Watch Your Back!

John Dortmunder and his merry band of burglars are back for another go at their own version of wealth distribution--the planned burglary of a fabulous art collection from a semi-deserted penthouse apartment. Westlake offers several detours along the way and four--perhaps five--interrelated plots, as well as a boxcar load of quirky characters. William Dufris brings all his skills to this Westlake entertainment. The main characters are from New York and New Jersy, giving Dufris a chance to explore the heights of their accents. He makes each main character a recognizable individual and creates memorable versions of the cameo roles, which range from Club Med staffers to Florida bonefishermen. He also handles women's voices expertly. All this while delivering a well-paced narration. R.E.K. (c) AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine

Starred review from March 14, 2005
John Dortmunder, deadpan burglar extraordinaire, leads a cast of marvelously twisted supporting characters in his stellar 12th outing from MWA Grandmaster Westlake (after 2004's The Road to Ruin
). Arnie Albright, a fence so obnoxious his family "intervened" and sent him to Club Med in hopes he'd become more likable, has returned from the resort minimally improved, but having met the man of his dreams—Preston Fareweather, a millionaire who's as comically distasteful as Arnie and who, more importantly, plans to be away from his art-filled New York penthouse indefinitely, on the run from hordes of furious ex-wives. Albright calls in Dortmunder and his pals to take advantage of Fareweather's absence. Meanwhile, Dortmunder has discovered that a New Jersey branch of the mob has been systematically taking over O.J. Bar & Grill, which traditionally hosts Dortmunder's business meetings. While Dortmunder plans the penthouse burglary and tracks down Raphael Medrick, failed manager of the O.J. and compulsive creator of crummy music, Fareweather uses women and lolls on the beach. Events unfold in a delicious sequence, and every step is complemented by great writing, right down to the hilarious exchanges between the regulars hanging out at the O.J.