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Dortmunder #1
Jak neuloupit smaragd
První díl takzvané „dortmunderovské série“, pojmenované podle smolařského zlodějíčka Johna Dortmundera, patří k nejznámějším Westlakeovým propojením humoristického a kriminálního žánru. Zdánlivě prostý plán na uloupení vzácného drahokamu se nečekaně zkomplikuje a Dortmunderova parta se musí postupně vloupat do muzea, banky, blázince, vězení a na policejní stanici. Kniha byla v roce 1972 zfilmována jako Ukradený diamant s Robertem Redfordem v hlavní roli.
237 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1970
958 people are currently reading
6122 people want to read
About the author
Donald E. Westlake
434 books939 followersDonald E. Westlake (1933-2008) was one of the most prolific and talented authors of American crime fiction. He began his career in the late 1950's, churning out novels for pulp houses—often writing as many as four novels a year under various pseudonyms such as Richard Stark—but soon began publishing under his own name. His most well-known characters were John Dortmunder, an unlucky thief, and Parker, a ruthless criminal. His writing earned him three Edgar Awards: the 1968 Best Novel award for God Save the Mark; the 1990 Best Short Story award for "Too Many Crooks"; and the 1991 Best Motion Picture Screenplay award for The Grifters. In addition, Westlake also earned a Grand Master Award from the Mystery Writers of America in 1993.
Westlake's cinematic prose and brisk dialogue made his novels attractive to Hollywood, and several motion pictures were made from his books, with stars such as Lee Marvin and Mel Gibson. Westlake wrote several screenplays himself, receiving an Academy Award nomination for his adaptation of The Grifters, Jim Thompson's noir classic.
Some of the pseudonyms he used include
• Richard Stark
• Timothy J. Culver
• Tucker Coe
• Curt Clark
• J. Morgan Cunningham
• Judson Jack Carmichael
• D.E. Westlake
• Donald I. Vestlejk
• Don Westlake
Westlake's cinematic prose and brisk dialogue made his novels attractive to Hollywood, and several motion pictures were made from his books, with stars such as Lee Marvin and Mel Gibson. Westlake wrote several screenplays himself, receiving an Academy Award nomination for his adaptation of The Grifters, Jim Thompson's noir classic.
Some of the pseudonyms he used include
• Richard Stark
• Timothy J. Culver
• Tucker Coe
• Curt Clark
• J. Morgan Cunningham
• Judson Jack Carmichael
• D.E. Westlake
• Donald I. Vestlejk
• Don Westlake
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 711 reviews
October 31, 2011
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 chatty friend Kelp to help plan and pull off a complicated grand larceny.
The score: A large gem known as the Balabomo Emerald worth $500,000.
The client: The U.N. ambassador for the African nation of Talabwo.
The victim: Talabwo’s rival neighbor Akinzi who currently possess the stone.
The payoff: $150,000 cash on delivery of the emerald.
Shady, lawless tomfoolery is about to ensue.
Dortmunder, short on cash and morals but long on talent and smarts, accepts the dangerous job and begins gathering together an eclectic and highly engaging group of skilled, like-minded cohorts.
The prep work is precise. The planning is brilliant. The execution is flawless. The results...FUBAR. Why, you ask? Well, the problem is that our likable hero is bad luck made flesh and Murphy’s law and misfortune are each vying to make a disaster sandwich out of our main character and his crew.
Thus, what started as a delicate but straight-forward operation turns into a series of setbacks, betrayals and breaks so elusive and expensive that our boys can’t seem to buy one. It’s one major shot to the nuts after another. If luck be a lady, than she be a nasty vindictive bitch who can’t stand John Dortmunder.
This story is much lighter, more humorous and less violent that Westlake’s “parker” novels (written as Richard Stark). Dortmunder is a master thief but he never carries a gun and doesn’t allow any of his crew to carry either. He’s an artist, a tactician and not a thug. He’s your thinking man’s criminal with a morally casual attitude and talent for the work.
I liked him and I liked his crew. I thought Westlake’s writing was good and the descriptions of the thefts were excellent. I thought the premise, while far-fetched, was well done and the ending was both satisfying and believable within the context of the narrative.
I good solid read that was a fun change of pace from some of the darker, grittier crime fiction I have read recently.
3.0 to 3.5 stars. Recommended!!
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 chatty friend Kelp to help plan and pull off a complicated grand larceny.
The score: A large gem known as the Balabomo Emerald worth $500,000.
The client: The U.N. ambassador for the African nation of Talabwo.
The victim: Talabwo’s rival neighbor Akinzi who currently possess the stone.
The payoff: $150,000 cash on delivery of the emerald.
Shady, lawless tomfoolery is about to ensue.
Dortmunder, short on cash and morals but long on talent and smarts, accepts the dangerous job and begins gathering together an eclectic and highly engaging group of skilled, like-minded cohorts.
The prep work is precise. The planning is brilliant. The execution is flawless. The results...FUBAR. Why, you ask? Well, the problem is that our likable hero is bad luck made flesh and Murphy’s law and misfortune are each vying to make a disaster sandwich out of our main character and his crew.
Thus, what started as a delicate but straight-forward operation turns into a series of setbacks, betrayals and breaks so elusive and expensive that our boys can’t seem to buy one. It’s one major shot to the nuts after another. If luck be a lady, than she be a nasty vindictive bitch who can’t stand John Dortmunder.
This story is much lighter, more humorous and less violent that Westlake’s “parker” novels (written as Richard Stark). Dortmunder is a master thief but he never carries a gun and doesn’t allow any of his crew to carry either. He’s an artist, a tactician and not a thug. He’s your thinking man’s criminal with a morally casual attitude and talent for the work.
I liked him and I liked his crew. I thought Westlake’s writing was good and the descriptions of the thefts were excellent. I thought the premise, while far-fetched, was well done and the ending was both satisfying and believable within the context of the narrative.
I good solid read that was a fun change of pace from some of the darker, grittier crime fiction I have read recently.
3.0 to 3.5 stars. Recommended!!
November 21, 2020
Una novela muy divertida.
No es un prodigio de narrativa, pero las aventuras de este grupo de ladrones profesionales están bien narradas y la lectura es amena.
Donald E. Westlake es capaz de crear tipos duros como Parker y ladrones listos como Dortmunder. Un gran maestro.
A very funny novel.
It is not a narrative prodigy, but the adventures of this group of professional thieves are well told and the reading is enjoyable.
Donald e. Westlake is able to create tough guys like Parker and smart thieves like Dortmunder. A great master.
No es un prodigio de narrativa, pero las aventuras de este grupo de ladrones profesionales están bien narradas y la lectura es amena.
Donald E. Westlake es capaz de crear tipos duros como Parker y ladrones listos como Dortmunder. Un gran maestro.
A very funny novel.
It is not a narrative prodigy, but the adventures of this group of professional thieves are well told and the reading is enjoyable.
Donald e. Westlake is able to create tough guys like Parker and smart thieves like Dortmunder. A great master.
June 11, 2015
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-serious Parker would never tolerate the repeated robberies so he invented John Dortmunder and changed it to a comedy. That’s a great little example of what continues to amaze me about the way Westlake was able to carve out various niches within the crime/mystery genre.
In this first book, Westlake establishes the Dortmunder universe where a variety of off-beat characters like his chatty friend Kelp and car-obsessed driver Stan Murch would become part of his regular robbery crew. It also gives us the formula that we’d get for the rest of the series. The guys want to pull a job, but there’s some kind of odd complication or problem that either makes the job or it’s aftermath one problem after another. Bad luck and trouble would follow gloomy Dortmunder throughout the series. Sometimes he’d get the loot and sometimes he wouldn’t, but he’d always be good for a lot of laughs along the way.
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-serious Parker would never tolerate the repeated robberies so he invented John Dortmunder and changed it to a comedy. That’s a great little example of what continues to amaze me about the way Westlake was able to carve out various niches within the crime/mystery genre.
In this first book, Westlake establishes the Dortmunder universe where a variety of off-beat characters like his chatty friend Kelp and car-obsessed driver Stan Murch would become part of his regular robbery crew. It also gives us the formula that we’d get for the rest of the series. The guys want to pull a job, but there’s some kind of odd complication or problem that either makes the job or it’s aftermath one problem after another. Bad luck and trouble would follow gloomy Dortmunder throughout the series. Sometimes he’d get the loot and sometimes he wouldn’t, but he’d always be good for a lot of laughs along the way.
May 27, 2011
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 hilarious but believable situations to stick poor Dortmunder in.
While Westlake wrote the Parker books under his Richard Stark pseudonym, the writing couldn't be more different. His style in The Hot Rock reminds me of Christopher Moore and similar authors.
I'd recommend this to crime fiction fans with a sense of humor and also Christopher Moore fans.
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 hilarious but believable situations to stick poor Dortmunder in.
While Westlake wrote the Parker books under his Richard Stark pseudonym, the writing couldn't be more different. His style in The Hot Rock reminds me of Christopher Moore and similar authors.
I'd recommend this to crime fiction fans with a sense of humor and also Christopher Moore fans.
May 3, 2019
This story follows the travails of career criminal John Dortmunder, a man just released from his second prison term for robbery. It is the story of a buddy heist gone wrong -- and more than once and in more than one way. Dortmunder and four other career criminals fumble their way along in attempts to steal a $500,000 emerald at the behest of a man who offers them $30,000 each for a successful mission.
These five buddies are true characters in every sense of the word. The men couldn't be much different in personality than these five are and yet they manage to work together and trust one another.
There is humor in this story and a moral of sorts at the end. It was a delightful read and a welcome breath of fresh air from the heaviness of many noir stories.
These five buddies are true characters in every sense of the word. The men couldn't be much different in personality than these five are and yet they manage to work together and trust one another.
There is humor in this story and a moral of sorts at the end. It was a delightful read and a welcome breath of fresh air from the heaviness of many noir stories.
May 29, 2019
I had high expectation when reading this heist-theme story and at first I was rather disappointed, nothing too special at start. But the plot was progressing, and near the climax, I actually laughed, the punch-line worked. The author built the humor slowly, but I admit the story was getting better at the end. I prefer this approach than heist story that have good opening but getting worse toward the end of story.
March 25, 2025
★★★★½ — A cursed gem, a cursed crew, and a blessedly brilliant debut from a writer I respect more by each page. Memory remains one of my all-time best reads, but this is crime caper writing at its absolute finest & is Westlake having his most fun! Better than 95% of modern crime books hands down.
Donald Westlake’s The Hot Rock is what happens when the perfect heist meets the perfect storm of bad luck—and somehow, it’s hilarious instead of tragic.
This is the first book in the John Dortmunder series, and it sets the tone masterfully. We meet Dortmunder just as he’s getting out of prison (again), and within pages he’s back in the game, reluctantly roped into a job that seems easy enough on paper: steal a priceless gem from an embassy. But nothing in a Westlake novel is ever that simple, and the initial theft is only the beginning. The real fun comes as Dortmunder and his crew are forced to steal the same gem again. And again. And again.
There’s a rhythm to this book that’s almost musical. Westlake uses his trademark spare prose with surgical precision—never too much, never too little. The humor doesn’t shout; it lurks, dry and sharp, in the way characters talk past each other or cling to wildly misplaced confidence. This isn’t slapstick. It’s more like the slow unraveling of a tightly wound plan in the hands of very tired men who are just trying to do one damn thing right. Westlake whispers at times, there’s no agenda — just good writing, fun, intelligent plots & criminals being their best selves.
What makes The Hot Rock sing is how human it all feels. Dortmunder isn’t some criminal genius with a God complex. He’s just very competent, very tired, and very cursed. His team is a wonderful disaster: Kelp, the ever-chipper idea man; Greenberg, the driver with a literary streak; and Murch’s Mom, who isn’t even officially on the crew but nearly steals the book anyway. Every one of them is drawn with economy and care. Westlake doesn’t waste time with long histories—he gives you a voice, a tic, a habit, and suddenly you know the person.
There’s also a tension that hums quietly under the humor. These guys aren’t playing for laughs, even if the universe seems to think they’re funny. They need this job to work, and every failure chips a little more off their morale. But instead of turning bleak, Westlake keeps it nimble. He lets the absurdity be the drama, and that’s harder than it looks.
Why ★★★★½ and not ★★★★★? Only because the structure does get a little repetitive by design—it’s the same gem, the same goal, over and over again. That’s the joke, and it’s a good one, but it means the narrative sometimes feels more like a loop than a climb. Still, Westlake keeps it moving with such a light, confident touch that it hardly matters.
This is caper fiction at its absolute finest: sharp, spare, and quietly chaotic. The Hot Rock doesn’t just introduce a great character in John Dortmunder—it introduces a voice, a tone, a whole new shade of criminal fiction that whispers instead of shouts. And somehow, that makes the laughs land even harder.
📖📚Three little gems📚📖
“John Dortmunder looked at the tombstone and frowned. It said: Dortmunder. Just that, nothing else. Well, what the hell, he thought, and walked into the prison.”
“It was the kind of plan that would work perfectly—if everyone involved was a completely different person.”
“Kelp had that look again. The one that meant he’d had an idea. Dortmunder hated that look.”
Donald Westlake’s The Hot Rock is what happens when the perfect heist meets the perfect storm of bad luck—and somehow, it’s hilarious instead of tragic.
This is the first book in the John Dortmunder series, and it sets the tone masterfully. We meet Dortmunder just as he’s getting out of prison (again), and within pages he’s back in the game, reluctantly roped into a job that seems easy enough on paper: steal a priceless gem from an embassy. But nothing in a Westlake novel is ever that simple, and the initial theft is only the beginning. The real fun comes as Dortmunder and his crew are forced to steal the same gem again. And again. And again.
There’s a rhythm to this book that’s almost musical. Westlake uses his trademark spare prose with surgical precision—never too much, never too little. The humor doesn’t shout; it lurks, dry and sharp, in the way characters talk past each other or cling to wildly misplaced confidence. This isn’t slapstick. It’s more like the slow unraveling of a tightly wound plan in the hands of very tired men who are just trying to do one damn thing right. Westlake whispers at times, there’s no agenda — just good writing, fun, intelligent plots & criminals being their best selves.
What makes The Hot Rock sing is how human it all feels. Dortmunder isn’t some criminal genius with a God complex. He’s just very competent, very tired, and very cursed. His team is a wonderful disaster: Kelp, the ever-chipper idea man; Greenberg, the driver with a literary streak; and Murch’s Mom, who isn’t even officially on the crew but nearly steals the book anyway. Every one of them is drawn with economy and care. Westlake doesn’t waste time with long histories—he gives you a voice, a tic, a habit, and suddenly you know the person.
There’s also a tension that hums quietly under the humor. These guys aren’t playing for laughs, even if the universe seems to think they’re funny. They need this job to work, and every failure chips a little more off their morale. But instead of turning bleak, Westlake keeps it nimble. He lets the absurdity be the drama, and that’s harder than it looks.
Why ★★★★½ and not ★★★★★? Only because the structure does get a little repetitive by design—it’s the same gem, the same goal, over and over again. That’s the joke, and it’s a good one, but it means the narrative sometimes feels more like a loop than a climb. Still, Westlake keeps it moving with such a light, confident touch that it hardly matters.
This is caper fiction at its absolute finest: sharp, spare, and quietly chaotic. The Hot Rock doesn’t just introduce a great character in John Dortmunder—it introduces a voice, a tone, a whole new shade of criminal fiction that whispers instead of shouts. And somehow, that makes the laughs land even harder.
📖📚Three little gems📚📖
“John Dortmunder looked at the tombstone and frowned. It said: Dortmunder. Just that, nothing else. Well, what the hell, he thought, and walked into the prison.”
“It was the kind of plan that would work perfectly—if everyone involved was a completely different person.”
“Kelp had that look again. The one that meant he’d had an idea. Dortmunder hated that look.”
August 18, 2021
"“That emerald,” Dortmunder said, “is an albatross around my neck. I used to think I could get away from it, but now I know better. I could walk out of here now, try to find something else to do with my life, but sooner or later that goddam emerald would pop up again, I’d be right back in the middle of the mess again."
and
"“Well, we were white men stealing the black man’s emerald, so a lot of excitable types from Harlem took the subway downtown and made a fuss. They wanted to lynch him.”
“Lynch Greenwood?” Kelp shrugged. “I don’t know where they learn stuff like that,” he said."
Nominated for an “Edgar” in 1971, this book is centered in the New York City of a decade earlier. This is a transitional period in NYC as it is in Africa with many new nations emerging from former colonies. The new country of Balaboma exists in conflict between two tribes and much is attached to a large emerald: the Akinzi have the stone, the Talabwo want it back.
Dortmunder is a thief and a very interesting character cut from the cloth of this era of capers. The twist is that he is a “two-time loser” who doesn’t want to go back to prison but seems to be abandoned by Lady Luck at all the wrong times.
"“Odds? Luck? But it isn’t odds and luck that have helped you, Mr. Dortmunder, it’s skill and planning and experience. You still have just as much skill and are capable of just as much planning as in last night’s affair, and now you have even more experience.”
“I just have a feeling,” Dortmunder said. “This is turning into one of those dreams where you keep running down the same corridor and you never get anywhere.”"
Westlake makes the most of this “try-reboot-try-reboot” theme providing the laughs, frustrations and dramas that make this all work well.
"Steen gaped at him. “You were approached? For a robbery?”
“Sure.” “And you turned it down?”
“Damn right,” Dortmunder said. “There comes a point when you got to give anything up as a bad job.”
“And,” said Steen, so stunned his voice was cracking, “you’re reporting it to me?”
“Well, you brought it up,” Dortmunder reminded him.
“That’s right,” Steen said, in a vague sort of way.
This story took a while to appreciate. I had to get into that mid-20th century vibe and then some of that era’s humor. Finally, there were the literary references such as the following: "Chefwick eased the locomotive to a stop a few yards from the rear of the truck. He was already looking a little sad at the prospect of being returned to normal size, but there was no alternative. His Drink-Me was all used up."
Westlake writes well and if you have the success that I did, I think that this will be a very satisfactory journey for you and Mr. Dortmunder to embark upon.
and
"“Well, we were white men stealing the black man’s emerald, so a lot of excitable types from Harlem took the subway downtown and made a fuss. They wanted to lynch him.”
“Lynch Greenwood?” Kelp shrugged. “I don’t know where they learn stuff like that,” he said."
Nominated for an “Edgar” in 1971, this book is centered in the New York City of a decade earlier. This is a transitional period in NYC as it is in Africa with many new nations emerging from former colonies. The new country of Balaboma exists in conflict between two tribes and much is attached to a large emerald: the Akinzi have the stone, the Talabwo want it back.
Dortmunder is a thief and a very interesting character cut from the cloth of this era of capers. The twist is that he is a “two-time loser” who doesn’t want to go back to prison but seems to be abandoned by Lady Luck at all the wrong times.
"“Odds? Luck? But it isn’t odds and luck that have helped you, Mr. Dortmunder, it’s skill and planning and experience. You still have just as much skill and are capable of just as much planning as in last night’s affair, and now you have even more experience.”
“I just have a feeling,” Dortmunder said. “This is turning into one of those dreams where you keep running down the same corridor and you never get anywhere.”"
Westlake makes the most of this “try-reboot-try-reboot” theme providing the laughs, frustrations and dramas that make this all work well.
"Steen gaped at him. “You were approached? For a robbery?”
“Sure.” “And you turned it down?”
“Damn right,” Dortmunder said. “There comes a point when you got to give anything up as a bad job.”
“And,” said Steen, so stunned his voice was cracking, “you’re reporting it to me?”
“Well, you brought it up,” Dortmunder reminded him.
“That’s right,” Steen said, in a vague sort of way.
This story took a while to appreciate. I had to get into that mid-20th century vibe and then some of that era’s humor. Finally, there were the literary references such as the following: "Chefwick eased the locomotive to a stop a few yards from the rear of the truck. He was already looking a little sad at the prospect of being returned to normal size, but there was no alternative. His Drink-Me was all used up."
Westlake writes well and if you have the success that I did, I think that this will be a very satisfactory journey for you and Mr. Dortmunder to embark upon.
January 12, 2025
I share Dortmunder’s frustration with his average to incompetent colleagues but had a hard time finding the book funny. It just got old for me. Maybe it is too old. The 1970s humor just seemed dated, sometimes clever but strained.
June 12, 2025
Джон Дортмундър излиза от своя втори престой в затвора, с твърдото решение да не попада отново там. Има още и цели десет долара, както и влаков билет за Ню Йорк. Но отвън го чака старото му другарче Келп, който има предложение за супер удар...
Макар и писана в края на 60-те години на миналия век, "Горещият камък" е оригинална и добре изградена кримка - струва си да се прочете, макар и да е малко остаряла.
Написана е на достъпен английски и се чете леко.
Макар и писана в края на 60-те години на миналия век, "Горещият камък" е оригинална и добре изградена кримка - струва си да се прочете, макар и да е малко остаряла.
Написана е на достъпен английски и се чете леко.
June 21, 2022
از نویسندهی «تبر» انتظار خیلی بیشتری داشتم. برای گذران وقت بد نبود، ولی احساس میکنم کسی با نخوندنش هم چیزی از دست نمیده. طنزش چیزی بود شبیه «یک میلیون جیرینگی» ناتانیل وست که یادمه اون هم خیلی خنک و سطحی به نظرم اومده بود
April 11, 2023
“I’m not usually what you’d call the superstitious type, but if ever there was a jinx job this one is it.”
― Donald E. Westlake, The Hot Rock
Meet John Dortmunder. Career criminal. Fresh out of prison. His buddy Kelp has a job lined up. Talabwo and Akinzi were a British colony in Africa. They gained their independence but had a civil war before splitting into two countries. The Balabomo Emerald is a treasure to both new countries. Akinzi has it and Talabwo wants it. They want to hire Dortmunder and his gang to get it for them.
This is the beginning of the caper that never ends. Dortmunder is a great planner but somehow the caper never comes off as planned. Kelp shows up at the Talabwo embassy with his list of materials needed for the heist once Dortmunder comes up with a plan but something always goes wrong. Dortmunder comes up with a new plan and Kelp heads to the embassy with a new list. A truck, a helicopter, a locomotive. Dortmunder comes up with some really great plans. It's just too bad something always goes wrong. It's not the plan. It's that damn emerald.
The Hot Rock is the first of fifteen novels featruing John Dortmunder and was made into a movie with Robert Redford and George Segal. Donald E. Westlake was a prolific author and won several Edgar Awards. Dortmunder, Kelp, et al may be criminals but it is hard not to like them. This is a fun and quick read that is sure to make you laugh.
― Donald E. Westlake, The Hot Rock
Meet John Dortmunder. Career criminal. Fresh out of prison. His buddy Kelp has a job lined up. Talabwo and Akinzi were a British colony in Africa. They gained their independence but had a civil war before splitting into two countries. The Balabomo Emerald is a treasure to both new countries. Akinzi has it and Talabwo wants it. They want to hire Dortmunder and his gang to get it for them.
This is the beginning of the caper that never ends. Dortmunder is a great planner but somehow the caper never comes off as planned. Kelp shows up at the Talabwo embassy with his list of materials needed for the heist once Dortmunder comes up with a plan but something always goes wrong. Dortmunder comes up with a new plan and Kelp heads to the embassy with a new list. A truck, a helicopter, a locomotive. Dortmunder comes up with some really great plans. It's just too bad something always goes wrong. It's not the plan. It's that damn emerald.
The Hot Rock is the first of fifteen novels featruing John Dortmunder and was made into a movie with Robert Redford and George Segal. Donald E. Westlake was a prolific author and won several Edgar Awards. Dortmunder, Kelp, et al may be criminals but it is hard not to like them. This is a fun and quick read that is sure to make you laugh.
September 12, 2025
If there's one thing Westlake knew how to do, it was blending the crime genre with comedy.
Highly recommended for a comedic/heist/caper
Highly recommended for a comedic/heist/caper
July 4, 2019
The crooks/friends in this are planning to steal a lovely emerald for the Major, who has promised them 30 thousand each if they are successful, they also get some pocket money each week as they prep and plan – so they’re all pretty pleased with themselves. However, their attempts to get the emerald are not smooth sailing and honestly after one journey the emerald takes, if I were them, I really wouldn’t be touching it until it had been sterilised for a decade or two (even with gloves).
I did wish the pacing of the writing had been a bit more up-tempo and snazzier but there were some moments of good dialogue between the main characters and a few moments where I found myself smiling and quite amused.
If you have seen Hollywood movie Blue Streak (1999) and/or Bollywood movie Chor Machaaye Shor (2002), this book’s tone is very similar to them. For me in the book there were one or two scenes that had me thinking of the movies.
A pretty nice light caper of a read, one that has me interested enough to try the second in the series some point,
Acquired via KU.
I did wish the pacing of the writing had been a bit more up-tempo and snazzier but there were some moments of good dialogue between the main characters and a few moments where I found myself smiling and quite amused.
If you have seen Hollywood movie Blue Streak (1999) and/or Bollywood movie Chor Machaaye Shor (2002), this book’s tone is very similar to them. For me in the book there were one or two scenes that had me thinking of the movies.
A pretty nice light caper of a read, one that has me interested enough to try the second in the series some point,
Acquired via KU.
September 9, 2018
Another author I never read until this year. This is a fun caper novel that was turned into a movie starring Robert Redford and George Segal. It has 6 parts and is about 260 pages long. Chapters are very fast moving, lots of dialogue and each section has short chapters that sets up the action in the final part of that section.
What this book comes down to is a buddy heist movie. One African country wants to steal an emerald belonging to its neighboring African country - the emerald is on display in New York. So country hires these crooks to steal the emerald. Well, everything goes right and everything goes wrong. The crooks are able to steal the emerald but one of them gets caught and does what anyone would do before being arrested - he swallows the emerald! And now fun begins as we have them break into prison, into an insane asylum and on and on it goes. Some very funny dialogue. Is a bit dated since the book was written back in 1970, but it is not so dated that you cannot have fun with these guys used planes and helicopters and trains to get the job done. Fast moving and enjoyable, it is the first of about 15 books that feature this set of crooks. One has to hope that each and every other caper is as much fun as this first one!
What this book comes down to is a buddy heist movie. One African country wants to steal an emerald belonging to its neighboring African country - the emerald is on display in New York. So country hires these crooks to steal the emerald. Well, everything goes right and everything goes wrong. The crooks are able to steal the emerald but one of them gets caught and does what anyone would do before being arrested - he swallows the emerald! And now fun begins as we have them break into prison, into an insane asylum and on and on it goes. Some very funny dialogue. Is a bit dated since the book was written back in 1970, but it is not so dated that you cannot have fun with these guys used planes and helicopters and trains to get the job done. Fast moving and enjoyable, it is the first of about 15 books that feature this set of crooks. One has to hope that each and every other caper is as much fun as this first one!
November 9, 2024
“I could be peddling encyclopedias right now,” he said.
John Dortmunder has had enough troubles with his career in crime. After a stint in prison, all he wants is the quiet life, but his former partners have different plans for him.
Dortmunder is known as the planner in the criminal underworld of the Big Apple. I’m not sure on what deeds his reputation was earned, because right now everything he plans goes pear-shaped, starting with the sale of his former prison cell for three hundred dollars:
The big gate opened, Dortmunder stepped outside, the big gate closed. He was free, his debt to society was paid. He was also out three hundred fish, God damn it. He’d been counting on that dough. All he had was ten bucks and a train ticket.
In this situation, Dortmunder can hardly refuse when his former team driver Kelp picks him up in front of the prison gate and dangles the ultimate McGuffin in front of his eyes: the half-a-million dollars heist of a huge diamond, one that two African nations are fighting over. The stone, a relic of the colonial period, is currently hosted in a New York museum.
He beamed out at Dortmunder and said, “Toot, toot.”
Brainstorming in their favorite drinking place, Dortmunder and Kelp gather a team of [allegedly] the best crooks in the city: an explosive specialist, a lock breaker and a muscle. Their sponsor, one of the African diplomats who wants the stone, will provide the equipment and the funds needed.
What could go wrong?
>>><<<>>><<<
The correct answer is plenty!
There’s never a problem with Dortmunder careful planning. Just bad karma.
The team does everything right, a perfect heist, just until the last moment when they are about to lay their hands on the green jewel.
This is the most hilarious and insane caper novel that I read in a long time. I feel like I already I have given too much away. Donald Westlake is so good at this sort of storytelling that the progression seems effortless and the outcome inevitable.
Most of the humour is produced by the dialogue, a constant interchange between straight man Dortmunder and the wacky ideas of his team and of his sponsor. With the exception of the planner of the heist, none of the others are quite normal.
“I’m not breaking into any insane asylum. You people want to, you probably ought to be there anyway, so go right ahead.”
I’ve read the novel a couple of months ago, after watching the movie version with Robert Redford. This is one of those instances where the novel is better than the movie. Redford is good in his role, but a lot of the craziness and of the one-liners are lost in the translation to the silver screen. The names of the members of the team have become a little hazy, but not the quirks and the deeds.
Here are a couple of more examples of the deadpan delivery Westlake deploys when you least expect it:
That’s a geometric figure, that bird, he don’t exist without an angle.
“I don’t know,” Kelp said, sinking the two. “Where’d you get your helicopters before this?”
“Well, we bought them, naturally, from ...” Iko stopped, and his eyes widened. A white cloud formed above his head, and in the cloud a light bulb appeared. The light bulb flashed on. “I can do it!” he cried.
... and finally, the Open Sesame phrase that Westlake used in 1970, well before it appeared, somewhat changed, in the series Arrested Development: ‘Afghanistan banana stand.’
Hopefully, there will be some money in this banana stand for John Dortmunder.
I don’t rate his final rate of success too high though, after noticing there are 14 novels and 11 short stories that demonstrate the reading public liked the premise well enough to demand an encore. I hope to add my name to the list of fans of the series after this first episode.
John Dortmunder has had enough troubles with his career in crime. After a stint in prison, all he wants is the quiet life, but his former partners have different plans for him.
Dortmunder is known as the planner in the criminal underworld of the Big Apple. I’m not sure on what deeds his reputation was earned, because right now everything he plans goes pear-shaped, starting with the sale of his former prison cell for three hundred dollars:
The big gate opened, Dortmunder stepped outside, the big gate closed. He was free, his debt to society was paid. He was also out three hundred fish, God damn it. He’d been counting on that dough. All he had was ten bucks and a train ticket.
In this situation, Dortmunder can hardly refuse when his former team driver Kelp picks him up in front of the prison gate and dangles the ultimate McGuffin in front of his eyes: the half-a-million dollars heist of a huge diamond, one that two African nations are fighting over. The stone, a relic of the colonial period, is currently hosted in a New York museum.
He beamed out at Dortmunder and said, “Toot, toot.”
Brainstorming in their favorite drinking place, Dortmunder and Kelp gather a team of [allegedly] the best crooks in the city: an explosive specialist, a lock breaker and a muscle. Their sponsor, one of the African diplomats who wants the stone, will provide the equipment and the funds needed.
What could go wrong?
>>><<<>>><<<
The correct answer is plenty!
There’s never a problem with Dortmunder careful planning. Just bad karma.
The team does everything right, a perfect heist, just until the last moment when they are about to lay their hands on the green jewel.
This is the most hilarious and insane caper novel that I read in a long time. I feel like I already I have given too much away. Donald Westlake is so good at this sort of storytelling that the progression seems effortless and the outcome inevitable.
Most of the humour is produced by the dialogue, a constant interchange between straight man Dortmunder and the wacky ideas of his team and of his sponsor. With the exception of the planner of the heist, none of the others are quite normal.
“I’m not breaking into any insane asylum. You people want to, you probably ought to be there anyway, so go right ahead.”
I’ve read the novel a couple of months ago, after watching the movie version with Robert Redford. This is one of those instances where the novel is better than the movie. Redford is good in his role, but a lot of the craziness and of the one-liners are lost in the translation to the silver screen. The names of the members of the team have become a little hazy, but not the quirks and the deeds.
Here are a couple of more examples of the deadpan delivery Westlake deploys when you least expect it:
That’s a geometric figure, that bird, he don’t exist without an angle.
“I don’t know,” Kelp said, sinking the two. “Where’d you get your helicopters before this?”
“Well, we bought them, naturally, from ...” Iko stopped, and his eyes widened. A white cloud formed above his head, and in the cloud a light bulb appeared. The light bulb flashed on. “I can do it!” he cried.
... and finally, the Open Sesame phrase that Westlake used in 1970, well before it appeared, somewhat changed, in the series Arrested Development: ‘Afghanistan banana stand.’
Hopefully, there will be some money in this banana stand for John Dortmunder.
I don’t rate his final rate of success too high though, after noticing there are 14 novels and 11 short stories that demonstrate the reading public liked the premise well enough to demand an encore. I hope to add my name to the list of fans of the series after this first episode.
July 12, 2023
The Hot Rock is the first of many Dortmunder novels and is classic Westlake. Dortmunder is a planner of heists, and in the case of The Hot Rock, he plans five heists for the price of one. The story evokes memories of his novel Castle in the Air. If you are looking for laughs look no further than Dortmunder!
“The operation was successful, but the patient died.”
—Donald E. Westlake
“The operation was successful, but the patient died.”
—Donald E. Westlake
June 29, 2023
قابل مقایسه با تبر نیست ولی بازهم داستان پلیسی و کمدی وست لیک خواندنی هست
August 4, 2018
There’s a scene in the movie Fargo in which Marge Gunderson meets an old friend from high school and comments on how nice the hotel lounge is, to which her companion responds, “well you know, it’s a Radisson, so it’s got to be pretty good. “
Whenever I pick up a Donald Westlake book, that’s exactly how I feel: you know it’s got to be pretty good.
The Hard Rock is the first of the John Dortmunder series and is an excellent introduction to the lovable thief whose capers consistently become chaotic and hilariously complex. As Dortmunder and his ex-convict gang of friends work to steal a precious emerald on behalf of a small African nation in exchange for a handsome fee, things quickly go from bad to worse. With each attempt, Dortmunder becomes increasingly frustrated and reluctant to continue to pursue the heist. Not one to be easily discouraged however, Dortmunder will eventually prevail and establish the theme for the series to come whereby he and his cronies provide smiles and laughs while navigating the plot twists that keep each story engaging and rewarding to read.
It’s interesting to note that Westlake, who also wrote the Parker series under the name Richard Stark, had originally planned for this story to be a Parker book. However with the silliness and levity that began to emerge in the story, he reportedly needed a different character then the terse Parker. Hence the birth of John Dortmunder and the genesis of a very engaging and enjoyable series of books. A great place to enter this lovable, humorous and clever series.
Whenever I pick up a Donald Westlake book, that’s exactly how I feel: you know it’s got to be pretty good.
The Hard Rock is the first of the John Dortmunder series and is an excellent introduction to the lovable thief whose capers consistently become chaotic and hilariously complex. As Dortmunder and his ex-convict gang of friends work to steal a precious emerald on behalf of a small African nation in exchange for a handsome fee, things quickly go from bad to worse. With each attempt, Dortmunder becomes increasingly frustrated and reluctant to continue to pursue the heist. Not one to be easily discouraged however, Dortmunder will eventually prevail and establish the theme for the series to come whereby he and his cronies provide smiles and laughs while navigating the plot twists that keep each story engaging and rewarding to read.
It’s interesting to note that Westlake, who also wrote the Parker series under the name Richard Stark, had originally planned for this story to be a Parker book. However with the silliness and levity that began to emerge in the story, he reportedly needed a different character then the terse Parker. Hence the birth of John Dortmunder and the genesis of a very engaging and enjoyable series of books. A great place to enter this lovable, humorous and clever series.
February 10, 2019
یه زمان روون و خوندنی. از اون کتابها که به درد اوقات انتظار میخورد. کاری که دقیقاً خودم کردم. وقتی شش ساعت توی فرودگاه منتظر بودم، تمومش کردم. هم کمک کرد گذر زمان رو نفهمم، هم از اون کتابهایی نیست که تمرکز زیادی بخواد.
ماجرا از قرار سرقت یه زمرد خاص برای سفیر یک کشور آفریقایی با دستمزد نفری 30 هزار دلار برای یک گروه 5 نفره شروع میشه. سرقتی که خیلی تمیز پیش میره، ولی اتفاقی و شانسی، ناموفق میشه. در نهایت این گروه پنج نفره فقط به دلیل بدشانسی های مکرر مجبور میشند به موزه، زندان، ایستگاه پلیس، تیمارستان امنیتی و بانک دستبرد بزنند، و هر بار با بدشانسیهای اتفاقی، دستشون به زمرد نرسه. البته هر بار هم دستبرد خیلی تمیزی انجام میدند.
این کتاب کمی هم حالت طنز داره، ولی نه در حدی که آدم رو بخندونه. فقط گاهی لبخندی روی لب آدم میشینه.
ترجمه هم عالی بود.
ماجرا از قرار سرقت یه زمرد خاص برای سفیر یک کشور آفریقایی با دستمزد نفری 30 هزار دلار برای یک گروه 5 نفره شروع میشه. سرقتی که خیلی تمیز پیش میره، ولی اتفاقی و شانسی، ناموفق میشه. در نهایت این گروه پنج نفره فقط به دلیل بدشانسی های مکرر مجبور میشند به موزه، زندان، ایستگاه پلیس، تیمارستان امنیتی و بانک دستبرد بزنند، و هر بار با بدشانسیهای اتفاقی، دستشون به زمرد نرسه. البته هر بار هم دستبرد خیلی تمیزی انجام میدند.
این کتاب کمی هم حالت طنز داره، ولی نه در حدی که آدم رو بخندونه. فقط گاهی لبخندی روی لب آدم میشینه.
ترجمه هم عالی بود.
January 27, 2019
A Heist caper crossed with a shaggy dog story, all wrapped in a dry wit that never takes the easy out into broad comedy.
December 10, 2013
I picked up this book after finishing Money Shot, and I was disappointed. The book had been highly recommended from other readers and I figured it would be a no-brainer - something I would read, laugh and enjoy after a stressful week and a long flight back from Charleston. Unfortunately, I just didn't get it.
Dortmunder is a ex-convict down on his luck. He's been released from prison and he finds himself master-minding a new heist. It should be quick and easy. Of course, like everything that promises to be quick and easy it turned out to be far from it. Dortmunder and his gang find themselves executing one heist after another to steal a gem. And each heist is more over the top then the last. The predicament is, in a way, funny. But it was only funny "hehe" rather than that rip-roaring funny that I had wanted.
Maybe the problem was one of expectations. I wanted more out of the book and had been expecting more. Many people really liked the book. Maybe I just woke up on the wrong side of the bed? I don't know. I just found the exponentially spiraling caper annoying in the end. What can I say? I didn't like the movie Mrs. Doubtfire, either. Apparently lots of people liked it.
What I can say is that the writing and characters were excellent. I suspect this was just a case of me being in a bad disposition when I read the book. Two and a half stars.
Dortmunder is a ex-convict down on his luck. He's been released from prison and he finds himself master-minding a new heist. It should be quick and easy. Of course, like everything that promises to be quick and easy it turned out to be far from it. Dortmunder and his gang find themselves executing one heist after another to steal a gem. And each heist is more over the top then the last. The predicament is, in a way, funny. But it was only funny "hehe" rather than that rip-roaring funny that I had wanted.
Maybe the problem was one of expectations. I wanted more out of the book and had been expecting more. Many people really liked the book. Maybe I just woke up on the wrong side of the bed? I don't know. I just found the exponentially spiraling caper annoying in the end. What can I say? I didn't like the movie Mrs. Doubtfire, either. Apparently lots of people liked it.
What I can say is that the writing and characters were excellent. I suspect this was just a case of me being in a bad disposition when I read the book. Two and a half stars.
March 28, 2023
تا حالا کتاب به این باحالی و خنده داری نخونده بودم!
چقدر سریع پیش میرفت و روان!
اگه میخواین یه کتاب حالتون رو خوب کنه و سرحال بیارتون از دستش ندید.
تیرماه هزارو چهارصد
https://taaghche.com/book/140035
چقدر سریع پیش میرفت و روان!
اگه میخواین یه کتاب حالتون رو خوب کنه و سرحال بیارتون از دستش ندید.
تیرماه هزارو چهارصد
https://taaghche.com/book/140035
April 12, 2013
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 was rewarding myself for running through all my state tax calculations in the morning.) But this was a page-turner.
Now, the “normal” Dortmunder novel isn’t that long (at least #2 & #3 are fairly quick reads), but this was a proverbial kitten krusher in comparison. (Not that it is 1,000 pages long or anything close to true death-dealing size; it just seems long versus the others.) Once you start into the story, the reason for its length is quickly discerned, but I will not spoil things for you. Let me just stay that it justifies itself pretty handily.
Having screwed up and begun reading in the middle of the series, I already knew that characters, but I have to say that the way that each one is brought on to “the stage”, introduced to the audience, and then allowed to have a scene or two is very impressive. I haven’t read any other “first-in-series” book by Mr. Westlake so, I can’t say if it is his normal M.O., but it was very different from how other authors handle it.
Like a lot of the author’s books, this novel is tied to its time period. Some might call that “dated”, but it just means that you are reminded of the era in which the book was written and first read. Nothing wrong with that. Go read an original Ian Fleming Bond book. There are numerous references to his past exploits (WWII). Does he even look like an octogenarian? No, of course not. What a silly question. The film versions just keep removing more and more of the inconvenient anachronisms.
John Dortmunder is an unattractive man. His author describes him in unflattering terms as a kind of “sad sack” with features and demeanor to match. But underneath he is a consummate professional. We may not know where and how he learned his craft, but he is the acknowledge “planner”. Others may find an attractive (or seemingly so) job, but it is up to Dortmunder to analyze the location, the security, the difficulty, and then come up with a scheme that gives the team a reasonable chance of success. Given that they are trying to get a score worth fighting for, there are significant obstacles to overcome each time.
Sounds pretty hard, don’t it? Parker (another professional criminal) also works out his plans (and like Dortmunder) practices beforehand. Both men face rotten luck at times, but Dortmunder seems to get hid hardest. Part of the beauty of these books is watching him dig his way out of the problem. You find yourself wishing that this time it will come out just as planned.
Dortmunder inhabits New York City. I accept the author’s descriptions of places and roadways as factual and accurate. Like Bernie Rhodenbarr of Lawrence Block’s “The Burglar who…” series, Dortmunder relies on his city to supply him with targets, tools, and a reasonable living. (Bernie seems to be more successful at it.) In at least one later novel he travels out of state, but NYC and its near neighbors are where we will find this anti-hero 99 and 44/100ths percent of the time.
As I wrote in the second paragraph, this book sucked me in completely. I let myself read x pages and then stopped, but in a couple of hours I was back to it. I enjoyed myself so much that as soon as I closed the cover, I picked up the next novel (Bank Shot) and kept going. Knocking off three books in two days is something I haven’t done in a long time.
Do I wish that I had read these books before? Well yes and no. “Yes” because they would not be on (or blocking me from getting to) my TBR shelf, but “no” because (like many others) I would have read them long before Goodreads and not have the time to go back and write a review. Four (4) Stars (but deserving of 4.5) and a strong recommendation.
July 21, 2017
John Abernathy Dortmunder is the thief whose capers never quite come off. Here, the released convict and his pal Kelp bring in a gang to steal the $500,000 Balaboma Emerald. The former British colony has recently become independent and split. The Akinzi have the stone, the Talabwo want it back. Embassy Major offers plotters reward -- but is he trustworthy?
November 28, 2022
An excellent, funny, well-written romp.
July 2, 2022
کلا یه گروه پنج نفره دائما دنبال یه زمرد بودن تا بدن به صاحبش و پولشونو بگیرن، و دائما زمرد گم میشود، به نظرم از یه جایی به بعد تکراری میشود
July 27, 2022
کتاب جالب و بامزهای بود
ماجرای جالب یه سرقت در 6 مرحله و هر مرحله خلاقانه و جالب
دوست داشتم. ترجمه آقای عباسآبادی هم خیلی خوب بود
ماجرای جالب یه سرقت در 6 مرحله و هر مرحله خلاقانه و جالب
دوست داشتم. ترجمه آقای عباسآبادی هم خیلی خوب بود
April 13, 2025
چند جا بلند بلند خندیدم
به خواندنش می ارزد
به خواندنش می ارزد
August 31, 2025
Green is an unlucky colour.
Every green car I have owned has been a disaster...all three of them. They are/were cursed. It seems the same is true of Emeralds. This scruffy bunch of would-be "professional" criminals are tasked with stealing a famous emerald, and they bugger it up royally.
The author has created a great cast and the plot, or I should say, multiple plots come together to form a hilarious book that I enjoyed greatly. I never felt like saying, "When will there be an end?" I'm so glad I read this and I will read more of Westlake's works.
Every green car I have owned has been a disaster...all three of them. They are/were cursed. It seems the same is true of Emeralds. This scruffy bunch of would-be "professional" criminals are tasked with stealing a famous emerald, and they bugger it up royally.
The author has created a great cast and the plot, or I should say, multiple plots come together to form a hilarious book that I enjoyed greatly. I never felt like saying, "When will there be an end?" I'm so glad I read this and I will read more of Westlake's works.
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