Elmore Leonard: Four Novels of the 1970s (LOA #255): Fifty-Two Pickup / Swag / Unknown Man No. 89 / The Switch (Library of America Elmore Leonard Edition)

The Library of America has selected another 20th century crime writer, after Chandler, Hammett, and Goodis, for a selected works publication: Elmore Leonard has joined the club. An acceptable choice.All 4 novels in this 1970s volume are set in Detroit. The volume begins with '52 Pickup', from 1974. Main character is an entrepreneur in car part fabrication, a solid family man in his forties. Business is a struggle. At home things seem to be ok. The marriage is doing fine, but still... He cheats. He gets blackmailed. He tries to be smart, but the bad boys up the ante... So does their victim. A power game begins. Violence occurs.The story has been filmed with Roy Scheider, not too successfully.Next comes 'Swag', 1976. A car salesman and a car thief get together for a start up venture in armed robbery. They succeed, for a while. They are tempted by hubris and want to upgrade their enterprise for higher harvests. They team up with others, and things go down the drain. They learn to their disadvantage that one should always listen to instincts which tell you to get out of there, and that it is better to stick to one's personal Ten Commandments.Then 'Unknown Man No.89', 1977. A professional process server gets hired by a shady character to find an even shadier one, allegedly for the purpose of good news. The case stinks, but our man is tempted by the promise of high reward. One search leads to another, and the man finds himself, a bit unexpectedly, concerned on a personal basis. He shows human feelings. The story is a little slow in building up, but reaches moments of high suspense.Then 'The Switch', 1978. Rich man's wife gets kidnapped for ransom. Things don't go as planned. The goons hadn't done their market research and misunderstood the lay of the land. The marriage was on the rocks from page 1 onwards. A film was made with Jennifer Aniston and Tim Robbins, called Life of Crime, not a great success. Frankly, that is not surprising. The novel doesn't make good use of a good idea, so why should the movie?Leonard developed a dry, sarcastic, but moderate tone for his crime tales. No hilarious rambunctiousness, no madhouse fun. Just relaxed, matter of fact understatement, using short, precise language. There is no flourishing description. Things are done or said. Things happen. Brilliant economy of words. People are not described much, except through the eyes of others. Leonard had a peculiar way of shifting the perspective from one person to the other. A key word for Leonard's moral stance: ambiguity. His protagonists are rarely quite sure about their values and preferences. That adds a nice touch of unpredictability.

4 Leonard novels in one book from Library of America - it doesn’t get better - unless you get the complete set.

These four novels by Elmore Leonard reinvented the crime novel. No one possessed a deeper gift for black humored irony, a sharper ear for dialogue, or the sheer ability to create believable plots out of elaborate "cons" than did Elmore Leonard. Leonard's world of petty criminals, plucky housewives shine brightly in the world of contemporary literature.Fifty Two Pickup features a philandering businessman who gets in over his head with a murderous crew of blackmailers Leonard leaves the resolution in doubt throughout the novel.Swag is a comic view of two hedonistic armed robbers in search of the good lif. Swag introduces the not-too bright Ernest Stickley, a n anti-hero Leonard will return to in later novels like Road Dogs..The Switch features one of EL's most finely drawn comic heroines as she turns the tables on her would-be kidnappers and her ex-husband alike.

this first in a projected three volume summary of elmore leonard's novels is crime writing at a high level. known especially for his characterizations and dialog, leonard from the first shows a rare mastery of plot and detail as well. personally, i found "switch", about an upper class housewife whose kidnapping uncorks her feminist rebirth, amusing but not really convincing in its central character. on the other hand, "swag" is a tremendously funny, wittily observed story of two crooks, one of them smart enough to get both of them out of almost any scrape, and the other one dumb enough to test those limits. "52 pickup" and "unknown man #89" are also very good, if not quite up to the unique genius of "swag".

The most interesting thing about the four novels is the detail, which serve as a kind of time capsule. The sofas are "davenports." Cars have floor starter buttons and running boards. Elevators have human operators, but a few are "automatic." A local pay phone call is five cents. Hotel rooms - every good ones - are very cheap. Everyone smokes all the time. There are no freeways in L.A.The plots are formalistic and the stories improbable, with an unrealistic abundance of almost daily shootouts. But the dialogue makes it all worthwhile and all four novels are a very good read.

I think these are some of the best of Leonard's books, and this is a great collection. Very nice edition.

I'm biased. The Library of America editions are beautifully done, include noted and timelines relative to the author and the novels. I own tons of LOA titles and I prefer them over any other publisher. You can buy the same 4 novels separately for about the same price. But here you get a nice hardcover, sewn-in bookmark, biographical notes and chronology of the author from accomplished academics, researchers, editors, historians, etc. Id rather have these additions.

This edition, published by The Library of America, has beautifully sewn bindings using acid-free paper for withstanding generations of wear. This Four Novel set by Elmore Leonard was selected as a tribute to his work from the 1970's. I have not been able to put it down. I find I am sorry to reach the end of each of his stories.

One of the most respected writers of crime gets to be enshrined in the LOA manner,a true honour,showing his status.Among his many novels in more than one genre,we have four classics gathered here,of the noir/crime variety.Lovers of crime fiction need not hesitate,this a a nicely bound and presented collection,worth every penny.More great books like this are to be found in the LOA noir collections vols 1 and 2,the David Goodis set,and of course Hammett and Chandler get their chance!Put on your trenchcoat,take a pull at that cigarette,down a quick bourbon,and pull down your fedora,a rough ,tough ride lies ahead!

Style, humour intelligence, des intrigues contemporaines, bref de l'Elmore Leonard. L'édition de la librairy of america est compact, soignée et robuste.

Great stories, great author, great condition.

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