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Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN num: 9780446677035
ISBN number: 0446677035
Label: The Mysterious Press
Manufacturer: The Mysterious Press
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 304
Printing Date: April 01, 2001
Publishing house: The Mysterious Press
Sale Popularity Level: 58865
Studio: The Mysterious Press
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Product Description:
John Dortmunder and company are hired by an U.N. African Ambassador to steal the famed Balabomo Emerald from the hands of a rival African country. But their daring and clever burglarly goes awry, and the emerald slips through their fingers. Undaunted, Dortmunder chases the gem by plane, train and automobile in hot pursuit of the hot rock.
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Rated by buyers 
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Sad to report Donald Westlake passed away last night (12/31 - my birthday too, darn it). Pick up this book, then pick up a glass and toast to the memory of this undisputed master of the funny crime caper. Read this book and laugh (the movie's cute too but the book is better). Then read "Watch Your Back!" and really howl. That's how I plan to spend part of 2009. His pen will be sorely missed. So long, Don and thanks for the many many laughs and the chills from your Parker novels (written as Richard Stark). You were the best.
Rated by buyers -
This is probably the best of Dortmunder series...
Westlake not only captures a sly and adorable thief, but in the end - always a loser...
I'd invite "john" & his 'amsterdam "our own" brand bourbon' drinkin buddies to my humble abode anytime...
Rated by buyers -
If you have not yet read The Hot Rock, you have an amazing treat ahead of you. With brilliant plotting, amusing characters and a strong sense of irony, The Hot Rock makes side-tickling fun of just about everything you can imagine. This book also introduces the character, John Archibald Dortmunder, who stars in the marvelous series of books that followed this one.
Dortmunder is about to get out of prison on parole, and is looking forward to the $300 that another inmate will pay him for his old cell. That plan is scotched when the warden decides to personally escort Dortmunder out of the prison. So there he is with regret for his lost $300 and poor prospects. Then it gets worse! A Cadillac chases him onto the sidewalk against a wall. And that's just the very first three and a half pages!
Dortmunder's old pal, Andy Kelp, has lined up a job that requires Dortmunder to do the planning for the caper. A former British colony in Africa has recently become two independent nations, Talabwo and Akinzi, each run by a different tribe. The Akinzi have possession of the Balabomo Emerald, worth $500,000, and the UN Ambassador from Talabwo, Major Patrick Ito, is offering $30,000 a man (for up to five men) to retrieve the emerald which is now residing in the New York Coliseum at a Pan-African display. Dortmunder needs money, so he decides to take the job . . . if the major will pay a little walking around money in the meantime.
Soon, Dortmunder has developed a brilliant plan that requires some special props, which the major provides. Into the Coliseum go four of the five, and three return . . . minus the emerald. After this setback, the plot starts to get really complicated. The book is filled with hilarious characters including the optimistic Andy Kelp who loves to steal new cars with MD license plates and always assumes that everything will succeed just fine, the driver Stan Murch who loves to listen to traffic noises and talk about his travels routes while nursing a draft beer with salt to recreate the foam, the model train aficionado Roger Chefwick who loves to play in his basement, the easily distracted strong man Alan Greenwood, and the sleazy lawyer Eugene Andrew Prosker, Esq. whose greed knows no limits.
Most books like this build up the suspense around one heist. You get more than that for your money with this one. The action is nonstop . . . right up to one of the most imaginative escapes you will ever read about.
The book's ending scene is too delicious for words. I don't dare hint what it is all about . . . but be ready for something wonderful.
If you enjoy this book, be sure to go on to read Bank Shot, the subsequent book in the series . . . which is almost as good.
After you finish, think about where else Murphy's Law (anything that can go wrong will) can cause problems to your best-laid plans. Then replan until there's no room left for Murphy.
Rated by buyers 
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This was the very first in the Dortmunder series that I read.....you can see my review of Bad News to get the full sense of how I feel about these books. To not be redundant I will just say you can not go wrong in reading anything by Mr. Westlake and you will not be disappointed in the telling of the Dortmunder capers and the characters you meet along the way. I have enjoyed them as books on tape!
Rated by buyers -
Who could resist the characters Westlake draws (for instance getaway driver Roger Murch who, with his taxi-driving mom, in their off hours sit in their garage and listen to audio recordings of the Indianapolis 500), or the ever-escalating outrageous situations he puts his characters in (such as stealing an antique train to pursue their crooked lawyer through the ornamental gardens of a loony bin). I love Westlake's writing for its sheer fun and respect his masterful craftsmanship as a writer. Another plus: he uses correct punctuation and good grammar.
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