Thieves Dozen

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Featuring Westlake's hapless hero John Dortmunder, this original compilation of short stories ties in to the author's latest Dortmunder hardcover, "The Road to Ruin."From BooklistAll the usual Westlake suspects are back in another fine mess, or in this case in a delightful collection of 11 Dortmunder stories. The swift succession of heists, getaways, scrapes, and screwups gathered in Thieves' Dozen epitomizes the venal joys of the comic caper. Each gambit is filled with engaging twists, such as when the gang tunnels into a bank vault only to find it packed with hostages from an armed robbery already in progress, or when they start a stampede while attempting to boost a stud racehorse. Then there's the deceptively simple challenge of getting across town with a ham sandwich in which is secreted a stolen emerald brooch, or the synchronized scrapes of crooks converging on a bashed-in bank in "Fugue for Felons." The short-story form is well suited to Westlake's sly shenanigans, and he even finds room for snippets of the Runyonesque repartee that gives this inspired nonsense just the right touch of absurd panache. These stories are real jewels--an excellent introduction to Dortmunder for a wide range of comic crime and mystery readers. David WrightCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reservedAbout the AuthorDONALD E. WESTLAKE has written numerous novels over the past thirty-five years under his own name and pseudonyms, including Richard Stark. Many of his books have been made into movies, including The Hunter, which became the brilliant film noir Point Blank, and the 1999 smash hit Payback. He penned the Hollywood scripts for The Stepfather and The Grifters, which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Screenplay. The winner of three Edgar awards and a Mystery Writers of America Grand Master, Donald E. Westlake was presented with The Eye, the Private Eye Writers of America's Lifetime Achievement Award, at the Shamus Awards. He lives with his wife, Abby Adams, in rural New York State.