Always wanted to read this -- I've heard it described
elsewhere as maybe the best book ever written on armed
robbery. I think it might be.
It's kind of a strange book, when taken in the context of
Leonard's work. It's not nearly so tightly plotted as some of
his later stories (or hell, as some of his earlier stories,
like VALDEZ IS COMING). Rather, until the final third it's
mainly a series of vignettes charting the course of Stick and
his partner Ryan as they come up with an armed robbery scheme
and put it into play. One gets a sense of the freedom these
guys feel, the occasional moments of terror, even the greed.
The tempo of the book, until the climax, is lazy, sort of
drifting, which may well be true to life.
(It struck me that the book's out of date in some respects.
Nowadays, what with security cameras behind every wall --
does your local TV news have a kind of
"Crimestoppers" report where you see some poor schmuck trying
to rob a convenience store? -- I doubt these guys would have
the string of luck now they had back then in the
mid-Seventies.)
Anyhow, definitely recommended if you find a copy.
doug
===== Doug Bassett
dj_bassett@yahoo.com
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