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mburnamfink's review against another edition
3.0
I love heists. I've got Leverage on more or less infinite repeat, I'll watch any heist movie on TV, and "pull off an excellent heist" is on my bucket list. That said, The Hot Rock is a genre classic, but I thought it was only an okay book. If I had a physical copy, I'd probably leave it on the plane or in the beachside cabana because re-shelving it would just be more effort than its worth.
Master theif Dortmunder has just gotten out of Sing Sing when he gets hired to steal a priceless emerald for a small African nation. He assembles a perfect team (drive, locksmith, hitter...), a perfect plan, and of course everything goes to pieces and Dortmunder has to keep stealing the gem from ever escalating situations. There's a lot of fun to be had, but the writing isn't quite hardboiled enough to be hardboiled, pulpy enough to be pulp, or heart-pounding enough to be a thriller.
Master theif Dortmunder has just gotten out of Sing Sing when he gets hired to steal a priceless emerald for a small African nation. He assembles a perfect team (drive, locksmith, hitter...), a perfect plan, and of course everything goes to pieces and Dortmunder has to keep stealing the gem from ever escalating situations. There's a lot of fun to be had, but the writing isn't quite hardboiled enough to be hardboiled, pulpy enough to be pulp, or heart-pounding enough to be a thriller.
antij's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
This book reads to me like Donald Westlake (who also goes by Richard Stark) was trying to write a story that was very much not a Parker book, not necessarily in a bad way but in a 'he's trying a few things' sort of way. Some of them work, others, however, less so.
hopeevey's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
thetruthatallhazards's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
asweetdevouring's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this book immensely - much more than I thought I would. It is an utterly ridiculous, fun romp through caper after caper and I am definitely going to be reading the next book.
salgal's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
northstar's review against another edition
4.0
If you like caper mysteries, run to your library and grab this 40-year-old classic. I'd read some of Donald Westlake's short mysteries and always planned to read his Dortmunder series when I stumbled on the first book and decided to check it out. It was just what I needed: light, hilarious, suspenseful and a bit eccentric. Ex-con John Dortmunder and four crooked associates agree to steal an emerald from a Pan-African exhibit in New York and give it to the self-proclaimed rightful owner, a second (also invented) African country. This single caper turns into a string of six ever-more-fantastical heists involving a carnival locomotive, a helicopter and a hypnotist. While not entirely PC, this book is highly entertaining and Westlake's humor includes the broad sweep of Dortmunder's antics and little throwaway jokes, like restrooms in a bar labeled with pictures of dogs: Pointers and Setters. Good for laughs and a break from more serious fiction or nonfiction.
guiltyfeat's review against another edition
3.0
I was hoping to start another Westlake series as I come to the end of the Parkers, but even though this started life as a Parker, it was a little disappointing. Smart-alecky. Nice to see Grofield make an appearance. I may search out the next couple just to see if he found a surer voice for Dortmunder, but for now I'm underwhelmed.
tony's review against another edition
4.0
This is somewhere between Bernie Rhodenbarr and Evan Michael Tanner, with a likable rogue getting into ever increasingly ludicrous situations. This isn't as well drawn as either of those, but there's enough promise (and enough laugh out loud moments) for me to check out more of the series.