The Road to Ruin

Opening up this book was like seeing old friends again! Dortmunder, Stan, Tiny, and Andy, hanging out in the back room of the O.J. Bar & Grill, drinking the same drinks that Rollo the bartender always makes them, and saying the same things they always say, after they pass the arguing regulars at the end of the bar! I realized as I read, that I'd actually missed this gang of misfit thieves!

In this book, the group decides to steal a fleet of collectible automobiles from a rich man who swindled a whole lot of people out of their investments and savings. An entirely different group, unbeknownst to the Dortmunder gang, is angrily attempting to kidnap the same rich man! Of course both plans, and both groups of men, run afowl of each other. show more Oh, and then there's the assassin from the embassy!

Good book, good characters, and good Dortmunder fun! show less

This book feels like half a Dortmunder novel. But half a Dortmunder novel is still a decent read.

This is by no means my least favorite novel in this series, but I had some problems with it - the science facts kept getting in the way (one of the central elements of the plot made no sense at all, for example). And then I realized I was nearing the end (three dots left on my Kindle), and Westlake was still adding plot complications, and was nowhere near resolving any. And then the book just kind of ended, at what felt like the halfway point. If I'd been reading a print copy, I would have been checking to see if some pages had fallen out of the novel.

But all the same - Dortmunder books are generally fun light reads, and this one is no show more different. The same familiar characters and elements are there, which can be a good thing or a bad thing. (I realize it's too late for this, but I do think maybe Westlake should have just written a book about a really evil rich guy; that seems to be his primary interest in the later Dortmunder novels, and he spends more time building a delightfully detestable rich target than he does on the actual caper. The thing is, I read Dortmunder novels for the capers and the criminals, not the targets.)

Basically, this one is for Dortmunder completists, and for anyone sad that there will never be another Dortmunder novel. show less

The Road to Ruin was my first 'Dortmunder' book. Dortmunder is a thief; but if this book is any example, not a very good one. He and his cronies set out to steal some vintage cars from a very disliked man. They obtain access by getting hired on as staff, but before they can carry out the heist the man, and Dortmunder, are kidnapped by others who dislike the man. It is a comedy of errors. I am starting another in the series.

I've long liked the Dortmunder gang and their shenanigans and although "The Road to Ruin" isn't the best of the series, it was good to meet the gang again.

"Road to Ruin" covers the Dortmunder gang infiltrating the mansion of a disgraced billionaire with the plan of stealing a collection of classic cars. Obviously, this being Dortmunder, things don't go to plan. All of the familiar Dortmunder gang characters make an appearance, including Andy Kelp, Mae, Arnie the fence and Tiny.

Not one of Westlake's best novels.

When the Dortmunder crew sets out to do a job there is one thing you can absolutely count on... something will go wrong. They'll do their best. It won't necessarily be their fault. But all the same something WILL go wrong! The current caper is no exception, it's standard Dortmunder.

This is my third experience with the series and I've come to the conclusion that these stories are definitely all about the journey rather than the destination and this latest story fits that mold. It's more about the way they get to the point of doing the job (robbery) than about the job (robbery) itself or how the job (robbery) goes down. That being the case it's not really a mystery so much as an oddball adventure story show more of sorts.

In this particular case I found the build up to the main caper -- and ultimately the ending -- to be a little bit tedious at times, the sidetracks that are necessary in order for the whole thing to come together just so in the end were often a little dull, bringing the whole story close to a full stop before continuing on with the plot. The phrase overly complicated keeps coming to mind. In the end everything sort of fizzled out rather than coming to a major resolution. The whole thing just seemed somehow incomplete.

If you like action and lots of it then this probably isn't the book for you. The detailed descriptions, while adding a good deal of narrative ambiance, can get a little wearying after awhile. It slows to a crawl at some points before picking back up again and it doesn't have a lot in the way of wham/bang action sequences. If you enjoy eccentric characters in odd situations with a good deal of humor thrown in and you don't mind taking your time to get to where you're going then it might be worth your while to take a closer look at this book. show less

As usual Dortmunder and cronies get themselves into a fix. This time their after a whole car collection and in order to do this they have to get themselves (shudder) JOBS.

The more I read Donald Westlake the better he gets. The Road to Ruin is very clever and a good insight into Dortmunder's gang of rouges. This time they are going to steal a fleet of vintage cars from a hated businessman.