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Grand Theft by Timothy Watts
Teddy Clyde is a career car thief - a pro who boosts high-end automobiles off the streets to the tune of fifteen to twenty grand a ride. How good is he? A bad year leaves him pocketing around $400,000 cash.One evening, after successfully relieving an unsuspecting owner of his mint Porsche, Teddy retreats to Palisades, a Mafia-owned strip club. A waitress there captures his attention, and thanks to some quick thinking on his part, she's forced to share a ride home with him. On the way Teddy gets a flat, but when he opens the trunk of his car, he discovers not a spare tire but the body of Philadelphia Mafia boss Dominic Scarlotti.For someone who's always managed to keep one step ahead of trouble - and the law - Teddy's biggest concern now is to stay alive and find out who set him up. To do so, he'll have to outlast and outwit a mobster with a hair-trigger temper, an assistant U.S. attorney suffering from a Napoleon complex, and two international arms dealers with impressive and lethal resumes. It seems they all have a keen interest in Mr. Scarlotti's disappearance. And Teddy's only ally is the waitress he's quickly falling in love with.
Mass Market Paperback
First published October 13, 2003
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
February 22, 2013
This was a great book. Action, good characterization, good dialogue, some good plot twists. I strongly recommend it, really enjoyed, fun read. A skilled car thief gets dragged into a Mob issue because of a personal grievance, and it gets great from there.
December 14, 2018
An interesting crime novel that gets bogged down with an excessive number of characters. My favorite character was Izzy, he was the best developed and I was disappointed by how his arc ended. Not great, not terrible, would be nice as a beach read.
February 22, 2022
A highly entertaining romp A clever plot and snappy dialog making murderers, thieves, mobsters and victims fun to read.
Most comparisons to Elmore Leonard are disappointing, but Timothy Watts is a happy exception. There's even a touch of Donald Westlake to add to the mix.
Most comparisons to Elmore Leonard are disappointing, but Timothy Watts is a happy exception. There's even a touch of Donald Westlake to add to the mix.
December 19, 2024
Slow read but good ending
November 11, 2014
This is a QUICK read. I think it took a day to read.
It's not a Fast and the Furious type story, which I was pleased about. While the main character is a professional car thief, they don't delve into his business deals very much.
There's a story about a big brother looking out for a looney little brother. I do feel bad the whole time for Teddy's patience with his brother, and the way it always blows up in his face. But it helps you see that he is a good person with a good heart.
The "love" story that intertwines was a little silly for me. But I'm sure the men dig it.
I got pissed off a few times at how obvious it was that a man had written it. Like when he described a dancer's 4" platform shoes as if they were as tall at the Eiffel tower..... That's just stupid. A dancer's platforms are at least 6". Period! 4" normal shoes really aren't even THAT high. Minor details, yes. But still made me cranky. He described a couple other things about girls that made me want to call him up and tell him to do some research next time. But it didn't ruin the book. Just drew a few snarky comments from me.
I actually saw a typo or two as well. Weird, right?
Whatever. I liked the book. The plot line was original but still familiar. It flew by, and there was just enough action to make it interesting, and just enough plot as well. Could have been a fun movie.
I'd recommend it as a quick read that's action packed.
It's not a Fast and the Furious type story, which I was pleased about. While the main character is a professional car thief, they don't delve into his business deals very much.
There's a story about a big brother looking out for a looney little brother. I do feel bad the whole time for Teddy's patience with his brother, and the way it always blows up in his face. But it helps you see that he is a good person with a good heart.
The "love" story that intertwines was a little silly for me. But I'm sure the men dig it.
I got pissed off a few times at how obvious it was that a man had written it. Like when he described a dancer's 4" platform shoes as if they were as tall at the Eiffel tower..... That's just stupid. A dancer's platforms are at least 6". Period! 4" normal shoes really aren't even THAT high. Minor details, yes. But still made me cranky. He described a couple other things about girls that made me want to call him up and tell him to do some research next time. But it didn't ruin the book. Just drew a few snarky comments from me.
I actually saw a typo or two as well. Weird, right?
Whatever. I liked the book. The plot line was original but still familiar. It flew by, and there was just enough action to make it interesting, and just enough plot as well. Could have been a fun movie.
I'd recommend it as a quick read that's action packed.
May 12, 2010
Teddy Clyde is a professional car thief. He only deals in luxury models, does plenty of market research, and is careful about his distribution system. So what's the body of Philadelphia Mob boss Dominic Scarlotti doing in the trunk of Teddy's own car, a modest Acura? It's a long story, and Watts tells it beautifully, with snappy dialogue, lots of streetwise wit, and a nice dollop of romance.
In the best caper novel tradition, Teddy begins by only wanting to extricate himself from the mess he's landed in but quickly realizes that because he'll probably wind up dead anyway, why not try to make a little something for himself? The cast of supporting characters is every bit as compelling as Teddy himself, from his bumbling brother, to the bada-bing mobsters he sets out to con, to the Philadelphia Enquirer reporter he falls for, to the two shrewd Jewish gangsters he encounters along the way.
In the best caper novel tradition, Teddy begins by only wanting to extricate himself from the mess he's landed in but quickly realizes that because he'll probably wind up dead anyway, why not try to make a little something for himself? The cast of supporting characters is every bit as compelling as Teddy himself, from his bumbling brother, to the bada-bing mobsters he sets out to con, to the Philadelphia Enquirer reporter he falls for, to the two shrewd Jewish gangsters he encounters along the way.
October 21, 2025
If you are looking for a suited word to describe this story, the proper one should certainly be naivety.
The plot is rather thin, even hardly believable, with lots of little facts making it even less credible. You don't kill someone with witness around, Anthony is far too stupid, Izzy looks to nice to be a hit-man, the little brother is one of the dumbest persons I've met as a reader.
And yet there is some action, a sort of a love story and a happy end. Enough or not enough, you have to spend some hours to find it...
The plot is rather thin, even hardly believable, with lots of little facts making it even less credible. You don't kill someone with witness around, Anthony is far too stupid, Izzy looks to nice to be a hit-man, the little brother is one of the dumbest persons I've met as a reader.
And yet there is some action, a sort of a love story and a happy end. Enough or not enough, you have to spend some hours to find it...
July 13, 2015
Fun read. I enjoyed the plot and the characters.
April 21, 2024
A slick car thief. The mob. Why yes. I will read this again.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews