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John Dortmunder — by Donald E. Westlake
John Dortmunder Series in Order: 17 books
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The Hot Rock
Book - 1
In the novel that spawned the most hilarious criminal caper series ever conceived, John Dortmunder proves he has what it takes to be an habitual offender. Dortmunder steals the same jewel not just once--not just twice--but again--and again--and again...
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Jimmy the Kid
Book - 3
The James Boys, The Chicago Mob, The Corleone Family, And now...The Dortmuunder Gang Brilliant criminal minds--with a few loose parts. Hardened men and women-who couldn't bump off a cockroach. You'll remember their wacko exploits from HOT ROCK a...
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Nobody's Perfect
Book - 4
Dortmunder and company are off again in pursuit of the Big Score--hired by one Arnold Chauncev to heist a priceless oil painting from his fashionable Manhattan town house. The scheme is foolproof: Chauncev collects from the insurance company, pays...
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Good Behavior
Book - 6
Its never been easy for John Dortmunder, hut things had now taken a turn he could never prepare for: Escaping from the police across a block of New York rooftops, he literally falls through the roof of the convent of the Silent Sisterhood of St. Filu...
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Drowned Hopes
Book - 7
Arriving home at dawn after another failed burglary, John Dortmunder is horrified to find his apartment occupied by an old cellmate everyone had supposed (and hoped) had been jailed for life. Tom Jimson needs Dortmunder's help. Thirty years ago, b...
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Give Till It Hurts
Book - 7.25
Each year, for the past seventeen years, Otto Penzler, owner of the legendary Mysterious Bookshop in New York City, has commissioned an original story by a leading mystery writer. The requirements were that it be a mystery/ crime/suspense story, that...
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Too Many Crooks
Book - 7.5
Crime in all its devious incarnations is presented in this treat of murderous morsels dished out by old ppros and promising newcomers. Artfully crafted and impossible to put down, each story bountifully demooonstrates why these authors are la creme d...
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What's the Worst That Could Happen?
Book - 9
TRUMPED! Don't cross Dortmunder. Not even if you're a billionaire tycoon. Especially if you're a billionaire tycoon. Because Dortmunder has his code of honor, and Max Fairbanks, master of the universe, has just crossed over the line. Fairbanks's ...
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The Road to Ruin
Book - 11
"Pariah!" Monroe Hall wishes that people would stop using that word. So what if he was born rich but scammed his own conglomerate for more than the boys from Enron and WorldCom combined? And so what if he takes a little pleasure in reporting people t...
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Watch Your Back!
Book - 12
A thief's plans to rob a corrupt billionaire's penthouse go hilariously awry in this classic heist novel by a Mystery Writers of America Grand Master."John Dortmunder, deadpan burglar extraordinaire, leads a cast of marvelously twisted supporting cha...
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What's So Funny?
Book - 13
In his classic caper novels, Donald E. Westlake turns the world of crime and criminals upside down. The bad get better, the good slide a bit, and Lord help anyone caught between a thief named John Dortmunder and the current object of his intentions. ...
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Thieves' Dozen
SO MANY HEISTS, SO LITTLE TIME... THIEVES' DOZEN Horse Laugh: Dortmunder always avoids thefts that involve four-legged creatures. Then why is he somewhere out in New Jersey, listening to sirens wailing in the distance, holding on for dear life to...
Series Premise
The core premise follows John Archibald Dortmunder, a career criminal and meticulous planner who assembles a ragtag crew for audacious thefts—jewels, cash, art, even entire buildings—only for fate, coincidence, incompetence, or sheer bad luck to derail everything spectacularly. Dortmunder schemes with precision, assigning roles to his reliable (if eccentric) accomplices, yet external forces—greedy clients, shifting circumstances, police interference, or simple cosmic irony—ensure the jobs unravel in increasingly hilarious ways. The humor arises not from slapstick but from the relentless piling up of complications, Dortmunder’s deadpan pessimism, and the way ordinary human flaws turn brilliant ideas into disasters. Each caper offers a self-contained adventure with clever twists, satisfying payoffs, and Dortmunder ending up no richer (and often more exasperated) than he began.
John Dortmunder Series Reading Order
🟡 Mostly Standalone · Start Anywhere
Mostly standalone stories with recurring characters in a shared setting.
The series can be enjoyed in any order, as most books function as standalone capers with minimal overarching plot. Each novel introduces or reintroduces the core cast, the setting, and Dortmunder’s world without requiring prior knowledge. While subtle references to past jobs or character quirks appear occasionally, there’s no significant character progression, family saga, or serialized storyline—Dortmunder remains perpetually middle-aged, perpetually broke, and perpetually unlucky. Readers can dip in anywhere for fresh laughs without missing essential context, though starting from the beginning offers the pleasure of seeing the crew and gags evolve slightly over time.
Explanation of reading order types
John Dortmunder Series Characters
Leading the pack is John Dortmunder himself, a tall, dour, perpetually worried professional thief in his prime, with a mournful face, a taste for simple pleasures (beer, silence), and an uncanny knack for anticipating disaster—yet he persists. His long-suffering partner is May, a chain-smoking cashier at a supermarket who met Dortmunder when she caught him shoplifting; their domestic life offers quiet stability amid the chaos. Andy Kelp, Dortmunder’s optimistic, gadget-loving friend, often drags him into jobs with infectious enthusiasm and questionable ideas. The core crew includes Stan Murch, a masterful getaway driver obsessed with routes and traffic; Tiny Bulcher, a massive, intimidating enforcer with surprising gentleness toward friends; and occasional additions like Wally Knurr or J.C. Taylor, who bring their own eccentric skills. Antagonists shift per book—greedy employers, rival crooks, or hapless authorities—while recurring figures like the O.J. bartender or various fences add texture.
Setting of the John Dortmunder Series
The setting is primarily contemporary (mid-to-late 20th century) New York City and its environs, rendered with affectionate realism. The city’s streets, bars, apartments, museums, banks, and suburban hideouts provide the stage for heists that exploit urban chaos—traffic jams, construction sites, bureaucratic red tape, or eccentric New Yorkers who complicate matters. Dortmunder’s favorite hangout, the O.J. Bar (where the bartender never quite hears the orders right), serves as a recurring hub for plotting and commiseration, while jobs take the crew from Manhattan high-rises to upstate retreats or Jersey suburbs. The New York flavor—gritty, crowded, endlessly surprising—fuels the comedy and keeps the stakes grounded in everyday absurdity.
Tone & Themes of the John Dortmunder Series
The tone is wry, dryly humorous, and cheerfully cynical, blending sophisticated comedy with gentle mockery of both criminals and authority. Westlake’s prose is crisp, economical, and packed with understated wit—dialogue crackles, descriptions are economical, and the absurdity builds organically rather than forced. It’s light without being frivolous, never mean-spirited, and always affectionate toward its flawed characters. Themes explore the futility of perfect planning in an imperfect world, the inevitability of bad luck, loyalty among misfits, the thin line between genius and folly, and the quiet dignity of the professional crook who sticks to his code even when everything goes sideways. Underlying it all is a celebration of resilience—Dortmunder never quits, never loses his dry humor, and somehow keeps going despite the universe’s best efforts to thwart him.
In the end, the John Dortmunder series delights as a masterclass in comic timing and human folly, where the perfect crime remains forever just out of reach and laughter is the only reliable score. Donald E. Westlake gifts readers a world where brilliance meets bungling, pessimism meets perseverance, and even the unluckiest crook can claim a certain stubborn dignity. The books leave you grinning at life’s absurdities, rooting for the underdog who never quite wins big but never stops trying—a timeless reminder that in the grand heist of existence, the real treasure is the company you keep and the jokes you share along the way.
Books in this series fall into the following genres
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
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