The Cutie

A Hard Case Crime Novel

By: Donald E. Westlake

Narrated by: Stephen R. Thorne

Mavis St. Paul had been a rich man's mistress. Now she was a corpse. And every cop in New York City was hunting for the two-bit punk accused of putting a knife in her. But the punk was innocent. He'd been set up to take the fall by some cutie who was too clever by half. My job? Find that cutie - before the cutie found me.©1960 Donald E. Westlake (P)2009 BBC Audio

Westlake

Good classic Westlake mystery. A treasure missing. Blessed were we to have had him. 4+ for Cutie.

King of Noir Crime Pulp!!!

Donald E. Weslake, king of noir crime pulp!

Excellent multidimensional characters.
Excellent storyline.
As usual, great twist.

Great narration by Stephen R. Thorne. He became the characters.

Atypical - in a good way

Donald Westlake is well known and loved for his criminal world characters, descriptions, and insights. That said, in most of his works the quirky humor takes the day, and the deeper sentiments often get glossed over. In this early work, “The Cutie,” the insights of his character, the inescapable dual arcs of his private and professional life, and the magnificent, inevitable, yet somehow surprising end, show the depths Westlake could plumb. Loved it!

Solid but unspectacular Westlake novel.

Certainly not bad but not his best work. It's mildly enjoyable and entertaining. Do not think through any of the story, as clearly the writer or the main character didn't. Not to mention the over abundance of introspection in complex situations. No one that has been in these kinds of situations waste time worrying about their relationship issues while their life or freedom are at stake. Like I said don't overthink any of it or you will feel unsatisfied at best and annoyed.

Classic Westlake

Of the 30-40 Westlakes I’ve read &/or listened to, 1 or 2 haven’t stood up. This is another of his classic fast moving crime/noir novels & exactly what I want from him. His comic crime novels are also excellent & his Parker series (under Richard Stark) is not to be missed if you want hard boiled heist style capers.