A very decent mystery, a nonplussed hero/narrator, the pretty girl, the gangs, the murders--all wrapped up with humor. I very much enjoyed this entry in the Hard Case Mysteries--kind of like reading Magnum, P.I. ( )

Westlake's Somebody Owes Me Money is a sparkling gem of a darkly humorous crime tale that had been out of print for 35 years until Hard Case Crime reissued it. The story follows Chet (not Chester) Conway through a confusing labyrinth of intrigue surrounding the murder of a bookie who happened to owe Conway $930. Conway is a delightfully manic character--single minded, foolish, and yet a canny survivor. He teams up with Abbie (not Abigail) McKay to figure out who killed the bookie and, more importantly, who Conway can get his money from. Along the way they tightrope between two rival syndicates and the police and engage in some classic banter. My experience is limited when it comes to Westlake, but it's the best of his that I've read. ( )

One of the earliest novels. Even here The humor is evident. A fast paced, NYC based crime-mystery with Vegas showgirls, bookies, mobsters etc. All drawn larger than life yet very sympathetically. ( )

One of the best of Westlake's comedy mysteries. I read this book when I was a kid and it's the book that made me want to be a writer. ( )

I was sort of non-plussed about this one. The writing is decent, the story arc is there and I even laughed out loud once, but it just didn't grab me.

Cover: I really didn't like the cover. The woman is ugly and the little car chase happening between her legs is just unimaginative. ( )