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The Hot Rock (Dortmunder #1)
Fresh out of prison, Dortmunder plans a heist that could mean war
John Dortmunder leaves jail with ten dollars, a train ticket, and nothing to make money on but his good name. Thankfully, his reputation goes far. No one plans a caper better than Dortmunder. His friend Kelp picks him up in a stolen Cadillac and drives him away from Sing-Sing, telling a story of a $500,000 em...more
John Dortmunder leaves jail with ten dollars, a train ticket, and nothing to make money on but his good name. Thankfully, his reputation goes far. No one plans a caper better than Dortmunder. His friend Kelp picks him up in a stolen Cadillac and drives him away from Sing-Sing, telling a story of a $500,000 em...more
ebook, 192 pages
Published
October 25th 2011
by MysteriousPress.com/Open Road
(first published 1970)
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Poor guy...when it comes to capers, heists and general sneak-thievery, John Dortmunder is the Schleprock of crime.
The man has talent and brains but couldn’t locate an ounce of luck with x-ray vision and a GPS device. Best laid plans going to shit is the central premise of Donald Westlake’s light-hearted, entertaining tale of criminal hijinks gone awry...over and over and over again.
Not five minutes after Dortmunder gets released from his latest prison stint, he finds himself recruited by his...more
The man has talent and brains but couldn’t locate an ounce of luck with x-ray vision and a GPS device. Best laid plans going to shit is the central premise of Donald Westlake’s light-hearted, entertaining tale of criminal hijinks gone awry...over and over and over again.
Not five minutes after Dortmunder gets released from his latest prison stint, he finds himself recruited by his...more
John Dortmunder gets out of prison and immediately begins planning his next heist. Unfortunately, the job turns out be a version of Groundhog Day and Dortmunder and his crew will have to keep stealing a priceless emerald over and over and over again.
This edition of The Hot Rock had an introduction from the late Donald Westlake where he explained that he originally thought of the basic plot for this as one of his Parker crime novels he wrote as Richard Stark. However, he realized that the ultra-...more
This edition of The Hot Rock had an introduction from the late Donald Westlake where he explained that he originally thought of the basic plot for this as one of his Parker crime novels he wrote as Richard Stark. However, he realized that the ultra-...more
7 likes · like · see review
Fresh out of the clink, John Dortmunder gets draw into stealing an emerald belonging to an African nation. Only circumstances work against Dortmunder and his crew and turn the one heist into five. Will Dortmunder and crew ever get their hands on the emerald?
Wow. I'd heard the Dortmunder books were good but I had no idea. Dortmunder and crew are a well-developed group, especially Murch, the getaway man who listens to the record of the Indy 500 in his spare time. Westlake creates a series of hilar...more
Wow. I'd heard the Dortmunder books were good but I had no idea. Dortmunder and crew are a well-developed group, especially Murch, the getaway man who listens to the record of the Indy 500 in his spare time. Westlake creates a series of hilar...more
14 likes · like · see review
I haven't read a mystery in a long time, but one summer (a very dull summer), I read all of the Dortmunder series from Donald E. Westlake because they were so funny. Dortmunder always gets involved with a bunch of bungling criminals. Westlake has a great touch with comedy and crafting foolish characters. I just borrowed the lastest one and he's still as funny as ever.
2 likes · like · see review
[These comments are taken from a mailing list discussion and contain spoilers]
[casting the film?]
I won't even attempt Q1 as one of my great skills (to give it a positive twist) is never recognising actors from one movie to the next and there's no way I could begin to figure out who would be good at playing the characters from the book. Also I don't really visualise characters in books much, though occassionally I get thrown by references to hair colour or clothing and only then realise that I d
...more
In the past couple of weeks I read a couple of the later Dortmunder novels, but quickly “froze” that group and ordered up the first few. Having read several of the Parker books, I expected to find good stories with interesting plots and so I did. Then, I picked up The Hot Rock and my mind went “Wow”!
I had just finished (at 1:30 AM the night before) the Julia Child book, “My Life in France”. Now I was inextricably linked to this novel. Good thing I had some spare time one my hands! (Actually I wa...more
This book is just amazing. Westlake is more famous for his "Richard Stark" pen name and the Parker novels, but the Dortmunder novels are pure genius. Where as Parker is the toughest SOB ever, Dortmunder is the most brilliant. His heists are no better defined than in his first novel The Hot Rock.
Dortmunder ALWAYS has brilliantly well thought out plans (more brilliant than Parker because Dortmunder isn't about violence), they just always seem to go wrong. The craziest mix ups always lead to a sma...more
Dortmunder ALWAYS has brilliantly well thought out plans (more brilliant than Parker because Dortmunder isn't about violence), they just always seem to go wrong. The craziest mix ups always lead to a sma...more
When John Dortmunder is released from prison, he falls in with an old friend who has a plan to make a large amount of money from stealing an emerald belonging to a poor African country. The emerald has been taken by another small African nation and is on display. The friend tells Dortmunder that the rightful owner of the emerald will pay a fortune for its return. Through a series of mishaps,the gang has to steal the emerald not once, but six times.
I decided to read this book because a friend rec...more
I decided to read this book because a friend rec...more
Straight up, this book is trash. The kind of trash that takes a couple hours to read, and clearly took Westlake a couple weeks to write. The characters are two dimensional and cartoonish. The plot is simple and drawn in crayon.
Generically, The Hot Rock (and presumably all of Westlake's Dortmunder novels - there are 14 of em) is a heist novel. A couple criminals get together to steal something of value. And while there's nothing original about the crime, both with regards to the item to be stole...more
Generically, The Hot Rock (and presumably all of Westlake's Dortmunder novels - there are 14 of em) is a heist novel. A couple criminals get together to steal something of value. And while there's nothing original about the crime, both with regards to the item to be stole...more
I’ve read most of Richard Stark’s Parker novels, but feel like I’ve only skirted around the edges of Donald E. Westlake’s Dortmunder books. This is obviously a great source of shame.
‘The Hot Rock’, the first of the series, is an exuberantly amusing and highly intriguing crime caper. A gang of thieves are hired to steal a diamond, but after they’ve done it once are forced to do it again and again in increasingly more difficult circumstances. I particularly enjoyed the inspired raid on the lunati...more
‘The Hot Rock’, the first of the series, is an exuberantly amusing and highly intriguing crime caper. A gang of thieves are hired to steal a diamond, but after they’ve done it once are forced to do it again and again in increasingly more difficult circumstances. I particularly enjoyed the inspired raid on the lunati...more
1 like · like · see review
Westlake's style is relaxed and easy going, a little like Elmore Leonard, but while Elmore sits inside his characters and makes you like it in there, Donald has a penchant for complicated capers you might find in a locked room mystery.
Here, the first of the Dortmunder novels, you get five capers for the price of one, as the same emerald has to be stolen five times. It's an amusing and clever tale that zips along and the plot(s) are inventive enough to keep you guessing what will happen next.
The...more
Here, the first of the Dortmunder novels, you get five capers for the price of one, as the same emerald has to be stolen five times. It's an amusing and clever tale that zips along and the plot(s) are inventive enough to keep you guessing what will happen next.
The...more
Jan 10, 2009
bookczuk
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
bookcrossing,
favorite-author
Ah Dortmunder! The hang dog crook we all adore....
Annotation
This is the classic that introduced John Archibald Dortmunder, the thief whose capers never quite come off, as he and his convict friends plot to steal the fabulous Balaboma Emerald. They almost carry it off, but then the guy carrying the stone is picked up by the cops. . ..
From the Publisher
John Dortmunder, thief extraordinaire, wants nothing to do with the Balabomo Emerald. But when the African nation of Talabwo bids handsomely for h...more
Annotation
This is the classic that introduced John Archibald Dortmunder, the thief whose capers never quite come off, as he and his convict friends plot to steal the fabulous Balaboma Emerald. They almost carry it off, but then the guy carrying the stone is picked up by the cops. . ..
From the Publisher
John Dortmunder, thief extraordinaire, wants nothing to do with the Balabomo Emerald. But when the African nation of Talabwo bids handsomely for h...more
As usually happens when my favorite authors are having a dry spell, I start looking up new books to kill some time. And as usually happens, I find some fun story with great characters just to learn later it was part of a series. Back in '07 I was struggling to find something a bit more upbeat and found a book called The Road to Ruin (not listed as a series at the time) and fell in love with Dortmunder and his cast of flagrant friends.
Now that all Dortmunder books are available in audio, I decide...more
Now that all Dortmunder books are available in audio, I decide...more
I'd read Bank Shot (the second in this series) and thought it was okay (didn't like the movie much). I decided I'd read the first in the series, The Hot Rock because I liked the movie.
The book cycles once or twice too many, but otherwise is a fun and easy read. By cycle, I mean, they pull off a great heist to get an emerald--the same emerald over and over (just little things go wrong in each of the otherwise brilliant plans).
I'd seen the movie of this book some time ago, not realizing it was con...more
The book cycles once or twice too many, but otherwise is a fun and easy read. By cycle, I mean, they pull off a great heist to get an emerald--the same emerald over and over (just little things go wrong in each of the otherwise brilliant plans).
I'd seen the movie of this book some time ago, not realizing it was con...more
With great anticipation, I unveil what I call The Ultimate Faces of Crime trilogy. Lame name, I know…suggestions are welcomed. Each of these three books features a prominent actor from yester-year in their roles of some criminal or vigilante. First up is none other than Donald E. Westlake’s The Hot Rock. On this cover (of my edition) is no other than the incredible Robert Redford, surrounded by his pack of cronies. Their hairdos and wardrobes are ridiculous, but one must remember that the movie...more
1 like · like · see review
Nov 21, 2009
Jessica
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
mystery-and-crime-fiction
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...more
This is less a review of the first Dortmunder novel than a first reaction to the existence of the Dortmunder series. When I finished the last of Donald E. Westlake’s twenty-four Parker novels, I turned to Dortmunder as a possible replacement in my reading program. As the well-known story goes, Westlake wrote the first Dortmunder novel when a Parker novel went awry, becoming too humorous to work as a vehicle for the sociopathically humorless Parker (though Parker does drop a few seemingly intenti...more
1 like · like · see review
Donald Westlake, under the name Richard Stark, has written some of my absolute favorite crime novels I've ever read. The kind of crime novels where the main character is a criminal and you want them to get away with it. The characters are serious, competent professionals and the main character, Parker, has a steely look in his eye and brass in his boxers. Under his own name he writes other crime novels except in this case the main character, Dortmunder, possesses none of those qualities. His ban...more
This is the first Dortmonder and it was wonderful and this series gets better and better - I own them all in hardback. And NEVER lend them out. Because during winter colds season, I start right in at the beginning and read them all again. Thank you, Donald!
2 likes · like · see review
Jun 06, 2009
Spiros
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
those who see the inherent humor of treadmills
From the opening moments, with a newly paroled Dortmunder being nearly runover by his cohort Andy Kelp, who can't figure out the window buttons on a stolen Cadillac, this series promises a madcap spree, on which it certainly delivered in the course of forty years. Dortmunder, Kelp, and Murch, augmented by a couple of other irregulars, wind up having to pull five different capers in quest of the same jewel, breaking into places (a jail, a police station, a loony bin) most criminals try to break o...more
I love this movie. Love it. Robert Redford and Zero Mostel...you don't get casting like that anymore. It'd be like a bizarro Ocean's 11 with Louis C.K. as the heavy. Who wouldn't watch that?
The book isn't nearly as good, which isn't to say it's bad. It's not bad at all. Westlake moves things along, keeping the story lean if not elegant, and he has a good ear for the absurdity of things. I suppose my biggest complaint was the in-between-ness of Dortmunder -- he's not really a bad guy, but sometim...more
The book isn't nearly as good, which isn't to say it's bad. It's not bad at all. Westlake moves things along, keeping the story lean if not elegant, and he has a good ear for the absurdity of things. I suppose my biggest complaint was the in-between-ness of Dortmunder -- he's not really a bad guy, but sometim...more
Was an OK caper. His first in the Dortmunder series. Have a rough day? Has it ever taken you six times to finally get something right? That's the premise in this book about a mastermind plotter of crimes mixed up with a gang of somewhat loopy characters where something always seems to backfire right at the point of success. This is a pleasant and fun read for those who don't take their crime too seriously. His first book in this series. Originally a plot for one of his Richard Stark novels, but...more
Неплохой авантюрный роман, этакий "детектив наоборот". Мы наблюдаем не за поисками преступника, а за деятельностью банды спецов из мира криминала. Пятерым товарищам, каждый из которых мастер своего дела, предстоит выкрасть особо ценный изумруд. Они организовывают и с блеском проворачивают одна операцию за другой, но из-за нелепых случайностей все их попытки оказываются тщетными. К пятой что ли попытке добыть камень становится для Дортмундера - мозгового центра компании - делом чести.
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Ever worked on a project or assignment that just wouldn't die? Such is the plight of our hero Dortmunder in his first crime caper by Donald Westlake, The Hot Rock. After being asked to swipe a precious emerald from a museum, he assembles a team of experts and goes about the task, but one of his men is arrested while trying to escape. Hilarity ensues when one heist turns into another... and another... and another.
Westlake is a master of the comic crime novel, and this book doesn't disappoint. The...more
Westlake is a master of the comic crime novel, and this book doesn't disappoint. The...more
Not bad. It reads a bit like a 90 minute movie taken from a 600 page book, but it is entertaining enough to keep my interest, and it's a quick read. It's a great caper gone bad, gone worse, gone awful, gone bad again and yet again caper. I while not the best read ever, I think that I will be reading more books in the Dortmunder series. The characterization is a bit thin, which is not usually my cup of tea, but it was fun to read. The plot carries the story in more directions than I could have im...more
This book had such high ratings that I thought this was the book for me. With phrases like "hilarious" or "lots of laughs", I figured it would be a good, playful story to read on my latest business trip. Instead, this is a very simple plot with simplistic characters. I tried to find the hilarious dialog, but never did. Several times I considered putting it down for something else. I rarely do that because I always think it will get better. In this case, it never did. If you have those same thoug...more
I just finished this book and i wanted to write a short quick review because I was surprised I liked it so much. The first thing you notice with the audio book, of course, is the narrator's accent which is just like that cliche New York thug, i.e., Nero Wolf style. At first I wasn't sure I was going to get past it, but in a short time focusing on the story I realized how perfect it was. Without saying too much, Dortmunder and friends are trying to accomplish their objective to which another and...more
A gem. One of the funniest books I have ever read.
Two caveats:
One, this book was written in 1970, so its depiction of Africa and Africans doesn't stand the test of time. I guess it could be considered historically accurate, but there you go.
Two, the Kindle edition of this book is FULL of typographical errors -- obviously caused by scanning a printed copy of the book, using OCR, and then not doing a very good proofreading it. Shameful.
Two caveats:
One, this book was written in 1970, so its depiction of Africa and Africans doesn't stand the test of time. I guess it could be considered historically accurate, but there you go.
Two, the Kindle edition of this book is FULL of typographical errors -- obviously caused by scanning a printed copy of the book, using OCR, and then not doing a very good proofreading it. Shameful.
This book introduced me to Archibald Dortmunder and his gang of thieves. I've never since been disappointed in any Westlake novel that included these characters. Westlake creates people and situations that make you laugh out loud as you read, and can raise a chuckle at unexpected moments years later. Technology may change, businesses go under, buildings fall down, but these stories are timeless.
This is an old book, copywrite 1970. It is the first in a series of books Donald E. Westlake wrote. I enjoyed the main character a lot. John Dortmunder is the mastermind behind a jewel heist. One of which he is approached to do as he leaves prison for another job he pulled. The way the story moves is quite humorous as are the other participants. I'm sure I'll be reading more books with Dortmunder in.
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Mystery, Crim...: Donald Westlake | 12 | 125 | Feb 20, 2012 11:08am |
aka John B Allen, Curt Clark, Tucker Coe, Timothy J Culver, J Morgan Cunningham, Samuel Holt, Sheldon Lord (with Lawrence Block), Alan Marshall, Allan Marshall, Richard Stark, Edwin West, Judson Jack Carmichael.
Donald Edwin Westlake was an American writer, with over a hundred novels and non-fiction books to his credit. He specialized in crime fiction, especially comic capers with an occasional for...more
More about Donald E. Westlake...
Donald Edwin Westlake was an American writer, with over a hundred novels and non-fiction books to his credit. He specialized in crime fiction, especially comic capers with an occasional for...more
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“A lady doctor in the foreground, black horn-rims and white lab coat, suddenly cried, “You people ought to be ashamed of yourselves! Do you realize what you're doing to the reality concepts we're trying to instill in these people? How do you expect them to differentiate between illusion and reality when you do something like this?””
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