‘The Switch’ by Elmore Leonard
‘The Switch’ was first published in 1978 and consciously reflects the times in choice of language and setting. But it’s a good story, and I couldn’t put it down.
Ordell Robbie and his friend Louis Gara, who has just come out of prison, kidnap the wife of a wealthy but uninterested businessman, for a million-dollar ransom. They decide to kidnap the dolly-bird wife of a local businessman, but their plans run into a problem when he makes it obvious they’ve done him a favour, for which he has no intention of rewarding them with a ransom payment.
Along the way Ordell gets a soft spot for the jilted wife, so when the Nazi hard-nut Robbie has hired tries to rape her things turn nasty. Meanwhile the protagonists have to work out how to get out of the situation and hopefully make some money.
Leonard’s writing is vivid, colourful and makes for a good read. Like me, you may find yourself reading his books for the next few months. Robbie and Ordell actually pop up again, thirteen years later, in Rum Punch – made into the film ‘Jackie Brown’ by Quentin Tarrantino.
Recommended.