The Dinosaur Club

by William Heffernan

When Jack Fallon and his peers--employees over fifty years old and earning at least $50,000--learn they are to be laid off from Waters Cable, the group acts together to turn the tables on corporate management

Genres: Fiction

416 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

William Heffernan, a three-time Pulitzer Prize nominee, is the author of eighteen novels, including such bestsellers as The Corsincan, The Dinosaur Club (a New York Times bestseller), The Dead Detective, and Tarnished Blue (winner of an Edgar Award). Heffernan lives outside of St. Petersburg, Florida.

Reviews

[CLM · Rating 5 out of 5]

A cleverly conceived thriller which would make a better movie than nearly everything out there.

[Kabir Dhaliwal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great look into the world of older employees getting frozen out, and an entertaining ending.

[Bill Rixham · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book. It was the personal and professional journey of a downsized executive who gets even...with his former employer and the wife who left him.

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a greatly amusing book! It's a real page turner. The author, William Heffermnn, told a story about internal corporate warfare with great details. It's a warfare between the Dinosaurs Club and a group of cunning executives.

The whole story gives a reflective thought of what really worth-seeking in corporate life & how the companies are liable to their employees' state of welfare & security.


A copy of the book I red belonged to Ottawa Public Library back to 1999, but misteriously discarded. A friend of mine lended it to me in 2003. But, I never had a chance to read it. One of the reason was I believed this book belong to the grown-ups. Gladly, in 2014, I took it from my book cabin, and finished it. :)

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bod book, sort of simple in it's scope. It's basically "First Wives Club" for corporate America. An over-the-hill sales executive with a fat salary and almost-mature pension is threatened with downsizing due to corporate greed and decides to fight back.
I would have preferred a different ending, and it's sort of tough to feel sorry for Jack, the main character, making 6 figures and still not able to save for his own retirement.
It does serve as a good insite into the greed/lack of employee concern shown by American corporations during the late 80s/early 90s, of course, I was 15 and lived on a farm, so I don't know how accurate it is, and it didn't affect me much anyhow.

[Pagan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don't look for depth in this book. Instead it is a fun, repeatable read with black and white good guys and bad guys. You jeer the bad guys and cheer the good guys as you reach the (predictable) end. So why a 4-star rating for a shallow, predicable book? Because it is SO much fun.
When I eat I sometimes want a new, challenging taste sensation that I'll be thinking about for the rest of the evening. And sometimes I want a good burger - something to eat while I watch a fun movie, wiping my fingers to get rid of the grease. That's The Dinosaur Club - a great burger that'll you'll enjoy to the last bitye

[David Meyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun read that kept me interested throughout. The book paints an ugly picture of corporate America, following a company that is plotting to lay off its oldest employees to save money in pension funds and high salaries. The book follows a senior member of the company who is attempting to prevent the plan from happening while dealing with the rest of his life unfolding. I'd give the book a higher rating, if it weren't for the end, which while entertaining, was the only part of the book I found to be too unrealistic.

[Maurean · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this one a highly entertaining read. Heffernan's writing style put me in mind of Donald Westlake, one of my all-time favorite storytellers.

[Barb Boomer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lacked something: real characters? believable plot? hmm, don't waste your time.

[Darinda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Humorous and entertaining.

[Roger Allen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Showed promise, but lost me at the end with a highly improbable scenario.

[Sandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little dated, but good story.

[R. Campbell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Worth reading -- but the climax was a little too far fetched.