Get Real

Westlake's final novel featuring John Dortmunder takes the crime world's most hapless gang of burglars on a lighthearted look at reality TV. William Dufris restrains his typically lively tone to take on the sad-sack character of Dortmunder, the leader of a criminal gang that accepts a job performing as a criminal gang for a reality show. During the preparations for the show, the gang learns that reality TV is actually highly scripted. They also discover that the production team's parent company is hiding a lot more than stage props. Dufris deftly shifts through a variety of characters who run the gamut of age, ethnicity, and education. All the characters, with the possible exception of the cartoonish Asian Mr. Ming, are unique and believable. A lively conclusion to a delightfully crooked series. S.E.S. (c) AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine

Starred review from May 4, 2009
The late Donald Westlake's final crime caper features his bungling crook, John Dortmunder.
Get Real
Donald E. Westlake
. Grand Central
, $23.99 (288p) ISBN 978-0-446-17860-0

A reality-show company aptly titled Get Real recruits the delightfully understated John Dortmunder and his merry men for a heist in this clever Dortmunder novel (after What's So Funny?
), a worthy final word from Westlake (1933–2008). The producer of the prospective series, Doug Fairkeep, reveals himself to be both cynical and naïve, a combination that makes him an excellent foil for the guys. Naturally, the gang has to make this gig pay more than what's offered, as much for the fun of it as for the extra cash. While Get Real helps them map out a “real” robbery, the boys are mapping out a real
robbery—of some of the company's “hidden assets.” The thinking is that Get Real can hardly come after them to retrieve cash that it can't admit that it has. The game plan changes nearly hourly, and the outcome is anything but certain. The assorted idiosyncrasies of the group's members and the interactions among them will rouse chuckles from even jaded readers.