Nobody's Perfect by Donald Westlake

Dortmunder is about to begin a defense against being caught red-handed with a stack of television sets he is stealing. As a twice-convicted felon, that's bad news. Suddenly, in walks one of the great criminal defense attorneys, J. Radcliffe Stonewiler, Esq., and in an hour-and-a-half Dortmunder is a free man. What's going on? That's what Dortmunder wonders, too, and he soon finds out that he has an obligation to fulfill to Arnold Chauncey, a society collector who likes to fill in the gaps in his income with payments from his insurance company for art that has "disappeared."

Although he's not excited about the caper, Dortmunder figures it will be pretty easy and the payoff is a large one. Then, while lifting a $400,000 painting, he decides to take just one or two other items . He brings in the usual gang plus a new guy. We are introduced to the large and easily angered tough guy, Tiny Bulcher and the Continental Detective Agency also makes another appearance, having been reassigned after losing the bank in a past novel. When Dortmunder gets stuck in the elevator he hands the painting to Kelp and waits until the coast is clear. Unfortunately Kelp and gang get involved in a Scottish Clan fight and the painting is lost and everything begins to unravel.

Wealthy but poor in cash Arnold Chauncey is one of the most larcenous rich people you will ever meet, aided by an indifference to the needs of others and a diabolical mind for finding ways to get what he wants. Chauncey has taken out his own insurance policy on Dortmunder, a professional killer, who will kill him if Dortmunder does not produce the painting after the insurance payoff in approximately 6 months.

Of course with the painting lost Dortmunder devises another master plan to tricking Chauncey into thinking the killer has stolen the painting from him. It works for awhile but before long Chauncy comes calling and demanding the painting. Well low and behold the painting has shown up in Scotland as a long lost work in an old lady's attic. Once again Dortmunder shows why he is the master planner and they are all to London to steal the painting back. But with usual Dortmunder luck nothing goes according to plan.

I laughed a lot during this book. The problems he and Kelp get into are classic and you can just picture this happening.