Stick by Elmore Leonard (1983) Arbor House

In which Ernest Stickley, or Stick, has just got out of prison for armed robbery and is back in Florida hoping to see his little girl.  He is riding with his friend who is delivering a package to a drug dealer.  They don’t know they’re supposed to be killed.  His friend is shot down and Stick escapes.  He goes to work for a very rich guy who drops hints about who to invest in on a regular basis.  His advisor is also an advisor to the man who wanted Stick killed.  People are crazy to invest in things they can’t pass up.  Stick is no dummy and he finds a way to make the killer his friend and invest in a movie that will never be made.  He’ll be rich if he can stay alive and ahead of the law.