This series includes 10 books.
-
Book 1The Hot Rock
by Donald E. Westlake, Samvel Margaryan
John Dortmunder and company are hired by an U.N. African Ambassador to steal the famed Balabomo Emerald from the hands of a rival African country. But their daring and clever burglarly goes awry, and the emerald slips through their fingers. Undaunted, Dortmunder chases the gem by plane, train and automobile in hot pursuit of the hot rock.
-
Book 3Jimmy the Kid
by Donald E. Westlake
Hungry for money, a gang of losers led by bumbling burglar John Dortmunder attempts to carry out a caper that involves the kidnapping of a twelve-year-old prodigy. Reissue. NYT.
-
Book 5Why Me
by John Branfield, Donald E. Westlake
During a two year period Sarah's violent moods gradually taper off as her efforts to save her diabetic dog help her accept the fact that she, too, is a diabetic.
-
Book 6Good Behavior
by Donald E. Westlake
YA The sixth novel about professional thief John Dortmunder. While escaping from a robbery attempt, Dortmunder falls through the roof of a convent. The cloistered nuns take this as a sign from heaven and tell Dortmunder (by writing notes) that they will not turn him in if he helps to return Sister Mary Grace to their convent. Sister Mary Grace is a young nun who is being kept in a tower apartment by her millionaire father, who is trying to deprogram her, but she is firm in her commitment to remain a nun. She is able to smuggle out the details of the high-rise's security system to Dortmunder, and the big escape begins. The humorous and realistic strategy is lively and will keep readers guessing. Erin Hayden, Prince George's County Public School System, Md. Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.
-
Book 9What's the Worst That Could Happen?
by Donald E. Westlake
With the planned heist of a religious relic, Dortmunder, the unluckiest criminal in the world, plunges into international diplomacy with a caper for acquiring a seat on the United Nations General Assembly. But a major fiasco proves a bone of contention and forces him to come up with Plan B. Dortmunder's lucky ring is stolen in the bungled burglary of a nasty billionaire's Long Island mansion. Now, a series of raids are planned to get the ring back -- and get even.
-
Book 10Bad News
by Donald E. Westlake
Dortmunder doesnt like manual labor. So when Andy Kelp relays the offer of a grand to help dig up a grave in a far-flung cemetery, he balks... until he begins to wonder just why Fitzroy Guilderpost, criminal mastermind, wants to pull a switcheroo of two 70-years-dead Indians. Central to the plan is Little Feather Redcorn, the ex-Vegas showgirl and great-granddaughter of the newly-switched stiff. She will pose as the last remaining member of the Pottaknobbee tribe, one-third owners of the largest casino in the east. When the remains of the last known Pottaknobbee are dug up, down there in Queens, the DNA will prove that its her ancestor. But when the scam goes into play, its Dortmunder and his band who must step in to make sure everything runs smoothly. Whats the Worst That Could Happen? (Mysterious Press, 1996), the most recent Dortmunder book, sold over 34,000 copies in hardcover and paperback combined. It will soon be a major motion picture starring Martin Lawrence and Danny DeVito. The first book in the Dortmunder series, The Hot Rock (made into a feature film starring Robert Redford), will be reissued in Mysterious Press trade paperback in 4/01. Payback (Mysterious Press, 1999), written under Westlakes Richard Stark pen name, was a top film of 1999 starring Mel Gibson. The Ax (Mysterious Press, 1998), with over 137,000 copies in hardcover and paperback print combined, was both a Los Angeles Times bestseller and a New York Times business bestseller.
-
Book 11The Road to Ruin
by Donald E. Westlake
John Dortmunder as a butler? Well, he's not really a butler; he's just playing one at the heavily guarded estate of crooked tycoon Monroe Hall. A corporate pariah surrounded by loot, including a fleet of priceless vintage cars, Hall soon finds his needs-from driving to cooking-eagerly fulfilled by Dortmunder and his gang. Dortmunder's plan: to change in one fell swoop from loyal servants to merry robbers, and drive off with ill-gotten plunder. There's just one problem. Monroe Hall has as many enemies as antiques. Before Dortmunder can go from serving to stealing, Hall disappears and the cops are knocking on the door. And after a violent crime is committed, Dortmunder is in the worst place possible. For as everyone knows, whenever there's mischief in a mansion....the butler always did it!
-
Book 12Watch Your Back!
by Donald E. Westlake
Hapless criminal John Dortmunder returns in another rollicking tale of disorganized crime from Grand Master of Mystery Donald E. Westlake. It's the score of a lifetime: easy access to a lavish New York City apartment, hordes of valuables, and an absentee owner avoiding the lawyers of his unhappy ex-wives. But before they pull the job, Dortmunder's crew is startled to find their beloved gin joint, the OJ, in the clutches of the Mafia-who consider it perfect for a little fraud, courtesy of a nice big fire. For tactical and highly superstitious reasons, the fate of the OJ is even more important to the crew than the enormous score. Now, Dortmunder and his gang are determined to split their time, fighting the mob and robbing the rich simultaneously.
-
Book 13What's So Funny?
by Donald E. Westlake
In his classic caper novels, Donald E. Westlake turns the world of crime and criminals upside down. The bad get better, the good slide a bit, and Lord help anyone caught between a thief named John Dortmunder and the current object of his intentions. Now Westlake's seasoned but often scoreless crook must take on an impossible crime, one he doesn't want and doesn't believe in. But a little blackmail goes a long way in... WHAT'S SO FUNNY? All it takes is a few underhanded moves by a tough ex-cop named Eppick to pull Dortmunder into a game he never wanted to play. With no choice, he musters his always-game gang and they set out on a perilous treasure hunt for a long-lost gold and jewel-studded chess set once intended as a birthday gift for the last Romanov czar, which unfortunately reached Russia after that party was over. From the moment Dortmunder reaches for his first pawn, he faces insurmountable odds. The purloined past of this precious set is destined to confound any strategy he finds on the board. Success is not inevitable with John Dortmunder leading the attack, but he's nothing if not persistent, and some gambit or other might just stumble into a winning move.
-
Book 14Get Real
by Donald E. Westlake
In Donald E. Westlake's classic caper novels, the bad get better, the good slide a bit, and Lord help anyone caught between a thief named John Dortmunder and the current object of his attention. However, being caught red-handed is inevitable in Dortmunder's next production, when a TV producer convinces this thief and his merry gang to do a reality show that captures their next score. The producer guarantees to find a way to keep the show from being used in evidence against them. They're dubious, but the pay is good, so they take him up on his offer. A mock-up of the OJ bar is built in a warehouse down on Varick Street . The ground floor of that building is a big open space jumbled with vehicles used in TV world, everything from a news truck and a fire engine to a hansom cab (without the horse). As the gang plans their next move with the cameras rolling, Dortmunder and Kelp sneak onto the roof of their new studio to organize a private enterprise. It will take an ingenious plan to outwit viewers glued to their television sets, but Dortmunder is nothing if not persistent, and he's determined to end this shoot with money in his pockets.
Know of another book in this series?
To add a book to this page, search for it and add “Dortmunder” to its series section.
