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God Save the Mark
Fred Fitch is a man who is both pure of heart and substance but utterly credulous. If there is a scam operating anywhere--his rooming house where the General needs a loan to print his revelation of the secret history of the government, the street where the Little Sisters of the Poor are raising funds for the homeless, or just about anywhere in between--Fred finds it or it finds Fred to the same uncertain end.
Fred even has his own contact, Reilly, on the Bunco Squad at Headquarters, who adds weekly to the enormous file. But Fred's complicated life becomes overly complicated when a lawyer turns up on the scene to tell him that his late Uncle Matt has willed him $300,000. Fred has never before heard of Uncle Matt. Along with the inheritance comes the devoted Gertie Divine, Uncle Matt's old friend who is all too willing to become Fred's new friend, and a host of other mysterious characters who are willing to chum up with Fred in their bid for the $300,000, all of whom feel their claim to be more valid than Fred's.
This otherwise comic caper turns desperate when the pursuers begin to make serious attempts on Fred's life and Gertie becomes just a little too devoted. Westlake's brilliant and original picaresque story was awarded the MWA Edgar as best novel of 1967.
Fred even has his own contact, Reilly, on the Bunco Squad at Headquarters, who adds weekly to the enormous file. But Fred's complicated life becomes overly complicated when a lawyer turns up on the scene to tell him that his late Uncle Matt has willed him $300,000. Fred has never before heard of Uncle Matt. Along with the inheritance comes the devoted Gertie Divine, Uncle Matt's old friend who is all too willing to become Fred's new friend, and a host of other mysterious characters who are willing to chum up with Fred in their bid for the $300,000, all of whom feel their claim to be more valid than Fred's.
This otherwise comic caper turns desperate when the pursuers begin to make serious attempts on Fred's life and Gertie becomes just a little too devoted. Westlake's brilliant and original picaresque story was awarded the MWA Edgar as best novel of 1967.
269 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1967
194 people are currently reading
1208 people want to read
About the author
Donald E. Westlake
434 books968 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 192 reviews
January 17, 2019
"God Save the Mark" enjoys the distinction of being the only novel Westlake ever wrote that won an Edgar Award. One of the books "God Save The Mark" beat out in 1968 was "Rosemary’s Baby".
The hero of the story is Fred Fitch, a freelance researcher, who digs up information for writers, scholars, producers, at the local libraries in New York City. He makes a decent enough living this way, and dwells quite comfortably in an apartment that takes up the entire third floor of a Manhattan townhouse on 19th Street that he fears is going to get torn down to make room for progress in the near future.
Fred is 31 but looks and acts much older. He has a bit of a potbelly that he tries to walk off by not taking the bus in good weather. He wears round spectacles, which he thinks is hopelessly square. He’s had little to do with women since high school, he did manage to lose his virginity there, somehow, and doesn’t seem to have any male friends, other than a detective on the Bunco Squad named Jack Reilly, who views Fred with a mixture of amusement and despair. And that’s because Fred’s a mark. A rube. A patsy. A sap. A dupe. A chump. The prize sucker of all time. King of the Conned. God save him.
As the story begins, after having been conned twice in one day, Fred gets a phone call from a shyster lawyer named Goodkind, telling him his Uncle Matt, a man he never heard of before in his life, let alone met, has left him half a million dollars, which after the hefty inheritance tax, will come to three hundred and seventeen thousand dollars.
The hero of the story is Fred Fitch, a freelance researcher, who digs up information for writers, scholars, producers, at the local libraries in New York City. He makes a decent enough living this way, and dwells quite comfortably in an apartment that takes up the entire third floor of a Manhattan townhouse on 19th Street that he fears is going to get torn down to make room for progress in the near future.
Fred is 31 but looks and acts much older. He has a bit of a potbelly that he tries to walk off by not taking the bus in good weather. He wears round spectacles, which he thinks is hopelessly square. He’s had little to do with women since high school, he did manage to lose his virginity there, somehow, and doesn’t seem to have any male friends, other than a detective on the Bunco Squad named Jack Reilly, who views Fred with a mixture of amusement and despair. And that’s because Fred’s a mark. A rube. A patsy. A sap. A dupe. A chump. The prize sucker of all time. King of the Conned. God save him.
As the story begins, after having been conned twice in one day, Fred gets a phone call from a shyster lawyer named Goodkind, telling him his Uncle Matt, a man he never heard of before in his life, let alone met, has left him half a million dollars, which after the hefty inheritance tax, will come to three hundred and seventeen thousand dollars.
April 29, 2016
Poor Fred, he's the mark for every con man in the area, the pawn in every scheme. And to make it even worse, he knows it! Usually within 5 minutes he's onto the scam but darn it, the crooks get away every time!
Gullible to the core, Fred is determined to finally stop being such a pushover and he gets his opportunity to test himself when he received a letter from a local attorney stating that he has inherited nearly half a million dollars from an uncle he'd never heard of. There's something fishy about the whole story, even after he confirms that yes, his mother did have black-sheep brother named Matt that had disappeared years before Fred was born. Turns out this money is real but someone else is after it, someone who has killed for it before. See, Uncle Matt's cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head and the killer is still out there. Fred turns to his cop buddy Reilly to help him figure things out but the tables turn again (and again) when two vastly different but beautiful women come onto the scene. Fred is up to his ears in unanswered questions, scheming relatives, and pretty ladies. Who can he trust? You'll have to read it to find out!
Oh my gosh, this was so funny! It didn't mean to be, Fred Fitch is a pretty upright and straight-laced citizen, but jeez, he had me laughing out loud several times. Even my dog thought I was nuts!
Gullible to the core, Fred is determined to finally stop being such a pushover and he gets his opportunity to test himself when he received a letter from a local attorney stating that he has inherited nearly half a million dollars from an uncle he'd never heard of. There's something fishy about the whole story, even after he confirms that yes, his mother did have black-sheep brother named Matt that had disappeared years before Fred was born. Turns out this money is real but someone else is after it, someone who has killed for it before. See, Uncle Matt's cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head and the killer is still out there. Fred turns to his cop buddy Reilly to help him figure things out but the tables turn again (and again) when two vastly different but beautiful women come onto the scene. Fred is up to his ears in unanswered questions, scheming relatives, and pretty ladies. Who can he trust? You'll have to read it to find out!
Oh my gosh, this was so funny! It didn't mean to be, Fred Fitch is a pretty upright and straight-laced citizen, but jeez, he had me laughing out loud several times. Even my dog thought I was nuts!
August 29, 2023
تا پول داری رفیقتم، قربون بند کیفتم :)
پ.ن: در بدترین شرایط ممکن این کتاب رو تموم کردم، خیلی بهم نچسبید، امیدوارم بعدا تو شرایط بهتری بخونمش.
پ.ن: در بدترین شرایط ممکن این کتاب رو تموم کردم، خیلی بهم نچسبید، امیدوارم بعدا تو شرایط بهتری بخونمش.
October 6, 2025
In “God Save the Mark,” Westlake offers up a comic-caper where the lead character is named Fred Fitch is is a potbellied four-eyed loser who is the world’s ultimate mark, that is, he falls for every cheap scam or con in the book and some even so ridiculous they didn’t even make it into the book. He considers a detective on the bunco squad his friend but only because he has a scam to report every week.
Then, Fred’s uncle dies and leaves him an inheritance of half a million dollars before taxes and all hell breaks loose. For one thing, Fred didn’t even know he had an uncle or that his uncle knew of him. For another thing, it turns out the uncle was murdered and the money is all from a South American con game and the victim jumped out a window and the surviving sons are out to mete out a crude form of justice to whoever benefited from their father’s demise.
Of course, where there’s money involved, there’s all sorts of shady characters coming out of the woodwork. This starts with Gertie, an ex-stripper who apparently had been Fred’s uncle’s live-in girlfriend and who now claims Fred inherited her. There’s also the woman whispering in the park, the professor in Grand Central Terminal, and the shady lawyer. Fred never knows who to trust, not even the police and bumbles his way across town.
Then, Fred’s uncle dies and leaves him an inheritance of half a million dollars before taxes and all hell breaks loose. For one thing, Fred didn’t even know he had an uncle or that his uncle knew of him. For another thing, it turns out the uncle was murdered and the money is all from a South American con game and the victim jumped out a window and the surviving sons are out to mete out a crude form of justice to whoever benefited from their father’s demise.
Of course, where there’s money involved, there’s all sorts of shady characters coming out of the woodwork. This starts with Gertie, an ex-stripper who apparently had been Fred’s uncle’s live-in girlfriend and who now claims Fred inherited her. There’s also the woman whispering in the park, the professor in Grand Central Terminal, and the shady lawyer. Fred never knows who to trust, not even the police and bumbles his way across town.
July 19, 2025
ماجرای یه ابلهِ به تمام معنا که حق نگهدارش نبود.
داستان سبک و روان بود و به سرعت جلو میرفت ولی خیلی جاها بیمنطق بود. پایانش رو هم نپسندیدم.
داستان سبک و روان بود و به سرعت جلو میرفت ولی خیلی جاها بیمنطق بود. پایانش رو هم نپسندیدم.
December 17, 2022
یک بخش داستان تازه و گیرا بود، تا یکجایی گرهگشاییها خوب پیش میرفت و مطابق تصورم از نویسندهی «تبر» بود. آخرش باز نشد آنچه میخواستم گرچه با استادی و فکر درست کتاب را تمام کرده. حسرت نداشتن رمان پلیسی خوب باعث میشود آدم خجالت بکشد از خرده گرفتن به پلات و گرهگشاییِ این کتابها. نویسندهی خوبی برای ترجمه است. رمان پلیسی فارسی که این اواخر خواندم شرمنده میکند آدم را. وستلیک بعضی جزییات را میآورد و رد میشود فصل بعد میفهمی در خدمت چه بوده است. رمان کاراگاهی یا جنایی هنر اقتصاد روایت و ضرورتمندی کنشهاست. خلاصه کتاب خوبیست ولی خب ترجمه اصلاً به خوبیِ ترجمهی محمد حیاتی نبود و نیست. حیاتی لحن را در آورده و گاهی جسوری کرده دیالوگها را کامل با زمینه و حال مخصوصش برگردانده خواندنش لذتبخش است. این کتاب در حد ترجمههای متوسط معمول است که البته همین هم نعمت است. عنوان کتاب را به پیشنهاد آقای صالح حسینی چنین گذاشتهاند که بد هم نشده. شاید بشود تهش یک علامت تعجب هم گذاشت. نمیدانم. ولی جالب برای من این بود که حیاتی از آقای حسینی هم مترجم بهتریست، گرچه انگار پیشتر بر او مقام استادی داشته.
September 9, 2011
American Gods for the Grifter set!
Fred Fitch is just a normal guy who is constantly swindled by nearly every grifter, con man, con woman and thief in New York City. The main character is Fred who gets sucked up in a series of situations after having received $300K following his Uncle's death.
Not quite a comedy but very funny, not quite a drama but with dramatic moements and not quite a thriller this book is an interesting meditation on a single person and his growing awareness of those people around him.
While a completely different read than American Gods, I kept thinking how similar these two books are with the fish-out-of-water-but-just-going-with-it style. I listened to this story on audiobook and thought Oliver Wyman was an excellent choice.
Whether a fan of Donald E. Westlake or not, I would highly recommend this book.
-Bill
Fred Fitch is just a normal guy who is constantly swindled by nearly every grifter, con man, con woman and thief in New York City. The main character is Fred who gets sucked up in a series of situations after having received $300K following his Uncle's death.
Not quite a comedy but very funny, not quite a drama but with dramatic moements and not quite a thriller this book is an interesting meditation on a single person and his growing awareness of those people around him.
While a completely different read than American Gods, I kept thinking how similar these two books are with the fish-out-of-water-but-just-going-with-it style. I listened to this story on audiobook and thought Oliver Wyman was an excellent choice.
Whether a fan of Donald E. Westlake or not, I would highly recommend this book.
-Bill
July 1, 2019
COUNTDOWN: Mid-20th Century North American Crime
BOOK 132 (of 250)
This novel won an Edgar for Best Novel and Westlake has been named a Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America. (The same year Westlake won the Edgar, Rosemary's Baby was shortlisted. I consider Rosemary's Baby to be one of the best horror novels of all time and didn't include it as a crime novel. Oddly, if you look at the Edgar winners, there are spy thrillers, stories leaning more toward drama, etc. One would normally associate an Edgar winning book with mystery/crime. Then again, isn't every book a mystery? We read to find out what happens, after all.)
Hook - 4 stars: >>>>>"Friday the 19th of May was a full day. I bought a counterfeit sweepstakes ticket...and I got a call at home from a lawyer saying I'd just inherited $317,000 dollars from my Uncle Matt. I'd never heard of Uncle Matt."<<<<< opens this novel. Sounds like a GREAT day, certainly. Interesting opening. But is it a con? If so, does the narrator realize it? Lots of ways this story could go from here.
Pace -2: Some subplots appear and disappear, seemingly for no reason. Fred Fitch writes a girl a love letter when he is 15 years old, asking for marriage, and the receiver of the letter, Charlene, shows up 16 years later and says "yes" then leaves angrily saying she's already talked to a lawyer. Problem is that we never hear from her again. I just couldn't connect some subplots: they just hung me up. But really, the reason for 2 stars for this element is the length of the subplots. It is as if Westlake is aiming for a certain word count.
Plot -3: Fred is a sucker for any and every con but one day he wakes up and thinks, "No More." He investigates what happened to the mysterious Uncle Matt. It's a con, natch, then there are more cons and more traps that Fred falls into. And the resolution? Here is the problem, and it's a problem many writers hit on: a clue is withheld almost until the last page. I'd give a lesser writer 2 stars, but the plot does have some good twists.
People- 4: Fitch truly is fascinating. He seems silly at times, perhaps on the innocent side like the title character of Dostoevsky's "The Idiot." And perhaps Westlake is giving us an update of Dosty's character. Fitch says things like "If that isn't the last straw," but of course it isn't. At one point, Fitch thinks, simply, "I kicked him...in the shin...". After receiving surprising news, Fitch "stretched out on the floor and became unconscious." Yes, Westlake IS portraying Fitch as a fool at times. The stripper Gertie says, "Well, if it isn't the Eagle Scout. How's your knots coming?" Fitch replies with "Loose" as his world is loose. Clever of Westlake. But there are lots of lines like this and Westlake approaches triteness as times. And often, I felt like I could here Westlake over Fitch, taking aim AT Fitch.
ATMOSPHERE - 3: Unfortunately light on surroundings such as appearances of buildings and streets, but Westlake's character descriptions are good. "Mr. Grant [was] being a meek curled shrimp of a man...balding, give to spectacles with steel rims, employed as a history teacher..." Fitch criticizes a newspaper article which states a certain amount of money, "...up to 2 million," is moved from place to place. And about lawyer Reilly, "He has a large head, with a thick mass of black hair...and when he nods he does so with such audacious authority you can't help but believe he has just thought an imperishable truth." I like to feel the temperature (are the characters sweating?) and understand textures. But Westlake can paint a character nicely.
I really like 'audacious authority': it just nails what Fitch isn't.
SUMMARY: 3.2. Perhaps I missed the mark here. The plot didn't play fair (author holding a clue readers need) but the novel does open nicely.
BOOK 132 (of 250)
This novel won an Edgar for Best Novel and Westlake has been named a Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America. (The same year Westlake won the Edgar, Rosemary's Baby was shortlisted. I consider Rosemary's Baby to be one of the best horror novels of all time and didn't include it as a crime novel. Oddly, if you look at the Edgar winners, there are spy thrillers, stories leaning more toward drama, etc. One would normally associate an Edgar winning book with mystery/crime. Then again, isn't every book a mystery? We read to find out what happens, after all.)
Hook - 4 stars: >>>>>"Friday the 19th of May was a full day. I bought a counterfeit sweepstakes ticket...and I got a call at home from a lawyer saying I'd just inherited $317,000 dollars from my Uncle Matt. I'd never heard of Uncle Matt."<<<<< opens this novel. Sounds like a GREAT day, certainly. Interesting opening. But is it a con? If so, does the narrator realize it? Lots of ways this story could go from here.
Pace -2: Some subplots appear and disappear, seemingly for no reason. Fred Fitch writes a girl a love letter when he is 15 years old, asking for marriage, and the receiver of the letter, Charlene, shows up 16 years later and says "yes" then leaves angrily saying she's already talked to a lawyer. Problem is that we never hear from her again. I just couldn't connect some subplots: they just hung me up. But really, the reason for 2 stars for this element is the length of the subplots. It is as if Westlake is aiming for a certain word count.
Plot -3: Fred is a sucker for any and every con but one day he wakes up and thinks, "No More." He investigates what happened to the mysterious Uncle Matt. It's a con, natch, then there are more cons and more traps that Fred falls into. And the resolution? Here is the problem, and it's a problem many writers hit on: a clue is withheld almost until the last page. I'd give a lesser writer 2 stars, but the plot does have some good twists.
People- 4: Fitch truly is fascinating. He seems silly at times, perhaps on the innocent side like the title character of Dostoevsky's "The Idiot." And perhaps Westlake is giving us an update of Dosty's character. Fitch says things like "If that isn't the last straw," but of course it isn't. At one point, Fitch thinks, simply, "I kicked him...in the shin...". After receiving surprising news, Fitch "stretched out on the floor and became unconscious." Yes, Westlake IS portraying Fitch as a fool at times. The stripper Gertie says, "Well, if it isn't the Eagle Scout. How's your knots coming?" Fitch replies with "Loose" as his world is loose. Clever of Westlake. But there are lots of lines like this and Westlake approaches triteness as times. And often, I felt like I could here Westlake over Fitch, taking aim AT Fitch.
ATMOSPHERE - 3: Unfortunately light on surroundings such as appearances of buildings and streets, but Westlake's character descriptions are good. "Mr. Grant [was] being a meek curled shrimp of a man...balding, give to spectacles with steel rims, employed as a history teacher..." Fitch criticizes a newspaper article which states a certain amount of money, "...up to 2 million," is moved from place to place. And about lawyer Reilly, "He has a large head, with a thick mass of black hair...and when he nods he does so with such audacious authority you can't help but believe he has just thought an imperishable truth." I like to feel the temperature (are the characters sweating?) and understand textures. But Westlake can paint a character nicely.
I really like 'audacious authority': it just nails what Fitch isn't.
SUMMARY: 3.2. Perhaps I missed the mark here. The plot didn't play fair (author holding a clue readers need) but the novel does open nicely.
April 9, 2012
I was disappointed in this book. I have enjoyed a lot of Westlake's other offerings, so I expected an enjoyable romp. But, the naivete of the Fred was impossible to accept. Every con could be seen a mile ahead, but throughout the book he talked about how he figured it right afterwards. You would think after being scammed a few times he would finally remember.
Anyway. I did like the description of the characters, and the story itself. The language effectively stuck me in the 1960s, as did a lot of the references. I found myself checking wikipedia often to find out a cultural icon I happened to have never heard of. (Killer Joe Piro was a dancer/dance instructor. John Travolta's character from Saturday Night Fever took some cues from Killer Joe.)
I enjoyed this book, but it didn't meet my expectation. Partially, based on my previous experience with Westlake, and partly because it won the Edgar. It was a quick amusing read, but not much more than that.
Anyway. I did like the description of the characters, and the story itself. The language effectively stuck me in the 1960s, as did a lot of the references. I found myself checking wikipedia often to find out a cultural icon I happened to have never heard of. (Killer Joe Piro was a dancer/dance instructor. John Travolta's character from Saturday Night Fever took some cues from Killer Joe.)
I enjoyed this book, but it didn't meet my expectation. Partially, based on my previous experience with Westlake, and partly because it won the Edgar. It was a quick amusing read, but not much more than that.
Read
March 1, 2018About a sucker who inherits half a million dollars, and the various folk who attempt to con it from him. This is not quite up to the standards of Aztec Idols,but it's funny and clever, Westlake has some great throw-away lines as well as a real insider's grasp of New York, which comes out nice on the page. Library, but probably I'd drop it just cause I've got better examples of him doing this kind of thing.
March 22, 2019
It would have been more impressive 50 years ago when all of the cons in it were still less than widely known, but the story still holds up even with the now outdated material.
July 3, 2025
A bit dated but genuinely funny with several laugh out loud moments for me. Someone should really pick up the mantle and write a sequel starring Gertie. She’s really quite divine. In the meantime, I haven’t read any of Westlake’s other novels but I hope they are as charming as this.
March 28, 2008
I read this as part of an ongoing project to read all the Edgar winners for Best Novel. It was the 1968 winner, published in 1967.
Although another character refers to him as a shlemiel, I'd say Fred Fitch, the protagonist and narrator of GOD SAVE THE MARK, is a shlimazel. The way I heard it, the shlemiel spills the soup in the shlimazel's lap. Fred Fitch's way of being a shlimazel is that he's a sap, a sucker, a mark. He has fallen for every con or scam that's been tried on him all his life. He knows this about himself, and usually realizes about fifteen minutes too late that the plausible story that separated him from his money was another con job.
But Fred does learn, albeit slowly, so he's extremely suspicious when he gets a call informing him that a long-lost uncle has left him something in his will. Alerting his friend Jack from the Bunco Squad, he shows up at the attorney's office only to find that this time, it's not a con. He really is an heir to $300,000+. But of course, his troubles are just beginning.
How Fred deals with his new-found wealth and those who are out to get it -- and him -- makes for a story that's both thrilling and humorous. (He also solves the uncle's murder.) I found myself laughing out loud several times (usually only Bill Bryson makes me do that, or those two Jersey boys, Jeff Cohen and Chris Grabenstein.) I could see that I've missed a lot by not reading Westlake before now -- when this book came out I was in college and still working my way through Christie, Marsh, Stout and Allingham.
Although another character refers to him as a shlemiel, I'd say Fred Fitch, the protagonist and narrator of GOD SAVE THE MARK, is a shlimazel. The way I heard it, the shlemiel spills the soup in the shlimazel's lap. Fred Fitch's way of being a shlimazel is that he's a sap, a sucker, a mark. He has fallen for every con or scam that's been tried on him all his life. He knows this about himself, and usually realizes about fifteen minutes too late that the plausible story that separated him from his money was another con job.
But Fred does learn, albeit slowly, so he's extremely suspicious when he gets a call informing him that a long-lost uncle has left him something in his will. Alerting his friend Jack from the Bunco Squad, he shows up at the attorney's office only to find that this time, it's not a con. He really is an heir to $300,000+. But of course, his troubles are just beginning.
How Fred deals with his new-found wealth and those who are out to get it -- and him -- makes for a story that's both thrilling and humorous. (He also solves the uncle's murder.) I found myself laughing out loud several times (usually only Bill Bryson makes me do that, or those two Jersey boys, Jeff Cohen and Chris Grabenstein.) I could see that I've missed a lot by not reading Westlake before now -- when this book came out I was in college and still working my way through Christie, Marsh, Stout and Allingham.
April 21, 2019
A comic entry in the murder mystery realm and an Edgar award winner (1967). I can totally see Mr. Bean playing Fred Fitch, one of the most gullible people ever, the perfect mark. Crazy characters abound, who can he trust outside of his friend and cop Reilly? 1960's NYC, Fred finds out he has inherited a large amount a money from an Uncle he never met. Con or not? On top of the big question he discovers that his uncle was murdered and now people are shooting at him! Quite a romp of a story. Quick read.
May 29, 2023
All the twists and thrills of a confidence game with the benefit of having the mark aware of all of it. Punchy dialogue, confused directions and a memorable ending.
September 10, 2014
I like Donald E. Westlake's Dortmunder novels--"Good Behavior" is one of my favorite books ever. I thought this would be a fun entry in the same vein, and it was, mostly. I enjoyed a lot of it, but a couple of things bugged me.
One was the character of Fred Fitch himself. I found it really hard to believe that an obviously smart, self-aware guy would keep falling for the same scams over and over again. Part of this disbelief stemmed from Westlake's decision to have Fitch narrate the novel. I think if Westlake had told the story in the third person, Fitch might have come off as a more believable naïf.
Also, what was up with the bait and switch with Gertie and Karen? Westlake spent most of the book setting up a connection between Fitch and Karen which felt far more natural and believable than the pairing with Gertie at the end. Where did Fitch's preference for offbeat girls come from? There was no indication of it in the novel before the end. Fitch was shown as being intimidated by Gertie and as wanting her approval but there was ZERO chemistry between them. This felt like one more "twist" that Westlake tried for and couldn't quite pull off.
This wasn't a bad book--I found it perfectly enjoyable for large stretches. It just wasn't as funny or as coherent as some of Westlake's better novels. Three stars is about right.
One was the character of Fred Fitch himself. I found it really hard to believe that an obviously smart, self-aware guy would keep falling for the same scams over and over again. Part of this disbelief stemmed from Westlake's decision to have Fitch narrate the novel. I think if Westlake had told the story in the third person, Fitch might have come off as a more believable naïf.
Also, what was up with the bait and switch with Gertie and Karen? Westlake spent most of the book setting up a connection between Fitch and Karen which felt far more natural and believable than the pairing with Gertie at the end. Where did Fitch's preference for offbeat girls come from? There was no indication of it in the novel before the end. Fitch was shown as being intimidated by Gertie and as wanting her approval but there was ZERO chemistry between them. This felt like one more "twist" that Westlake tried for and couldn't quite pull off.
This wasn't a bad book--I found it perfectly enjoyable for large stretches. It just wasn't as funny or as coherent as some of Westlake's better novels. Three stars is about right.
March 7, 2010
A Donald E.Westlake masterwork !
A book with great subtle humuor,many funny,amazing characters. Also had so many twists,unpredictable story.
Fred Fitch is one of his best characters. I thought his comic crime was at its best with the first 4 Dortmunder books i have read but this book was stronger,so much funnier.
A book with great subtle humuor,many funny,amazing characters. Also had so many twists,unpredictable story.
Fred Fitch is one of his best characters. I thought his comic crime was at its best with the first 4 Dortmunder books i have read but this book was stronger,so much funnier.
April 11, 2019
Funny in spots and nice to read about New York, but awfully goofy.
September 7, 2023
به قول خودش، همهچیز از روز اولی که رفت مهدکودک، و بدون شلوار برگشت شروع شد. یکی از همکلاسیهایش زیر پایش نشست که شلوارش را بدهد. هیچ نمیداند که این اتفاق چطور افتاد، و این پخمگی ذاتیاش در ربعقرن پیشرو اصلا بهبود نیافته، هرچند که حالا دیگر در بازی کلاهبرداری خبره شده. از تمامی شخصیتاصلیهای وستلیک، فِرد معمولیترین است. نه شجاع است، نه باهوش، نه خوشقیافه، نه جذاب، و به جز سادهلوحی افسانهایش، حتی آدم جالبی هم نیست. انتخاب این شخصیت به جای قهرمان عجیب است ... و اینکه ابله بودن مسئله نیست ، مسئله این است که دیگر نباشی .
July 4, 2020
Brilliant! Makes me wish I still worked in a book store so that I could recommend it to folks, and use it as a staff pick, etc. The plot, the writing, the humor. What a joy.
A fellow who seems to attract and fall for every con, finds himself having to solve a murder. Such a humble and fallible protagonist. An underdog that you want to root for at every turn.
A fellow who seems to attract and fall for every con, finds himself having to solve a murder. Such a humble and fallible protagonist. An underdog that you want to root for at every turn.
April 27, 2020
Funny stuff. A more modern P.G. Wodehouse (not quite as funny - but when you've read all of Wodehouse stuff, it's nice to find someone else with a similar sense of humor)
August 29, 2021
Mystery and Confusion - I enjoyed reading this story from the beginning to the end - the characters were well written and there is humor along with the crime(s) - I found myself laughing out loud -
February 5, 2025
2/5 ⭐️ not for me…. boring, repetitive, and awkward
October 25, 2021
Mega Maratona Classici Giallo #3:
Non male come libro. Un po' strano devo dire però davvero carino. Forse più comico che crime con un protagonista davvero credulone che mi ha sorpreso un po'. Era anche il mio primo Westlake. Probabilmente mi devo abituare a questo autore. Comunque la scrittura è davvero fluida e mi piace. Se ne ho altri nel mucchio di Classici sarò lieta di leggerli.
Non male come libro. Un po' strano devo dire però davvero carino. Forse più comico che crime con un protagonista davvero credulone che mi ha sorpreso un po'. Era anche il mio primo Westlake. Probabilmente mi devo abituare a questo autore. Comunque la scrittura è davvero fluida e mi piace. Se ne ho altri nel mucchio di Classici sarò lieta di leggerli.
May 14, 2021
Another fine story by Westlake. Light and funny.
October 26, 2022
Written in 1967. Westlake one of the first writers of comic crime fiction that I loved. This was a hardback used library book last checked out in 2011. I paid 25 cents for it at the local charity shop. I have a problem with goodreads and their changing of the edition button. Anyway this was a novel of crime and confusion so states the cover. A book about con men and their mark. Fred Fitch being the mark in this story. I think the whole storyline was a con. Bravo Donald. E. Westlake.(RIP)
September 18, 2011
God Save the Mark
by Donald E. Westlake
Forge, 268 pages, Paperback, 2004; reissue of a book
originally published in 1967, with a new introduction by Otto
Penzler
One in Forge's "Otto Penzler Presents . . ." series of
reissues, complete with a new introduction by Penzler himself,
this publication sees the welcome reappearance of Donald
Westlake's 1967 comic delight God Save the Mark. It's not
among the very best of Westlake's deliriously inventive capers,
but it's close to that leading group — and certainly it's
good enough that on first publication it received an Edgar Allen
Poe Award from the Mystery Writers of America.
The premise here is that Fred Fitch has what is almost a
psychic talent or superpower for attracting confidence tricksters
and associated fraudsters: he can barely walk to the local
newsstand without someone smoothly conning him out of his wallet.
This characteristic, while naturally irritating for poor Fred,
makes him quite useful to the police: if there's a new scam on
the street, within seconds Fred will have fallen victim to it,
and through his friendship with the cop Jack Reilly the details
will shortly be in the hands of the Bunco Squad.
But now Fred's troubles are about to enter a new and
altogether more serious phase. His Uncle Matt, a fabled
confidence trickster, has been murdered, and has left Fred an
inheritance of three hundred thousand dollars as well as his
deliciously earthy ex-"showgirl" Gertie Divine. With that amount
of loot on its way, Fred obviously becomes an absolute magnet for
every conman and conwoman on the Eastern Seaboard — among
the latter, he strongly suspects, being the domineering Gertie,
who has promptly moved herself into his apartment and more or
less taken it over. But then there's also his dead uncle's
shyster lawyer Goodkind, who would give weasels a bad name. Even
Fred's eccentric wannabe-writer neighbor Wilkins is trying to
persuade Fred to dedicate some of his hard-inherited cash to
publishing Wilkins's unpublishable novel.
Of course, Fred's blood pressure isn't helped by hearing from
Gertie that whoever killed Uncle Matt is out to get Fred next
. . .
All the elements are here for one of Westlake's classic
romps, and he doesn't fail to deliver. Here's a sample, as
Wilkins describes his historical novel Veni Vidi Vici Through
Air Power:
I've kept the historical facts, kept them all. The names of
the barbarian tribes, strength of armies, the actual battles,
kept everything. All I've added is air power. Through a fluke of
fate, the [ancient] Romans have aircraft, at about World War I
level. So we see the sort of difference air power makes by
putting it in a historical setting where it wasn't there. [. . .]
Well, it doesn't change history that much. [. . .] After all,
Caesar won almost all the battles he was in anyway.
This reader confesses he was filled with a powerful yen to
get hold of a copy of Veni Vidi Vici Through Air Power,
but, that aside, God Save the Mark satisfies on all
counts.
Now, if only Forge will see fit to rerelease Westlake's I
Gave at the Office . . .
This review, first published by Crescent Blues, is
excerpted from my ebook Warm Words and Otherwise: A Blizzard
of Book Reviews, to be published on September 19 by Infinity
Plus Ebooks.
January 22, 2016
If you looked up the word 'gullible' in the dictionary Fred Fitch's picture would surely be there. There is not a con man in New York City who hasn't tried and succeeded in bilking Fred and separating him from his money. Fred's Uncle Matt, of whom Fred has never heard, has been murdered and in his will he left all of his money to Fred -- a tidy sum of over $300,000. Along with the money Uncle Matt apparently also left Fred his amply endowed girlfriend/stripper Gertie Divine. Apparently Uncle Matt came by his money in some rather illegal ways and whoever whacked Matt is out to get Fred. Fred, tired of being such an easy mark, has no idea who he can trust anymore as he begins getting hang-up calls, black cars slowly follow him down the street, someone starts shooting at him and Gertie is kidnapped. He realizes that he will need to solve Uncle Matt's murder case himself because he can't even trust the police anymore.
The subtitle of this book is "A Novel of Crime and Confusion" and it is absolutely right. I was very confused through most of the book though highly amused at the hapless Fred and the parade of quirky characters. It all makes sense at the end of the book so Westlake definitely did the job he set out to do. His books are old-fashioned as Westlake started writing in the late 50's but they can be a lot of fun with some of the zaniest characters a reader is likely to ever have the pleasure of meeting.
The subtitle of this book is "A Novel of Crime and Confusion" and it is absolutely right. I was very confused through most of the book though highly amused at the hapless Fred and the parade of quirky characters. It all makes sense at the end of the book so Westlake definitely did the job he set out to do. His books are old-fashioned as Westlake started writing in the late 50's but they can be a lot of fun with some of the zaniest characters a reader is likely to ever have the pleasure of meeting.
May 28, 2011
While technically a murder mystery, much of this book is a crazy romp through New York c.1960, with unusual characters, witty banter and hilarious situations. It's only at the end -- the very end -- when this all slows down and the plot is tied together.
The "Mark" in the title refers to the main chracter (Fred Fitch) who is the ultimate "sucker" when it comes to falling for cons. He reacts by withdrawing from society, but this is to no avail when he inherits money from a perviously unknown -- and newly murderd -- uncle. As old buddies of his uncle appear on the scene, and mysterious cars follow Fred all over the city, he is drawn into attempting to solve his uncle's murder -- and prevent his own.
The plot develops at a madcap pace; this is a great book for a long plane ride or the beach when you can devote some time to it. You'll be rewarded with some "laugh out loud" moments.
"God Save the Night" was included on Michael Dirda's list "Comedy Tonight" (#32) -- his favorite amusing books. I have found this a great source of funny, offbeat and very enjoyable works.
The "Mark" in the title refers to the main chracter (Fred Fitch) who is the ultimate "sucker" when it comes to falling for cons. He reacts by withdrawing from society, but this is to no avail when he inherits money from a perviously unknown -- and newly murderd -- uncle. As old buddies of his uncle appear on the scene, and mysterious cars follow Fred all over the city, he is drawn into attempting to solve his uncle's murder -- and prevent his own.
The plot develops at a madcap pace; this is a great book for a long plane ride or the beach when you can devote some time to it. You'll be rewarded with some "laugh out loud" moments.
"God Save the Night" was included on Michael Dirda's list "Comedy Tonight" (#32) -- his favorite amusing books. I have found this a great source of funny, offbeat and very enjoyable works.
September 14, 2021
"There’s a new gimmick every day, and ten new suckers to try it on.”
“Barnum,” suggested Wilkins. “One born a minute, two to take him.”
“Two,” I said, “is a conservative number.”
Mr. Grant said, faintly, “Does this happen to you all the time?”
“I couldn’t begin to tell you,” I said.
“But why you?” he asked. “This is the first time anything like this ever happened to me. Why should it happen to you so much?”
I couldn’t answer him. There just wasn’t a single thing I could say in response to a question like that.
I am only—but it is enough-gullible. I find it impossible to believe that anyone could lie to another human being to his face.
“Barnum,” suggested Wilkins. “One born a minute, two to take him.”
“Two,” I said, “is a conservative number.”
Mr. Grant said, faintly, “Does this happen to you all the time?”
“I couldn’t begin to tell you,” I said.
“But why you?” he asked. “This is the first time anything like this ever happened to me. Why should it happen to you so much?”
I couldn’t answer him. There just wasn’t a single thing I could say in response to a question like that.
I am only—but it is enough-gullible. I find it impossible to believe that anyone could lie to another human being to his face.
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