Some days you just might be better off dead. At least, that's what smart-alec Barry Lee decides when yet another of his get-rich-quick schemes falls short of perfect and he finds he has only one asset left: his life. Or rather, the insurance on it. Collecting the benefits of life insurance, however, involves some painfully ultimate realities that Barry Lee would sooner avoid. So it is that Barry and Lola, his beautiful South American wife and partner in con-artistry, set out to play the globalization of the insurance industry to their advantage. The story of their journey to Lola's native Guerrera and their sure-fire scheme to pull off the perfect con, which begins with the staging of Barry's spectacular and very public accidental death, becomes increasingly perilous as he attempts to negotiate his afterlife in a world he in no way understands. To his surprise, some of Lola's more blunt-minded and ham-fisted cousins are figuring that if the whole family's going to get rich with Barry Lee dead, he's not dead enough...
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
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'A masterfully devised antic, often hilarious and suspenceful tale from a bestselling author.' TANGLED WEB
About the Author
Donald E. Westlake is a Grand Master of the Mystery Writers of America and lives in New York.
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4.0 out of 5 stars
South American Thriller, Westlake Style!,
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This review is from: Scared Stiff (Paperback)
I'm a huge fan of Westlake's work. I'm particularly a huge fan of his comic capers and although this is not one of those, it does add the odd bit of humour every now and then to this survival thriller. If you're after a comic caper set in South America, grab a copy of High Adventure. This is a good read though.
The basic plot of The Scared Stiff is a young American couple, Lola and Barry, have bills piling up. They intend to borrow against the equity in their life insurance policy but are told their policy was the budget version that is simply a pay out when one them dies deal. So that becomes the plan, one of them must die so the other will get $600 000. Of course they'd like to both be around to spend this windfall so will have to fake one of their deaths. Since they always go down to visit Lola's family once a year in the South American country of Guerrera, and since its a bit harder for insurance companies to check facts down there, they decide after a fiery argument, Barry will drive their rental car off a cliff in front of heaps of witnesses. Of course some of Lola's family has to be in on the deal so it will work, especially since Barry doesn't understand much of the language and will have to spend some time there without Lola while he recreates a dead relative's identity so he can return to the USA as the caring brother consoling his grieving sister. All seems to go well until Lola returns to the USA. Lola's family likes to gossip amongst each other, and it's not long before the massive extended previously uninformed members of the family all believe Lola will be getting millions and they are all set to inherit a share (which they're not). They know when Barry returns to the USA there is a risk he may be caught and Lola will get nothing. They have a solution for this, kill Barry so he's really dead! As the title suggests, Barry becomes one scared fake stiff as he has to be constantly looking over his shoulder and on the move as he awaits the insurance cheque to clear and Lola to come get him. If you haven't already done so also check out Westlake's comic capers. The best four comic capers at an absolute masterpiece level are, Smoke, The Spy in the Ointment and a New York Dance (also published as Dancing Aztecs) and Cops and Robbers. Other great comic capers worth checking out too are Gangway!, God Save the Mark, Who Stole Sassi Manoon?, Help I am Being Held Prisoner, the Fugitive Pigeon, Enough and Somebody Owes Me Money and High Adventure to name just a few! Of course you've also got to check out his absolute masterpiece which is about the ultimate solution to unemployment, The Ax.
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