Watch Your Back!

In my opinion, this is a standout among the later Dortmunder novels. That doesn't make it nearly as good as the classics - Don't Ask, What's the Worst That Could Happen? - but it definitely means that this is a fun light read.

Westlake handles the plot much better in Watch Your Back! than in the earlier The Road to Ruin - here, he's up to his old tricks, knitting several plotlines together so that they are one joyous snarl by the end of the book. He's got the same old characters, and I for one am always happy to spend more time with Dortmunder, Kelp, Tiny, and Murch. He also introduces a new character on the criminal side; I found him interesting enough to want to read more about him. And, of course, Westlake's got his latter-days show more obsession: the vile, scheming, absolutely unredeemable rich guy target, who is probably the most vivid character in the book.

All in all, the ingredients for Dortmunder heaven are here. What's missing is the - I don't know, verve of the earlier novels. Somehow, this manages to be amusing without ever quite becoming truly funny. Still, I'll settle for amusement. This is worth reading for anyone who has read all the earlier Dortmunder books and loved them. show less

The first chapter is a perfect example of why I like this series so much! The bar, the regulars, the conversations, and the drink orders all just make me smile and feel at home! I’ll be sad when I read them all…
And one of the plot lines in this book is the gang trying to save that bar! Fun stuff! In fact, the whole book was just a fun read! I loved the kid, J.C., learning the ropes with the gang! Very humorous! The main 'job' in this story doesn't go as they planned it, but does it ever with Dortmunder and the gang?

Wanna have fun? Count how many times the ‘f’ word is used in chapter 25!

Watch Your Back: Donald Westlake can do no wrong for me. So much fun in the story as rich man tries to escape from his many ex wives and only succeeds in digging himself in deeper. The OJ bar nearly gets lost in a scam (this bar always reminds me of the old TV series Cheers and makes me smile) and then the mob get involved .. .. .. .. ..

It's been a while since I read a Dortmunder book and after reading Watch Your Back, I realize I need to start reading more Westlake, or re-reading, since over the years I've forgotten the plot to a lot of books. Anyway, outstanding characters and story and the writing doesn't get in the way (the mark of a good storyteller)

Another good heist, that is planned superbly and, of course, goes awry. Also the gang's favorite hangout, O. J.'s, is being taken over by 'real' criminals so they have to sideline their heist plans to deal with that which delays their plans and causes all to get all mixed up. Of course, it will work out, more or less, in the end.

Another excellent Dortmunder novel. A clever plot with many, many witty remarks by the usual characters. My favorite:

"One time, in the can, I knew a guy, said he knew how to break out, we could use the ductwork from the main boiler. I was too big and I didn't like the idea, but this other guy said it sounded great, he'd go first, so he went first, only he went the wrong direction."

"Did he get back?"

"Some ash did."

After a slow start the story did pick up and became quite intriguing and fascinating. However, it wasn't as outrageously funny as the blurbers made me believe. I did chuckle a couple of times, but was hoping for more.