What's So Funny?

By: Donald E. Westlake

Narrated by: William Dufris

All it takes is a few underhanded moves by a tough ex-cop named Eppick to pull thief John Dortmunder into a game he never wanted to play. With no choice, he musters his always-game gang and they set out on a perilous treasure hunt for a long-lost gold and jewel-studded chess set once intended as a birthday gift for the last Romanov czar.

From the moment Dortmunder reaches for his first pawn, he faces insurmountable odds. The purloined past of this precious set is destined to confound any strategy he finds on the board. Success is not inevitable with Dortmunder leading the attack, but he's nothing if not persistent, and some gambit or other might just stumble into a winning move.

©2006 Donald E. Westlake (P)2004 BBC Audio

Critic reviews

"Westlake is a national literary treasure, and his latest effort only enhances his value." ( Booklist)

Great Book

Westlake was the first author is ever listened to years ago on tape and got me adicted! His Dortmander series is great as well as the work he did under the name Richard Stark.

great book

it was really good it kept you in suspense the whole time with all the different twists and turns the ending kind of suck because everybody kind of lost out except the nursing home but it wasn't that funny I was expecting to be funny

what a cast of characters!

There are many and varied characters, here, all performed beautifully. These are the kind of characters you remember years after reading them. I heard this book years ago. This time, I didn't remember the plot, but I knew all the players . I definitely recommend.

Another excellent caper

Enjoyed the book and some of the new peripheral characters. The caper seemed the usual chaotic Dortmunder outing, although an incident toward the end seemed anticipatable (and almost inevitable). I felt it had a couple more loose ends than usual, but it was still enjoyable..

Entertaining

Engaging. Narrator hooks you quickly. Some twists here and there that don’t always work out the way you think but that’s life. Kept me interested and amused. Definitely recommend!