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
More episodes of Lighting the Pipes
- The Leavenworth Case (1878) · May 27, 2026 · 2h 39m
- Where the Body Was (2023) · May 7, 2026 · 1h 48m
- LTP 007: Death is Forever (1992) · April 30, 2026 · 1h 39m
- Assignment Sorrento Siren (1963) · April 22, 2026 · 1h 31m
- He Who Whispers (1946) w/ The Book Graveyard · April 7, 2026 · 2h 60m
- The Adventure of the Egyptian Tomb (1923) · March 27, 2026 · 54 min
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Lighting the Pipes podcast page.