With the third installment the author decided it wasn’t sufficient to cause the gang to fail based on their own. No, this time, he makes them fail while following a caper that appears in a crime novel. Andy Kelp has been in a local pokey for a few days and while he was eventually let go, he had the time and opportunity to read the novel Child Heist by Richard Stark. He was so impressed with the contents of this book that he buys several copies and hands them out to his friends.The trick is that Richard Stark is the author’s own pseudonym and Child Heist is a fictitious Parker novel. What impressed Kelp is that the book appears to be methodically researched and demonstrates a successful kidnapping for ransom. So successful that he thinks all they need do is replicate the crime as written to reap the reward. Of course the hidden message is that the author’s own works are not realistic criminal plans no matter how well written.Most of the gang thinks it looks pretty good, but Dortmunder says no. He is personally aggrieved because, as he gets Andy to acknowledge, he is the planner and if you are following the book, then there is no planning. As he continues to try and make money the hard way (unsuccessfully) his gal May decides to nudge him into doing the job. Eventually he agrees, but is never happy about it.So, off they go using the book both as blueprint and speaking script. A few selections from Child Heist are printed within the text so the reader can see the plan. What ensues is a combination of rotten luck, a strong inability to “improvise” (because the book is supposed to be oh-so correct), and a father and son (payer and kidnapee) that don’t follow the rules laid out by Mr. Stark. They escape capture by the FBI – but only with the intervention of their “victim” who leads them out via his own escape route.By the end of the caper the gang is exhausted and Dortmunder resents Kelp (and any plan he brings him) even more than before. The penultimate chapter is another part of the in-joke: Stark wants to sue the makers of the film “Kid Stuff” because it is a rip-off of his Child Heist novel. He is talked out of it because he learns that it is based on a true-life kidnapping written up by the gang’s victim. In the last chapter Westlake “rehabilitates” Kelp a bit by having him along on one of Dortmunder’s capers that goes bad. John is forced to apologize, making it possible for the two to work together again someday.Once again the author has cooked up a vastly different heist. In Jimmy the Kid he has blended two of his fictional “worlds” with a bit of metaphysical layering? Is it good technique, conceit, or just pure brilliance? It could be all three. The story is funny even when you know things are about to fail. The kid and the father are unsympathetic characters but their nature is essential to plot. True, the kid keeps them from the law, but ultimately that is only so they can assist him in his own “exit”. Like the first two entries, I read this one straight through. Light fiction these may be, but it is fun to see how inventive Westlake can be. I give this one Four (4) Stars.
This is another one of those "Dortmunder" books in which the bad guys plan a job and things sort of fall apart and then they try to fix it. This one has a special twist to it, but is far from one of Westlake's best in this series. Dortmunder considers Andy Kelp to be the gang's jinx. Andy brings a paperback novel about a kidnapping and suggests that the group utilize the plan in the book. In a comical method of inserting himself into the novel, the paperback is one of the "Parker" novels Westlake wrote under the psuedonym, Richard Start. The gang attempts to follow the plan exactly as the book describes it. However, it isn't long until they find that the real world doesn't really work like the paperback world. One of the main problems is that the kidnapped kid is a genius and his father is something of a moron. The kid quickly demonstrates that he is smarter than the gang, but for some reason he likes them and fits in with them.Murphy's Law applies throughout the novel, but once again, the humor just isn't as funny as later novels in the series. I imagine that's because this is one of the early novels in this series and Westlake perfected his formula and his art as he went along. Still fun.. just not as fun as others.
What do You think about Jimmy The Kid (1994)?
A group of kidnappers use a fictitious Richard Stark novel as a blueprint to abduct a wealthy kid for ransom. Leader of the group Dortmunder has reservations but is coaxed into following the script after the other members of the group determine the novel idea is a full proof way to make some serious cash. Jimmy, the kidnapped boy is more than Dortmunder and crew bargain for. A child genius who out smarts his kidnappers time and time again throughout what is a rollercoaster ride of laughs and light-hearted send-up of the colourful and comedic characters. JIMMY THE KID is a lot of fun and showcases Westlake’s more laid back side. While third in the Dortmunder series, I found it read well as a standalone having had no exposure to the previous books. I’m sure there are subtle bits and pieces I missed out on, but for the most part, this is was all about Jimmy and the entertaining, bumbling kidnappers. For a light, quick read, this one ticks all the boxes.
—Josh
Book #3 of Westlake's comedic crime novels. In this one, Dortmunders buddy reads a book about a kidnapping and thinks the gang can do exactly the same as in the book and get away with it. Funny thing here is that the books protagonist is called Parker and the writer is Richard Stark. Fans will know that the Parker books are another series of written by Westlake under the synonym Richard Stark.The gang set out to follow the plot of the book and kidnap a rich kid for the ransom money. As you might expect, things do not go as planned. For one thing, the kid they kidnap Jimmy, is a bit older than the one in the book and also a genius to boot.Fun if your a fan of this series.
—AndrewP
Andy Kelp gets the bright idea of using a plan from a Richard Stark novel to pull off the kidnapping of a rich kid and hold him for ransom. Dortmunder eventually caves and decides to go along with the plan, only to quickly realize he shouldn't have. The kid they choose ends up being a precocious little bastard and things start going wrong. Not everything works like it does in the books...The best way I can summarize this one is to say Hilarious. Dortmunder is still the loveable loser introduced in the Hot Rock. I really wanted him to get away with the money this time. The plot device of using a Richard Stark novel was great. The chapters of the fictitious Parker novel, Child Heist, show how versatile Westlake was a writer. It's a shame Child Heist doesn't exist as a standalone novel. The characters were great, as usual. Marsh and his mother continue to be my favorites of the supporting cast. James Harrington was a brat but his intelligence was well done. I still wouldn't mind throttling him myself.Once again, I'd recommend Donald Westlake to fans of Christopher Moore, as well as fans of capers. I have to think Westlake is an influence on Moore.
—Dan Schwent
