About this episode

This episode explores Elmore Leonard's 1976 crime novel 'Swag', focusing on the characters' attempts to achieve their American dream through a series of heists.

In this episode, we crack open "Swag" from 1976, one of Elmore Leonard's leanest Detroit crime novels. This caper follows Frank Ryan and Ernest "Stick" Stickley, two likeable rogues from the morally-ambiguous side of the tracks who pair-up with a plan to get rich. As the stick-ups slowly stack up, Leonard dismantles the partnership's illusory hold on their American dream and makes room for hubris and happenstance. So keep your head on a swivel because, like any good con, there's a lot more going on beneath the surface of this pacy tale! FastFacts@8:30; Summary@29:50; PIPES@1:03:20

People in this episode

Host: Lighting the Pipes

Topics covered

• crime novels
• Detroit
• caper story
• American dream
• hubris
• partnership

Keywords

• Elmore Leonard
• Swag
• crime
• Detroit
• caper
• American dream
• hubris
• novel

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Swag

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