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This novel, published in 1969, is significant principally because it is the first contemporary crime novel written by Elmore Leonard who, up to this point, had been known for his westerns. The book hints at the brilliance that would mark Leonard's later career, but it's certainly not among his best novels. Still, even a mediocre Elmore Leonard novel is bound to be heads and shoulders above a lot of others.

The protagonist is Jack Ryan, a former minor league ball player. After he fails to make a Class C team in Texas, Ryan hitches a ride to Michigan with some migrant vegetable pickers. Ryan, who also has a history as a burglar, can't seem to stay out of trouble and once in Michigan, gets into a fight with the crew chief who orders him out of town. Ryan doesn't take orders from anyone and so stays around, committing a minor burglary in the process with two totally undependable guys that he has met along the way. Naturally, this will come back to haunt him.

Jack takes a job as a handyman at a small local resort, and shortly thereafter he meets Nancy, the stereotypical "bad girl" that populated a lot of books like this back in the day. Nancy is a thrill-seeker with little regard for anyone other than herself. She's being kept by a local businessman but is intrigued by Ryan and is determined to drag him deep into trouble. The reader can see this coming from two counties away; sadly Jack either doesn't see it or doesn't care, and before all is said and done, the relationship will prove to be more than a little toxic.

Like most of Leonard's crime novels, The Big Bounce is a character-drive story, and the plot is of considerably less consequence. Ryan will become something of a prototype for a lot of the characters that populate Leonard's later novels, and Leonard's trademark gift for great dialog is coming into form here, although it will be more fully realized later on.

This is a book that will probably appeal most significantly to completists who want to read all of the master's work. More casual fans might want to start a bit later down the line; certainly there are a lot of great Elmore Leonard novels to pick from.