Tuesday, July 10, 2007

Bad News by Donald Westlake

John Dortmunder and his gang of lowlifes from the back room of the O.J. Bar and Grill. Andy Kelp, Tiny Bulcher and the Murches (Stan and Mom) join Dortmunder horn in on another crew's scam cheating two Native American tribes out of one-third of the take from a lucrative Indian casino in upstate New York. Fitzroy Guilderpost, mastermind of the con (and a memorable Westlake creation one hopes to see again), has enlisted Little Feather Redcorn, a Las Vegas card dealer and showgirl, to pose as the last living member of an extinct tribe with a claim to the casino. Unknown to the schemers, the casino managers have been cooking their books and will go to any length to avoid sharing the wealth. As the foes switch dead Indians from grave to grave, seeking to prove or deny Little Feather's tribal membership, Dortmunder plots an impossible and hilarious robbery using a blizzard as an accessory, and comes up with the usual mixed results.

Another hysterical addition to the Dortmunder collection of books. His books always make my day.