Rum Punch

Reading the earlier novel is not required to follow the plot, as this story functions independently. However, The Switch introduces the characters Ordell Robbie and Louis Gara at an earlier stage in their lives, which can provide additional context for their dynamic in this book.

The film is a very faithful adaptation, though it makes specific changes such as altering the lead character's surname and ethnicity, shifting the setting from South Florida to Los Angeles, and condensing the bail bondsman's personal backstory.

Several characters from this novel, such as Ordell Robbie and Louis Gara, originate in The Switch, while the ATF agent Ray Nicolette also appears in the novel Out of Sight. These connections form part of an extended universe of recurring characters across the author's crime fiction bibliography.