Donald Westlake takes his time. One of
the mos renowned contemporary American crime writers, Westlake slowly
but surely builds his plot, introduces his characters, and brings
them together in a riotous, enjoyable, comic crime novel that
concludes driving the reader right to the end, after wondering, for a
while, if reading this book would be worth the time and effort. In
Watch Your Back!,
Westlake introduces Dortmunder, the central character in this series
of fourteen novels and eleven short stories running from from 1970 -
2009 (published posthumously). Watch
Your Back! (Grand Cenntral
Publishing, 2006, 360 Pages, $27.00/6.99), is the twelfth, first
published in 2005, leaving me with plenty of room to get caught up.
With
practically the same sentence book-ending Chapter 1 and final
chapter, number 55, Westlake manages to weave one of the most complex
plots I've ever read while bringing the whole construction to a
completely satisfying ending and leaving me, as the reader, hungering
for more. With most of the story built on character and plot rather
than action, containing almost a complete absence of violence, and
with numerous chuckles and a few outright laughs, Donald Westlake,
though he's been deceased for nearly a decade, has promised me hours
of further reading, and many opportunities to tap the local libraries
and used book web sites for further grist.
John
Dortmunder, the central character among this unlikely crew of
small-time crooks, enters the O.J. Bar & Grill one day in July
for a meeting with his associates in the back room, only to discover
the back room is closed, the bar-stool regulars quiet, Rollo, the
bartender, behaving unlike his usual welcoming self, and two
threatening thugs overseeing it all from a booth in the rear. The
back room is no longer available. Soon there emerges an unlikely crew
of thieves, mobsters, a billionaire hiding from his many wives at a
Club Med in the Caribbean, a fence who's identified a likely site for
a heist, and a young wannabe crook named Judson. How the sad closing
of the back room at the O.J. brings this unlikely cast of characters
together and into conflict creates the sense of fun and suspense.
Dortmunder appeared in Westlake's writing when a Parker novel he was
writing (under the pseudonym of Richard Starke) seemed too funny to
fit Parker's darker, more violent persona.
Most
of the crew of small-time crooks who are recurring characters in the
series, are involved in the intricate Watch
Your Back!. Andy Kelp, a
resourceful crook and Stan Murch, a cab driver, are the only two
characters besides Dortmunder appearing in the entire series. Tiny,
the muscle of the crew, and the fence , Andy Albright, appear in
this novel, too, along with a number of other semi-regulars. It's a
testament to Westlake's skill as a writer, that the characters are
sharply enough etched that they need no particular back story to be
included. Even though this is the twelfth novel in the series, I came
to know the essentials of the characters quickly. I'm sure they'll be
filled in for me as I read further books in the series, a task I
look forward to undertaking. I won't, however, be exploring the plot
of this novel any more here, since Westlake's work is so strongly
plot driven. Have fun!
Donald Westlake
Donald
Westlake (1933 – 2009) was a prolific and highly regarded writer of
genre fiction, mostly crime, who won nearly every award available to
crime and thriller writers. According to his son, Paul, who's the
caretaker of the extensive
Donald Westlake web site, Westlake wrote more than 100 books
under a variety of pen names as well as numerous articles, film
scripts, and too much more to mention. He wrote in a variety of
genres, including crime, science fiction, biography, history, and
children's stories. For further information about prolific and
interesting writer, check out the web
site.
I
heard about Donald Westlake when his name was mentioned in an
Amazon.com review comparing Timothy Hallinan's writing to Westlake's.
Every writer develops a different and, if they're good, idiosyncratic
style. Westlake's writing, at least in the Dortmunder series, seems
somewhat emotionally detached as he adopts a light, unhurried, but
crisp and compact style. As the setup begins to clarify the
relationships and coincidences which comprise the bulk of this book,
it takes on an increasing drive while never sacrificing the wry good
humor hovering over this gang which never seems to get things quite
right. I bought Watch Your Back!
(Grand Central Publishing, 2006, 360 Pages, $27.00/6.99) from
Thriftbooks, which has
become my go-to web site for used paper back books. They deliver
quickly, and almost every book I've bought from them has arrived in
good condition with no shipping costs. I highly recommend Watch
Your Back!
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