In 1992 the Mystery Writers of America made Elmore Leonard a Grand Master; the award "is presented only to individuals who, by a lifetime of achievement, have proved themselves preeminent in the craft of the mystery and dedicated to the advancement of the genre."  Perhaps none of his novels better exemplifies why he won this honor than Ryan's Rules (which was later renamed Swag).

Frank Ryan is a mildly honest used car salesman, but he thinks he's come up with a surefire way to get rich quick.  So when Ernest Stickley, Jr. tries brazening his way out of the lot after Ryan catches him boosting a car, Frank decides to play dumb at the trial and Stick skips.  Ryan explains his plan:

    Stick...I'm talking about simple everyday armed robbery.  Supermarkets, bars, liquor stores, gas
    stations, that kind of place.  Statistics show--man, I'm not just saying it, the statistics
    show--armed robbery pays the most for the least amount of risk.  Now, you ready for this?  I see
    how two guys who know what they're doing and're businesslike about it,; who're frank with
    each other and earnest about their work, can pull down three to five grand a week.

And Frank doesn't just have a plan, he also has 10 rules for success and happiness, Ryan's Rules:

    1.  Always be polite on the job.  Say please and thank you.
    2.  Never say more than necessary.
    3.  Never call your partner by name--unless you use a made-up name.
    4.  Dress Well.  never look suspicious or like a bum.
    5.  Never use your own car. (Details to come.)
    6. Never count the take in the car.
    7.  Never flash money in a bar or with women.
    8. Never go back to an old bar or hangout once you have moved up.
    9.  Never tell anyone your business.  Never tell a junkie even your name.
    10. Never associate with people known to be in crime.

For a while, the two are able to follow the plan and the rules and they are extremely successful.  In one of the best bits in the book, they go into a bar and when someone else robs it, they rob the robber.  But, inevitably, the rules start falling by the wayside and when they see a chance for a big score, the rules go out the window, with predictably disastrous results.

Elmore Leonard novels can be like popcorn, you start consuming them by the handful, and there is a tendency to experience deja vu if you read too many too close together.  I also think he became too dialogue dependent in his middle years, after receiving near universal acknowledgment as the best writer of dialogue in the business.   But, perhaps because it was written relatively early in his career, Swag stands out as a great crime novel.  Leonard obviously liked it too; he brought Stick back in an eponymous novel, that's also pretty good.

(Reviewed:)

Grade: (A)

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