The Cutie

A Hard Case Crime Novel

Mavis St. Paul had been a rich man's mistress. Now she was a corpse. And every cop in New York City was hunting for the two-bit punk accused of putting a knife in her. But the punk was innocent. He'd been set up to take the fall by some cutie who was too clever by half. My job? Find that cutie - before the cutie found me.©1960 Donald E. Westlake (P)2009 BBC Audio

A classic

I had read this book before and loved it, decided to try the audiobook and it was a fantastic production.

Don’t sleep on this one. Westlake was a master and this one is among his best.

Westlake

Good classic Westlake mystery. A treasure missing. Blessed were we to have had him. 4+ for Cutie.

King of Noir Crime Pulp!!!

Donald E. Weslake, king of noir crime pulp!

Excellent multidimensional characters.
Excellent storyline.
As usual, great twist.

Great narration by Stephen R. Thorne. He became the characters.

Atypical - in a good way

Donald Westlake is well known and loved for his criminal world characters, descriptions, and insights. That said, in most of his works the quirky humor takes the day, and the deeper sentiments often get glossed over. In this early work, “The Cutie,” the insights of his character, the inescapable dual arcs of his private and professional life, and the magnificent, inevitable, yet somehow surprising end, show the depths Westlake could plumb. Loved it!

An Early Winner from Westlake

The Cutie is a fast-moving, "tough guy" crime novel that keeps you listening and ends on a powerful note. Westlake's writing is crisp, his characters well-drawn and he does a nice job of adding descriptive touches that evoke the era in which this was written. The audio narration is excellent. I really enjoyed this book!