the result of his breeding by an image conscious father and excuse-generating mother. Mickey is unhappy but too intimidated to voice her feelings. When Frank announces he's going out of town to Freeport, Grand Bahamas on business for a week, Mickey has little to say in the matter.
Meanwhile, Ordell Robbie reunites with his friend Louis Gara, who's spent the last three years in Huntsville State Penitentiary.
They even looked somewhat alike, considering Ordell Robbie was a male Negro, 31, and Louis Gara was a male Caucasian, 34. Ordell was light-skinned and Louis was dark-skinned and that put them about even in shade. Ordell had a semi-full round afro, trimmed beard and bandit mustache. Louis had the mustache, and his head was working on a black curly natural, growing it out again after his time at Huntsville. Both were about six feet and stringy looking, weighing in around 160. Ordell wore gold frame Spectra-Shades; he liked sunglasses and beads and rings. Louis wore a cap--this summer a faded tan cap--straight and low over his eyes. Louis didn't go in for jewelry; a watch was enough, a $1,200 Benrus he'd picked up at the Flamingo Motor Hotel, McAllen, Texas.
Ordell sells stolen appliances to a property developer who buys buildings cheap and improves them cheaper, renting in cash, declaring sixty percent occupancy and stashing the ill-gotten gains. Ordell's plan is to kidnap the developer's wife while he's in the Bahamas and ransom her for a million dollars. In on the scam is Richard Edgar Monk, the rent-a-cop fired for looking the other way while Ordell unloaded appliances from a warehouse into his van. Richard has a fetish for the Third Reich, but needs money to get his estranged wife back from California and Ordell knows just how to play him.
Wearing Halloween masks, Ordell, Louis and Richard kidnap Mickey while she's home alone. Mickey puts up no fight, but the kidnapping goes awry when a golfing buddy of Frank's named Marshall Taylor, who invites himself over in a full court press to get in Mickey's warmups and ends up pistol whipped by Ordell and left for dead. While Ordell and Louis stash their hostage at Richard's house on State Street, Frank Dawson galivants in Freeport with his mistress, Melanie Ralston, the best character in the book.
Still, Frank believed Melanie was one in a million. Maybe she was. At any given time there could be ten thousand or more healthy young Melanies lying on the beaches of the world, sitting at chic sidewalk tables with their backpacks stowed away, and each would be one in a million; though Frank would never realize there were so many. Melanie was from Santa Barbara, a California girl. She had been all over the Mediterranean, from Marbella to the Middle East. She had lived with a Hollywood director Frank had never heard of while the director was shooting a western in Spain. She had bunked with Italian film people at a Cannes Festival, moved onto Rome and Cinecittà with a second assistant cameraman--bad for the image, moving down in the ranks--escaped to Piraeus and did the Greek islands on the motor-sailer of a dark little man who imported John Deere tractors, skipped down to Eilat--Israel's Miami Beach on the Gulf of Aqaba--with another film crew, no one in particular. Then, from Eilat to Copenhagen to London to Barbados to Freeport, Grand Bahama, where she'd finally had enough of her British photo-journalist friend, his quaaludes and rum, his cold sweats and crazy-talk in the middle of the night, and connected with Frank at Tano Beach over a bowl of conch chowder and a pint of dark, ten months ago. Mr. Frank A. Dawson from Detroit, with a bank account and development interests in the Bahamas. Melanie could read Frank's mind, anticipate his moods and keep him turned on without shifting into third gear. After some of the others, Frank was like a rest stop.
When Frank refuses to negotiate for the safe return of his wife, Ordell heads down to the Bahamas to investigate. Louis stays in Detroit to make sure no harm comes to their captive. Mickey has already put a cigarette in Richard's eye when she caught him spying on her through a peephole in the wall. Louis, on the other hand, is a nice guy. He later tells Mickey that he was sent to Huntsville for running over a prick foreman during a farmworkers' strike Louis was participating in down in Brownsville, Texas. Ordell is unable to find Frank, but gets enough information out of Melanie to realize he has the wrong partner and that Mickey is worth more to him dead than alive.
There are two types of Elmore Leonard novels: the ones where characters are good at their work and the ones where characters are lousy at their work. Stick and Killshot are a joy to read because the characters demonstrate finesse at what it is they do. It's thrilling to watch one craftsman match skills with another. The "lousy" efforts like Get Shorty and its sequel Be Cool are full of talkers whose self-aggrandizement, while providing some comic relief, isn't nearly as compelling. To their credit, the "lousy" novels may be satirizing the pulp fiction Leonard was justifiably bored by, casting idiots, not tough guys, as his lead characters.
The Switch is one of the lousy novels. For starters, Leonard focuses on the wrong character. Mickey Dawson is more of a whimper than a protagonist. She tries to annoy her husband and protect her son, but not nearly as much as she should. She has no discernible skill and is dependent on the bumbling or good will of stronger characters to survive. Leonard seems fascinated by Ordell Robbie, a bandit comfortable with violence but who would prefer to talk someone else into doing his work. Leonard seems enamored by him, a trickster using his ears and his mouth to outsmart the man. Ordell isn't intelligent, he's dependent on the reduced intelligence of others to profit.
The novel lights up like casino neon when Melanie Ralston enters. She's clearly the author's favorite character, a rolling stone who sees the bottom of the hill coming and is constantly underestimated by the big shots and loud talkers of the world. She isn't a role model, but a character with her history and survival skills can't help but be fascinating. By focusing on the kidnapping scam, The Switch kept circling back to characters I was bored with discussing details I didn't care about. The novel was adapted to film in 2014 under the title Life of Crime with Jennifer Aniston as Mickey, Mos Def as Ordell Robbie, John Hawkes as Louis Gara, Tim Robbins as Frank and Isla Fisher as Melanie.
March 11, 2016
"Trick or treat, Mama" - Elmore Leonard, The Switch
A solid early Leonard Detroit crime novel with all the usual Leonard suspects. Filled with great dialogue, fantastic characters, it sets the reader up well for each of Leonard's funky plot twists. More than anything, this novel is a modern-day "awakening" of the female protagonist/victim. She moves from being a passive victim/wife to being an agent in her own new destiny; from being a scene in her own life to being the principal actor. That arc alone makes this novel worth it.
There is always a slight Karmic vibe to the Leonard novels I've read. It isn't just a simple equation of crime ≠ pay. No. Leonard isn't that trite. But stupidity, arrogance, selfishness, laziness and wickedness are all given the proper time and fertilizer to bloom and decay in the short 200 pages of his hardboiled garden.
I just saw that this was made into a B-movie (Life of Crime) with Jennifer Aniston, Will Forte, and John Hawkes, and Tim Robbins in 2o13. I totally missed that, so I guess I need to see it too now.
A solid early Leonard Detroit crime novel with all the usual Leonard suspects. Filled with great dialogue, fantastic characters, it sets the reader up well for each of Leonard's funky plot twists. More than anything, this novel is a modern-day "awakening" of the female protagonist/victim. She moves from being a passive victim/wife to being an agent in her own new destiny; from being a scene in her own life to being the principal actor. That arc alone makes this novel worth it.
There is always a slight Karmic vibe to the Leonard novels I've read. It isn't just a simple equation of crime ≠ pay. No. Leonard isn't that trite. But stupidity, arrogance, selfishness, laziness and wickedness are all given the proper time and fertilizer to bloom and decay in the short 200 pages of his hardboiled garden.
I just saw that this was made into a B-movie (Life of Crime) with Jennifer Aniston, Will Forte, and John Hawkes, and Tim Robbins in 2o13. I totally missed that, so I guess I need to see it too now.
January 1, 2016
So what prompts a huge nerd like me to pick up Elmore Leonard?
Two things. Adam Savage raves about his writing and I trust his taste. We're both part of the ginger brotherhood. Also Diane read one of his others last month and gave it a good review. No spaceships, test tubes or history in sight. It was a bit of a gamble.
I enjoyed it. It took up most of my New Years morning. I was happy to sit back, relax and go with the flow.
So Mickey, a female (took me a page or so), is wife to a rich and crooked developer. The marriage is pretty dull and they are both just going through the motions. She's heavily invested in her son's sporting career. Mickey gets kidnapped while her husband is out of the country on business. They demand one million dollars. Things don't quite go how they should.
It's a light and fun story with some fun shifty characters. There's not much depth to it, it's just pure entertainment. There characters are all individuals and not cookie cutter at all. They may be exaggerations, but lighten up.
So I had fun with my first Elmore Leonard, and I'll likely read some more. It definitely has some merit if it kept me of all people turning it's pages. Surely that is a recommendation in itself.
Two things. Adam Savage raves about his writing and I trust his taste. We're both part of the ginger brotherhood. Also Diane read one of his others last month and gave it a good review. No spaceships, test tubes or history in sight. It was a bit of a gamble.
I enjoyed it. It took up most of my New Years morning. I was happy to sit back, relax and go with the flow.
So Mickey, a female (took me a page or so), is wife to a rich and crooked developer. The marriage is pretty dull and they are both just going through the motions. She's heavily invested in her son's sporting career. Mickey gets kidnapped while her husband is out of the country on business. They demand one million dollars. Things don't quite go how they should.
It's a light and fun story with some fun shifty characters. There's not much depth to it, it's just pure entertainment. There characters are all individuals and not cookie cutter at all. They may be exaggerations, but lighten up.
So I had fun with my first Elmore Leonard, and I'll likely read some more. It definitely has some merit if it kept me of all people turning it's pages. Surely that is a recommendation in itself.
March 18, 2013
Soon to be a movie starring Mos Def and Isla Fisher?!
Elmore Leonard really is the master. The first of his books I've read without seeing a movie first, but I must admit I picked this one because it featured some of the characters from Rum Punch.
In the wrong hands this plot could become really quite absurd with great ease but as always he handles the absurdity with style, turning it in to what feels like an everyday occurrence for the characters. It's this 'slice of life' aspect to his underworld tales that really appeal to me. That and his excellent use of dialogue.
With the varied selection of characters on display it would be easy to paint caricatures instead of taking the time to invest even the smallest of background roles with some unique personality insights and I do mean insights, these are not larger than life traits or anything so tacky, just a line about the history of Mr Walker delivered in an offhand way for example and you get a much better idea of who he is, despite him having the smallest role of the lot.
People have mentioned the anticlimactic ending but going back to the 'slice of life' aspect of the story it fits in nicely; as with real life you could pick a start and end point and tell the tale of that section of that persons life, and if done correctly you will always leave the listener wanting more and feeling like you're not really at the end. The particular style that Leonard chooses to end this fun little adventure in reminds me of the Coen Brothers movie A Serious Man and in a similar way for me serves as a one paragraph punchline to the 184 page novel.
Elmore Leonard really is the master. The first of his books I've read without seeing a movie first, but I must admit I picked this one because it featured some of the characters from Rum Punch.
In the wrong hands this plot could become really quite absurd with great ease but as always he handles the absurdity with style, turning it in to what feels like an everyday occurrence for the characters. It's this 'slice of life' aspect to his underworld tales that really appeal to me. That and his excellent use of dialogue.
With the varied selection of characters on display it would be easy to paint caricatures instead of taking the time to invest even the smallest of background roles with some unique personality insights and I do mean insights, these are not larger than life traits or anything so tacky, just a line about the history of Mr Walker delivered in an offhand way for example and you get a much better idea of who he is, despite him having the smallest role of the lot.
People have mentioned the anticlimactic ending but going back to the 'slice of life' aspect of the story it fits in nicely; as with real life you could pick a start and end point and tell the tale of that section of that persons life, and if done correctly you will always leave the listener wanting more and feeling like you're not really at the end. The particular style that Leonard chooses to end this fun little adventure in reminds me of the Coen Brothers movie A Serious Man and in a similar way for me serves as a one paragraph punchline to the 184 page novel.
February 5, 2024
01/2023
1978
This is brilliant. I've only read two of Leonard's novels from the 1970s, Swag and Touch, and this feels bigger and more important. I suppose because I read Rum Punch first and that is a sequel to this. Three characters here are also in that. The Switch just has a breezy but epic casualness like only Leonard could do. The main character, Mickey, is a woman. The portrait of a disintegrating marriage from the woman's perspective is amazing. I loved the open ending.
1978
This is brilliant. I've only read two of Leonard's novels from the 1970s, Swag and Touch, and this feels bigger and more important. I suppose because I read Rum Punch first and that is a sequel to this. Three characters here are also in that. The Switch just has a breezy but epic casualness like only Leonard could do. The main character, Mickey, is a woman. The portrait of a disintegrating marriage from the woman's perspective is amazing. I loved the open ending.
March 10, 2021
An early novel by mystery/detective master Elmore Leonard that I read because it was available as an audiobook. It's not his best work, but nevertheless reveals even early on his knack for dialogue. So this one is about a kidnapping with one key "switch" in the plot. It takes a long time to set up and includes a lot of the kind of sexism familiar to detective novels, but the switch that happens in the plot is also a switch on some of the sexism, and is thus finally pretty satisfying.
So Louis Gara and Ordell Robbie kidnap Mickey, the wife of a real estate developer, Frank Dawson, and hold her hostage for a million bucks. What we learn is that Frank has a girlfriend, has filed for divorce--unknown to Mickey--the day before she is kidnapped and will never pay that ransom money. Maybe you can already see potentials for switches in Switch as the bland, passive wife becomes active on her own behalf. Leonard is one of the best detective writers, so it is good to check him out, but if you are going to read just one or two books, try his Chili Palmer books. He also did westerns, with his Raylan series.
So Louis Gara and Ordell Robbie kidnap Mickey, the wife of a real estate developer, Frank Dawson, and hold her hostage for a million bucks. What we learn is that Frank has a girlfriend, has filed for divorce--unknown to Mickey--the day before she is kidnapped and will never pay that ransom money. Maybe you can already see potentials for switches in Switch as the bland, passive wife becomes active on her own behalf. Leonard is one of the best detective writers, so it is good to check him out, but if you are going to read just one or two books, try his Chili Palmer books. He also did westerns, with his Raylan series.
August 16, 2014
Elmore Leonard is known for his crazy-good, realistic dialogue who’s also a skilled and imaginative storyteller able to create memorable characters and plots. But every great writer puts out a stinker every now and then and The Switch is without question a stinker!
A pair of low-level criminals, Louis Gara and Ordell Robbie, decide to kidnap the wife of well-to-do real estate developer, Frank Dawson, and hold her hostage for $1million. There’s just one snag though: he doesn’t want her back.
The premise sounds more like a throwaway joke or at best an idea for a short story, but for a nearly 200 page novel? No. The thin plot is streeeeeeeeeeetched by Leonard over scores of pages with precious little happening to validate its length. It takes a third of the novel before Mickey (Frank’s wife) is kidnapped, then at least another third before she’s let go over a misunderstanding, then the novel meanders at an excruciatingly slow pace until the blessed end. Does anything happen during the novel? Hardly anything - characters mostly just stand around and yammer about nothing.
The absence of action would’ve been tolerable if the characters had been worth reading about but they weren’t. Our heroine, Mickey Dawson, is as bland a character as any Leonard has ever created. She has no personality and is a doormat of a wife, walked all over by her cartoonishly awful husband, Frank.
Frank’s role is clear: he must be a bad guy and the reader must hate him. So he talks down to his wife, arguing over her about how much he drinks while he sloshes his way through another bottle of whiskies. You couldn’t get a more flat character portrayal than you do with Frank. Mickey on the other hand does her best to ignore it all and pretend everything’s fine, a tactic she employs throughout the story even when she’s being held hostage. And we’re supposed to be rooting for this Stepford Wife?
Neither character could be said to be even remotely realistic. Why would Mickey put up with being treated so poorly when she clearly didn’t love Frank? And why, when she possesses no traits to make her interesting, would Leonard make her the main character? She is beyond boring to read about. Her arc is that at the end she finally stands up to him and demands he pay her a bit more alimony than he said he would. Woo - you go, girl!
Louis and Ordell were easily the only two characters that made this novel tolerable. Leonard writes the pair with a clear fondness for their roguishness, and their friendship is believable. The only enjoyable moments in this novel are when the two are together and scheming, especially once things start going wrong.
I don’t usually quote blurbs but I take issue with the one for The Switch because it’s misleading:
“Ordell Robbie and Louis Gara hit it off in prison, where they were both doing time for grand theft auto. Now that they're out, they're joining forces for one big score. The plan is to kidnap the wife of a wealthy Detroit developer and hold her for ransom. But they didn't figure the lowlife husband wouldn't want his lady back. So it's time for Plan B and the opportunity to make a real killing - with the unlikely help of a beautiful, ticked-off housewife who's hungry for a large helping of sweet revenge.”
That last sentence - “So it’s time for Plan B…” - implies that the plot moves from being one thing to another when it doesn’t. The whole novel is about the kidnapping and Leonard drags it out for the entire book. That last sentence of the blurb IS the ending of the novel. Leonard ends the whole thing on the implication that Mickey joins Louis and Ordell in taking her husband for what he’s worth. So, nice going blurb-writers, you gave away the final twist!
The Switch has been made into a movie called Life of Crime starring Jennifer Aniston as Mickey, Tim Robbins as Frank, Mos Def as Ordell and John Hawkes as Louis - the latter two playing characters previously portrayed by Samuel L Jackson and Robert De Niro in Tarantino’s underrated Jackie Brown. I can’t say I’m encouraged to watch the movie after reading this piss-poor novel by an otherwise excellent writer.
The Switch is a totally forgettable, completely uninspired crime novel featuring a cast of two-dimensional cutouts, a couple of realistic characters, and little else to justify reading it. Leonard is a fine writer though so, instead of The Switch, I highly recommend checking out his other books featuring his characters Chili Palmer or Raylan Givens to understand why he’s so beloved. Those books not only feature good dialogue and characters but also fun, fast-moving plots - unlike The Switch.
A pair of low-level criminals, Louis Gara and Ordell Robbie, decide to kidnap the wife of well-to-do real estate developer, Frank Dawson, and hold her hostage for $1million. There’s just one snag though: he doesn’t want her back.
The premise sounds more like a throwaway joke or at best an idea for a short story, but for a nearly 200 page novel? No. The thin plot is streeeeeeeeeeetched by Leonard over scores of pages with precious little happening to validate its length. It takes a third of the novel before Mickey (Frank’s wife) is kidnapped, then at least another third before she’s let go over a misunderstanding, then the novel meanders at an excruciatingly slow pace until the blessed end. Does anything happen during the novel? Hardly anything - characters mostly just stand around and yammer about nothing.
The absence of action would’ve been tolerable if the characters had been worth reading about but they weren’t. Our heroine, Mickey Dawson, is as bland a character as any Leonard has ever created. She has no personality and is a doormat of a wife, walked all over by her cartoonishly awful husband, Frank.
Frank’s role is clear: he must be a bad guy and the reader must hate him. So he talks down to his wife, arguing over her about how much he drinks while he sloshes his way through another bottle of whiskies. You couldn’t get a more flat character portrayal than you do with Frank. Mickey on the other hand does her best to ignore it all and pretend everything’s fine, a tactic she employs throughout the story even when she’s being held hostage. And we’re supposed to be rooting for this Stepford Wife?
Neither character could be said to be even remotely realistic. Why would Mickey put up with being treated so poorly when she clearly didn’t love Frank? And why, when she possesses no traits to make her interesting, would Leonard make her the main character? She is beyond boring to read about. Her arc is that at the end she finally stands up to him and demands he pay her a bit more alimony than he said he would. Woo - you go, girl!
Louis and Ordell were easily the only two characters that made this novel tolerable. Leonard writes the pair with a clear fondness for their roguishness, and their friendship is believable. The only enjoyable moments in this novel are when the two are together and scheming, especially once things start going wrong.
I don’t usually quote blurbs but I take issue with the one for The Switch because it’s misleading:
“Ordell Robbie and Louis Gara hit it off in prison, where they were both doing time for grand theft auto. Now that they're out, they're joining forces for one big score. The plan is to kidnap the wife of a wealthy Detroit developer and hold her for ransom. But they didn't figure the lowlife husband wouldn't want his lady back. So it's time for Plan B and the opportunity to make a real killing - with the unlikely help of a beautiful, ticked-off housewife who's hungry for a large helping of sweet revenge.”
That last sentence - “So it’s time for Plan B…” - implies that the plot moves from being one thing to another when it doesn’t. The whole novel is about the kidnapping and Leonard drags it out for the entire book. That last sentence of the blurb IS the ending of the novel. Leonard ends the whole thing on the implication that Mickey joins Louis and Ordell in taking her husband for what he’s worth. So, nice going blurb-writers, you gave away the final twist!
The Switch has been made into a movie called Life of Crime starring Jennifer Aniston as Mickey, Tim Robbins as Frank, Mos Def as Ordell and John Hawkes as Louis - the latter two playing characters previously portrayed by Samuel L Jackson and Robert De Niro in Tarantino’s underrated Jackie Brown. I can’t say I’m encouraged to watch the movie after reading this piss-poor novel by an otherwise excellent writer.
The Switch is a totally forgettable, completely uninspired crime novel featuring a cast of two-dimensional cutouts, a couple of realistic characters, and little else to justify reading it. Leonard is a fine writer though so, instead of The Switch, I highly recommend checking out his other books featuring his characters Chili Palmer or Raylan Givens to understand why he’s so beloved. Those books not only feature good dialogue and characters but also fun, fast-moving plots - unlike The Switch.
April 10, 2020
So what will happen if someone kidnap your wife but you are not interested in getting her back infact you filed for the divorce but two days back but your wife didn't know about it. Well that add to the mix some reluctant criminals a crazy nazi and a meek wife and you get a nice little read by the master storyteller Elmore Leonard and like most of his books this one is also set in good ol' Detroit.
Read this for fun and a quick read but there is no great mystery but really fun end, do read it and give a chance to a great author. This is my 2nd book by Elmore let's hope there are more to come in the future but for now it's time for few other authors and you too should Keep on Reading.
People who don't read generally ask me my reasons for reading. Simply put I just love reading and so to that end I have made it my motto to just Keep on Reading. I love to read everything except for Self Help books but even those once in a while. I read almost all the genre but YA, Fantasy, Biographies are the most. My favorite series is, of course, Harry Potter but then there are many more books that I just adore. I have bookcases filled with books which are waiting to be read so can't stay and spend more time in this review, so remember I loved reading this and love reading more, you should also read what you love and then just Keep on Reading.
Read this for fun and a quick read but there is no great mystery but really fun end, do read it and give a chance to a great author. This is my 2nd book by Elmore let's hope there are more to come in the future but for now it's time for few other authors and you too should Keep on Reading.
People who don't read generally ask me my reasons for reading. Simply put I just love reading and so to that end I have made it my motto to just Keep on Reading. I love to read everything except for Self Help books but even those once in a while. I read almost all the genre but YA, Fantasy, Biographies are the most. My favorite series is, of course, Harry Potter but then there are many more books that I just adore. I have bookcases filled with books which are waiting to be read so can't stay and spend more time in this review, so remember I loved reading this and love reading more, you should also read what you love and then just Keep on Reading.
October 1, 2019
Amusing novel.
Sort of a quasi-thriller, soft-boiled, black-comedy.
Pace picks up after page 80.
The first part paints a portrait of near-perfect upper middle class domestic bliss.
The wife (Mickey) is basically doing time with a bratty teenage tennis-pro-wannabe for a child and an even brattier husband (Frank) who drinks too much, spends too much time on the country club golf course, hides his money from her, and cheats on her.
Chapters alternate between the daily events in Mickey's life and the misadventures of two ex-con buddies, Louis Gara and Ordell Robbie.
It turns out Ordell and Louis intend to kidnap Mickey. Ordell has had some illegal dealings with Frank and discovers Frank has squirreled away a couple of million dollars over the past 3-4 years.
Frank's in the construction business with a side project of building substandard apartment complexes.
The fun part begins after the kidnapping.
Recommended for the casual Elmore Leonard fan.
Sort of a quasi-thriller, soft-boiled, black-comedy.
Pace picks up after page 80.
The first part paints a portrait of near-perfect upper middle class domestic bliss.
The wife (Mickey) is basically doing time with a bratty teenage tennis-pro-wannabe for a child and an even brattier husband (Frank) who drinks too much, spends too much time on the country club golf course, hides his money from her, and cheats on her.
Chapters alternate between the daily events in Mickey's life and the misadventures of two ex-con buddies, Louis Gara and Ordell Robbie.
It turns out Ordell and Louis intend to kidnap Mickey. Ordell has had some illegal dealings with Frank and discovers Frank has squirreled away a couple of million dollars over the past 3-4 years.
Frank's in the construction business with a side project of building substandard apartment complexes.
The fun part begins after the kidnapping.
Recommended for the casual Elmore Leonard fan.
April 28, 2020
This was my very first Elmore Leonard read. I really enjoyed it. I loved his almost minimalistic style of writing. Perfect example of "less is more." Next I'm going to be reading Rum Punch.
April 27, 2018
Some writers play God with their characters. They push them through unbelievable behaviors as if guided by Divine wisdom only to be proven right by the end of the book. Elmore Leonard is the complete opposite of this type of writer. Leonard’s books are usually akin to watching people move through life and reacting to events as they happen. Leonard treats idealistic things like loyalty or duty as negotiable depending on the conditions of the moment. In other words, Leonard writes about people guided not by God, but by Life.
To this end, The Switch is a typical Elmore Leonard novel. The reader takes a seat in the bleachers located behind the one-way-viewing pages and watches Mickey Dawson live her life through ordinary and extraordinary circumstances. Along the way, Ordell and Louis discover that being tough and being human can be mutually exclusive, unless your mind is demented like their "friend" Richard. All of the events happen as the situations of the story change. It's purely entertaining and the story also serves as an insight into human nature.
I don’t think that Elmore Leonard could write a story that I did not enjoy. As such, rating Leonard novels involves deciding the better among the best. In being critical of The Switch, I would say that the characters were more truer-to-form than is typical for Leonard. Often times, Leonard will put these off-the wall dichotomies in front of his creations and make the plot turn upon their mood or a momentary feeling. In this novel, the characters were certainly real, but they were not as surprising as they have been in his other works.
To this end, The Switch is a typical Elmore Leonard novel. The reader takes a seat in the bleachers located behind the one-way-viewing pages and watches Mickey Dawson live her life through ordinary and extraordinary circumstances. Along the way, Ordell and Louis discover that being tough and being human can be mutually exclusive, unless your mind is demented like their "friend" Richard. All of the events happen as the situations of the story change. It's purely entertaining and the story also serves as an insight into human nature.
I don’t think that Elmore Leonard could write a story that I did not enjoy. As such, rating Leonard novels involves deciding the better among the best. In being critical of The Switch, I would say that the characters were more truer-to-form than is typical for Leonard. Often times, Leonard will put these off-the wall dichotomies in front of his creations and make the plot turn upon their mood or a momentary feeling. In this novel, the characters were certainly real, but they were not as surprising as they have been in his other works.
February 8, 2024
Some of the best dialog I've ever read. So easy to see Leonard's influence on Tarantino and the Coen brothers while reading this. Also funny! One of the funniest (dry humor) books I've read in a while.
October 19, 2022
“There was no other Mickey perched there watching, prompting words the nice Mickey would never say. There was only one Mickey here—the Mickey she wanted to be—and it was about time to let her loose.”
I’m not sure, as recently as a year ago, if I would have liked Mickey. But now I get Mickey. I love Mickey. The fact that she forms the unlikely friendship with Louis—without the cliche slide into romance—is only one of the many reasons to love her. And by extension, the rest of the book.
June 27, 2009
Unlike my disciplined (many might say "anal retentive") approach with the works of other crime novelists, I tend to read Leonard's novels randomly--not in publication order, but rather just grabbing one off the shelf every few months and devouring it. They are perfect literary palate cleansers. I'll get through all of his books eventually, and when I do I'll probably start reading them all over again.
Last night I cranked through THE SWITCH in one sitting--it's from 1978, and feels like a product of its times in all the right ways, firmly contexted but not dated. This one is about two cons (Leonard's classic white guy and black guy) who decide to kidnap the wife of a rich but shady Detroit businessman while he's on an adulterous business trip to the Bahamas. Of course, there's a lot more to the story than any one of the individual characters knows, and the tale quickly becomes a down-and-dirty version of "The Ransom of Red Chief" with an ending more Roald Dahl than O. Henry. Not Leonard's best, but a winner. Does he ever disappoint?
July 9, 2020
Completely and utterly enjoyable, filled with Elmore Leonard’s sharply perceptive dialogue, entirely believable characters bumbling through their lives, and a clever and surprising plot. It stops just short of being as full of layers of depth and brilliance as I’d want a 5-star read to be, but I have no real complaints, and I’m very glad to have been in the company of his delightful work again, for the first time in many years.
September 19, 2019
„Nem krimi ez, gyermek”, feddték volna meg Elmore Leonard-t, ha családi körben ezzel a regénnyel rukkolt volna elő krimi gyanánt. Merthogy ebben a műben nincsen se gyilkosság, se rejtély, se nyomozó – de ezzel együtt piszok jó anyag. Először is tükörjáték két ellentétes világgal – a csóró börtöntöltelékekkel, mint amilyen Ordell és Louis, és az ocsmányul gazdagokkal, mint Frank és szegény elnyomott felesége, Mickey. Ez a két univerzum felettébb elütőnek tűnik – egészen addig, amíg a szálak össze nem bonyolódnak, és el nem bizonytalanodunk, vajon a szereplők közül ki is a született bűnöző. Ennek tetejében ez a könyv a klasszikus „ember tervez, Isten végez”-szituáció egyik legszellemesebb megvalósítása – egy olyan helyzetre épül, amiben a szereplők rigorózus aprólékossággal felépítenek egy mesteri tervet (szegény Mickey elrablását), hogy aztán csak azért se sikerüljön semmi úgy, ahogy eltervezték. És még azt is tegyük hozzá, hogy ez a sztori a rút kiskacsa meséjének újragondolása, csak itt a szép hattyú (Mickey, a feleség) jön rá az események hatására, hogy ő valójában egy csúf kacsa – és még élvezi is! Ezek persze ismerős fordulatok, és nem mondhatnók őket valami hű, de eredetinek – ilyenkor a megvalósításon áll vagy bukik a regény milyensége. Ami példaszerű: a figurák az utolsó epizodistáig megfilmesítésért kiáltanak, a párbeszédek pergők és jóízűek, a hangulat végig extra cool, ami pedig a lezárást illeti – hát az nagyon kerek. Leonard keze alatt a műfaj közhelyei élettel telnek meg – még akkor is érdemes lett volna elolvasni, ha nem járna érte plecsni. Ami, figyelembe véve a zsánerhez való viszonyulásomat – nem kis bók.
August 25, 2020
You want a great noir, read this. My proper review is here: https://patricksherriff.com/2020/08/2...
June 16, 2015
Elmore Leonard books are always a pleasure to read. This book is a solid 4 stars out of 5. Two minor criminals kidnap the wife of a wealthy developer who has a secret bank account in the Bahamas with a million dollars. They demand that million dollars. But he went to the Bahamas to be with his mistress while his lawyer serves his wife with divorce papers. Leonard has the dialect of the criminals down pat. I read it in about 36 hours.
April 23, 2018
Easy-breezy read, what’s not to like? A couple of Detroit ex-cons team up with a neo-Nazi numbskull to extort a cool million from a lyin’ cheatin’ SOB who it turns out doesn’t want his trophy wife back enough to pay the ransom. Great fun ensues, as they re-strategize, this time with the help of the wife — and the girlfriend stashed away in the Bahamas along with the hidden off-shore bank account. Since this was written in the 1970’s, it can make you almost nostalgic for the days of flared pants and wall phones:)
November 21, 2017
Audio book that added a lot to a dull story. I think that this is the first "low tire" that I have experienced; at least lately. the sequel to this book is "Rum Punch" which Tarantino made into "Jackie Brown" which I greatly enjoyed so I'll read that and see what happens to the three knuckleheads from "The Switch".
October 2, 2025
My first Elmore Leonard. I wanted to read this book because Quentin Tarantino's Jackie Brown, based on Leonard's book Rum Punch, is one of my all-time favorite movies, and the characters of Ordell, Louis, and Melanie first appeared in this 1978 novel. It's amazing how clearly defined these characters are; even in this early appearance I could picture young versions of Samuel L. Jackson, Robert De Niro, and Bridget Fonda saying the dialogue. It took me a few chapters to get into the story but once I did, I was REALLY into it. I also enjoyed the progression of the Mickey character from bored housewife to pulling the rug out from under her asshole husband. I could see someone like Jill Clayburgh playing her in a movie. Very 70s and very fabulous! The Switch was an excellent introduction to the work of Elmore Leonard.
June 30, 2023
Il mio primo Leonard. Che è anche il primo romanzo di una duologia iniziata nel ‘78 e chiusa nel ‘92 da Rum Punch (adattato da Tarantino come Jackie Brown).
È una storia di malavitosi un po’ pasticcioni e di una mogliettina della Detroit “bene” che non si è mai sentita a suo agio in quel ruolo e approfitta della disavventura accadutale (venire rapita dai suddetti) per tirare fuori la grinta e sbalordire quel pezzo di cretino borioso del marito.
Si ride ma non è una commediola, ci sono scontri a fuoco e la gente muore (come nei film di Tarantino, del resto, e non sarà mica un caso).
E sì, confermo tutti gli elogi che avevo sentito sulla scrittura di Leonard.
PS: l’ho letto in inglese (non facilissimo per l’uso abbondante di slang) perché l’unica edizione italiana, pubblicata nel 1981 nella collana del Giallo Mondadori col titolo Scambio a sorpresa, è una roba agghiacciante, ridicola, a tratti illeggibile.
Un accorato appello a Einaudi perché lo ritraduca.
È una storia di malavitosi un po’ pasticcioni e di una mogliettina della Detroit “bene” che non si è mai sentita a suo agio in quel ruolo e approfitta della disavventura accadutale (venire rapita dai suddetti) per tirare fuori la grinta e sbalordire quel pezzo di cretino borioso del marito.
Si ride ma non è una commediola, ci sono scontri a fuoco e la gente muore (come nei film di Tarantino, del resto, e non sarà mica un caso).
E sì, confermo tutti gli elogi che avevo sentito sulla scrittura di Leonard.
PS: l’ho letto in inglese (non facilissimo per l’uso abbondante di slang) perché l’unica edizione italiana, pubblicata nel 1981 nella collana del Giallo Mondadori col titolo Scambio a sorpresa, è una roba agghiacciante, ridicola, a tratti illeggibile.
Un accorato appello a Einaudi perché lo ritraduca.
December 31, 2023
Verging on 3.5⭐️, this is a classic romp of a caper novel, complete with clueless, arrogant husband and incompetent crooks.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 23, 2024
Just so tight; and what an ending.
December 21, 2025
This book just made me happy. I saw the movie (Life of Crime) first, and decided to read it when I learned it was by Elmore Leonard. (I'm not a fan, specifically, but maybe I should be.:) Mostly I wanted to see if Louis and Micky had the same charm and chemistry as John Hawkes and Jennifer Aniston. Spoiler: They do.
Leonard's writing is spare and clean, and his dialogue is perfect. He doesn't describe the characters any more than necessary, just broad strokes and outlines so you can fill in the details as you like (hai John and Jen! good to see you again!), while telling you everything you really need to know through their word choices and speech patterns.* And for a crime story, The Switch has almost no actual action, it's supported entirely by dialogue, both between characters and internal. Micky's thought process and personal development proves once again that Leonard is one of the world's greatest male writers of female characters. She is a joy to read, to get to know, and root for.
This was a library loan, but I'm planning to acquire my own copy soon and slip it right into the rotation of uplifting comfort books. Because, yes, there's kidnapping, extortion, adultery, fraud, thieving, attempted murder, attempted rape, a full-on Nazi, and a police shootout, at its core it's the story of an unhappy woman discovering she's unhappy and finding the strength within herself to take responsibility for making her life better. She's not afraid to face the hard questions, and Elmore Leonard somehow knows the questions (and answers) that a woman like Micky has to examine.
I have a library hold on Rum Punch, published 14 years later but, as far as I know, still set in the late 70s or early 80s, and I very much hope to find Ordell is still smart and Louis still "the nice one". Micky has probably moved on, but I do hope we learn how the last scheme ended and what she went on to next.
*I wish I had the courage to write that way myself instead of spoiling things by trying to say too much.
Leonard's writing is spare and clean, and his dialogue is perfect. He doesn't describe the characters any more than necessary, just broad strokes and outlines so you can fill in the details as you like (hai John and Jen! good to see you again!), while telling you everything you really need to know through their word choices and speech patterns.* And for a crime story, The Switch has almost no actual action, it's supported entirely by dialogue, both between characters and internal. Micky's thought process and personal development proves once again that Leonard is one of the world's greatest male writers of female characters. She is a joy to read, to get to know, and root for.
This was a library loan, but I'm planning to acquire my own copy soon and slip it right into the rotation of uplifting comfort books. Because, yes, there's kidnapping, extortion, adultery, fraud, thieving, attempted murder, attempted rape, a full-on Nazi, and a police shootout, at its core it's the story of an unhappy woman discovering she's unhappy and finding the strength within herself to take responsibility for making her life better. She's not afraid to face the hard questions, and Elmore Leonard somehow knows the questions (and answers) that a woman like Micky has to examine.
I have a library hold on Rum Punch, published 14 years later but, as far as I know, still set in the late 70s or early 80s, and I very much hope to find Ordell is still smart and Louis still "the nice one". Micky has probably moved on, but I do hope we learn how the last scheme ended and what she went on to next.
*I wish I had the courage to write that way myself instead of spoiling things by trying to say too much.
December 30, 2021
First the things that I enjoyed.
I love the backdrop of 1970’s Detroit and Elmore Leonard’s description of the landscape.
The characters Louis, Melanie and Ordell (I had read Rum Punch before and picked this book up not knowing The Switch preceded with those characters.
The dialogue - Elmore Leonard has a knack for writing how people talk, you know, especially with Louis, what’s his last name? Gara? The one that Robert De Niro plays in Jackie Brown (film adaptation of Rum Punch)
I couldn’t help but imagine a younger Robert De Niro as Louis Gara and Samuel L. Jackson as Ordell Robbie.
I enjoy how the novel dresses down some of the upper class suburbs of Detroit. Shallow golf clubs. Whiny kids at Tennis matches.
Elmore Leonard has a unique wit to his writing that i appreciate as well.
But holy shit. What a petering out of an ending.
I felt the book lead up to what was going to happen next and just ends not making much sense and is a big continuity error before rum punch.
Some of the characters in the book are described in detail but seem thrown together to have some kind of action in the book. Some kind of body count.
I understand how Elmore Leonard has mastered his own fictional crime prose but sometimes I think well known authors get lazy in finishing a project strongly.
This was by no means a waste of time to read IMO.
I enjoyed it - no question.
But the ending was lackluster af
I love the backdrop of 1970’s Detroit and Elmore Leonard’s description of the landscape.
The characters Louis, Melanie and Ordell (I had read Rum Punch before and picked this book up not knowing The Switch preceded with those characters.
The dialogue - Elmore Leonard has a knack for writing how people talk, you know, especially with Louis, what’s his last name? Gara? The one that Robert De Niro plays in Jackie Brown (film adaptation of Rum Punch)
I couldn’t help but imagine a younger Robert De Niro as Louis Gara and Samuel L. Jackson as Ordell Robbie.
I enjoy how the novel dresses down some of the upper class suburbs of Detroit. Shallow golf clubs. Whiny kids at Tennis matches.
Elmore Leonard has a unique wit to his writing that i appreciate as well.
But holy shit. What a petering out of an ending.
I felt the book lead up to what was going to happen next and just ends not making much sense and is a big continuity error before rum punch.
Some of the characters in the book are described in detail but seem thrown together to have some kind of action in the book. Some kind of body count.
I understand how Elmore Leonard has mastered his own fictional crime prose but sometimes I think well known authors get lazy in finishing a project strongly.
This was by no means a waste of time to read IMO.
I enjoyed it - no question.
But the ending was lackluster af
August 6, 2015
Fun little crime novel that makes use of the genre and is sociopolitically aware, making it one of Leonard's best.
Before reading, I saw the film adaptation, 'Life of Crime', starring John Hawkes as Louis Gara and yasiin bey (a.k.a. Mos Def) as Ordell Robbie, as well as Jennifer Aniston, Isla Fisher, Tim Robbins, and Mark Boone Junior, and it quickly became one of my favourite films (not great per se, but a thoroughly enjoyable, fun, and hilarious little caper film). However, when reading the novel, although both are very similar and the film (renamed 'Life of Crime' to avoid confusion with the earlier Jennifer Aniston movie 'The Switch') is a very faithful adaptation (helped by the fact that Elmore Leonard always adds a cinematic element to his novels), I was surprised by the social commentary prevalent in 'The Switch' that 'Life of Crime' left out. Leonard really got the essence of the crime novel down, and this book is a reminder of the crime novel's ability to shed a light on the social and political climates of reality and Leonard's mastery of creating colourful stories and characters that all feel as real as friends of the reader. Probably not a five-star novel, but definitely worth more appreciation
Before reading, I saw the film adaptation, 'Life of Crime', starring John Hawkes as Louis Gara and yasiin bey (a.k.a. Mos Def) as Ordell Robbie, as well as Jennifer Aniston, Isla Fisher, Tim Robbins, and Mark Boone Junior, and it quickly became one of my favourite films (not great per se, but a thoroughly enjoyable, fun, and hilarious little caper film). However, when reading the novel, although both are very similar and the film (renamed 'Life of Crime' to avoid confusion with the earlier Jennifer Aniston movie 'The Switch') is a very faithful adaptation (helped by the fact that Elmore Leonard always adds a cinematic element to his novels), I was surprised by the social commentary prevalent in 'The Switch' that 'Life of Crime' left out. Leonard really got the essence of the crime novel down, and this book is a reminder of the crime novel's ability to shed a light on the social and political climates of reality and Leonard's mastery of creating colourful stories and characters that all feel as real as friends of the reader. Probably not a five-star novel, but definitely worth more appreciation
June 12, 2019
Two crooks kidnap a crooked Detroit real estate developer's wife, hoping for a million dollars ransom. They don't figure that he's got a mistress and wants to get rid of her anyway. Or that the wife, tired of her make-believe life of country clubs and tennis, would not want to go home. It's a good story, a page-turner with fully developed characters, rich scenes and realistic dialogue. The one flaw: I found the ending just a bit anticlimactic or rushed – I'd like to have seen some follow-through on the big payback the husband had coming to him. Still, it was a fun ride, and the end does leave for some interesting speculation.
July 14, 2015
It's of course all about the characters, nobody (except Willeford) does them better than Elmore Leonard. Once again it was such a joy to follow their introductions (or audition as Leonard used to call this stage) and further developments. Felt like the author really liked them and had lots of fun with moving them around like figures on the chessboard, disposing them (Marshall) or introducing some new ones (Melanie). My only little criticism would be regarding Frank because he really is a bit too cartoonish and stereotyped asshole yuppie.
Not Leonard's best work but still immensely enjoyable.
Not Leonard's best work but still immensely enjoyable.
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