Роден богат

Dortmunder #11

by Donald E. Westlake, Доналд Уестлейк, Петко Петков (Translator)

Уникалната банда от разхайтени крадци, предвождана от неудачника Дортмундър, е сътворила поредния гениален план. Решили са да се превъплътят в личен секретар, шофьор и иконом (Дортмундър разучава професията в движение) и да се хванат на работа при един от най-големите мошеници с единствената цел да го ограбят до шушка.

Мънро Хол се е родил богат, но въпреки това е ограбил собствената си компания и е присвоил повече от момчетата от „Енрон“ и „Уърлдком“ взети заедно! За съжаление обаче горкият Мънро не може да намери персонал за огромното си задръстено с антикварни рядкости имение в Пенсилвания.

Но късметът му проработва и на прага му потропва чудесна група прислужници с блестящи препоръки и неизчерпаемо „желание за труд“. За бандата на Дортмундър работата в имението на Мънро Хол е като да пуснеш група малчугани посред нощ в сладкарница.

Genres: Mystery, Crime, Humor, Fiction, Comedy, Audiobook, Adventure

384 pages, Paperback

First published April 21, 2004

About the author

Donald 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

Reviews

[Metodi Markov · Rating 3 out of 5]

Умните кратуни в издателство "Бард" са си казали - от серията за ловкия обирджия Джон Дортмундър и бандата му са излезли петнайсетина романа до сега. Дайте ние да издадем само тези с номера 11 и 14. Просто са гениални в безобразието и наглостта си. 🤮

Иначе кримката не е лоша, доволно оригинален сюжет ми предложи и ако не се оказа толкова смешна, вина за това имат единствено маркетинг специалистите опитали се да ни убедят, че това е така с текста си на задната корица.

Моята оценка - 3,5*.

[F.R. · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the Dortmunder novels we find Donald Westlake unwinding. When writing the Parker novels, the only humour we get is a harsh and jagged kind; the only laughs distinctly sour. Here though we have over the top, ludicrous criminal schemes aplenty, a genuine rogue’s gallery of comic crooks; bizarre and pointless arguments in a vernacular which can’t help but raise a chuckle; and, of course, things going terribly and ridiculously wrong, which in a way – the Murphy’s Law principle and all of that – actually feels more real world than Parker’s ultra-efficiency. When Westlake is at his best, the Dotmunder books are top drawer comic farce, as if P.G. Wodehouse had actually written a novel centred on Chimp Twist, and Dolly and Soapy Molloy, rather than just using them as supporting players.

Here we find the gang after Monroe Hall, a Bernie Madoff-esque figure who is now holed up – friendless, but still moneyed – in a large mansion in Pennsylvania. Our familiar crew swiftly has a plan in action, but the problem is that such is a large number of people Hall has upset that they’re not the only ones coming up with a criminal scheme, whilst the false identities Dortmunder’s gang have used to get into the mansion may come with their own problems. Part of it is taking that wonderful moment in Woody Allen’s ‘Take the Money and Run’ where two teams of bank robbers try to rob the same bank at the same time, and pushing the conceit much and much further – so that robbery, kidnapping and assassination are all thrown in the pot to swirl around together, and everybody is too focused on their own agendas to realise there are other agendas, let alone that those agendas are coming to bite them in the posterior.

Unfortunately though, in ‘The Road to Ruin’, Westlake never quite finds a way to make all these elements coalesce. Strands that were disparate at the beginning remain disparate at the end, and the result is a book which feels somewhat unpolished. Now it’s a firm belief of mine that it’s never a waste of time to read a Dortmunder novel as there are always chuckles to be had, but one can’t help thinking that this one could have done with another draft or two to get to the level of mad farcical excellence us Dortmunder fans want and expect.

[thefourthvine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book feels like half a Dortmunder novel. But half a Dortmunder novel is still a decent read.

This is by no means my least favorite novel in this series, but I had some problems with it - the science facts kept getting in the way (one of the central elements of the plot made no sense at all, for example). And then I realized I was nearing the end (three dots left on my Kindle), and Westlake was still adding plot complications, and was nowhere near resolving any. And then the book just kind of ended, at what felt like the halfway point. If I'd been reading a print copy, I would have been checking to see if some pages had fallen out of the novel.

But all the same - Dortmunder books are generally fun light reads, and this one is no different. The same familiar characters and elements are there, which can be a good thing or a bad thing. (I realize it's too late for this, but I do think maybe Westlake should have just written a book about a really evil rich guy; that seems to be his primary interest in the later Dortmunder novels, and he spends more time building a delightfully detestable rich target than he does on the actual caper. The thing is, I read Dortmunder novels for the capers and the criminals, not the targets.)

Basically, this one is for Dortmunder completists, and for anyone sad that there will never be another Dortmunder novel.

[Tracy P. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Donald E. Westlake is iconic and I enjoy all of his work, whether series or stand alone. He has always been a great go to for guaranteed levity when desiring to kick back and have some laughs. I enjoy the clever plot lines and listening to stories which take place decades ago.
Dortmunder is outrageous and it's nice I can pick up anywhere in this series and fall right in with the happenings.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Imagine a man, a wealthy man, who began life with sufficient money, but chose to live his life solely in the pursuit of even more money and did so using his one bona-fide talent: fleecing other people, companies, and governments. Couldn’t happen here could it? Well, with that premise, Donald Westlake extracts the maximum humor from one Monroe Hall and his recently changed circumstances.

The Road to Ruin is the eleventh Dortmunder novel, coming after Bad News. When I started my foray into these novels, I began with books #8 (Don’t Ask) and #9 (What’s the Worst That Could Happen), so I was familiar with the “mature” version of our characters before “discovering” their roots. Like his Parker series (written under the nom-de-plum Richard Stark) the style of the books has evolved. And, much ore so than Parker, John and friends have also evolved over 20-odd years. They don’t seem to age (like Parker), but the world around them changes in lockstep with our world.

Sure the stories had to change – otherwise it would be just the same type of crime over and over again, but the group of misfits that John works with has become both more cohesive and more “homey”. True, John still looks askance at ideas that Andy brings him, but he is no longer as negative about avoiding at any cost. Instead, through time (and his own incarceration near-misses and empty-handed jobs) he’s come to listen first and then maybe object.

In this novel, Andy is visited by an old “fraternity” friend who needs some help; the fraternity, of course, being that of criminals. Chester stopped being an active member after getting out four years ago and found a fun, and well-paid job driving cars for the aforementioned wealthy man. But once the man got caught, his plea arrangement requires that he not associate with any known criminals. So, in addition to bankers, investors, employees, and you & me (via the government), Chester gets hosed because he loses his job, his housing (nice place on the estate), health care, 401k, and so on (being one of the criminal element that can no longer be associated with).

The rich guy likes to collect things. Things such as: cars, cuckoo clocks, paintings, jewelry, books and other valuable and unique items. So, once Chester talks with Andy and John, they decide to relieve this former employer of a few of his cherished objects.

Now, because he was an equal opportunity bastard, he has a few now-ruined individuals also seeking revenge. A couple of former investment fund managers and some line workers have been angling for a way to extract recompense from Mr. Hall.

John comes up with a reasonable scheme that is greatly aided by a dear friend of Andy’s gal pal, Anne Marie. Posing as available, clean-as-a-whistle employees-to-be (Mr. Hall being pretty much despised by one and all), John, Andy, Stan, and Tiny set in motion their plan to take wealth from the wealthy. As in every Dortmunder tale, fate, coincidence, and enemy action all intervene with interesting results.

Although every Dortmunder novel is interesting and unique, I found this to be one of the more inventive. The team never seems to repeat a caper even when the basic objective is always the same. Nor is their bad luck exactly repeated. This book comes in a bit longer (341 pages) than the average, but it does not feel padded; just fun and fast-paced. The author even gets to use that old mystery gag, the butler did it. Four (4) Stars on or off the road.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the characters and writing style. I have to read other books in this series.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

When the Dortmunder crew sets out to do a job there is one thing you can absolutely count on... something will go wrong. They'll do their best. It won't necessarily be their fault. But all the same something WILL go wrong! The current caper is no exception, it's standard Dortmunder.

This is my third experience with the series and I've come to the conclusion that these stories are definitely all about the journey rather than the destination and this latest story fits that mold. It's more about the way they get to the point of doing the job (robbery) than about the job (robbery) itself or how the job (robbery) goes down. That being the case it's not really a mystery so much as an oddball adventure story of sorts.

In this particular case I found the build up to the main caper -- and ultimately the ending -- to be a little bit tedious at times, the sidetracks that are necessary in order for the whole thing to come together just so in the end were often a little dull, bringing the whole story close to a full stop before continuing on with the plot. The phrase overly complicated keeps coming to mind. In the end everything sort of fizzled out rather than coming to a major resolution.

If you like action and lots of it then this probably isn't the book for you. The detailed descriptions, while adding a good deal of narrative ambiance, can get a little wearying after awhile. It slows to a crawl at some points before picking back up again and it doesn't have a lot in the way of wham/bang action sequences. If you enjoy eccentric characters in odd situations with a good deal of humor thrown in and you don't mind taking your time to get to where you're going then it might be worth your while to take a closer look at this book.

[Dale Rosenberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Somehow I found a Westlake I hadn't read - and it's even a Dortmunder one! Fun book, which I listened to on a long drive.

[Sonny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Donald Westlake’s John Dortmunder books are some of the funniest around. A bumbling leader of an inept gang of thieves can get into some of the most comical situations you can’t imagine. I read them all years ago and enjoyed them so much I plan to listen to them all again eventually.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

11 Dortmunders down, 3 to go. By now I know that I enjoy the Dortmunder formula, and I thoroughly enjoyed The Road to Ruin, but this may have been the weakest entry in the series thus far. The novel is free from the out-and-out silliness that I sometimes complain about (though to some readers, the entire Dortmunder series may seem an exercise in silliness), but it also lacks the gravitas that elevates some of the books in the series. As well, for the first time while reading a Dortmunder novel, I was acutely aware of the padding. The supporting cast (exclusive of Dortmunder's usual crew) seemed to arrive more quickly than usual, all with backstories and occasions for us to see the narrative through their eyes, and all seeming to lengthen the narrative more than enrich it. The heist this time involves Dortmunder & Co. planning to steal a collection of rare automobiles, but—spoiler alert—things go so wrong that we never get to see them even try to drive away with the cars. In sum, if you enjoyed the first 10 Dortmunders, you will enjoy this one, but if you are looking for a random Dortmunder to read, pick a different one.

[Printable Tire]

Well, ya learn something new every day. I'd never heard of this series or even this author but apparently he's popular enough that there have been multiple movies over the years based on his work. This story has a lot of build up (criminal scheming) to an event that never actually happens (stealing fancy cars), which was incredibly anticlimactic. But it almost doesn't matter because the audiobook, read by William Dufris, is so entertaining. Dufris is a chameleon of tough-guy, barfly, conman, Harvard-educated voices, and it's always fun listening to his gruff "Tiny," his cheery Andy, or his boneheaded Monroe Hall (a complicated character, both stupid and sly, that I feel would be dead on the page without the help of his audio delivery). So maybe worth listening to on an 8-hour drive if you can get it.

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

#11 in the John Dortmunder series.

John Dortmunder and his band of thieves plan to rob a classic car collection from the secure estate of a hated (and convicted) corporate plunderer. The intend to work from the inside by getting positions on the staff. Another group has plans to kidnap the pariah and force him to disgorge his offshore funds.

[J.D. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a decent Dortmunder tale, but it's no BANK SHOT. Seems to end somewhat abruptly, as if Westlake got tired of it, or hit his contractual word count and said "okay, that's it." Still, it's a short, fun read with a few chuckles.

[Mike Harper · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of Westlake's best. It is a fast and easy read, with the usual bumbling crooks, inventive plot, great dialog, and lack of moral message. Best of all is the way Westlake reveals the characters'plans and motives as they stumble through a world that none of them seems to understand.

[✘✘ Sarah ✘✘ (former Nefarious Breeder of Murderous Crustaceans) · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun, quick read. I really liked the characters (a team of ex-cons) and the very wacky conversations!

[Rog Harrison · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a humorous novel featuring unlucky criminal John Dortmunder. The plot is preposterous but just go with the flow!

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

How many men does it take to steal a rich guy's cars. Apparently more than nine!

[Jon Bradley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this as an ebook checked out from the library. I had this book in my GR list of read books, but it turns out I hadn't read it. At some time in the past, I had convinced myself that I had read every one of the Donald Westlake "Dortmunder" books, so I had marked this one as read. BUT...as it turned out, I hadn't read it. I have greatly enjoyed reading the various Dortmunder books over the years, and I enjoyed this one, but perhaps not as much as most of the others for reasons to be explained. Anyway, here's the setup: John and the gang have teamed up with the ex-chauffeur of a disgraced but wealthy businessman for a heist. Monroe Hall has embezzled money from his company, leading to the company's demise and a federal indictment. As part of his bail arrangement, Hall can't leave the grounds of his sprawling Pennsylvania estate, where he keeps many rich-man toys including a collection of rare and valuable automobiles. Most of the staff required to run the estate have either been let go or have quit, including his chauffeur, who approaches Dortmunder and his gang (Andy Kelp, Stan Murch, and Tiny Bulcher) with the prospect of stealing the car collection. To gain access to the heavily guarded estate, the gang members assume new identities so they can be hired to fill various staff roles. The normal Dortmunder-book notes are struck: the meet-up at the OJ Bar and Grill, dealings with Arnie Albright, etc. And of course things don't go according to plan. My main objection to this book is that it has an enormous cast of characters who take up so much page space that Dortmunder and his gang are pretty much reduced to playing supporting roles. When I read a Dortmunder book, by golly I want a lot of Dortmunder, and the lack of Dortmunder in this Dortmunder book is the reason for the three star rating.

[Mrs. Read · Rating 4 out of 5]

Of all the mystery writers who’ve died in recent years - Parker, Bloch, Leonard, even Rendell - it’s Donald Westlake I miss the most. He was extraordinarily talented and highly versatile, but it is his Dortmunder series that I miss most. Although I found the plot of The Road to Ruin too unlikely to rate the book 5⭐️, its dialogue was as funny - and spot-on - as always (Having professed at several of them, my sister has complained bitterly* about the quality of the students enrolled at more than one “huge Midwestern land grant university, thousands upon thousands of enrolled students, hundreds in every lecture hall, and all of it to cover for the school’s football team, which was the actual product being manufactured there.”). It need hardly be added that Westlake knew how to write literate English; the reader’s pleasure is never adulterated by the writer’s solecisms. Bottom line is that the whole Dortmunder series is highly recommended for its humor, although I’d suggest that beginners pick a different book - maybe Bank Shot, Bad News, or Drowned Hopes.

*she was particularly incensed when I, having learned that he not only “taught” at her current workplace, but also lived just down the street from her, begged her to get me Bobby Knight’s autograph.

[William Leight · Rating 3 out of 5]

“The Road to Ruin” sees Westlake going back to what has become his standard approach, a nasty rich guy for Dortmunder to rob. In this case, the rich guy in question, Monroe Hall, is so unpopular, thanks to the massive fraud at his corporation — the reference is pretty clearly to the likes of Enron and Worldcom — that he lives out in the middle of nowhere in Pennsylvania. The only way to get close enough to him for a heist turns out to be to get a job on his estate as a servant, and Dortmunder as a butler is practically worth the price of admission all by itself. As in “Road to Ruin”, there are some amateur crooks to contrast with the professionals: a trio of union men hoping to extract their local’s lost pension fund from Hall, and a couple of investors hoping to recoup their lost investments by main force. It’s a decent setup, but Westlake has done this before, and with a lot more force and economy: this book definitely meanders on its way to a rather middling ending. The Dortmunder books are always funny, but “Road to Ruin” and “Bad News” suggest that Westlake was starting to run out of ideas.

[Dan Trefethen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I used to love reading the Dortmunder novels but fell away from them about twenty years ago. I found this one in a yard sale and decided to get back on board. I'm glad I did. These funny crime capers are always a delight.

In this one, there's a rich guy who screwed everybody (think Bernie Madoff) and is sequestered in his estate where nobody can get at him. There are a number of people who would like to get their hands on him, including his former driver who knows Andy Kelp, Dortmunder's pal. So the old gang gets together to try to steal the rich guy's extensive collection of classic cars. But how to get into the estate? Well, the rich guy needs staff. Maybe the guys can (gasp) get real jobs to get onto the grounds.

We follow the escapades of the various people trying to get the guy, and Dortmunder's crew's attempt to get access to the cars. It all comes together, of course, in a comic mix-up involving all the aforementioned parties.

It's not the best Dortmunder novel, but it gave me plenty of laughs and chuckles, and that's what you want from a book like this.

[Mary's Bookshelf · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Dortmunder novels fall into a particular category of crime novels, the tale of the lovable, or at least likable, thief. Such a character is inevitably a hard-luck criminal with pals who are colorful. That is the pleasure of the story--we as readers are allowed to follow the adventures of group of shady individuals without feeling guilty about liking them.
"The Road to Ruin" is minor Dortmunder, with John Dortmunder, criminal mastermind, taking a backseat in the plot, such as it is. A big-time businessman has been caught in financial shenanigans (think Enron)and exiled to his home. Many people suffered because of him and some of them want revenge for their losses. A plan to "free" Mr. CEO's fabulous car collection is the McGuffin of the plot. The various plotters have their own agendas, and they don't always share their info.
The enjoyment for the reader comes from the dialog between the crooks, and the mechanics of the plot falling into place.

[Donald · Rating 4 out of 5]

Opening up this book was like seeing old friends again! Dortmunder, Stan, Tiny, and Andy, hanging out in the back room of the O.J. Bar & Grill, drinking the same drinks that Rollo the bartender always makes them, and saying the same things they always say, after they pass the arguing regulars at the end of the bar! I realized as I read, that I'd actually missed this gang of misfit thieves!

In this book, the group decides to steal a fleet of collectible automobiles from a rich man who swindled a whole lot of people out of their investments and savings. An entirely different group, unbeknownst to the Dortmunder gang, is angrily attempting to kidnap the same rich man! Of course both plans, and both groups of men, run afowl of each other. Oh, and then there's the assassin from the embassy!

Good book, good characters, and good Dortmunder fun!

[RJ]

An old friend of Andy Kelp’s, Chester Fallon came to his apartment to offer a job. Dortmunder was present. He had been an employee of a corporation maintaining all the rare classic cars of the CEO, Monroe Hall. When the government tax man intervened, all went wrong. Now he was out of a job, his retirement, and all his benefits disappeared. His idea for Andy was to steal the rare classic cars of Hall’s. The idea of getting into the compound where the cars were stored was much more difficult than imagined. A different method of accessing the classic cars needed to be created. The time waiting to get t this solution was a bit disappointing, it downplayed the entire story but I did continue. Unknown to Dortmunder, a concurrent hiest was in play, ruining Dortmunder’s plan. We finally get to the twist. I didn’t like this book as much as the others.

[Frances Levy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another winner in Donald E. Westlake’s series about the gang of New York City burglars, led by the hangdog John Dortmunder, who run into so many unforeseen obstacles to their supposedly well thought-out plans.

This time, they want to steal a collection of classic cars from the well-protected estate of a billionaire who’s stuck there after getting in trouble with the feds. It seems that to know him is to loathe him and, unbeknownst to Dortmunder and his gang, other people want to get even with the creep by invading the estate. Hijinks ensue.

The whole gang is back, and when the plot gets really rolling, I was laughing out loud. Enjoy.

[Irina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can't stop reading these books

With so many characters whose lives intertwine in surprising ways, these Dortmunder books always involve a hopeful caper, with zaniness ensuing. I wish they were turned into movies on a par with Oceans Eleven and Italian Job. This story fell a little short in a way i can't explain without ruining the end and i may have given it only 4 1/2 stars, but i love the core characters, their quirks, interactions with Rolo, details on driving routes. Can't wait to start the next one.

[Brian Wheeler · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Zany Ride

This one was slow to start. Half way through I still didn't much care what was going on.

Also, there were no high speed chases. The cover art is a lie.

And there were a lot of characters who were not liked (or liked) by other characters, but I couldn't tell why from their actions (eg the fence, Munroe Hall at the beginning).

But, it was still a fun ride! Lots of humour and interesting things going on.

Though, did they really need to go through all that when trailers and flatbed trucks can just waltz in through the gate without trouble?

[Jeannine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was disappointed with this one. Not enough Dortmunder and no grand finale, the story just petered out. Still enjoyable, Westlake always knows how to set up a scenario with humorous, "normal" people. My favorite is still What's the Worst that Could Happen? It makes Ocean's Eleven look like a kid's game of tiddlywinks. Ah well.

[lärm · Rating 3 out of 5]

Every Dortmunder is a pleasure to read but some are better than others and this one is not the best.
There was still plenty of potential left in the storyline but it's almost as if Westlake just got bored of this story and decided to call it a day halfway. The ending really leaves me unsatisfied. Oh well..

[Jennifer Morefield · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this installment of this series too. It was fun and funny and the plot was easy to understand. A few of Westlake's previous stories were so complicated with so many back stories and characters that it was tough to stay focus and comprehend what was happening. This one was awesome and was the perfect length. I have really enjoyed this series.