Books

Fifty-Two Pickup

The Run Down.

Detroit businessman Harry Mitchell had had only one affair in his twenty-two years of happy matrimony. Unfortunately someone caught his indiscretion on film and now wants Harry to fork over one-hundred grand to keep his infidelity a secret. And if Harry doesn't pay up, the blackmailer and his associates plan to press a lot harder—up to and including homicide, if necessary. But the psychos picked the wrong pigeon for their murderous scam. Because Harry Mitchell doesn't get mad . . . he gets even.

Published: 1974

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Genre: Crime

Adaptation: Film (52 Pickup)

Location: Detroit

The Village Voice

A tightly wound thriller with a smash-up climax.

— The Village Voice

Harry Mitchell Had A Problem About Porno Movies . . . He Was In One.

Harry Mitchell

He could not get used to going to the girl's apartment. He would be tense driving past the gate and following the road that wound through the complex of townhouse condominiums. Even when it was dark he was a little tense. But once he reached the garage and pressed the remote control switch and the double door opened, he was there and it was done.

52 Pickup

Adapted for film in 1986
Starring Roy Scheider — Directed by John Frankenheimer
Screenplay by Elmore Leonard & John Steppling