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Dortmunder #3
Jimmy the Kid
Taking cues from a pulp novel, Dortmunder arranges a kidnapping.
Kelp has a plan, and John Dortmunder knows that means trouble. His friend Kelp is a jinx, and his schemes, no matter how well intentioned, tend to spiral quickly out of control. But this one, Kelp swears, is airtight. He read it in a book.
In county lock-up for a traffic charge, Kelp came across a library of trashy novels by an author named Richard Stark. The hero is a thief named Parker whose plans, unlike Kelp and Dortmunder’s, always work out. In one, Parker orchestrates a kidnapping so brilliant that, Kelp thinks, it would have to work in real life. Though offended that his usual role as planner has been usurped, Dortmunder agrees to try using the novel as a blueprint. Unfortunately, what’s simple on the page turns complex in real life, and there is no book to guide him through the madness he’s signed on for.
Kelp has a plan, and John Dortmunder knows that means trouble. His friend Kelp is a jinx, and his schemes, no matter how well intentioned, tend to spiral quickly out of control. But this one, Kelp swears, is airtight. He read it in a book.
In county lock-up for a traffic charge, Kelp came across a library of trashy novels by an author named Richard Stark. The hero is a thief named Parker whose plans, unlike Kelp and Dortmunder’s, always work out. In one, Parker orchestrates a kidnapping so brilliant that, Kelp thinks, it would have to work in real life. Though offended that his usual role as planner has been usurped, Dortmunder agrees to try using the novel as a blueprint. Unfortunately, what’s simple on the page turns complex in real life, and there is no book to guide him through the madness he’s signed on for.
196 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1974
399 people are currently reading
655 people want to read
About the author
Donald E. Westlake
434 books952 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
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 215 reviews
May 30, 2011
Andy Kelp gets the bright idea of using a plan from a Richard Stark novel to pull off the kidnapping of a rich kid and hold him for ransom. Dortmunder eventually caves and decides to go along with the plan, only to quickly realize he shouldn't have. The kid they choose ends up being a precocious little bastard and things start going wrong. Not everything works like it does in the books...
The best way I can summarize this one is to say Hilarious. Dortmunder is still the loveable loser introduced in the Hot Rock. I really wanted him to get away with the money this time. The plot device of using a Richard Stark novel was great. The chapters of the fictitious Parker novel, Child Heist, show how versatile Westlake was a writer. It's a shame Child Heist doesn't exist as a standalone novel. The characters were great, as usual. Marsh and his mother continue to be my favorites of the supporting cast. James Harrington was a brat but his intelligence was well done. I still wouldn't mind throttling him myself.
Once again, I'd recommend Donald Westlake to fans of Christopher Moore, as well as fans of capers. I have to think Westlake is an influence on Moore.
The best way I can summarize this one is to say Hilarious. Dortmunder is still the loveable loser introduced in the Hot Rock. I really wanted him to get away with the money this time. The plot device of using a Richard Stark novel was great. The chapters of the fictitious Parker novel, Child Heist, show how versatile Westlake was a writer. It's a shame Child Heist doesn't exist as a standalone novel. The characters were great, as usual. Marsh and his mother continue to be my favorites of the supporting cast. James Harrington was a brat but his intelligence was well done. I still wouldn't mind throttling him myself.
Once again, I'd recommend Donald Westlake to fans of Christopher Moore, as well as fans of capers. I have to think Westlake is an influence on Moore.
February 11, 2023
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[Finished in Sept 2022; Reviewed Jan 2023]
★ ★ ★ 1/2
The completist in me made me read this book. Does that mean I’m a big fan of Donald E. Westlake? I can't say “big.” Enough to keep reading his work, anyway. His Parker books written as Richard Stark, that’s another matter. One of my favorite series. And so, what’s one got to do with the other? Here’s a portion of the synopsis for Jimmy the Kid:
Apparently Westlake was serious about his work while not taking himself too seriously. Throughout his career he had occasionally included these little intersections. He wrote a Grofield novel, the other series he penned under Richard Stark, that began with a scene from one of his Parker books. That in itself is not particularly unusual, admittedly. But he had also, twice, shared scenes with his friend Joe Gores, whose work I still hope to explore. I have to admit that I am surprised he had never done this with Lawrence Block, as I understood those two gentlemen to be particularly close friends.
It turns out these excerpts were not written by Richard Stark. What appears in Jimmy the Kid is Richard Stark through the lens of Donald Westlake. It chronicles a crime Parker would never commit. More to the point, the tone and language have been blunted. While you can still see elements of a Parker story, the harsh world of Parker could not be neatly dropped into the humorous world of hard-luck thief John Dortmunder. These excerpts read as if they were written to order, created to justify the antics Westlake had already decided to put the Dortmunder gang through. They ring true to Dortmunder but are a dull, distant echo of Parker.
What results is standard fare for this series. More than a few chuckles, a few outright laughs, and a professionally structured story that holds together as we watch all of Dortmunder’s plans repeatedly fall apart. Nothing remarkable but still quick, light, quality entertainment.
[Finished in Sept 2022; Reviewed Jan 2023]
★ ★ ★ 1/2
The completist in me made me read this book. Does that mean I’m a big fan of Donald E. Westlake? I can't say “big.” Enough to keep reading his work, anyway. His Parker books written as Richard Stark, that’s another matter. One of my favorite series. And so, what’s one got to do with the other? Here’s a portion of the synopsis for Jimmy the Kid:
When his “friend” Andy Kelp has a plan, career criminal John Dortmunder knows that means trouble. Kelp’s schemes, no matter how well intentioned, tend to spiral quickly out of control. But this one, Kelp swears, is airtight. He read it in a book!The book in question is a Parker novel by Richard Stark. Not a “real” novel, though. The sections excerpted and inserted into this story were written specifically for Jimmy the Kid. Which meant I had never read them. Which meant my Parker experience was incomplete. Which is unheard of for a completist.
Apparently Westlake was serious about his work while not taking himself too seriously. Throughout his career he had occasionally included these little intersections. He wrote a Grofield novel, the other series he penned under Richard Stark, that began with a scene from one of his Parker books. That in itself is not particularly unusual, admittedly. But he had also, twice, shared scenes with his friend Joe Gores, whose work I still hope to explore. I have to admit that I am surprised he had never done this with Lawrence Block, as I understood those two gentlemen to be particularly close friends.
It turns out these excerpts were not written by Richard Stark. What appears in Jimmy the Kid is Richard Stark through the lens of Donald Westlake. It chronicles a crime Parker would never commit. More to the point, the tone and language have been blunted. While you can still see elements of a Parker story, the harsh world of Parker could not be neatly dropped into the humorous world of hard-luck thief John Dortmunder. These excerpts read as if they were written to order, created to justify the antics Westlake had already decided to put the Dortmunder gang through. They ring true to Dortmunder but are a dull, distant echo of Parker.
What results is standard fare for this series. More than a few chuckles, a few outright laughs, and a professionally structured story that holds together as we watch all of Dortmunder’s plans repeatedly fall apart. Nothing remarkable but still quick, light, quality entertainment.
May 19, 2025
__________________________
"The world is full of fictional characters looking for their stories." — Diane Arbus
This Dortmunder novel begins with Kelp, one of Dortmunder’s criminal associates, reading a book. I know. I know. This does not seem copacetic to me, either. These jamooks in Dortmunder’s band of thieves are not exactly “wise” guys, if you know what I mean. It is true that Kelp read the book under vile duress. He was the sole guest in a small-town pokey on a (technically) bum rap and had nothing else to do except sit on his bunk and admire the bars.
The paperback of which he partook was penned by one Richard Stark, the alias of a real-life word smiter who wrote the Parker series. You may be cognizant of the fact that Richard Stark was the monicker of one Donald Westlake, with whom you may also be familiar. This particular volume told the tale of how hard-boiled, ruthless criminal Parker pulled off a snatch of a young boy and ransomed him for a big score. Kelp was impressed and figured Dortmunder’s crew could use the novel as a blueprint that they could follow exactly to make a fortune. Hilarity ensues.
🌟🌟🌟 Stars. This is not your typical Dortmunder novel, but it is amusing. If you enjoy humorous crime stories, you will probably smile through the entire book. If you plan to use Jimmy the Kid as a how-to-book for committing a heinous crime, you will probably end up reading Richard Stark novels in a hooscow somewhere.
"The world is full of fictional characters looking for their stories." — Diane Arbus
This Dortmunder novel begins with Kelp, one of Dortmunder’s criminal associates, reading a book. I know. I know. This does not seem copacetic to me, either. These jamooks in Dortmunder’s band of thieves are not exactly “wise” guys, if you know what I mean. It is true that Kelp read the book under vile duress. He was the sole guest in a small-town pokey on a (technically) bum rap and had nothing else to do except sit on his bunk and admire the bars.
The paperback of which he partook was penned by one Richard Stark, the alias of a real-life word smiter who wrote the Parker series. You may be cognizant of the fact that Richard Stark was the monicker of one Donald Westlake, with whom you may also be familiar. This particular volume told the tale of how hard-boiled, ruthless criminal Parker pulled off a snatch of a young boy and ransomed him for a big score. Kelp was impressed and figured Dortmunder’s crew could use the novel as a blueprint that they could follow exactly to make a fortune. Hilarity ensues.
🌟🌟🌟 Stars. This is not your typical Dortmunder novel, but it is amusing. If you enjoy humorous crime stories, you will probably smile through the entire book. If you plan to use Jimmy the Kid as a how-to-book for committing a heinous crime, you will probably end up reading Richard Stark novels in a hooscow somewhere.
June 16, 2020
Donald Westlake is one of the great mystery writers of all time, but I had only until now read works he wrote under a pseudonym, Richard Stark, a series featuring a cold-blooded criminal known only as Parker, and a spin-off series featuring a minor character from the Parker series, Alan Grofield.
I thought I would try one of the Westlake comic capers, some of which were made into movies. I usually like to read them in order, but this third one had an appealing premise. The main thief here is Dortmunder, who always seems to be sighing or enraged about the dim-witted goofballs he enlists in his jobs, particularly a guy named Kelp. Kelp comes to Dortmunder with an idea for some big money, a kidnapping based on a trashy novel he read written by a guy name Richard Stark. It works out perfectly, and Kelp makes it clear that the novel, Child Heist, is a kind of script for success (Parker is a successful criminal! What could go wrong if they follow his guide?!)
Kelp practically memorizes the book, and he asks Dortmunder and others to read it. Not bad, they say. Okay, let's try it. Kelp is farcical in trying to enact the words and deeds of the book as they proceed. The difference is that the kid in the Stark book is just an average kid and Parker and his henchmen are true professionals; Dortmunder is okay as a thief, but the goofballs he works with are somewhat reminiscent of those losers in Home Alone facing a clever kid. This rich kid, Jimmy, is brilliant.
So there's a lot of silliness and also a lot of wittiness as we go back and forth between Kelp reading the Parker novel and the events as they proceed, which let's just say makes for some amusing contrasts. I thought it was clever and fun, and will try another Dortmunder, for sure. Those folks giving Westlake all these awards from 1970-2009 were right; his Dortmunder series is good!
I thought I would try one of the Westlake comic capers, some of which were made into movies. I usually like to read them in order, but this third one had an appealing premise. The main thief here is Dortmunder, who always seems to be sighing or enraged about the dim-witted goofballs he enlists in his jobs, particularly a guy named Kelp. Kelp comes to Dortmunder with an idea for some big money, a kidnapping based on a trashy novel he read written by a guy name Richard Stark. It works out perfectly, and Kelp makes it clear that the novel, Child Heist, is a kind of script for success (Parker is a successful criminal! What could go wrong if they follow his guide?!)
Kelp practically memorizes the book, and he asks Dortmunder and others to read it. Not bad, they say. Okay, let's try it. Kelp is farcical in trying to enact the words and deeds of the book as they proceed. The difference is that the kid in the Stark book is just an average kid and Parker and his henchmen are true professionals; Dortmunder is okay as a thief, but the goofballs he works with are somewhat reminiscent of those losers in Home Alone facing a clever kid. This rich kid, Jimmy, is brilliant.
So there's a lot of silliness and also a lot of wittiness as we go back and forth between Kelp reading the Parker novel and the events as they proceed, which let's just say makes for some amusing contrasts. I thought it was clever and fun, and will try another Dortmunder, for sure. Those folks giving Westlake all these awards from 1970-2009 were right; his Dortmunder series is good!
February 28, 2013
I guess when Donald Westlake wrote ‘Jimmy The Kid’ it was as a final goodbye to Parker. He’d already given us the great, epic Parker novel ‘Butcher’s Moon’ and this was the final kiss-off. The Parker character was wrapped in with Westlake’s more comic perennial, Dortmunder, and I suspect – in 1974 – that Westlake thought he would ride his comic creation to fame and glory. That he would become the crime P.G. Wodehouse known to millions. It didn’t quite work out that way. Much like Lee Marvin in ‘Point Blank’, Parker wouldn’t stay dead. Fifteen years later he re-emerged in novels, and even today I have already seen Jason Statham’s glowering face (not that he does any other expression) pass me twice on the side of double-decker buses. No, Parker was unstoppable and has a well earned fan-base. But there are those of us, a smaller number admittedly, who will always adore Dortmunder.
‘Meta’ is the key word in regard to ‘Jimmy The Kid’. (Was that word in common usage in 1974? I don’t know, but suspect not.) Dortmunder and the gang steal the blueprint of a kidnapping from a book that Kelp has read. It details what kind of child to look for, how to execute the kidnapping, where to keep the child, how to demand the ransom, how to collect the ransom and how to drop the child off unharmed at the end. In this book within a book everything runs smoothly and the gang (although Dortmunder remains sceptical) are convinced that followed the plan will succeed for them too. The book within a book in question is ‘Child Heist’ a Parker novel by Richard Stark – which doesn’t exist in the real world. By the end there is even a cameo appearance by the author Stark himself, where he complains that a movie based on the events of ‘Jimmy The Kid’ are clearly ripped off from the plot of ‘Child Heist’. As I said, meta is the key word.
However for all its cleverness, for all the colliding of the Parker and Dortmunder universes, this for me wasn’t top-hole Dortmunder. Whilst this is a decidedly funny crime caper, there are funnier Dortmunders out there. It doesn’t have the gleeful belly-laughs of ‘The Hot Rock’ for example. While the Parker quoted in this book feels somewhat anaemic, if I didn’t know better I’d say it was another writer knocking out a spoof of the great Parker, but perhaps after ‘Butcher’s Moon’ Westlake had put his Stark hat away. That isn’t to say it’s not a good book. It’s a compulsive read with some great laughs and any fans of Westlake/Stark should of course read it, but there are better Dortmunders and Parkers out there.
‘Meta’ is the key word in regard to ‘Jimmy The Kid’. (Was that word in common usage in 1974? I don’t know, but suspect not.) Dortmunder and the gang steal the blueprint of a kidnapping from a book that Kelp has read. It details what kind of child to look for, how to execute the kidnapping, where to keep the child, how to demand the ransom, how to collect the ransom and how to drop the child off unharmed at the end. In this book within a book everything runs smoothly and the gang (although Dortmunder remains sceptical) are convinced that followed the plan will succeed for them too. The book within a book in question is ‘Child Heist’ a Parker novel by Richard Stark – which doesn’t exist in the real world. By the end there is even a cameo appearance by the author Stark himself, where he complains that a movie based on the events of ‘Jimmy The Kid’ are clearly ripped off from the plot of ‘Child Heist’. As I said, meta is the key word.
However for all its cleverness, for all the colliding of the Parker and Dortmunder universes, this for me wasn’t top-hole Dortmunder. Whilst this is a decidedly funny crime caper, there are funnier Dortmunders out there. It doesn’t have the gleeful belly-laughs of ‘The Hot Rock’ for example. While the Parker quoted in this book feels somewhat anaemic, if I didn’t know better I’d say it was another writer knocking out a spoof of the great Parker, but perhaps after ‘Butcher’s Moon’ Westlake had put his Stark hat away. That isn’t to say it’s not a good book. It’s a compulsive read with some great laughs and any fans of Westlake/Stark should of course read it, but there are better Dortmunders and Parkers out there.
September 26, 2020
Absolutely hilarious. Highly recommended if you need a good laugh.
September 22, 2023
A concept wholly Westlake, ripping off his own plot with Dortmunder and his gang attempting to follow the kidnapping in a Parker novel (written by Westlake as Richard Stark). However, in “real” life the kidnappers learn the follies in following fiction.
February 19, 2015
Jimmy The Kid is a strange book, where Westlake parodies the books he wrote under the name of Richard Stark.
Dortmunder's friend, Andy Kelp, read a book about a fictional thief, named Parker, and wants to use the book as a blueprint for his own crime.
They kidnap a kid genius, and right when you think something like The Ransom of Red Chief will happen, it doesn't, but much other hilarity happens.
It's hilarious on so many levels.
Dortmunder's friend, Andy Kelp, read a book about a fictional thief, named Parker, and wants to use the book as a blueprint for his own crime.
They kidnap a kid genius, and right when you think something like The Ransom of Red Chief will happen, it doesn't, but much other hilarity happens.
It's hilarious on so many levels.
February 11, 2019
Third in the series, with a cute concept and a central conceit that will payoff on a second level for those now familiar with the author, but ultimately a thin read more concerned with setting up jokes than plot.
November 13, 2017
Terzo libro con la banda di Dortmunder, ancora più spassoso dei primi due!
Il rapimento del piccolo Jimmy si rivela una beffa… in tutti i sensi!
Alcune trovate poi sono veramente esilaranti!
Da notare la citazione di un romanzo di Richard Stark, libro che funge da ispiratore del rapimento, che è uno degli pseudonimi di Westlake.
Il rapimento del piccolo Jimmy si rivela una beffa… in tutti i sensi!
Alcune trovate poi sono veramente esilaranti!
Da notare la citazione di un romanzo di Richard Stark, libro che funge da ispiratore del rapimento, che è uno degli pseudonimi di Westlake.
December 12, 2017
I continue to binge on Westlake. This one deserves at least a 4 1/2. I had put off reading it because I anticipated a "Home Alone" type scenario. I decided I wanted to continue with my Dortmunder so I would have to get this out of the way if I wanted to read the series in order. Well...I was mistaken. This book actually had me laughing very often. Definitely the funniest so far of Dortmunder and a very clever premise which brings the Parker books and author Richard Stark (Westlake) into the scenario. Actually one of the best Westlake books I have read so far.
October 1, 2019
In the course of his 75 years, Donald E. Westlake (1933-2008) published more than 100 novels and nonfiction books. He's best known for his comic stories about crime capers, especially the fourteen books in the Dortmunder series about (to crib a phrase from Jimmy Breslin) a "gang that couldn't shoot straight." He wrote under numerous pen names, but the Dortmunder novels published from 1970 to 2009 all appeared under his own. They're all funny, sometimes hilarious, but are otherwise typically straightforward caper novels about burglaries. However, in the third book in that series, Jimmy the Kid, Westlake ventured into kidnapping and employed a device more commonly used by literary novelists: the book within a book.
An ingenious wrinkle on the comic caper novel
Westlake was surely laughing to himself when he set up one of Dortmunder's hapless colleagues in crime, Andy Kelp, with a copy of an imaginary caper novel by someone named Richard Stark. Which just happened to be Westlake's most familiar pseudonym. So, when Kelp goes running to John Dortmunder insisting on using the book as a model for a kidnapping, you know you're in for a good time. Naturally, "Richard Stark" wrote about a brilliant gang who pull off a fiendishly complex caper. And, just as predictably, Dortmunder and his less-than-brilliant associates will manage to screw it up. But the fun, of course, is in the how, and it's all wrapped up with a surprise at the end.
An ingenious wrinkle on the comic caper novel
Westlake was surely laughing to himself when he set up one of Dortmunder's hapless colleagues in crime, Andy Kelp, with a copy of an imaginary caper novel by someone named Richard Stark. Which just happened to be Westlake's most familiar pseudonym. So, when Kelp goes running to John Dortmunder insisting on using the book as a model for a kidnapping, you know you're in for a good time. Naturally, "Richard Stark" wrote about a brilliant gang who pull off a fiendishly complex caper. And, just as predictably, Dortmunder and his less-than-brilliant associates will manage to screw it up. But the fun, of course, is in the how, and it's all wrapped up with a surprise at the end.
September 6, 2023
Funny tale of a misguided group who are outwitted by their victim. Some (light) profanity. Author ends this humorously with references to other plots he’s written in one of his varied (Richard Stark) aliases. He also wrote the “Spenser” series.
May 21, 2017
Jimmy The Kid is the third installment in mystery Grandmaster Donald Westlake's Dortmunder series of comedy crime novels. This one is hilarious and its premise is superb.
Kelp, the guy who always comes to Dortmunder with the "next big idea" finds and reads a book called Child Heist by a Richard Stark that tells the story of a criminal called Parker and his gang who kidnap and ransom off a kid. Richard Stark is a penname Westlake used to write his masterful Parker series, one of the best crime series ever. So Westlake is using his alias as the inspiration of this caper which Dortmunder and his posse are out to do. The posse include May, Dortmunder incessantly smoking girlfriend; Stan the super-driver who always talks about the best routes to get in and out of New York; Stan's mom, the cabbie; and Kelp.
Deciding to follow the plan laid out in Child Heist, Dortmunder and the posse seek out and locate a rich kid to nab. Naturally, things go horribly and hilariously wrong from that first step. As ever, Westlake's writing is superb, his characterization unmatched, and his plot moves like a drunken freight train.
This one is highly recommended, as are the previous two books in the series. I both read the written version and listened to the audio of this novel. Both are great.
Kelp, the guy who always comes to Dortmunder with the "next big idea" finds and reads a book called Child Heist by a Richard Stark that tells the story of a criminal called Parker and his gang who kidnap and ransom off a kid. Richard Stark is a penname Westlake used to write his masterful Parker series, one of the best crime series ever. So Westlake is using his alias as the inspiration of this caper which Dortmunder and his posse are out to do. The posse include May, Dortmunder incessantly smoking girlfriend; Stan the super-driver who always talks about the best routes to get in and out of New York; Stan's mom, the cabbie; and Kelp.
Deciding to follow the plan laid out in Child Heist, Dortmunder and the posse seek out and locate a rich kid to nab. Naturally, things go horribly and hilariously wrong from that first step. As ever, Westlake's writing is superb, his characterization unmatched, and his plot moves like a drunken freight train.
This one is highly recommended, as are the previous two books in the series. I both read the written version and listened to the audio of this novel. Both are great.
September 4, 2025
Reminds me of a Coyote vs Roadrunner cartoon for some reason.
The bumbling gang is together again and this time they're going to do a job "right". Yeah...right. Westlake's sense of humour shines through, but maybe not as brightly as The Hot Rock Murch's mom was the star of the show for me.
The bumbling gang is together again and this time they're going to do a job "right". Yeah...right. Westlake's sense of humour shines through, but maybe not as brightly as The Hot Rock Murch's mom was the star of the show for me.
April 16, 2013
With the third installment the author decided it wasn’t sufficient to cause the gang to fail based on their own. No, this time, he makes them fail while following a caper that appears in a crime novel. Andy Kelp has been in a local pokey for a few days and while he was eventually let go, he had the time and opportunity to read the novel Child Heist by Richard Stark. He was so impressed with the contents of this book that he buys several copies and hands them out to his friends.
The trick is that Richard Stark is the author’s own pseudonym and Child Heist is a fictitious Parker novel. What impressed Kelp is that the book appears to be methodically researched and demonstrates a successful kidnapping for ransom. So successful that he thinks all they need do is replicate the crime as written to reap the reward. Of course the hidden message is that the author’s own works are not realistic criminal plans no matter how well written.
Most of the gang thinks it looks pretty good, but Dortmunder says no. He is personally aggrieved because, as he gets Andy to acknowledge, he is the planner and if you are following the book, then there is no planning. As he continues to try and make money the hard way (unsuccessfully) his gal May decides to nudge him into doing the job. Eventually he agrees, but is never happy about it.
So, off they go using the book both as blueprint and speaking script. A few selections from Child Heist are printed within the text so the reader can see the plan. What ensues is a combination of rotten luck, a strong inability to “improvise” (because the book is supposed to be oh-so correct), and a father and son (payer and kidnapee) that don’t follow the rules laid out by Mr. Stark. They escape capture by the FBI – but only with the intervention of their “victim” who leads them out via his own escape route.
By the end of the caper the gang is exhausted and Dortmunder resents Kelp (and any plan he brings him) even more than before. The penultimate chapter is another part of the in-joke: Stark wants to sue the makers of the film “Kid Stuff” because it is a rip-off of his Child Heist novel. He is talked out of it because he learns that it is based on a true-life kidnapping written up by the gang’s victim. In the last chapter Westlake “rehabilitates” Kelp a bit by having him along on one of Dortmunder’s capers that goes bad. John is forced to apologize, making it possible for the two to work together again someday.
Once again the author has cooked up a vastly different heist. In Jimmy the Kid he has blended two of his fictional “worlds” with a bit of metaphysical layering? Is it good technique, conceit, or just pure brilliance? It could be all three. The story is funny even when you know things are about to fail. The kid and the father are unsympathetic characters but their nature is essential to plot. True, the kid keeps them from the law, but ultimately that is only so they can assist him in his own “exit”. Like the first two entries, I read this one straight through. Light fiction these may be, but it is fun to see how inventive Westlake can be. I give this one Four (4) Stars.
May 17, 2013
As brilliant as it is self-indulgent, the third Dortmunder novel will delight Westlake fans in general and Parker fans in particular. If you already know anything about Jimmy the Kid, then you already know too much. Read it before you learn more.
December 3, 2009
Best book in the series so far of the 3 books i have read.
Very funny, quality dialogues.
Very funny, quality dialogues.
December 16, 2022
Are you tired of reading about the war in Ukraine, or the tri-pandemic, or the rise of antisemitism, or inflation? Have you a desire for a break from serious, heavy-duty murder mysteries? Just feel like you need a good laugh?
Have I got a book for you! Donald Westlake (a.k.a. Richard Stark) has written so many great books, you could virtually throw a dart into a list of his titles and come up a winner every time, but his Dortmunder series has always been one of my favorites. The lovable, gruff, and perpetually down-on-his-luck Dortmunder and his gang of thieves can never quite get ahead. Oh, they make off with the odd caper here and there, but they never really prosper, nor do they ever really do any serious harm.
Perhaps the best part of Jimmy The Kid is the clever use made by Westlake in having Dortmunder and his gang relying on a paperback novel written by, (ready?), none other than Richard Stark. One of the gang has read the fictional story of a kidnapping, perfectly planned and carried out to the tune of $150,000 in ransom, that should go off without a hitch. All they have to do is follow the plot outlined in the book, and everything will work out beautifully. But poor Dortmunder never has things work out beautifully, and this will be no exception.
There is humor, a smarter-than-the-adults 12 year old kidnap victim (who outsmarts everyone), silly antics and some good ol' fashioned slapstick humor among the pages of this easily read novel. It won't give you pause, make you think, or reflect on life's meaning. Rather, it is simply an avenue to escape the depression one invariably begins to feel after reading the morning's headlines. Spend a couple of hours with John Dortmunder (or any of the brilliant books by Westlake), and you'll feel better, even if it's a temporary condition. Beats reading about the flu.
Have I got a book for you! Donald Westlake (a.k.a. Richard Stark) has written so many great books, you could virtually throw a dart into a list of his titles and come up a winner every time, but his Dortmunder series has always been one of my favorites. The lovable, gruff, and perpetually down-on-his-luck Dortmunder and his gang of thieves can never quite get ahead. Oh, they make off with the odd caper here and there, but they never really prosper, nor do they ever really do any serious harm.
Perhaps the best part of Jimmy The Kid is the clever use made by Westlake in having Dortmunder and his gang relying on a paperback novel written by, (ready?), none other than Richard Stark. One of the gang has read the fictional story of a kidnapping, perfectly planned and carried out to the tune of $150,000 in ransom, that should go off without a hitch. All they have to do is follow the plot outlined in the book, and everything will work out beautifully. But poor Dortmunder never has things work out beautifully, and this will be no exception.
There is humor, a smarter-than-the-adults 12 year old kidnap victim (who outsmarts everyone), silly antics and some good ol' fashioned slapstick humor among the pages of this easily read novel. It won't give you pause, make you think, or reflect on life's meaning. Rather, it is simply an avenue to escape the depression one invariably begins to feel after reading the morning's headlines. Spend a couple of hours with John Dortmunder (or any of the brilliant books by Westlake), and you'll feel better, even if it's a temporary condition. Beats reading about the flu.
June 7, 2017
Fun, and funny! It's a book within a book, and a movie of it all too!
Basically, Westlake gives us a Dortmunder and gang book called "Jimmy the Kid" that follows along another "book" by Richard Stark (wink,wink!) titled, "Child Heist" which features Parker! Kelp wants to use "Child Heist" as a blueprint for their next "job", but of course, the Dortmunder gang has an entirely different experience than the Parker gang! Loved the double layer of this story, great humor, and fun ending too! Definitely a treat to have the Westlake/Stark worlds collide!
Basically, Westlake gives us a Dortmunder and gang book called "Jimmy the Kid" that follows along another "book" by Richard Stark (wink,wink!) titled, "Child Heist" which features Parker! Kelp wants to use "Child Heist" as a blueprint for their next "job", but of course, the Dortmunder gang has an entirely different experience than the Parker gang! Loved the double layer of this story, great humor, and fun ending too! Definitely a treat to have the Westlake/Stark worlds collide!
July 19, 2022
I'd recommend any of Donald E. Westlake's books to crime and non-crime readers. Dortmunder and his "crew" are the criminal versions of the Keystone Cops. The result is laugh-out-loud humor all along the way as these hapless crooks take on one heist after another.
In Jimmy The Kid, Dortmunder and crew take on the kidnapping of a child. Hilarity ensues.
Most crime writers have to plot out the steps in the crime; Eastlake does that and has the added difficulty of finding a way to make the planned crime fail miserably in the end.
In Jimmy The Kid, Dortmunder and crew take on the kidnapping of a child. Hilarity ensues.
Most crime writers have to plot out the steps in the crime; Eastlake does that and has the added difficulty of finding a way to make the planned crime fail miserably in the end.
February 4, 2021
A Dortmunder novel was what I needed for a break between cozies. Dortmunder and his cohorts are experts in their fields when it comes to burglaries, even though they have nothing but bad luck when they actually try to pull off a caper.
What they aren't experts at, is kidnapping. One of them, Kelp, has just read a book about a kidnapping, and he decides that the gang can pull off a similar crime, using the book as a guide. (The book they use is a Parker novel by Richard Stark, which is one of Westlake's pseudonyms. As far as I could tell, this book doesn't exist). In spite of a few unlikely coincidences, most events don't match up to the book, so as usual for these guys, everything goes wrong.
What they aren't experts at, is kidnapping. One of them, Kelp, has just read a book about a kidnapping, and he decides that the gang can pull off a similar crime, using the book as a guide. (The book they use is a Parker novel by Richard Stark, which is one of Westlake's pseudonyms. As far as I could tell, this book doesn't exist). In spite of a few unlikely coincidences, most events don't match up to the book, so as usual for these guys, everything goes wrong.
March 14, 2017
A funny little crime caper. Nicely plotted and consistently amusing.
August 8, 2017
This was really a fun read..Dortmunder and his fellow colleagues always manage to bring a smile to my face!
September 17, 2019
Probably only a 3 as a story - not among Westlake's best, (and Westlake's best can be very good). But a solid 5 as a concept, so I'll be generous and average out to 4 stars.
After writing 16 "Parker" books as "Richard Stark" (all very dark, very noir), and two very funny "Dortmunder" books under his own name, Westlake decided in 1974 to mash the two series with Jimmy the Kid. In this book, Dortmunder's band of idiots decide to stage a caper based on the plot of a (non-existent) 17th Parker book called "Child Heist." The result is very silly but also very meta, with alternating chapters of the fake Parker story interwoven with Dortmunder's disastrous attempts to act out the crime in real life. ("Stark" himself makes a cameo late in the book, upping the "meta" factor even more.)
According to the internet, the first Dortmunder story,The Hot Rock, actually started out as a Parker book, but just got more and more ridiculous as Westlake wrote, until he decided to use it as the launching pad for a whole new series of funny crime novels - and the rest is publishing history.
Westlake was nothing if not prolific. After Butcher's Moon (also published in 1974), Westlake/Stark abandoned Parker, but then resurrected the character in 1997 and wrote another eight stories before his death in 2008. He also regularly published new Dortmunder books (16 in all) from 1970-2008, as well as numerous other books under a variety of pseudonyms - over 15 (names, not books) in all.
After writing 16 "Parker" books as "Richard Stark" (all very dark, very noir), and two very funny "Dortmunder" books under his own name, Westlake decided in 1974 to mash the two series with Jimmy the Kid. In this book, Dortmunder's band of idiots decide to stage a caper based on the plot of a (non-existent) 17th Parker book called "Child Heist." The result is very silly but also very meta, with alternating chapters of the fake Parker story interwoven with Dortmunder's disastrous attempts to act out the crime in real life. ("Stark" himself makes a cameo late in the book, upping the "meta" factor even more.)
According to the internet, the first Dortmunder story,The Hot Rock, actually started out as a Parker book, but just got more and more ridiculous as Westlake wrote, until he decided to use it as the launching pad for a whole new series of funny crime novels - and the rest is publishing history.
Westlake was nothing if not prolific. After Butcher's Moon (also published in 1974), Westlake/Stark abandoned Parker, but then resurrected the character in 1997 and wrote another eight stories before his death in 2008. He also regularly published new Dortmunder books (16 in all) from 1970-2008, as well as numerous other books under a variety of pseudonyms - over 15 (names, not books) in all.
August 12, 2024
This was just a real fun read. As it's the third book in the Dortmunder series you should know already what to expect, the perfect plan that should go off without a hitch, and yet hitches abound. It was only after I was halfway through reading it that I recalled that I had actually seen this when I was a kid, it stared a young Gary Coleman as Jimmy and I remember it being a hoot, I also found the book to be laugh out loud funny.
If you're looking for a light heist novel, then it's well worth reading these and I think that so far this has been my favorite of the series and I look forward to reading the rest.
If you're looking for a light heist novel, then it's well worth reading these and I think that so far this has been my favorite of the series and I look forward to reading the rest.
February 10, 2016
Dortmunder, Kelp, May, Murch e mamma Murch organizzano un piano geniale, che gli porterà soldi su soldi e soprattutto sarà un gioco da ragazzi.
Sì, perché decidono di seguire fedelmente il piano di rapire un bambino descritto in un libro.
Peccato che nulla andrà come deve e che soprattutto non rapiranno un ragazzo qualsiasi.. Ma un genio con un QI altissimo!
Divertentissimo, mi ha fatto letteralmente morire!!
Quando Herbert chiede se il prezzo della valigetta (42 dollari!) debba essere scalato dal prezzo del riscatto.. Sono morta, sul serio :DD
Sì, perché decidono di seguire fedelmente il piano di rapire un bambino descritto in un libro.
Peccato che nulla andrà come deve e che soprattutto non rapiranno un ragazzo qualsiasi.. Ma un genio con un QI altissimo!
Divertentissimo, mi ha fatto letteralmente morire!!
Quando Herbert chiede se il prezzo della valigetta (42 dollari!) debba essere scalato dal prezzo del riscatto.. Sono morta, sul serio :DD
December 17, 2018
This was hilarious! Donald Westlake spoofs his own work under his pseudonym Richard Stark.
One of Dortmunder's friends reads a Parker novel about a kidnapping and decides this book is the perfect blueprint to polly off the real life caper. Needless to say things don't go anything like the book and hilarity ensues.
R.I.P Mr. Westlake. You magnificent bastard.
Ps. Loved it even more because I'm obsessed with Parker and he and those books were the beginning of my crime noir obsession.
One of Dortmunder's friends reads a Parker novel about a kidnapping and decides this book is the perfect blueprint to polly off the real life caper. Needless to say things don't go anything like the book and hilarity ensues.
R.I.P Mr. Westlake. You magnificent bastard.
Ps. Loved it even more because I'm obsessed with Parker and he and those books were the beginning of my crime noir obsession.
March 17, 2011
Andy Kelp once again comes up with the fool-proof caper: plan a kidnapping using Richard Stark's (mythical) novel CHILD HEIST as a blueprint. What could go wrong? They get away with it in the novel!
Needless to say, as in any Dortmunder story, things tend to go hilariously wrong.
Needless to say, as in any Dortmunder story, things tend to go hilariously wrong.
October 5, 2016
Se legge e si ride. Quasi sempre a noi umani non basta altro.
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