The ice harvest (2000)

Charlie Arglist has stolen from the people whose business he helps to run and plans to leave Wichita on Christmas Eve. Instead of a clean departure, Phillips gives him bars, old grievances and one more reason to delay. The compressed night exposes the distance between imagining a fresh start and actually releasing one's attachments. A sourly funny choice for readers interested in self-sabotage rather than a master criminal's immaculate plan.