Review by Booklist Review
Thousands of Westlake fans really know that despite the hilarious foul-ups that dog every Dortmunder caper, the sad-eyed professional thief is a true pro. In fact, thousands of Westlake fans count on both of these--that something will go terribly wrong and that Dortmunder's bedrock professionalism will ultimately carry the day. In Don't Ask, Dortmunder and his cohorts agree to steal a religious relic, the femur of a thirteenth-century saint, that is a bone of contention between two fledgling Eastern European countries. Possession of the bone will lead to a seat in the United Nations. Of course, the theft is bungled, and Dortmunder's scheme to steal the bone a second time becomes ludicrously intricate. Along the way, Westlake appears to be having as much fun as his readers, offering instruction in the finer points of crime, an optional historical chapter (22A), and some fascinating bits of trivia about New York City. Like Dortmunder, Westlake is a real pro, and most libraries should unquestionably buy Don't Ask. ~--Thomas Gaughan
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Westlake fans (who should comprise the entire American reading public) will cheer the hilarious return of Manhattan con man John Dortmunder and his friends from their comic misadventures upstate in Drowned Hopes . The caper here turns on the femur of St. Ferghana, a 15th-century relic claimed by rival Eastern European governments in the newly created nations of Tsergovia and Votskojek. Whichever country is awarded ownership of the bone (by a dim archbishop) will gain the one available seat in the U.N. A Tsergovian cousin of Dortmunder's pal Tiny Butcher convinces the nefarious crew, including Stan Murch, Andy Kelp and others, to steal the bone from the Votskojek embassy, currently a boat berthed in the East River. Dortmunder's plan fails at the last minute, leaving the bone under Coast Guard custody on Governor's Island, half the gang in the DEA's hands and Dortmunder in a dungeon watched over by the Frankenstein-like Dr. Zorn. Dortmunder's escape and a few botched rectifying thefts occur before the lugubrious conman conceives an elaborately devious final job that involves impeccably timed crimes in New York City, in Vermont (at the ski chateau of an international hotelier with a $6 million art collection and an eye on the new Eastern European market) and at the Rivers of Blood Cathedral in Votskojek's capital. With laugh-out-loud dialogue, perfectly aimed wit and characters who leap off the page, this latest Dortmunder tale proves again that Westlake is a country unto himself. Don't ask, go visit. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
Westlake, author of more than 60 novels, including Sacred Monster: A Comedy of Madness ( LJ 5/1/89), adds yet another installment to his popular crime series featuring the dour master criminal John Dortmunder. Dortmunder is contracted by a tiny eastern European nation to steal a sacred relic. At first, the job seems like a cakewalk: ``We could phone for it. We could send a kid to pick it up. It's so easy . . . ,'' he says. As usual, though, things go wrong: Dortmunder is taken prisoner, and the relic ends up in the hands of the Drug Enforcement Agency. How he escapes his captors and gets the relic back makes for a hilarious romp. Recommended for the mystery collections of most public libraries.-- Mark Annichiarico, ``Li brary Journal'' (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
The hapless Dortmunder and his gang (Drowned Hopes, 1990, etc.) are hired to burgle the emerging nation of Votskojek's US embassy, ensconced in a boat on the East River, to redeem a sacred relic--the thighbone of the cannibalized 13th-century saint Ferghana--and bring it to the emerging nation of Tsergovia's embassy, a lower Second Avenue storefront, thus insuring the latter's induction into the UN. Naturally, things quickly go awry: the bone is impounded by the DEA; a mad scientist inoculates Dortmunder; the Votskojek bigwigs stage an elaborate hoax at a Vermont chateau; and a subsidiary Dortmunder caper--to hijack a six-million-dollar art collection--goes belly-up when the cops tow away the van housing the paintings. A twist or two later, the Tsergovians are accepted into the UN--though clearly they'd be more comfortable in a Rudolf Friml operetta. Westlake's compilation of very funny slapstick vignettes--à la a series of Saturday Night Live sketches--can wear a bit thin as a novel, but they're a most effective antidepressant.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
