Dortmunder gets out of jail, and thanks to watchful prison warding, is skint. Therefore a very difficult job to steal a large emerald is more attractive that it might have been.

Things do not go as planned with this jewel of dodgy country provenance.

It becomes 'an albatross around his neck' as his puts it later.

This was ok, but that was about it.

http://notfreesf.blogspot.com/2009/09... ( )

Also very fun to read, like 'Bad News'. More or less the same cast of characters. It's a bit dated, but enjoyable nonetheless. ( )

I came to this novel with high expectations having seen the complimentary things written about these stories recently following Westlake's death. Unfortunately, it left me rather cold and I have to say I find Harlen Coben's Myron Bolitar series much funnier and frankly better written. Perhaps this was just a bad example of his stories? ( )

Without giving anything away, it's the little bit of unexpected and unresolved at the end that makes what felt like a exercise in gimmickery turn out to be worthwhile after all. ( )