Ordell Robbie and Louis Gara hit it off in prison, where they were both doing time for grand theft auto. Now that they're out, they're joining forces for one big score. The plan is to kidnap the wife of a wealthy Detroit developer and hold her for ransom. But they didn't figure the lowlife husband wouldn't want his lady back. So it's time for Plan B and the opportunity to make a real killing -- with the unlikely help of a beautiful, ticked-off housewife who's hungry for a large helping of sweet revenge.
The Switch
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Review
“The greatest crime writer of our time, perhaps ever!” (The New York Times Book Review )
“An absolute master.” (The Detroit News )
“An absolute master.” (The Detroit News )
From the Back Cover
Ordell Robbie and Louis Gara hit it off in prison, where they were both doing time for grand theft auto. Now that they're out, they're joining forces for one big score. The plan is to kidnap the wife of a wealthy Detroit developer and hold her for ransom. Looks good until they learn the lowlife husband doesn't want his wife back. So it's time for Plan B and the opportunity to make a real killing—with the unlikely help of a beautiful, ticked-off housewife who's hungry for a large helping of sweet revenge.
--This text refers to the Paperback edition.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
By "jac348"
Format:Mass Market Paperback
Elmore Leonard does it again, with this hip tale of a kidnapping gone horribly right. Crisp dialogue, smartly paced action, great characters. It's unpredictable but always believable. It's Elmore at his finest.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
The Switch by Leonard has the base storyline use in the great 80s hit film "Ruthless People" with Danny Devito. Two hapless criminals kidnap the wife of a rich man and demand ransom- ransom he does not want to pay as they are embroiled in divorce proceedings. Set in the tony country club world of suburban Detroit this is classic Leonard. Wry, dry, ironic, funny and yet poignant at times. His characters come to life and stay with you.
Louis and his fellow ex-con buddy Ordell, re-team up in Rum Punch- the book another film was based on- "Jackie Brown".
Read a couple of Leonard novels and you will be coming back for more and more!
Louis and his fellow ex-con buddy Ordell, re-team up in Rum Punch- the book another film was based on- "Jackie Brown".
Read a couple of Leonard novels and you will be coming back for more and more!
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
This gripping crime story is about two wealthy and two ambitious pairs of people in Motown, Detroit in the late 1970's. Real estate developer Frank and his cute wife Margaret ("Mickey") have been married for 15 years, but cracks are appearing. Frank is drinking too much, verbally abusive and not always where he claims to be. Mickey is a sweet, non-confrontational, faithful wife devoting much of her time to their 13-year old son Bo, a tennis talent. She is a tennis mom.
Ordell Robbie (OR) gives his old friend Louis Gara (LG) a tour of Detroit when he is released from prison to show him what is new, incl. the derelict tenements renovated with his help. OR supplied much of the building materials and appliances by arranging them to be stolen from other building sites. He has done pretty well over the years and thinks he can do still better. He knows the man he deals with in his materials racket is a straw man. The real big man is not on any billboard or letterhead, but taking monthly trips to the Bahamas to move a small fortune from his cash-paying renters beyond the grasp of the tax authorities.
OR and LG agree simple blackmail is not enough to force the tycoon to turn over a cool million to them. So they decide to kidnap his wife. And she is Mickey...
Will it work? How will she react? Will Frank pay? How will the crime duo's third accomplice, an American neo-Nazi, perform?
Elmore Leonard (EL) is a superlative writer. He combines a deep fascination with senseless violence, human stupidity and doomed individual ambition with awesome plotting skills and dialogues. His often sorry protagonists come across as completely authentic. He has rightly been called the Grand Master of American crime writing. Every one of his books (many turned into Hollywood films) is a great work of entertainment and a study of America's underclass.
Ordell Robbie (OR) gives his old friend Louis Gara (LG) a tour of Detroit when he is released from prison to show him what is new, incl. the derelict tenements renovated with his help. OR supplied much of the building materials and appliances by arranging them to be stolen from other building sites. He has done pretty well over the years and thinks he can do still better. He knows the man he deals with in his materials racket is a straw man. The real big man is not on any billboard or letterhead, but taking monthly trips to the Bahamas to move a small fortune from his cash-paying renters beyond the grasp of the tax authorities.
OR and LG agree simple blackmail is not enough to force the tycoon to turn over a cool million to them. So they decide to kidnap his wife. And she is Mickey...
Will it work? How will she react? Will Frank pay? How will the crime duo's third accomplice, an American neo-Nazi, perform?
Elmore Leonard (EL) is a superlative writer. He combines a deep fascination with senseless violence, human stupidity and doomed individual ambition with awesome plotting skills and dialogues. His often sorry protagonists come across as completely authentic. He has rightly been called the Grand Master of American crime writing. Every one of his books (many turned into Hollywood films) is a great work of entertainment and a study of America's underclass.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great fun
Part buddy comedy, part Doll's House, this book is a page turning delight.
In this short breezy read, Elmore Leonard gets right into the action by introducing us to... Read more
In this short breezy read, Elmore Leonard gets right into the action by introducing us to... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Steve Reina
3.0 out of 5 stars
Average to below average Elmore Leonard
The Switch is one of Elmore Leonard's lesser known novels and with good reason. His best work ranks with any of the hard-boiled crime novels ever written. Read more
Published 4 months ago by John Martin
5.0 out of 5 stars
<3 Elmore
One of my favorites of elmore leonard's early novels. It zips along with great pace and humor as the plot unfolds. Recommended
Published 8 months ago by Edinburrower
3.0 out of 5 stars
Kidnapped Wife Finds Herself
Two small time hoods decide they can get away with kidnapping the wife of a wealthy businessman and scoring $1,000,000 ransom. Read more
Published on March 8, 2009 by Michael L. Slavin
1.0 out of 5 stars
Slow, terse, and unfocused
Slow, terse, and unfocused. Elmore Leonard's 'The Switch' is one of his more convoluted works. A testament to late `70's upper-crust living and a some shady characters quick-money... Read more
Published on August 28, 2008 by Steve Bradford
4.0 out of 5 stars
Elmore's best ending...
This book was just okay for Elmore (which is still pretty damn good by anyone elses standards) but I found the ending paid off well - I should have seen it coming, but I didn't!
Published on December 17, 2006 by Dennis J. Presiloski
2.0 out of 5 stars
Uninspired, Formulaic
I really like Elmore Leonard and have enjoyed and respected much of his work. But when reading this book I felt that Elmore had really mailed it in this time. Read more
Published on February 27, 2006 by E. Baker
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not as good as Leonard usually writes
This one just seemed rushed to me. Usually when I read Leonard, I end up feeling like one of the characters. Read more
Published on February 20, 2006 by Snappy
4.0 out of 5 stars
LINDA from NY
I haven't read a book in probably 5 years (having 2 children in that time frame will do that) but I was to pass this book along to my husband from his brother and wound up opening... Read more
Published on February 1, 2005 by Linda
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Switch
New York Times best selling author of Tishomingo Blues, Elmore Leonard, writes the story The Switch. Read more
Published on October 14, 2004 by Laura
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