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shirleytupperfreeman's review against another edition
Listened to this one in the car on the way to NY and back. Great for that purpose. A corny detective story.
sandin954's review against another edition
3.0
Dortmunder and the gang are back and being blackmailed by a former cop into stealing an 800-pound chess set that was a gift to the Czar of Russia and was brought to the states by a group of American soldiers. Much more emphasis on the caper in this one and a lot of fun to read.
pattydsf's review against another edition
3.0
It has been almost two years since I read a book by Westlake and more than that since I last encountered John Dortmunder. Westlake has been dead for seven years and I miss his sharp wit and way with words. He knew how to write crime fiction and was prolific. Good Reads lists 148 works and Wikipedia lists 17 pseudonyms. I can’t imagine how he managed to write all these books.
John Dortmunder was always my favorite Westlake character and I was sure I had read all of his capers. Turns out I had missed two. This novel was the next to last Dortmunder story. It is a typical caper where everything that can will go wrong and the reader has a great time anticipating how the band of merry thieves will screw up this time.
If you haven’t encountered John Dortmunder and his hapless cronies, I highly recommend that you find time to read at least one of Westlake’s tales. The Hot Rock is the first and was made into a movie with Robert Redford. This was not good casting. John is a nebbish and Robert is not. I liked The Hot Rock, but my favorite is Drowned Hopes. You can start anywhere, one robbery is not dependent on another.
John Dortmunder was always my favorite Westlake character and I was sure I had read all of his capers. Turns out I had missed two. This novel was the next to last Dortmunder story. It is a typical caper where everything that can will go wrong and the reader has a great time anticipating how the band of merry thieves will screw up this time.
If you haven’t encountered John Dortmunder and his hapless cronies, I highly recommend that you find time to read at least one of Westlake’s tales. The Hot Rock is the first and was made into a movie with Robert Redford. This was not good casting. John is a nebbish and Robert is not. I liked The Hot Rock, but my favorite is Drowned Hopes. You can start anywhere, one robbery is not dependent on another.
joangittel's review against another edition
3.0
Everys so often, when life is a little too serious but ridiculous, I feel a need to reach for a Donald Westlake. Predictably full of slightly off-kilter love-to-hate characters who usually get what they deserve, this one was a fun but silly diversion through New York.
Yeah, the plot has holes and its imperfect. But I Westlake is always delightful and sometimes just what I need.
Yeah, the plot has holes and its imperfect. But I Westlake is always delightful and sometimes just what I need.
dlwchico's review against another edition
4.0
Another Dortmunder novel from Westlake. I think I could read Westlake books exclusively and be satisfied for quite a while. This is another funny and fun book.
Dortmunder and his crew are blackmailed by an ex-cop and forced to steal a solid gold and gem encrusted chess set that belonged to the last Czar of Russia.
As usual, things don’t work out as well as Dortmunder would wish.
Donald E. Westlake is one of the best and you won’t go wrong reading this book.
Dortmunder and his crew are blackmailed by an ex-cop and forced to steal a solid gold and gem encrusted chess set that belonged to the last Czar of Russia.
As usual, things don’t work out as well as Dortmunder would wish.
Donald E. Westlake is one of the best and you won’t go wrong reading this book.
eleneariel's review against another edition
2.0
Funny book and good for an evening's entertainment, but nothing particularly special.
pattydsf's review
3.0
It has been almost two years since I read a book by Westlake and more than that since I last encountered John Dortmunder. Westlake has been dead for seven years and I miss his sharp wit and way with words. He knew how to write crime fiction and was prolific. Good Reads lists 148 works and Wikipedia lists 17 pseudonyms. I can’t imagine how he managed to write all these books.
John Dortmunder was always my favorite Westlake character and I was sure I had read all of his capers. Turns out I had missed two. This novel was the next to last Dortmunder story. It is a typical caper where everything that can will go wrong and the reader has a great time anticipating how the band of merry thieves will screw up this time.
If you haven’t encountered John Dortmunder and his hapless cronies, I highly recommend that you find time to read at least one of Westlake’s tales. The Hot Rock is the first and was made into a movie with Robert Redford. This was not good casting. John is a nebbish and Robert is not. I liked The Hot Rock, but my favorite is Drowned Hopes. You can start anywhere, one robbery is not dependent on another.
John Dortmunder was always my favorite Westlake character and I was sure I had read all of his capers. Turns out I had missed two. This novel was the next to last Dortmunder story. It is a typical caper where everything that can will go wrong and the reader has a great time anticipating how the band of merry thieves will screw up this time.
If you haven’t encountered John Dortmunder and his hapless cronies, I highly recommend that you find time to read at least one of Westlake’s tales. The Hot Rock is the first and was made into a movie with Robert Redford. This was not good casting. John is a nebbish and Robert is not. I liked The Hot Rock, but my favorite is Drowned Hopes. You can start anywhere, one robbery is not dependent on another.
scotchneat's review
2.0
I picked up this book because Donald Westlake comes up in searches for people who like humour, but maybe this wasn't a good one to pick.
Some good lines, but not enough payoff. I think they should have tried to steal the dome.
Some good lines, but not enough payoff. I think they should have tried to steal the dome.
thefourthvine's review
3.0
It's sort of hard to rate this one fairly; I understand that there's another Dortmunder book coming out in 2009, but this still feels like the end of an era, given Westlake's death. So there was something of a nostalgia factor at work here.
But, overall, this is just another middling Dortmunder novel - which means it's fun, yes, but not laugh-out-loud funny, the way some of the earlier novels are, and not as complex and devious as most of middle ones are.
Part of the problem is that the formula is starting to show. (No, part of the problem is that there is a formula; the early and middle books lacked that.) It's easy to predict the plot; you take threads A, B, and C, and if you've read other books in the series, you know exactly how it will end up. Part of the problem is that these last books just don't have the edge that the early ones did.
But still - Dortmunder and company are good companions for an afternoon, and this book is fun and engaging, if not exactly off the charts. I'd recommend it for people who have read all the books before [book:Bad News] and still aren't satisfied - and for anyone who is sad that with Westlake gone, Dortmunder is now a very limited commodity.
But, overall, this is just another middling Dortmunder novel - which means it's fun, yes, but not laugh-out-loud funny, the way some of the earlier novels are, and not as complex and devious as most of middle ones are.
Part of the problem is that the formula is starting to show. (No, part of the problem is that there is a formula; the early and middle books lacked that.) It's easy to predict the plot; you take threads A, B, and C, and if you've read other books in the series, you know exactly how it will end up. Part of the problem is that these last books just don't have the edge that the early ones did.
But still - Dortmunder and company are good companions for an afternoon, and this book is fun and engaging, if not exactly off the charts. I'd recommend it for people who have read all the books before [book:Bad News] and still aren't satisfied - and for anyone who is sad that with Westlake gone, Dortmunder is now a very limited commodity.