Stick

Stick by Leonard, Elmore. hardcover edition. ISBN: 9780877954361.

After serving time for armed robbery, Ernest "Stick" Stickley is back on the outside and trying to stay legit. But its tough staying straight in a crooked town -- and Miami is a pirates 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 mans 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.