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Stick  By  cover art

Stick

By: Elmore Leonard
Narrated by: Frank Muller
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Publisher's summary

After serving time for armed robbery, Ernest "Stick" Stickley is back on the outside and trying to stay legit. But it's tough staying straight in a crooked town - and Miami is a pirate's paradise, where investment fat cats and lowlife drug dealers hold hands and dance. And when a crazed player chooses Stick at random to die for another man's sins, the struggling ex-con is left with no choice but to dive right back into the game. Besides, Stick knows a good thing when he sees it - and a golden opportunity to run a very profitable sweet revenge scam seems much too tasty to pass up.

©1976 Elmore Leonard (P)1996 Recorded Books Inc.

What listeners say about Stick

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    5 out of 5 stars

Can't beat this with a stick (sorry).

How many times I gotta tell you? Elmore Leonard and Frank Muller just make almost everybody else look silly. Leonard wrote this in 1976 and Frank recorded it in 1996. And yet, it is so fresh and so utterly memorable that it could have been done last week. Just hearing Mr. Muller read the climactic chapter, #26, is so thrilling that you cannot find anything more exciting than his voice. I probably read this when it came out, and yet I never could have imagined the performance that brings this book to life so vividly that now I may never forget Ernest Stickley, Emma "Kyle" McLaren, Eddie Moak et al. Stick has just gotten out of a maximum security prison in Jackson, Michigan. Seven years in a true horror story. He goes to Miami to see his daughter. He rather suddenly finds work as a chauffeur for Barry Stamm, boy financial wonder. He meets Chucky Gorman, a pill-popping drug dealer; Lionel, his "bodyguard,"; Nestor the Cuban drug guy, his hitman Avillanosa...each of these characters is drawn so quickly, with such a perfect ear for how people talk, that they just jump out at you. Leonard takes his time with the setup, not rushing as usual, drawing you in. Then the final scam starts, and once again you cannot possibly in your entire life imagine a climax so visual, so startling...I know one can't say "so unique," but Leonard and Muller will cause you to reach for superlatives just to try for a description that comes close to the mastery here. I am again so glad that Audible has released these works; I would pay twice as much to hear these as I do now. (I hope they're not listening.) Do yourself a favor. You will not find anything more thoroughly entertaining than these two guys.

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23 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Highly Entertaining

As almost always with Leonard, the writing is smart, spare, and engaging, with a likable hero up against some scary dudes. The narrator (Frank Muller) was the best ever. His death was a loss to this art form.

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5 people found this helpful

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Loved it!

Elmore Leonard is the perfect author for the Audible experience. Fascinating characters at a blistering pace. Fabulous narration. Two words

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4 people found this helpful

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great!

everything was great. frank mueller is the best narrator of all time. Leonard is the best in the genre.

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3 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars

Great Elmore Leonard follow up to Swag

If you like Elmore Leonard, you'll love this. It's a follow up to Swag, featuring Leonard Stickley, who is now out of jail and on his own. The characters are great, the predicaments interesting. Muller does a great job on narration.

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Elmore Leonard and Frank Muller are great

Elmore Leonard and Frank Muller are always a winning combination. Great book. Great reader. Great characters.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent Leonard Novel

Where does Stick rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Stick was an excellent read.

What other book might you compare Stick to and why?

This book is similar in style to other Leonard novels but the uniqueness of the personalities of the characters and the plot twists make for an interesting story.

Any additional comments?

I especially like the way Mr Leonard develops his characters. You feel like you know the characters good and bad in the course of the novel. I can't wait for the next Elmore Leonard novel.

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    5 out of 5 stars

Classic Elmore Leonard with fantastic narration.

Where does Stick rank among all the audiobooks you???ve listened to so far?

Right up at the top of all my Audible experiences.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Stick?

When he took the Rolls Royce to visit his daughter.

Have you listened to any of Frank Muller???s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I know that I've heard Frank Muller before but this time it was memorable. His command of accents, syntax and nuance are just unbeatable.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Oh, the laughs just kept coming.

Any additional comments?

I was extremely sad when it ended.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Fun, short story.

Fun, short story. Good narration for the multiple characters. Would listen to similar work by the author and narrator

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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Convicts and Con men

Take a ride in Elmore Leonard’s visit to a side of life you have not experienced. Weird characters abound in a story reminiscent of “ The Sting”.

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1 person found this helpful