Comic crime hero Dortmunder and his gang of bungling thieves are back in a hilarious caper--out of print since 1979. Mishaps and misunderstandings force the gang to steal a painting not once but twice in this hilarious misadventure starring the inimitable Dortmunder. Reissue.
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About the Author
DONALD E. WESTLAKE has written numerous novels over the past thirty-five years under his own name and pseudonyms, including Richard Stark. Many of his books have been made into movies, including The Hunter, which became the brilliant film noir Point Blank, and the 1999 smash hit Payback. He penned the Hollywood scripts for The Stepfather and The Grifters, which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Screenplay. The winner of three Edgar awards and a Mystery Writers of America Grand Master, Donald E. Westlake was presented with The Eye, the Private Eye Writers of America's Lifetime Achievement Award, at the Shamus Awards. He lives with his wife, Abby Adams, in rural New York State.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Nobody's Perfect Except Westlake,
This review is from: Nobody's Perfect (Mass Market Paperback)
Another laffer from the Sultan of Slapstick Crime. This time Dortmunder and the gang steal a priceless painting so the owner can collect the insurance only to have everything go wrong. No guards in the area-guess what. Nobody at the house will be using the elevator-guess what. And to top it off Dortmunder loses the painting and must make good before a hitman finds him. I expected to find that the owner had the painting all the time and was using the loss as an excuse not to pay Dormunder, but as usual, you can't outhink the master. The painting is lost and Dortmunder's attempt to cover it up is hilarious and brilliant. The final heist of the painting has Dortmunder and Kelp working with the owner and the hitman to recover it from Merrie Olde England. Great fun.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not the Perfect Westlake Novel or Dortmunder Adventure,
By
This review is from: Nobody's Perfect (Hardcover)
Nobody's Perfect, even Westlake, this is one of the least good of the John Dortmunder adventures but fans of the series and probably the greatest author of all time, are going to want to read a copy of the fourth instalment in this sensational series. This novel contains the brilliant twists in the storyline and Murphy's Law's constant involvement in Dortmunder, Kelp and the rest of the gang's supposedly simple capers, but what's missing is the level of humour, there's a few funny lines from the characters but not many. Westlake of course wrote many different types of novels throughout his long career and a lot weren't comic capers but with the Dortmunder series you're kind of expecting a comic caper, not just a good crime caper read. What also lets this novel down is that if you haven't read the first three novels, The Hot Rock, Bank Shot and Jimmy Kid, then you're enjoyment factor of those reads is going to be less as this novel through Dortmunder's dialogue gives away the endings of all three of those books. So definitly read those three before picking up this one! This novel is historically important as it is the first caper that Tiny Bulcher appears and is introduced to the rest of the gang. It is also brings back all the various minor gang members for a cameo appearance who helped out in the previous three novels along with the luck wise poor guys from the Continental Detective Agency which is kind of nice.
Basic plot of Nobody's Perfect has a celebrity lawyer dismissing Dortmunder's court appointed wannabe lawyer and cleverly getting Dortmunder off a slam dunk prosecution for getting caught red handed stealing TVs. Dortmunder knows a miracle occurred but isn't going to stick around to pay back the debt. However the lawyer has contacts and knows all about John's life including his girl May and her flat. So after he calls, Dortmunder decides after pressure from May that he better go find why the guy who paid for his lawyer did so. It seems Arnold Chauncey wants Dortmunder to rob his house of a painting and whatever of the guest's possessions he would like during a party, so that he can claim the insurance money. Chauncey also wants the painting back and to make sure Dortmunder doesn't go looking for a better buyer he's also hired a hit man who will end Dortmunder's life of crime once and for all if the painting isn't returned in exchange for a cut of the insurance money when it is paid. As always happens, the smooth robbery doesn't go according to plan and there's no way Dortmunder can return the painting. He's going to need all his planning to get out of this one! Just doesn't have the can't put down factor the other books in the series have!
5.0 out of 5 stars
Dortmunder In Fine Form!,
By
This review is from: Nobody's Perfect (Hardcover)
I won't repeat the other reviews, but this is a fine book IMHO, and a good example of the Dortmunder genre.
Here's a quote to get some flavor: '"There it is," Kelp said, and there it was: Dunkin' Donuts, with its steamy window full of do(ugh)nuts.' And after parking, they meet Kelp's nephew Victor: '"Mr. Dortmunder!" he said, hoppinng to his feet and sticking out the hand with the dunked do(ugh)nut in it. "Nice to see you again." Then he realized he was still holding the do(ugh)nut, chuckled sheepishly, stuck the whole thing out of sight in his mouth, wiped his hand on his trousers, stuck it out again, and said "Murf nur murf." "That goes for me, too", Dortmunder told him, and shook his sticky hand.' I mourn the passing of Donald E. Westlake.
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