Publication
[S.l.] Kaliber/Casterman 2008
ISBN
9789030361688
Language
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Description
Fresh out of prison, Dortmunder plans a heist that could mean war John Dortmunder leaves jail with ten dollars, a train ticket, and nothing to make money on but his good name. Thankfully, his reputation goes far. No one plans a caper better than Dortmunder. His friend Kelp picks him up in a stolen Cadillac and drives him away from Sing-Sing, telling a story of a $500,000 emerald that they just have to steal. Dortmunder doesn't hesitate to agree. The emerald is the crown jewel of a former British colony, lately granted independence and split into two nations: one for the Talabwo people, one for the Akinzi. The Akinzi have the stone, the Talabwo want it back, and their UN representative offers a fine payday to the men who can get it. It's not a simple heist, but after a few years in stir, Dortmunder could use the challenge.… (more)
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User reviews
LibraryThing member mrtall
The Hot Rock is a delightfully funny caper story, or, rather six different capers, as Dortmunder and his team of eccentrics try to get their hands on the rock.
Westlake's dialog and pacing are exemplary; this is one of those books where you read for a bit and suddenly realize that twenty or thirty
Highly recommended.
Westlake's dialog and pacing are exemplary; this is one of those books where you read for a bit and suddenly realize that twenty or thirty
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pages have flown by. Highly recommended.
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LibraryThing member edwardsgt
I came to this novel with high expectations having seen the complimentary things written about these stories recently following Westlake's death. Unfortunately, it left me rather cold and I have to say I find Harlen Coben's Myron Bolitar series much funnier and frankly better written. Perhaps this
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was just a bad example of his stories? Show Less
LibraryThing member cdogzilla
Without giving anything away, it's the little bit of unexpected and unresolved at the end that makes what felt like a exercise in gimmickery turn out to be worthwhile after all.
LibraryThing member Periodista
A most excellent airport or transit book, field tested. A caper, or series of capers, which makes you keep thinking, "This was made to be a movie." Which of course it was, though I haven't seen it. And if this is a Dortmunder series, there should be more movies. They'd be better than the weaker
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Ocean's 11 series, which I bet Westlake inspired. Show Less
LibraryThing member smik
With financial backing by Major Patrick Iko, the UN Ambassador from Talabwo, John Dortmunder puts together a team to steal the Balabamo Emerald from the exhibition at New York Coliseum. When the first attempt at the heist comes unstuck, and one of the team ends up in jail, so there are a succession
Iko has agreed to pay each member of the team a daily retainer and a final amount. He also agrees to supply whatever guns etc Dortmunder requires. As the plot progresses, attempts to retrieve the emerald become more bizarre, the resulting equipment requests become even more bizarre. Dortmunder's determination to retrieve the emerald becomes stronger with each phase of the plot. For Dortmunder, the emerald becomes an albatross around his neck, his destiny. He must get it.
To me it seemed that HOT ROCK had been written with an eye to a film script. There are passages that owe a lot to slapstick comedy, and yet at the same time the scenarios feel like serious attempts to resolve conundrums. How do you break into a prison? How do you raid a bank vault?
I read HOT ROCK because next week contributors to Pattinase's Friday's Forgotten Books are paying tribute to the work of Donald E.Westlake.
It occurred to me that it was likely I had never read any of his books. Various participants suggested that I begin with THE HOT ROCK. I have enjoyed the book and may even read another at some time.
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of fresh attempts.Iko has agreed to pay each member of the team a daily retainer and a final amount. He also agrees to supply whatever guns etc Dortmunder requires. As the plot progresses, attempts to retrieve the emerald become more bizarre, the resulting equipment requests become even more bizarre. Dortmunder's determination to retrieve the emerald becomes stronger with each phase of the plot. For Dortmunder, the emerald becomes an albatross around his neck, his destiny. He must get it.
To me it seemed that HOT ROCK had been written with an eye to a film script. There are passages that owe a lot to slapstick comedy, and yet at the same time the scenarios feel like serious attempts to resolve conundrums. How do you break into a prison? How do you raid a bank vault?
I read HOT ROCK because next week contributors to Pattinase's Friday's Forgotten Books are paying tribute to the work of Donald E.Westlake.
It occurred to me that it was likely I had never read any of his books. Various participants suggested that I begin with THE HOT ROCK. I have enjoyed the book and may even read another at some time.
Show Less
LibraryThing member BookConcierge
The first John Dortmander book. A comic crime caper. What would happen if you had to steal the same thing five times (or more)? Hugely entertaining, with double cross after double cross.
LibraryThing member ozzieslim
I think I saw this movie about a million years ago. I liked it then. The book? Quite frankly, even better!! This was unexpected. The book, in the Nook edition anyway, only runs 154 pages. But the writing is absolutely superb. It's taut, it has a ton of great detail, it's funny and it's a damn good
A group of professional criminals is hired by an African Major in a nation torn apart by civil war, to steal an emerald which is spiritually and religiously important to both sides. The group assembles and creates a plan to get the rock. Think Ocean's Eleven type of thing here.
What follows is a series of problems. One caper, turns into six capers because each time they get that hot rock, something happens in which the success of the heist is foiled. Each time, they have to go back to the Major to secure more funding and more resources in order to pull off the job.
Twists and turns right to the last page and not one minute of dull reading. It is really difficult to write like this. It's a real art form to cram so much into a relatively short story. There is not a wasted word in this little gem of a book. And, as an added bonus, it's pretty inexpensive as an ebook. It was a great read. Loved it!
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heist story.A group of professional criminals is hired by an African Major in a nation torn apart by civil war, to steal an emerald which is spiritually and religiously important to both sides. The group assembles and creates a plan to get the rock. Think Ocean's Eleven type of thing here.
What follows is a series of problems. One caper, turns into six capers because each time they get that hot rock, something happens in which the success of the heist is foiled. Each time, they have to go back to the Major to secure more funding and more resources in order to pull off the job.
Twists and turns right to the last page and not one minute of dull reading. It is really difficult to write like this. It's a real art form to cram so much into a relatively short story. There is not a wasted word in this little gem of a book. And, as an added bonus, it's pretty inexpensive as an ebook. It was a great read. Loved it!
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LibraryThing member Stahl-Ricco
A fun crime thriller! Dortmunder and company pull five jobs to steal the same emerald! Made me laugh out loud several times! Banks, trains, asylums, helicopters, police headquarters, etc. - all involved in these capers. And Westlake handles it all with great precision and style! Can't wait to read
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more in this series! Show Less
LibraryThing member Novak
Hot Rock, Donald Westlake. Tracking down this book was difficult. In the end I had to be content with an old paperback from ebay. But what a good story and what a laugh. No wonder this was made into a successful film with Robert Redford starring.
I think my paperback would win the contest for the
I think my paperback would win the contest for the
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worst ever front cover “artwork”. Show Less
LibraryThing member asxz
I was hoping to start another Westlake series as I come to the end of the Parkers, but even though this started life as a Parker, it was a little disappointing. Smart-alecky. Nice to see Grofield make an appearance. I may search out the next couple just to see if he found a surer voice for
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Dortmunder, but for now I'm underwhelmed. Show Less
LibraryThing member eurohackie
This novel is legit hilarious. I was wary, considering my luck with 70s-era crime novels (and what passed for humor back then), but I had to stifle guffaws several times while reading this. It is a beautiful mixture of a heist caper and total farce.
The characters certainly had a lot to do with
These five come together to steal the Balabomo Emerald from one small African nation at the behest of a neighboring small African nation. Their contact with the hopeful receiving country is Major Patrick Iko, referred to as Major. He trusts Dortmunder to do the job, though he feels a bit dubious about the others, and hires them for what they all think will be a six-week job. The emerald is on display under heavy guard at the NY Coliseum, but it will be traveling on display soon, and Dortmunder wonders whether it would be easier to nab it in the museum or when it begins its cross-country journey.
The funny part is that Dortmunder's plans are perfect, ingenious, and more or less well-executed. A blunder during the first attempt leads to the second, and circumstances beyond their control lead to the third, then the fourth, and finally the fifth. Dortmunder is growing increasingly frustrated, and wants to give up after 3 attempts, but his fellow criminals wheedle and cajole him into staying, and the Major ups his price, and they keep trying. They literally use planes, trains, and automobiles in pursuit of this emerald. (I nearly fell out of my chair with laughter when Pops Chefwick lives his lifelong dream of driving a Tom Thumb locomotive during one of the capers.)
The Major tries to pull a double-cross when Dortmunder's team finally delivers the emerald, but none of them are going to stand for that, so they make one last heist...and the ending is sweet, sweet revenge.
This was absolutely excellent, and I'm looking forward to reading more of Dortmunder's adventures (hopefully with this same team!).
The characters certainly had a lot to do with
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that. Dortmunder is the planner of the group - he conceives the plans for how to pull the heists and puts them into action. Kelp is the Mr. TMI sidekick, always wanting to go off on a tangent at the worst moment. Murch is the getaway driver, a young man still living with is mother who is obsessed with cars, to the point of buying sound recordings of races just to analyze the noises. The lockbreaker is Chefwick, a congenial model train enthusiast who is the best lockman in the game. (Chefwick reminded me of Pops from Regular Show, which made him even more delightfully hilarious. The heavy of the group is Greenwood, a jack-of-all-trades who is a ladykiller in his spare time. These five come together to steal the Balabomo Emerald from one small African nation at the behest of a neighboring small African nation. Their contact with the hopeful receiving country is Major Patrick Iko, referred to as Major. He trusts Dortmunder to do the job, though he feels a bit dubious about the others, and hires them for what they all think will be a six-week job. The emerald is on display under heavy guard at the NY Coliseum, but it will be traveling on display soon, and Dortmunder wonders whether it would be easier to nab it in the museum or when it begins its cross-country journey.
The funny part is that Dortmunder's plans are perfect, ingenious, and more or less well-executed. A blunder during the first attempt leads to the second, and circumstances beyond their control lead to the third, then the fourth, and finally the fifth. Dortmunder is growing increasingly frustrated, and wants to give up after 3 attempts, but his fellow criminals wheedle and cajole him into staying, and the Major ups his price, and they keep trying. They literally use planes, trains, and automobiles in pursuit of this emerald. (I nearly fell out of my chair with laughter when Pops Chefwick lives his lifelong dream of driving a Tom Thumb locomotive during one of the capers.)
The Major tries to pull a double-cross when Dortmunder's team finally delivers the emerald, but none of them are going to stand for that, so they make one last heist...and the ending is sweet, sweet revenge.
This was absolutely excellent, and I'm looking forward to reading more of Dortmunder's adventures (hopefully with this same team!).
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LibraryThing member ikeman100
First of a series more then a dozen light, fun crime novels about a robber named Dortmunder and his gang of eccentric criminals. Fun story.
LibraryThing member AliceAnna
I really enjoyed this introduction of the Dortmunder character. Fast, fun read. Quirky characters. Not in the least predictable.
LibraryThing member KurtWombat
My first Westbrook and the first book in his Dortmunder Series is an imaginative and fun read. The idea came first of an emerald that won’t stay stolen, then Dortmunder was created to live it out. Love heist scenarios pulled off by smart people and the structure of this allows for several
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well-crafted heists. The central question of why would they keep trying after repeated bouts of bad luck was handled with deft character work and humor. If this were ignored or glossed over with a “because it’s there” trope, I would have become irritated and either quit reading or finished the book with a chip on my shoulder and a grudge. Truly funny, the humor does not detract from the action. Actually adds to the momentum of the goings on which builds heist upon heist until a nice twisty conclusion. The gimmick of having to steal the same emerald again and again never feels like a gimmick. Each time their situation falls apart, it’s funny and a surprise. Liked this enough to leap right into another Westlake GOD SAVE THE MARK—a stand alone non-series entry that had it’s own gimmick I felt was a little forced. Still good but it made me appreciate THE HOT ROCK even more. Show Less
LibraryThing member DeltaQueen50
The Hot Rock by Donald E. Westlake is the first book that features John Dortmunder the thief whose capers never quite come off as planned. In this one he and his friends have been hired by a diplomat from one African nation to steal a huge emerald currently on display in the United States from a
Although Dortmunder has the brains and a talent for thievery luck seems to always go against him and in this instance he and his gang find themselves having to acquire the emerald numerous times as well as orchestrate an escape from prison and a kidnapping from a mental hospital. The book is full of setbacks, betrayals and just plain bad luck but it is also full of humor and characters that are fun to read about.
In Hot Rock the author creates a series of hilarious but mostly believable situations that Dortmunder must navigate and we, the readers, are awarded with a light and very enjoyable read.
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different African Nation. What follows is a series of heists as the emerald comes in and out of their hands.Although Dortmunder has the brains and a talent for thievery luck seems to always go against him and in this instance he and his gang find themselves having to acquire the emerald numerous times as well as orchestrate an escape from prison and a kidnapping from a mental hospital. The book is full of setbacks, betrayals and just plain bad luck but it is also full of humor and characters that are fun to read about.
In Hot Rock the author creates a series of hilarious but mostly believable situations that Dortmunder must navigate and we, the readers, are awarded with a light and very enjoyable read.
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Awards
Edgar Award (Nominee — Novel — 1971)
Mystère de la critique (1972)
Original publication date
1970