GET REAL

Westlake's final novel featuring John Dortmunder takes the crime world's most hapless gang of burglars on a lighthearted look at reality TV. William Dufris restrains his typically lively tone to take on the sad-sack character of Dortmunder, the leader of a criminal gang that accepts a job performing as a criminal gang for a reality show. During the preparations for the show, the gang learns that reality TV is actually highly scripted. They also discover that the production team's parent company is hiding a lot more than stage props. Dufris deftly shifts through a variety of characters who run the gamut of age, ethnicity, and education. All the characters, with the possible exception of the cartoonish Asian Mr. Ming, are unique and believable. A lively conclusion to a delightfully crooked series. S.E.S. © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine [Published: NOVEMBER 2009]