The Dortmunder series is one of life’s great pleasures.

Dortmunder and his “string” are hired by a man to steal a painting he owns and can collect the insurance money from. They do the job, but this being a Dortmunder novel, they quickly lose the painting. Like on-the-way-to-the-getaway-car quickly! A mistake that ends up with John and Andy, and their would be assassin, in London. And then Scotland! It’s quite a tale…

Cool idea with the magnet! And I liked all of the double crosses! Or are they triple crosses? It got a little bit confusing, but I enjoyed the read. Funny ending too with those suits of armor chasing each other! ( )

Nobody’s Perfect by Donald Westlake is an amusing crime caper story that was originally published in 1977. It features professional robber, John Dortmunder as he takes on an “inside job” of stealing an expensive painting for insurance purposes. The owner, the rich and irresponsible Mr. Chauncey, needs money but doesn’t want to give up his artwork, so he hires Dortmunder and his bumbling crew to take the painting and then he will buy it back after he collects the insurance. A simple plot, so what could go wrong?

It turns out that the answer is plenty and the story is one continuous bumpy ride as Dortmunder scrambles to set things right and collect his money. As well as hiring Dortmunder, Mr. Chauncey also hired a hit-man, Leo Kane, to ensure that his painting is returned. When the original painting is misplaced, Dortmunder must come up with a fail-proof plan to satisfy Mr. Chauncey and avoid any confrontations with Mr. Kane. The story takes us from New York to London and on to the Scottish Highlands as Dortmunder strives to overcome all obstacles and bring this caper to a successful conclusion.

This was both my first Dortmunder story and my first book by author Donald Westlake. It was a clever, light, humorous story that I really enjoyed. Having the story unroll from the perspective of the robber gave it an interesting twist and I loved the various schemes that Dortmunder and his helpful friend Kelp came up with. I will certainly be on the lookout for more by this author. ( )

Enjoyable, as usual. The ending seemed a bit week, but still fun. Too bad this wasn't ever made into a movie. It's got some good comic moments. ( )

Another Dortmunder caper, another somewhat inept crime attempt, although Nobody's Perfect sees Dortmunder and his gang actually come out of this better then they go in. As you would expect from a Dortmunder story, lots of funny jokes and situations, although this is starting to look very out of date. ( )