Why Me

If you think it's challenging to steal a ring with incredible value and huge international significance, try giving it back.

“Why Me?” could have been the title of any of the 14 novels Donald E. Westlake wrote featuring his hard-luck thief John Dortmunder, but it's actually the one published in 1983. It's somebody else who originally steals the Byzantine Fire, a priceless gem coveted by the Greeks, Turks and several others. That night the stolen ring is stored in the safe of an ordinary jewelry store, but that just happens to be the night Dortmunder decides to break into that store. He spots the Byzantine Fire in the safe and thinks it's probably a fake, but he takes it anyway. Big mistake.

Dortmunder doesn't pay much attention to show more newspapers and TV news, so he is among the last people in New York City to hear about the museum theft. By then the police, the FBI and those various international groups have organized in pursuit of the Fire and whoever has it. Worse, because the cops are putting the heat on everyone in the city with a criminal record, Dortmunder's own usual partners in crime are cooperating in the hunt.

The Byzantine Fire may be the biggest score of Dortmunder's criminal career, yet it is worthless to him. He wants only to give it back without getting caught. But how?

Virtually every chapter in this novel — and there are 46 of them — is a comic masterpiece, and almost every character is uniquely hilarious.

The novel may be dated in some respects, yet it remains enormously fun to read. show less

Hilarious first chapter! And beyond! A petty thief named Dortmunder accidentally steals a precious jewel that had just been stolen by other thieves! And little does he know that not only does he have it, but his "world is filling up with police forces, intelligence agencies, guerrilla bands, assassination teams, religious fanatics, all pointed at that poor bastard's head"! The unwitting fool! Great characters and wonderful humor! And I loved all the rigamarole withe the telephones! A great read!

This is book # 5 in the Dortmunder series, featuring a “professional “ burglar with a gang of inept misfits. In this episode, John’s friend Andy is unavailable to help him with a small job so John goes it alone. Unfortunately, while he’s in the jewelry store, the owner shows up with a couple of suspicious characters. John stays hidden and still manages to open the safe and get some loot after the owner and his associates leave. But without being aware, it seems that John has stumbled into an affair of international importance. Now, how to get the cops, Turks, Armenians, Mafia, and whoever else wants the goods off John’s back?

I love this series. Dortmunder is a pretty good guy – for a thief. He does have his standards and show more his crew of accomplices is laughably inept. Except for his lady companion – May. What a woman! Unflappable, loyal, assertive … she is not to be messed with and she doesn’t take any guff from anyone.

The books were written (and set in) a time without home computers and cell phones. So, Andy Kelp’s efforts to interest John in extension phones, an answering machine and call forwarding are charmingly old fashioned to today’s reader. show less

I was getting a bit bored by Dortmunder from the last few books; they're a too samey, with one-dimensional characters (the bartender who refers to people by what they drink; the driver whose only discussion topic is what route he took to the meeting --- even though most of the stings don't require a driver!; etc). This book is a nice shake up to the formula, in which Dortmunder accidentally steals the macguffin and can't wait (or manage) to get rid of it.

In this Dortmunder caper, Dortmunder inadvertently steals a precious jewel and finds himself hunted by the entire New York underworld, as well as the police and sundry organisations all wanting the jewel back and the thief dead.

Some funny moments and there's a nod to the classic film M in the scenes where the criminals are trying to track down the jewel thief (maybe I'm overthinking it though).

Another enjoyable Dortmunder novel, with some different twists since most of the usual cast of characters were NOT involved directly. I thought the ending was a bit too easy and unlikely, but I laughed about it anyway.

An enjoyable romp, but I had hoped for more laughs. I think if the character of Dortmunder himself had been more developed, I would have found the book funnier - I tend to find character a richer source of laughs than plot.