52 Pickup

Here's a random choice: 52 Pickup by Elmore Leonard. The reason for me getting this book was basically because I really liked the plot to Tarantino's Jackie Brown and when I heard it was based on a book by Leonard, I figured I'd give him a shot. This was all years ago, and I never got more than 50 pages in- not because I didn't like it, but I suppose I was just busy. You may not have heard of Elmore Leonard, but he seems to be a guy who Hollywood turns to all the time- his Wikipedia page has a list of his novels, as well as a note on which ones were turned into movies- it looks like half of them made the transition. I also figured now would be a good time to finally read one of his books, as I've recently gotten hooked on a tv series one of Leonard's short stories inspired- Justified. So what does 52 Pickup have to offer? It's a pretty simple story- a trio of criminals blackmail a wealthy business owner, claiming they have footage of the affair he just broke off. Needless to say, they picked the wrong guy to fuck with and the protagonist proceeds to make them all look stupid over and over again. It kind of reminded me of Jackie Brown- everyone underestimates the main character who's somehow able to concoct a genius plan right under everyone's noses. While it's not exactly high literature, Elmore Leonard certainly knows his audience. The action starts immediately on page one and the book ends with a single paragraph after the climax- kudos to Leonard for cutting the bullshit and giving people what they wanted. 52 Pickup was picked completely at random but was definitely a fun read, and I'm sure I'll read some more of Leonard's novels in the future.