Grand Central Publishing
March 2008
On Sale: March 1, 2008
Featuring: John Dortmunder
416 pages ISBN: 0446401153 EAN: 9780446401159 Mass Market Paperback Add to Wish List
In his classic caper novels, Donald E. Westlake turns the
world of crime and criminals upside down. The bad get
better, the good slide a bit, and Lord help anyone caught
between a thief named John Dortmunder and the current object
of his intentions. Now Westlake's seasoned but often
scoreless crook must take on an impossible crime, one he
doesn't want and doesn't believe in. But a little blackmail
goes a long way in... WHAT'S SO FUNNY?
All it
takes is a few underhanded moves by a tough ex-cop named
Eppick to pull Dortmunder into a game he never wanted to
play. With no choice, he musters his always-game gang and
they set out on a perilous treasure hunt for a long-lost
gold and jewel-studded chess set once intended as a birthday
gift for the last Romanov czar, which unfortunately reached
Russia after that party was over.
From the
moment Dortmunder reaches for his first pawn, he faces
insurmountable odds. The purloined past of this precious set
is destined to confound any strategy he finds on the board.
Success is not inevitable with John Dortmunder leading the
attack, but he's nothing if not persistent, and some gambit
or other might just stumble into a winning move.