Episode
Swag (1976)
- Podcast
- Lighting the Pipes
- Published
- Mar 20, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 8434
- Processing state
not_requested- Canonical source
- https://feeds.captivate.fm/lighting-the-pipes/
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Summary
In this episode, we crack open "Swag" from 1976, one of Elmore Leonard's leanest Detroit crime novels. This caper follows Frank Ryan and Ernest "Stick" Stickley, two likeable rogues from the morally-ambiguous side of the tracks who pair-up with a plan to get rich. As the stick-ups slowly stack up, Leonard dismantles the partnership's illusory hold on their American dream and makes room for hubris and happenstance. So keep your head on a swivel because, like any good con, there's a lot more going on beneath the surface of this pacy tale! FastFacts@8:30; Summary@29:50; PIPES@1:03:20