The Hot Rock

The First Dortmunder Novel

By: Donald E. Westlake

Narrated by: Jeff Woodman

Length: 6 hrs and 28 mins

Publisher's summary

John Dortmunder and company are hired by an U.N. African Ambassador to steal the famed Balabomo Emerald from the hands of a rival African country. But their daring and clever burglarly goes awry, and the emerald slips through their fingers. Undaunted, Dortmunder chases the gem by plane, train and automobile in hot pursuit of the hot rock.

Listen to another Dortmunder caper.

©1970 Donald E. Westlake (P)2010 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Westlake's novel comes awesomely close to the ultimate in comic, big-caper novels; it's so filled with…action and imagination." ( New York Times Book Review)

"Westlake is a master hand at the running gag….This Westlake brought on such a case of the laughing bends that I required decompression." ( Washington Post)

All-Time Top 100 Mysteries (Mystery Writers of America)

Dortmunder and Gang Come Alive!

Would you listen to The Hot Rock again? Why?

I have listened to this audiobook several times already, and will undoubtedly listen again. First of all, it's a great story -- I read the novel years ago and went on to read all of the Dortmunder books. (Never thought I'd bond with a bunch of petty criminals, but I did.) And the narrator is wonderful. He reads the prose with just the right attitude (usually kind of a dead-pan fatalism, if it's Dortmunder's thoughts he's tracking) and marvelous voices. Each and every character has distinction. Kelp, Murch and Dortmunder sound exactly like themselves, so much so that it's hard to believe sometimes that there's one man reading them all. And they're all really fun characters to begin with.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

The plot of The Hot Rock is unbelievable, over-the-top, and yet I bought every bit of it. If a thing could go wrong, it generally did ... but then our heroes (such as they are) kept pulling things back from certain doom.

Which character – as performed by Jeff Woodman – was your favorite?

My favorite character is Murch. And Kelp. And Dortmunder. Oh, and there was this great German Shepherd that had Dortmunder trapped on a porch ... Jeff Woodman does a really great German Shepherd, too.

Any additional comments?

More Dortmunder/Jeff Woodman, please!

Caper Caper Caper (and more Capers)

A fun fast-paced old school "how will they get out of this one" story. Westlake keeps the action--and the humor--going from the beginning to the end.

The narration is good. Woodman doesn't get in the way of the story which is the most important job of a narrator.

A Comedy of Crooks

What did you love best about The Hot Rock?

The sometimes dry and sometimes quick humor. Totally different angle to a crooks story.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Yes when I wasn't rolling over in laughter.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

He takes some getting use to but eventually it works.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, though it took a little longer.

Any additional comments?

Just a comedy of fools and errors. I think you'll enjoy it.

love these books

It has been years since I read these-they're still great. Excellent narration. Highly recommend.

Oh No! Not Again!

If you could sum up The Hot Rock in three words, what would they be?

Really? Not Again! -- "How many times does Dortmunder have to steal this thing?" It's a fair question and one that you will be asking yourself throughout the novel.

What did you like best about this story?

Well, you can't take it too seriously. Unlike Westlake's Parker novels (written under the name Richard Stark), the Dortmunder novels are penned in a comic vein. The feel is a bit like Ocean's Eleven.

Any additional comments?

Woodman delivers a great performance. I was constantly chuckling. The characters are well delineated and Westlake's language, as usual, is spot on. Good stuff.

Just didn't work for me at all

I was looking forward to this book quite a bit. I love a good series and one focusing on clever wise-cracking criminals could be great (Ocean's 11 anyone?) and it had really great reviews.

AND this is the first of a long series and it was written back in 1970, so you have to give it some slack. But not this much slack. The dialog was inane and repetitive and the "capers" weren't even all that great. I think if you read this many years ago (or saw the movie) there would be some fun revisiting it in audio form, but coming in new I didn't have that basis so I just took it on its own terms. Even though the book was pretty short it seemed much longer to me (but to be fair, I did want to see how it turned out).

Bottom line is that if you have fond memories of the book or the movie from decades ago you will probably love it. If not, maybe skip ahead to some of the more recent books in the series and see what you find.

Perfect Comedic Crime Book!

Donald Westlake is an absolute master of the comedic crime novel, which is fitting as he practically invented the genre. This book introduces Dortmunder and his gang, Westlake's greatest creations, in a fun, fast paced romp. the narration on this audio book is excellent as well, a performance worthy of the source material. Highest recommendation!

Clever ending

I loved this book and have become a true Dortmunder fan. I never expected that ending. So good!!!

An enjoyable yarn

a fun, amusing Tale with exceptional narration. I recommend it. some of the material may come across as dated, but when one considers the time period in which the book is set, it isn't intolerable. I really enjoyed the narration and found myself smiling and even chuckling several times.

Wonderful fun.

I bought this book looking for something a bit lighter than the histories and biographies I had been reading and was delighted with my choice. I guessed that any book that had as many sequels as the Dortmunder books was probably worth taking the time to read and I was well pleased with the choice.

Dortmunder is, of course, a career criminal and that is not someone I could normally identify with. He makes his living stealing and, at the start of the book, is leaving prison after two convictions. Another conviction means life in prison. That might be enough incentive for most people to try to make an honest living, but not Dortmunder. I suppose what makes him an interesting character is the bad luck that follows his actions. In this story he, and his fellow criminals, have to commit a whole series of crimes to try to rescue their initial prize with each attempt funnier and more complex than the last. All the characters associated with Dortmunder are interesting and, while reading, I could not help but think of Damon Runyon's characters.

Of course no one in this story is an innocent bystander so the long series of mis-chances that take place are comical and the ending is absolutely inspired. I was so pleased with this book that I rented the dvd of the movie. While that was a terrible mistake (the movie is just awful) the book is a gem. I have decided to read more books in this series and have already added "Nobodys Perfect" to my Wish List. It is hard to believe that other books in the series will equal this one in sheer enjoyment but I will see …

The book is excellently read by Jeff Woodman and I recommend it as a light read good for a lot of laughs, some of them guffaws.