i’ve read somewhere close to 40 of his books at this point and am grateful that i am not quite halfway through his library.

“adios sheherezade” is one of my favorite non-dortmunder books. i thought “up your banners” was remarkable.

if you like westlake’s style and have not read them already, go pull a copy of dashiell hammett’s 5 collected novels from your library to read.

Another, little known, was High Adventure, a picaresque story set in Belize. I will always harbor resentment against my youngest brother for borrowing my copy for a trip abroad and leaving it behind. Genre paperbacks, for all that they’re trivial entertainment, are actually treasures because they are practically irreplaceable: if you don’t buy it when you see it you may never find it again.

One of my very favorite writers; I think the world will be a much sadder place
without this writer who was capable of generating such smiles. There simply
are not enough comic writers, let alone really good comic writers. And Mr. Westlake was “the top”.

I recommend reading the Dortmunders in order as far as possible,
starting with the first, The Hot Rock. There aren’t any
substandard Dortmunder stories (and there are short stories as well),
but although What’s the Worst That Could Happen is quite
possibly my very favorite Dortmunder book, I strongly recommend NOT reading it first. Part of what makes it so very very good is what came before.

(And much as I love Danny DeVito, the surgical removal of Dortmunder
from the movie makes it a non-starter as far as I am concerned. So sad, it could have been priceless rather than silly.) Considering the dramatic visual quality of Mr. Westlake’s writing, it is unfortunate that none of his books were ever made into really good films; The Hot Rock and Payback came close, but still weren’t as near perfection as the books.

Although they don’t have to be read in order, when you do you can see the Dortmunder crew grow into the best (and funniest) ensemble cast of
caper meisters ever. And you can also see Mr. Westlake’s humorous
writing style mature. I especially loved the Drowned Hopes/32
Cadillacs crossover chapters.

One of the coolest things about the Dortmunder series is the fact
that no matter how brilliant and flawless the plan, the anti-heroes can never
really get rich. The fact that Mr. Westlake was able to bring that
off over and over again without ever getting stale is a definite indicator of
his brilliance.

He was a great writer at whatever genre he turned to, but the comic novels were the ones that I loved. Beyond Dortmunder, Dancing Aztecs, Brother’s Keeper and Humans are probably my favorites.

I will surely miss him.

I can’t put butter on an muffin without remembering one of his character’s commentary on a traditional English breakfast, which he didn’t like.

Any suggestions on where to start with his Dortmunder novels?

Thanks!