Customer Reviews

The Switch (Thorndike Press Large Print Paperback Series)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is possibly the most enjoyable Leonard novel I have read. It really is superb, mixing violence and humour to great effect. The story is streamlined, with no unnecessary characters or plotlines, and the jokes are very funny. The ending is especially enjoyable, the type of ending you wish for but know that the author won't deliver...unless it's Elmore Leonard. It really ties things up nicely, and there's not a cliche or stereotype to be seen. That's what makes Leonard so enjoyable...it's believable people doing believable things. Funny, clever, engrossing. I couldn't put it down, and that's a cliche I don't mind using...

For anyone who saw "Jackie Brown" or read the Leonard novel on which it's based, "Rum Punch," try to get your hands on this far superior first-appearance of the loveable criminal trio, Ordell Robbie, Luis Gaza, and "that fine big woman," Melanie.

This simple story of a loveless marriage whose seams truly start showing when the docile, country club wife, Mickey is kidnapped by Ordell and Luis is good, solid, 70's era Leonard. Mickey's marriage is many ways a mirror image of the married couple at the center of Leonard's previous "marital troubles cum crim" novel, "52 Pickup." Her husband is a brute who flies to the Bahamas to dally with his street savvy mistress, Melanie, a day before he serves Mickey a divorce summons.

The husband's refusal to pay ransom becomes the epiphany for the mouselike Mickey's transformation into the smart, independent woman--in some ways, she is the chrystalis for a whole series of strong female Leonard heroines who appear in later novels.

If the story sounds like the movie "Ruthless People," you can bet that the movie was probably based in part on this novel. In fact, in the vastly inferior sequel, "Rum Punch," the characters allude to the movie when recalling the events that happened in "The Switch." Frankly, the criminal trio is much more appealing here than they were in "Punch," when they became more violent, more hardened, and more cliched.

While not the best of his classic 70's novels, "The Switch" is definitely top-drawer Leonard, filled with the same sharp dialogue that has been his stock in trade for more than forty years. If you like "The Switch," I recommend you seek out "52 Pickup" and compare the ways Leonard explores the "criminal" aspects of infidelity.

than Leonard's usual. But of course, that's still high praise, given that he's far and away the best crime writer of this or any other generation. The first two-thirds of the way through I was captivated, enthralled, wondering why this one, like so many others, hadn't already spawned a blockbuster movie. As the remaining pages grew thinner and thinner, though, I had my answer: an anticlimactic ending in which Leonard just seemed to run out of gas. Nonetheless, if you've read the others you should certainly read this--a 4-star effort from Elmore Leonard still beats the best that anyone else working in the genre today can muster.

After encountering Ordell Robbie and Louie Gara in the book Rum Punch, I was greatly pleased when I found them in this previous book. Leonard makes his people real and the plots are entirely plausible.The dialogue is crisp and to the point.You feel that Robbie is someone you've met on the street. This the strength of Leonard's writing.The ending is a hoot, but predictable.

I think elmore has written a brilliant-fast pace and exciting story -very mutch like many of his books.

Another great read set in Detorit with the usual creative slick and crooked characters. The dialogue is the best, as always. He makes it look so easy. A joy to read!

This was the third Elmore Leonard book that I had read, Glitz and Killshot being the first two. I thought Glitz was ok, but not great. I thought Killshot started well, but went astray in the middle. The Switch was better throughout than either of the other two. Leonard writes very good dialog and in The Switch, it was very good indeed. In Killshot, it had seemed a little too self-conscious, like he was trying to show "see, I can write good dialog." But in The Switch, it was handled quite well.

His characterization is a little uneven. The bad guys are pretty well fleshed-out. The mistress is brought to life and is one of the best examples of his writing skill. The wife is ok,but a bit like a stereotype. The husband is completely a stereotype as are the members of the country club.

The plot is decent, though the last 30 or so pages are a bit hard to believe, especially the ending. It's cute, but there are holes large enough to drive a truck through.
Still, I think it was an enjoyable read. I bought Split Images at the same time and have yet to read it, so I am curious to see if I can find two 4-star books from him as Glitz was 3-stars and Killshot, more like two.

yes, finally an Elmore Leonard book that is as good as it gets, AND has a brilliant ending... I always smile thinking about it...
endings are one of the (if not the only) weak point of Leonard... his books are so good and compelling that the endings tend to be anticlimatic...
this one though... oh, my!!!
just amazing!!!

Before you read Rum Punch, read this, and you'll find a pleasent surprise. thought the characters were great and the suspense was excellent. The only bad thing about it was the part where raping almost occurs.

This was the first Leonard novel I've read, and I was disappointed. Maybe it's his reputation as being such a great crime writer, but the plot seemed familiar (i.e. the movie "Ruthless People" and others) and it ran out of steam at the end. I liked some of the characterization and some specific scenes, but it wasn't a great book.