Why Me

by Donald E. Westlake

Paperback, 1994

Call number

813.54

Series

Dortmunder (5)

Tags

dortmunder, 05, mystery, humor, mmpb, coverguess unavailable

Genres

Publication

Mysterious Press (1994), Reprint, Paperback

Pages

240

Description

The Byzantine Fire is much more than a flawless ninety-carat ruby. As a stone it's worth over a million dollars, a value vastly increased by its pure gold band--but its history is what makes it priceless. A ring that has been fought for with sword and pen and passed from nation to nation by all manner of theft and trickery, has finally made its way to the United States. The US agrees to return it to Turkey, but it's about to be stolen twice more. A gang of Greeks armed with Sten guns burst into the security room at JFK Airport and escape with the priceless stone, which they deposit in the safe at a small jeweler's shop in Queens. A few hours later, unlucky thief John Dortmunder, expecting a routine robbery, steals it again. Having unsuspectingly lifted the hottest gem in town, John Dortmunder becomes the prey of the FBI, the New York City police, terrorist groups from three nations, and all of New York's petty and not-so-petty crooks. Much blood has been shed for this little ruby, and Dortmunder's could very well be next.… (more)

Language

English

Original language

English

Original publication date

1983

Physical description

240 p.; 6.7 inches

ISBN

0446403466 / 9780446403467

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User reviews

LibraryThing member eetzel
If Kelp had answered the call, instead of screening it using an early model answering machine, none of this mess would have happened. All the cops of New York, the Terrorist Cooporative, every hasseled crook and worse yet, Tiny want Dortmunder's blood all for a ring he may or may not have.
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LibraryThing member augustusgump
An enjoyable romp, but I had hoped for more laughs. I think if the character of Dortmunder himself had been more developed, I would have found the book funnier - I tend to find character a richer source of laughs than plot.
LibraryThing member Stahl-Ricco
Hilarious first chapter! And beyond! A petty thief named Dortmunder accidentally steals a precious jewel that had just been stolen by other thieves! And little does he know that not only does he have it, but his "world is filling up with police forces, intelligence agencies, guerrilla bands,
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 assassination teams, religious fanatics, all pointed at that poor bastard's head"! The unwitting fool! Great characters and wonderful humor! And I loved all the rigamarole withe the telephones! A great read!
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LibraryThing member MiaCulpa
In this Dortmunder caper, Dortmunder inadvertently steals a precious jewel and finds himself hunted by the entire New York underworld, as well as the police and sundry organisations all wanting the jewel back and the thief dead.

Some funny moments and there's a nod to the classic film M in the
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 scenes where the criminals are trying to track down the jewel thief (maybe I'm overthinking it though).
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LibraryThing member tgraettinger
Another enjoyable Dortmunder novel, with some different twists since most of the usual cast of characters were NOT involved directly. I thought the ending was a bit too easy and unlikely, but I laughed about it anyway.
LibraryThing member hardlyhardy
If you think it's challenging to steal a ring with incredible value and huge international significance, try giving it back.

“Why Me?” could have been the title of any of the 14 novels Donald E. Westlake wrote featuring his hard-luck thief John Dortmunder, but it's actually the one published in
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 1983. It's somebody else who originally steals the Byzantine Fire, a priceless gem coveted by the Greeks, Turks and several others. That night the stolen ring is stored in the safe of an ordinary jewelry store, but that just happens to be the night Dortmunder decides to break into that store. He spots the Byzantine Fire in the safe and thinks it's probably a fake, but he takes it anyway. Big mistake.

Dortmunder doesn't pay much attention to newspapers and TV news, so he is among the last people in New York City to hear about the museum theft. By then the police, the FBI and those various international groups have organized in pursuit of the Fire and whoever has it. Worse, because the cops are putting the heat on everyone in the city with a criminal record, Dortmunder's own usual partners in crime are cooperating in the hunt.

The Byzantine Fire may be the biggest score of Dortmunder's criminal career, yet it is worthless to him. He wants only to give it back without getting caught. But how?

Virtually every chapter in this novel — and there are 46 of them — is a comic masterpiece, and almost every character is uniquely hilarious.

The novel may be dated in some respects, yet it remains enormously fun to read.
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