Swag is a crime novel by Elmore Leonard

Elmore Leonard

Elmore John Leonard Jr. , better known as Elmore Leonard, is an American novelist and screenwriter. His earliest published novels in the 1950s were westerns, but Leonard went on to specialize in crime fiction and suspense thrillers, many of which have been adapted into motion pictures.Among his...

, first published as a paperback in 1976 and since also released as a large print hardcover and as an audio recording. Some paperback editions, including the first American edition, were published under the alternative title of Ryan's Rules (which is also the name of a 1996 Mills & Boon

Mills & Boon

Mills & Boon is a British publisher of romance novels. It was founded in 1908, and was independent until its purchase in 1971 by Harlequin Enterprises with whom the company had had a long informal partnership...

 romance novel by Alison Kelly).

Ernest Stickley, Jr. reappears in Stick.

Plot summary

Frank Ryan is an almost honest used car salesman, who after deliberately not testifying against car thief Ernest "Stick" Stickley, Jr., thinks of a foolproof plan for them to perform armed robberies.
The plan is about simple everyday armed robbery. Supermarkets, bars, liquor stores, gas stations, etc. Because the statistics prove that this armed robbery pays the most for the least amount of risk. They start their business and earn three to five grand a week.
To prevent getting caught Frank introduces 10 golden rules for successful armed robbery:

1. Always be polite on the job and say please and thank you
2. Never say more than necessary
3. Never call your partner by name-unless you use a made-up name
4. Never look suspicious or like a bum and dress well
5. Never use your own car
6. Never count the take in the car
7. Never flash money in a bar or with women
8. Never go back to an old bar or hangout once you have moved up
9. Never tell anyone your business and never tell a junkie even your name
10. Never associate with people known to be in crime

For awhile, Frank and Stick are able to follow the rules and the plan and they are extremely successful. They even rob the robber who just robbed the bar they were in. But, inevitably, the rules start falling by the wayside and when they see a chance for a big score, the rules go out the window, with predictably disastrous results.

External links

• Swag at Elmore Leonard.com
  Elmore Leonard
  Elmore John Leonard Jr. , better known as Elmore Leonard, is an American novelist and screenwriter. His earliest published novels in the 1950s were westerns, but Leonard went on to specialize in crime fiction and suspense thrillers, many of which have been adapted into motion pictures.Among his...