Another enjoyable entry in the Dortmunder series by Westlake. I've read a few others in this series and always enjoy them. Westlake has an uncanny knack for blending a good caper novel with comedy and wit. I've also read some other Westlake novels that are straight forward crime novels which he also does very well.
Anyway, in this one Dortmunder agrees upon a plan put forth by one of his crew, Kelp, and Kelp's nephew Victor, to rob a bank. But this is not any bank...the bank is actually a mobile home that is being temporarily used as a bank while a new building is constructed. So what's the plan? To hook up a truck to the mobile bank and steal the whole structure! So can this be achieved? Well of course Dortmunder is convinced it can along with the help of Murch, his car driver, and Murch's mother. But what about a lockman to break into the bank's vault? The person they normally use is unavailable so someone named Herman X is recruited for the task. Herman who is black, normally works for a black cause where he usually ends up with no money of his own for his work so he definitely needs the cash. And Victor, who came up with the idea, is an ex-FBI man who was fired because he wanted the FBI men to use a secret handshake! So they hook up the bank to a semitruck and off they go...but nothing is ever easy for Dortmunder and his crew and if something could go wrong, it usually does.
I enjoyed this one as usual and will be looking forward to reading more in the series.
Anyway, in this one Dortmunder agrees upon a plan put forth by one of his crew, Kelp, and Kelp's nephew Victor, to rob a bank. But this is not any bank...the bank is actually a mobile home that is being temporarily used as a bank while a new building is constructed. So what's the plan? To hook up a truck to the mobile bank and steal the whole structure! So can this be achieved? Well of course Dortmunder is convinced it can along with the help of Murch, his car driver, and Murch's mother. But what about a lockman to break into the bank's vault? The person they normally use is unavailable so someone named Herman X is recruited for the task. Herman who is black, normally works for a black cause where he usually ends up with no money of his own for his work so he definitely needs the cash. And Victor, who came up with the idea, is an ex-FBI man who was fired because he wanted the FBI men to use a secret handshake! So they hook up the bank to a semitruck and off they go...but nothing is ever easy for Dortmunder and his crew and if something could go wrong, it usually does.
I enjoyed this one as usual and will be looking forward to reading more in the series.
