Bad News

Let me say, "John Dortmunder" and see if you smile. If you are, you've met him before, and can't wait to see what he gets up to, or rather, what gets up to him in Bad News. If you aren't, then you have a treat coming. A treat 10 times over, since that's how many Dortmunder novels Donald Westlake has written.

Dortmunder is one of those people who persevere in the face of adversity, bad luck, and outrageous fortune. He usually comes out of the situation with something, but things seldom go as planned. It's safe to say in Dortmunder's world, shit happens. And happens, and happens, as you're laughing your face off and saying, "poor Dortmunder".

Once again Dortmunder gets dragged into a scheme against his better judgement by Kelp, one of his companions in crime. Things start off with what appears to be a simple coffin substitution as a bit part in someone else's scam. The problem is that the people running that scam think Kelp and Dortmunder are bozos who can be easily disposed of. They don't know that nothing involving Dortmunder is easy.

Things proceed from there, getting more and more complicated at every step. Soon, Dortmunder brings in some of his regulars. Murch and his Mom, Tiny and Josie, and Kelp's new girlfriend Anne Marie show up, along with Dortmunder's faithful companion May. Can you picture most of them at a Thanksgiving Dinner? Lets not forget Rollo and the regulars, who have another one of their wonderfully inane conversations. I've often wondered where Westlake finds the inspiration for them. They are surely proof that truth is stranger than fiction.

Overall, this is an excellent Dortmunder. Not the best; I think that Drowned Hopes, Don't Ask, and The Hot Rock are better. Part of the problem is that as Dortmunder himself points out, "Why am I in this place? I'm not a con artist. I'm not a grafter, I'm a thief. There's nothing here to steal." Well, there is later on, but that's getting ahead of ourselves.

Westlake is in fine form. He has an interesting narrative style, borrowing a little from Damon Runyon, that helps explain the complications that inevitably arise. In many ways the Dortmunder novels are designed to be read out loud, with Westlake taking the narrator's role. I happened across this book in the public library, and snatched it off the shelf. I'll be buying it in hard cover as soon as I find it in the stores.

Since I've got you anyway, I might as well tell you about some of Westlake's other books. Dancing Aztecs is probably the funniest book I've ever read in my life. The story is that one valuable statue is hidden with some fakes that are to be distributed to a very odd group of people. Of course, there are some people that want the real statue, for complicated reasons. I missed the switch, even though I knew it was coming. Westlake even helps you keep score, but it doesn't do you much good.

Trust Me on This has a group of people who are involved in getting a series of stories for a tabloid magazine. Baby, Would I Lie? have some of the same people getting the goods on their former colleagues while involved in a complicated murder trial. I was horrified to discover that Branson really exists, and if anything, the book is kind.

Two Much was made into a movie with Antonio Banderas, Melanie Griffiths, and Daryl Hannah. However, Joan Cusack stole the show. As always, the book is better than the movie. This was a fun read, waiting to see what twists and turns the plot would go through on the way to the foregone conclusion.

High Adventure is one of my favourites. The victim of a scam tries to make the best of the situation and ends up running a scam that involves, among others, accidently, the guy that scammed him in the first place. All sorts of stuff is going on, for all sorts of reasons. I always end up reading the book with a grin. It's not a funny book, per say, but certainly entertaining.

I haven't liked all of his books, but the average is certainly high enough that when I see them, I think seriously about buying.