"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal." -- Matthew 6:19
Following a most unusual introduction to one another, a used car salesman, Frank Ryan, and an incorrigible car thief, Ernest Stickley, team up to make armed robbery safe and profitable by following the rules that Ryan swears by. Soon they are living the high life while doing relatively few heists to pay for it all. With time, their confidence grows . . . and so do their targets. Can they succeed in taking down one of Detroit's biggest businesses?
As in all of Elmore Leonard's crime stories about Detroit, his leading hooligans are more hapless than dangerous (except perhaps to themselves), stupid while thinking they are very smart, and trusting where they shouldn't be. If you are thinking about leading a life of crime, don't do what these guys do!
The story has a nice pace to it that makes the action move along at a good speed while adding complications without overly weighing down the plot.
While there are relatively few gut-busting funny parts, the overall humor level is quite good and will keep you smiling virtually from beginning to end.
