Dortmunder Series, books 6, 10-14 - Donald E. Westlake

Written by Donald E. Westlake
Read by Willian Dufris, Brian Holsopple, Michael Krammer
Format: MP3
Bitrate: 64 Kbps
Unabridged

6. Good Behavior (1986) Brian Holsopple
Publisher: HighBridge Company
Release date: February 4, 2014
Duration: 08:14:46

It was supposed to be a simple caviar heist. Dortmunder is almost in the building when the alarm sounds, forcing him up the fire escape and onto the roof. He leaps onto the next building, smashing his ankle and landing in the den of the worst kind of creature he can imagine: nuns.

Although decades removed from his Catholic orphanage, Dortmunder still trembles before the sisters’ habits. But these nuns are kinder than the ones he grew up with. They bandage his wound, let him rest, and don’t call the cops—for a price. The father of the youngest member of their order, disgusted by their vow of silence, has kidnapped his daughter, locked her in a tightly guarded penthouse apartment, and is attempting to convince her to renounce her faith. The nuns ask Dortmunder to rescue the girl. It’s an impossible assignment—but one he cannot refuse.

10. Bad News (2001)
Books on Tape, 2001
Duration: 10hrs 30 min

In this, perhaps the best Dortmunder novel so far, Andy Kelp, Tiny Bulcher and the Murches (Stan and Mom) join John Dortmunder in horning in on another crew’s scam—cheating two Native American tribes out of one-third of the take from a lucrative Indian casino in upstate New York. Fitzroy Guilderpost, mastermind of the con (and a memorable Westlake creation one hopes to see again), has enlisted Little Feather Redcorn, a Las Vegas card dealer and showgirl, to pose as the last living member of an extinct tribe with a claim to the casino. Unknown to the schemers, the casino managers have been cooking their books and will go to any length to avoid sharing the wealth. As the foes switch dead Indians from grave to grave, seeking to prove or deny Little Feather’s tribal membership,

Dortmunder plots an impossible and hilarious robbery using a blizzard as an accessory, and comes up with the usual mixed results.. This book carries on the Dortmunder tradition and raises it to new standards.

11. The Road to Ruin (2004)
Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
Release date: May 11, 2006
Duration: 09:11:38

This time out John Dortmunder and his merry band of crooks return to the scene of the crime world in an attempt to steal a fleet of automobiles that would leave the Sultan of Brunei blushing. The mark is Monroe Hall, corrupt CEO of a now defunct conglomerate, who spent more of his company’s money on himself than the boys at Enron and WorldCom combined. Having escaped prosecution, Hall is holed up on his massive Pennsylvania farm and Dortmunder, as usual, has his eyes on the big prize: Hall’s vintage wheels.

Nobody does comic capers better than Westlake. This one unfolds with such cinematic energy that we don’t so much read it as watch while the players race around the countryside and almost bang into each other. Sparkling droplets of Westlake wit abound: a fence named Honest Irving, a small Pennsylvania town named Shickshinny, a security guard named Mort Pessle and Dortmunder’s gargantuan pal Tiny, who “didn’t so much sit in an automobile as wear it.” Almost everyone comes out at the end with dignity and limbs intact, but with no loot.

12. Watch Your Back! (2005)
Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
Release date: May 11, 2006
Duration: 09:07:58

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.

William Dufris brings all his skills to this Westlake entertainment. The main characters are from New York and New Jersey, giving Dufris a chance to explore the heights of their accents. He makes each main character a recognizable individual and creates memorable versions of the cameo roles, which range from Club Med staffers to Florida bone fishermen. He also handles women’s voices expertly. All this while delivering a well-paced narration.

13. What’s So Funny? (2007)
Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
Release date: April 1, 2007
Duration: 09:12:33

All it takes is a few underhanded moves by a tough ex-cop named Eppick to pull thief John 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.

Conventional or weird, they are all read with great delight by William Dufris, who has narrated all of the Dortmunder escapades. Longtime listeners will recognize regular characters from their voices alone; everyone else can take pleasure in meeting them for the first time. Dufris does not play the craziness for laughs, and that choice makes the book even more entertaining. You can almost believe in these characters.

14. Get Real (2009)
Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
Release date: July 1, 2009
Duration: 07:00:38

Eluding the law has always been high on Dortmunder’s list. But getting caught red-handed is inevitable in his next caper, when a TV producer convinces this thief and his merry gang to star in a reality show that captures their next score. The producer even guarantees to keep the show from being used as evidence against them. They’re dubious at first, but the pay’s good, so they sign on.

A mock-up of the OJ bar is built in a downtown New York City warehouse. 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.

Book six included in this torrent is a different recording than the one uploaded in the two collections. Books 10-14 are from Overdrive.