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Customer Reviews of The Big Bounce

Smooth Vintage Leonard
I picked up a paperback of THE BIG BOUNCE somewhere and was thrilled because I thought it was a new Elmore Leonard. It wasn't until I was halfway through the book that I discovered it was written in 1969, almost 35 years ago. That is how well this book has held up: it reads like a fresh story. And smooth. That is the word that comes to mind: the writing in THE BIG BOUNCE is smooth. It flows and moves along easily. Maybe the best writing I've read of Elmore Leonard's works and I've read many. It's a subdued, subtle story with a great fight scene and a tense house B&E scene. It features Jack Ryan, maybe a little slow en la cabeza but who can swing a bat (or a tree limb) and knows a 100 ways to break into a house, and Nancy as the ambitious rich guy's GF who is more than a little psychotic. Rather than a roller coaster ride of plot twists, this novel is like like a fine vintage wine to be savored and enjoyed on the veranda with a good cigar. Get this book and light one up.

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"New" Novel More for Leonard Completists Than Newcomers
Leonard's "new" book was actually written in the mid-1960s, I suspect. Whether it's a novel long out of print or simply an unpublished work, "The Big Bounce" is more for Leonard completists than newcomers.

Hard-luck protagonist Jack Ryan loses his job at a migrant camp in Michigan after assaulting his crew leader. Resort owner Walter Majestyk hires Jack, despite the fact that his old boss, Bob Jr., told him to leave town. Bob Jr. and migrant camp owner Ray Ritchie are seeing Nancy on the side, unbeknownst to each other. Once Nancy learns that Jack's past consists of a life of crime, she seduces him into a plot to steal $50,000 from Ray.

Those who found Leonard's last few books to be a bit tepid might also be disappointed in "The Big Bounce." Aside from being a dated piece of work, the novel falls more comfortably into a romance fantasy than traditional Leonard crime. Still, the impeccable characterisation and the way the plot pits characters against each other is indicative of Leonard's earlier works. Those looking for another "Ryan's Rules" or "Get Shorty" won't find as much bite here. If anything, "The Big Bounce" serves best as a means to chronicle Leonard's progession than fulfilling the need for an all-new Leonard novel (no more sequels, please).

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Meaningless, without a center, disappointing
Leonard's style is to create strong, engaging characters and "see what happens." This story has neither interesting characters, nor does very much happen. Leonard is also famous for looking into the lives of petty crooks - but these are among the pettiest. A couple of selfish and self-indulgent losers get their kicks throwing rocks through the windows of homes. The readers are invited to giggle with glee at the stupid fools who live within, and stumble into the night to see what has happened. I tossed this book after reading the first half - a first for me. I have read every Elmore Leonard I could get my hands on. But this one, I couldn't wait get rid of. Skip this book.