52 Pickup

He's being blackmailed, and if he puts even one foot wrong, it'll mean that his wife sees the film. Or could it mean something even darker, like murder? Fifty-Two Pickup is a gripping, chilling and exciting novel and totally unpredictable. It's got interesting characters, a good plot and it's really worth reading. I read 52 Pickup as a monthly read in the Pulp Fiction group here on Goodreads and I'm really glad I decided to participate.

This was such a well crafted and well written crime story. The characters and their actions were realistic and it didn't come across as "phony" or one-dimensional as often these "We picked the wrong guy," Leo Frank said. The characters and their actions were realistic and it didn't come across as "phony" or one-dimensional as often these tales are. I have not seen the film adaptation and will probably skip it as I always believe books are superior to the film in most instances.

I just read on Wikipedia that this film was set in L. I loved the early 's seedy Detroit setting full of porn theaters and nude bars amongst the industrial landscape. Los Angeles would not be an adequate substitution. It just wouldn't be the same. My one complaint was view spoiler [towards the end when Harry left his wife alone at home all day even after the thugs broke into his house TWICE.

How could he even believe she was safe?? I was pissed at Harry when she was kidnapped. He should have moved her away from danger. This resulted in not being about to find the book on their computer database at first try.

I had to search by author. From my quick internet research the title could have changed when the film was made in ? Not sure if that is correct It all started with Timothy Olyphant: He's also my latest mid-life crisis, as anyone who gets my updates will know. That series is based on characters created by Elmore Leonard, and specifically a short story called "Fire in the Hole".

So after watching 2 seasons of Justified all in the course of 3 weeks, but who's counting? I vaguely remembered that the movies Get Shorty and Out of Sight were based on his books, but until It all started with Timothy Olyphant: I vaguely remembered that the movies Get Shorty and Out of Sight were based on his books, but until I searched him here on GR I had no freaking idea how many books this dude has churned out.

And how many Hollywood had adapted: One title in particular stood out: I think that was the movie with Roy Scheider and Ann-Margret in it. Oh, somebody stop me. Anyhoo, the memory of how much I liked Roy Scheider is what compelled me to pick this up, and am I ever glad I did.

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This book was fabulous, for more than one reason. It was written in I LOVE detective books written ages ago. They seem grittier, and a whole lot more entertaining to me for some reason. There's a much bigger sense of urgency to the bad guys having your wife when all you can do is dial a rotary dial phone and listen to it ring, and ring, and ring Strip clubs, rose wine being classy and afternoons at the club playing tennis seems so cool somehow.

And having your kids in university and being considered middle-aged at 42 seems, I dunno, normal. Even the amount that Harry is being blackmailed for works and is where the name of the book comes from. I think Elmore Leonard is famous for the dialogue in his books. If he's not, boy, he should be. I don't even know how to describe it - spare, tight, laconic, are words that come to mind. At times laugh out loud funny, and always, with every character, REAL. These are people you know. Leonard has a gift for giving his characters a voice and using turns of phrase that bring them to life.

At the time he didn't know about us, but now he does. He said, "He knows about you two. He don't know about me. That's why you're going to have to do it. You can walk up to him, shake hands and blow him away. Man won't even know what hit him. I vaguely remembered it from the movie but not enough to ruin the way Leonard wound his way through the con, all the double-crosses and the fix. Throw in a brewing scrap with a union boss that includes firebombing a car that would ONLY have been possible in the 70s for good measure and you have a superbly entertaining, hard-boiled crime novel.

As a lazy skim-reader hooked on historical romances I'm accustomed to characters with verbal diarrhea, endless navel-gazing and wading through detailed descriptions of clothing, not to mention 10 page love scenes. This book was a tightly plotted, refreshing treat. I don't know that I would want a steady diet of Leonard's work, but I sure enjoyed the bit that I've tasted.

View all 13 comments. My first mystery read in a long long time warrants a biased review at that. He encounters trouble with a few blackmailers who threaten to expose his dalliance if he doesn't pay up the ransom they demand.

The rest of the novel 4-star Review: The rest of the novel depicts an intelligently woven series of bluff, negotiations, betrayal, and ultimately, redemption. This novel screams quintessential Hollywood mystery flick - to an extent that I could literally visualise the scenes playing out in my mind crisply directed and all that. It gave me the typical Fight Club vibes from the word go. The dialogues were also hardcore American, see for yourself: Keep your head on, man.

Everything will be cool. Go west to Seventy-five. Try us one more time. I think you going to dig this trip. Shit, you know as well as I do who done it. Source I especially enjoyed the pace of the novel, it kept me on my toes at all times. Couple that with a gripping mystery and you have a fan in me. I gather from other reviews that this isn't the author's best works, so I'm sure to pick up more of his novels to get an occasional American respite from all that conventional Old English I immerse myself in.

You could add to that, maybe, a book of his that was made into a movie. This book doesn't disappoint. Not as tightly plotted as, say a Westlake book, but moves along.

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Oct 30, Steve rated it liked it Shelves: This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This was a 5 star thriller that fell apart at the end. Great dialogue, great characters, with crime, adultery, and porn spicing the stew. It's also one of Leonard's most brutal novels. There is one murder that is just shocking, but there is also the suggestion of sodomized rape as part of a kidnapping. You really hate the bad guys in this one. The hero, Harry Mitchell, is standard flaw This was a 5 star thriller that fell apart at the end.

The hero, Harry Mitchell, is standard flawed good guy stuff. He's doing a slow burn while dealing with his problem -- which is his own doing, a twist for Leonard fans. The ramifications of this problem, Harry's adultery, and how it touches and ends! The exchanges between Harry and Barbara, Mitchell's wife, are a good showcase for those that appreciate Leonard's mastery of dialogue. But what makes them a bit different than other Leonard exchanges, is that the topic is adultery, and how a married couple tries to deal with betrayal and damaged love.

It's not just that it's something of a disappointing demise for the main bad guy. You'd like to see Harry do something with drills and blowtorches. No, the ending is just clumsy and from a writing view point, not well executed. And, perhaps worse, just not believable. The exchange or the obviously ironic "pickup" or payoff , is so clunky, that no bad guy, especially a Leonard bad guy, would of been fooled. But maybe that's the point, there is no neat package of an ending, since Harry's "mistake" was the first domino. He will have to live with the damage he has caused, especially to his wife and his dead lover the rest of his life.

View all 4 comments. My reading of an Elmore Leonard book was a long time coming.

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And what a nice one to start with. While the subplots do get in the way of the main story "wife deals with husband's infidelity" and "union manager uses thug before contract talks" add very little in comparison to what they subtract from the book , this w My reading of an Elmore Leonard book was a long time coming. While the subplots do get in the way of the main story "wife deals with husband's infidelity" and "union manager uses thug before contract talks" add very little in comparison to what they subtract from the book , this worked wonderfully for a quick read.

And yes, Leonard does know how to write natural dialogue without dialect. While it may not be as artsy as Hubert Selby Jr who really works hard on his dialogue or as comical as Chuck Palahniuk, Elmore Leonard's dialogue is a must for any aspiring writer. First off, it's simple. Second, the tricks that are used dropping a word to demonstrate a person's education level, but no need to misspell any words are used economically and effectively.

Truly, read any dialogue heavy section in this book and you will have a bachelor's in finding voice for characters, correct use of the word "said", writing dialect without dialect, subtext, and so much more. No doubt there are other books of his that have better stories, better examples of dialogue or are more entertaining, but if you don't know where to start, 52 Pickup is a great choice.

Sep 08, Tony rated it it was amazing Shelves: He has to face the music with his wife, but he also has to face the scheme of a bunch of kidnappers and extortionists.

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Our businessman is an ex-Air Force member who has learned how to stay alive under the worst conditions, and puts his skills at logic and obfuscation to good use to get himself and his wife out of trouble. If you have not read Leonard before, you are in for a treat. When his adulterous affair is caught on tape by the three men, Harry Mitchell is forced to either pay up one hundred thousand dollars or deal with the consequences.

If you know Elmore Leonard novels, then you know that there is only one choice for Mitchell. Also, the ending was a letdown and abrupt. The "Dutch" man always delivers. One cheating spouse and three blackmailers with a reel of film containing enough Kodak moments to make even Bill Clinton blush and that's only the beginning. This was made into two movies. One the lesser known The Ambassador and the Roy Scheider flick.

Talk about Blue Thunder Sep 22, N. I decided to become a fan of Elmore Leonard after realizing that many entertaining movies I've seen have come from his books Get Shorty, Jackie Brown, Hombre. This novel was also made into a movie, though I haven't seen it yet. What I really enjoyed about this book was that dialogue plays a key role in character development, a great technique for "showing not telling" as we writers are so often advised. And, as with practically all of Leonard's crime books, police and law enforcement play no rol I decided to become a fan of Elmore Leonard after realizing that many entertaining movies I've seen have come from his books Get Shorty, Jackie Brown, Hombre.

And, as with practically all of Leonard's crime books, police and law enforcement play no role, or are only minor, the protagonists and villains battle it out and outwit each other all on their own. It's a style that is a trademark of this author. I'll be reading more of this author down the line. One of Elmore's best in my opinion, and dead-on Mr. Joe Average gets mixed up with dumb criminals, almost loses everything, but straightens out the bad guys in a super-exciting big finish. A successful businessman has an affair and the girl sets him up with her criminal associates for blackmail and extortion.

Businessman is a former combat pilot and -- like all great Leonard heroes -- refuses to take shit from anybody. Look out One of Elmore's best in my opinion, and dead-on Mr. Look out bad guys. Read this novel is two seatings and couldn't wait for the ending, which we knew would involve a previously mentioned box of dynamite. Jun 21, Johnny rated it liked it Shelves: If Elmore Leonard is the greatest living thriller writer as I am told on the back cover of this novel , then I must be tremendously unappreciative.

But how he pays and what happens as a result of his attempt to right his life becomes the stuff of the book.

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Throughout this novel, one keeps getting surprises about the protagonist. Then, one discovers something about his war record that makes sense. The crimes themselves are presented in a gritty, sometimes stomach-revolting manner. The criminals usually have primarily a mercenary motive for the crimes not usually any complex psychological issues, but sometimes some nasty psychological compulsions like addiction, misogyny, or a penchant for underage or kinky sex. Yet, the criminals often have the kind of hubris one sees in Greek tragedy, that prideful, overconfident flaw that keeps you wondering just where they might slip up.

Whether Leonard intends to send the plot through that opening or not, is always up in the air. Sure, the waves pick you up and give you a fast ride, but there is a smelly, polluted undertow that keeps trying to drag you under. As you read along without being dragged under, you sometimes have a triumphant feel of superiority over the low-life denizens of this murky depth who instigated the events of the story and sometimes find yourself shaking your head with regard to how humans find themselves in untenable situations. I wish I could plot like he does.

I feel like the rest of the writing would come easy from those master wireframe sculptures of wild twists, coincidences, and turns. Flawed but highly readable early crime thriller by the daddy of naturalistic dialogue Local businessman Harry Mitchell is the respectable, hard-working boss of a small Detroit engineering company. Happily married to his wife Barbara for twenty-two years, he has a mid-life crisis affair with a young model from a nudie bar. The main s Flawed but highly readable early crime thriller by the daddy of naturalistic dialogue Local businessman Harry Mitchell is the respectable, hard-working boss of a small Detroit engineering company.

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The main storyline is about how Mitchell handles his predicament. As you would expect from Leonard, even though this was one of his earlier books written in the 70s, it cracks along at a fair old pace. Try the Kindle edition and experience these great reading features: Share your thoughts with other customers. Write a customer review.

Read reviews that mention elmore leonard harry mitchell leonard novels hard to put believable characters bad guys happily married twists and turns written in the early crime novels detroit businessman years ago leonard at his best leonard books wrong guy great dialogue leonard novel leonard fans early leonard always a good. Showing of 96 reviews. Top Reviews Most recent Top Reviews. There was a problem filtering reviews right now.

Please try again later. Exposes the Dark Side of Humanity. I loved the book AND the movie. Sleazy characters in Detroit can't get any lower. A Snail has more value than some of the characters in this story. Elmore Leonard is a master at telling a story around gritty, believable characters. The story centers around 3 low-lifes picking a flawed man, Harry Mitchell, to blackmail. They picked the wrong guy from start to finish. About the movie, never tire of seeing the beautiful Ann-Margret. Elmore Leonard's "Hombre" both the novel and the movie. I bought both books used from Amazon.

Kindle Edition Verified Purchase. The story is plausible. It mixes the seedy side of 's Detroit with the upper middle class life of a manufacturing executive. This executive, Harry Mitchell, like many of Leonard's other character has more to him than is readily apparent. His past as a decorated fighter pilot who is discharged for defending himself against friendly fire comes in handy as he handles his predicament with blackmailing criminals without the aid of the authorities. The story also features a very strong woman in a relationship with Mitchell.

Despite a one-time cheating incident, their marriage emerges stronger than ever and is ultimately the catalyst in Mitchell resolving his situation. Once again, after the final action, the outcome and consequences to the main characters are left up to the reader's imagination.

This was an enjoyable read. One of the fun parts about reading earlier Elmore Leonard books is that so many of them were made into films. So you can picture the wonderful characters that he created, and then see how the movie was cast and imagine what you would have done--lots of fun! Even though I had seen the film version almost 30 years ago and remembered that it starred Roy Scheider and Ann-Margret, I didn't remember the rest of the cast, which included Kelly Preston before she met John Travolta and Vanity in two smaller but important and perfectly cast roles.

The film had very mixed reviews, I imagine because of the production credits the producers were a bit of a joke in the film business at that time , but that didn't influence Roger Ebert, who loved the film for its fantastic character development. Leonard--superbly developed characters, and an opportunity to meet people that you will probably never encounter in your life. In other words, a perfect escape from reality into a different world, but one that you can imagine is true.

The plot is not very original, but satisfying none-the-less. A very good read John Steppling Elmore Leonard. Retrieved February 16, Retrieved July 12, Thumbs Up - Los Angeles Times". Film Noir Idea Gone Gray". Retrieved on March 25, Works by Elmore Leonard. Joe Kidd Mr.