
Jimmy the Kid
A Dortmunder Novel
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Buy for $16.23
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Brian Holsopple
-
By:
-
Donald Westlake
About this listen
Kelp has a plan, and John Dortmunder knows that means trouble. His friend Kelp is a jinx, and his schemes, no matter how well intentioned, tend to spiral quickly out of control. But this one, Kelp swears, is airtight. He read it in a book.
In county lock-up for a traffic charge, Kelp came across a library of trashy novels by an author named Richard Stark. The hero is a thief named Parker whose plans, unlike Kelp and Dortmunder's, always work out. In one, Parker orchestrates a kidnapping so brilliant that, Kelp thinks, it would have to work in real life. Though offended that his usual role as planner has been usurped, Dortmunder agrees to try using the novel as a blueprint. Unfortunately, what's simple on the page turns complex in real life, and there is no book to guide him through the madness he's signed on for.
©1974 Donald E. Westlake. Recorded by arrangement with Mysterious Press.com, LLC (P)2013 HighBridge CompanyListeners also enjoyed...
-
Dancing Aztecs
- By: Donald E. Westlake
- Narrated by: Brian Holsopple
- Length: 13 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Specialist in the scam, the con, and the rip-off, Jerry Manelli is running around New York hot on the trail of a priest: a thousand-year-old, two-foot-tall, ugly, misshapen, dancing Aztec priest made of solid gold, with eyes of pure emeralds, worth a million dollars. Somebody stole it from its museum home in South America and smuggled it through U.S. Customs in a shipment of plastic imitations. But the wrong one got delivered, and the million dollar statue, mixed with the fifteen copies, is somewhere in New York.
-
-
Too Many Characters for Audio!
- By SNAPDRAGON on 07-14-14
-
The Busy Body
- By: Donald E. Westlake
- Narrated by: Brian Holsopple
- Length: 5 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Al Engel had worked his way up to being Nick Rovito’s right-hand man, near the top of the syndicate. And this was a delicate job that Rovito had given him: retrieving a very important jacket, loaded with heroin, from the fresh grave of the drug mule who was accidentally buried wearing it. There was just one problem (at least - just one to begin with): It turned out the grave was empty. Suddenly Engel was the one finding himself “in deep”.
-
-
What Gangsters Go Through
- By Larjane on 11-17-23
-
Money for Nothing
- By: Donald Westlake
- Narrated by: Michael Kramer
- Length: 7 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
There is no such thing as a free lunch, but it takes Josh Redmont a while to figure that out. The first check arrived when Josh was 27, $1,000, issued by "United States Agent" through an unnamed bank with an indeterminate address in Washington, D.C. The checks continued to arrive once a month, even when Josh changed addresses, with nary an explanation or a peep from the IRS.
-
-
Poor
- By Roger AG on 10-06-06
By: Donald Westlake
-
The Cutie
- A Hard Case Crime Novel
- By: Donald E. Westlake
- Narrated by: Stephen R. Thorne
- Length: 5 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Mavis St. Paul had been a rich man's mistress. Now she was a corpse. And every cop in New York City was hunting for the two-bit punk accused of putting a knife in her. But the punk was innocent. He'd been set up to take the fall by some cutie who was too clever by half. My job? Find that cutie - before the cutie found me.
-
-
Westlake
- By Grandma G on 10-22-18
-
The Deep Blue Good-By
- A Travis McGee Novel, Book 1
- By: John D. MacDonald
- Narrated by: Robert Petkoff
- Length: 6 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
He's a self-described beach bum who won his houseboat in a card game. He's also a knight errant who's wary of credit cards, retirement benefits, political parties, mortgages, and television. He only works when his cash runs out, and his rule is simple: he'll help you find whatever was taken from you, as long as he can keep half.
-
-
Before the A-Team, there was Travis McGee
- By Jim "The Impatient" on 11-12-16
-
Webs of Fate
- By: Darlene Quinn
- Narrated by: Karin Allers
- Length: 15 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the high-fashion world of the mid-'80s, Ashleigh McDowell falls victim to a painful betrayal by Danielle Norman, a naive and vulnerable young buyer who is fighting to save her plummeting career. How high a price will both women pay in their battle over a grave secret? Each step Ashleigh takes to uncover the truth about Danielle's actions - and her whereabouts - unwittingly exposes her to a criminal mastermind who feels events spinning out of his control.
-
-
Webs of Fate
- By MANI on 05-14-17
By: Darlene Quinn
-
Dancing Aztecs
- By: Donald E. Westlake
- Narrated by: Brian Holsopple
- Length: 13 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Specialist in the scam, the con, and the rip-off, Jerry Manelli is running around New York hot on the trail of a priest: a thousand-year-old, two-foot-tall, ugly, misshapen, dancing Aztec priest made of solid gold, with eyes of pure emeralds, worth a million dollars. Somebody stole it from its museum home in South America and smuggled it through U.S. Customs in a shipment of plastic imitations. But the wrong one got delivered, and the million dollar statue, mixed with the fifteen copies, is somewhere in New York.
-
-
Too Many Characters for Audio!
- By SNAPDRAGON on 07-14-14
-
The Busy Body
- By: Donald E. Westlake
- Narrated by: Brian Holsopple
- Length: 5 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Al Engel had worked his way up to being Nick Rovito’s right-hand man, near the top of the syndicate. And this was a delicate job that Rovito had given him: retrieving a very important jacket, loaded with heroin, from the fresh grave of the drug mule who was accidentally buried wearing it. There was just one problem (at least - just one to begin with): It turned out the grave was empty. Suddenly Engel was the one finding himself “in deep”.
-
-
What Gangsters Go Through
- By Larjane on 11-17-23
-
Money for Nothing
- By: Donald Westlake
- Narrated by: Michael Kramer
- Length: 7 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
There is no such thing as a free lunch, but it takes Josh Redmont a while to figure that out. The first check arrived when Josh was 27, $1,000, issued by "United States Agent" through an unnamed bank with an indeterminate address in Washington, D.C. The checks continued to arrive once a month, even when Josh changed addresses, with nary an explanation or a peep from the IRS.
-
-
Poor
- By Roger AG on 10-06-06
By: Donald Westlake
-
The Cutie
- A Hard Case Crime Novel
- By: Donald E. Westlake
- Narrated by: Stephen R. Thorne
- Length: 5 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Mavis St. Paul had been a rich man's mistress. Now she was a corpse. And every cop in New York City was hunting for the two-bit punk accused of putting a knife in her. But the punk was innocent. He'd been set up to take the fall by some cutie who was too clever by half. My job? Find that cutie - before the cutie found me.
-
-
Westlake
- By Grandma G on 10-22-18
-
The Deep Blue Good-By
- A Travis McGee Novel, Book 1
- By: John D. MacDonald
- Narrated by: Robert Petkoff
- Length: 6 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
He's a self-described beach bum who won his houseboat in a card game. He's also a knight errant who's wary of credit cards, retirement benefits, political parties, mortgages, and television. He only works when his cash runs out, and his rule is simple: he'll help you find whatever was taken from you, as long as he can keep half.
-
-
Before the A-Team, there was Travis McGee
- By Jim "The Impatient" on 11-12-16
-
Webs of Fate
- By: Darlene Quinn
- Narrated by: Karin Allers
- Length: 15 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the high-fashion world of the mid-'80s, Ashleigh McDowell falls victim to a painful betrayal by Danielle Norman, a naive and vulnerable young buyer who is fighting to save her plummeting career. How high a price will both women pay in their battle over a grave secret? Each step Ashleigh takes to uncover the truth about Danielle's actions - and her whereabouts - unwittingly exposes her to a criminal mastermind who feels events spinning out of his control.
-
-
Webs of Fate
- By MANI on 05-14-17
By: Darlene Quinn
-
Stick
- By: Elmore Leonard
- Narrated by: Frank Muller
- Length: 8 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After serving time for armed robbery, Ernest "Stick" Stickley is back on the outside and trying to stay legit. But it's tough staying straight in a crooked town - and Miami is a pirate's paradise, where investment fat cats and lowlife drug dealers hold hands and dance. And when a crazed player chooses Stick at random to die for another man's sins, the struggling ex-con is left with no choice but to dive right back into the game. Besides, Stick knows a good thing when he sees it....
-
-
Can't beat this with a stick (sorry).
- By Richard Delman on 05-14-12
By: Elmore Leonard
-
The Sins of the Fathers
- By: Lawrence Block
- Narrated by: Alan Sklar
- Length: 5 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The hooker was young, pretty...and dead, butchered in a Greenwich Village apartment. The prime suspect, a minister's son, was also dead, the victim of a jailhouse suicide. The case is closed, as far as the NYPD is concerned. Now the murdered prostitute's father wants it opened again--that's where Matthew Scudder comes in.
-
-
Good introduction to a popular series
- By Sharron on 12-26-11
By: Lawrence Block
-
The Witness
- By: Nora Roberts
- Narrated by: Julia Whelan
- Length: 16 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Daughter of a cold, controlling mother and an anonymous donor, studious, obedient Elizabeth Fitch finally let loose one night, drinking too much at a nightclub and allowing a strange man’s seductive Russian accent to lure her to a house on Lake Shore Drive. Twelve years later, the woman now known as Abigail Lowery lives alone on the outskirts of a small town in the Ozarks.
-
-
Classic Nora - Outstanding!!!!
- By M. Davis on 04-20-12
By: Nora Roberts
-
The Inside Ring
- A Novel
- By: Michael Lawson
- Narrated by: Scott Brick
- Length: 10 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From a bluff overlooking Georgia's untamed Chattooga River, an assassin fires three shots. The President of the United States is wounded; his best friend and a Secret Service agent are killed. Two days later, a man in Landover, Maryland, commits suicide, and in the man's home is overwhelming evidence that he was responsible for the assassination attempt.
-
-
The Foul Language Ring
- By Karen on 12-11-07
By: Michael Lawson
-
Florida Roadkill
- By: Tim Dorsey
- Narrated by: George Wilson
- Length: 10 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Sunshine State trivia buff Serge A. Storms loves eliminating jerks and pests. His drug-addled partner Coleman loves cartoons. Hot stripper Sharon Rhodes loves cocaine, especially when purchased with rich dead men's money. On the other hand, there's Sean and David, who love fishing and are kind to animals - and who are about to cross paths with a suitcase filled with $5 million in stolen insurance money. Serge wants the suitcase. Sharon wants the suitcase. Coleman wants more drugs... and the suitcase.
-
-
Its a Mad Mad Mad Florida!
- By Mark on 09-26-11
By: Tim Dorsey
-
City on Fire
- A Novel
- By: Don Winslow
- Narrated by: Ari Fliakos
- Length: 8 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Two criminal empires together control all of New England. Until a beautiful woman comes between the Irish and the Italians, launching a war that will see them kill each other, destroy an alliance, and set a city on fire. Danny Ryan yearns for a more “legit” life and a place in the sun. But as the bloody conflict stacks body on body and brother turns against brother, Danny has to rise above himself.
-
-
Gripping, vivid and extremely entertaining
- By Victor @ theAudiobookBlog dot com on 04-26-22
By: Don Winslow
-
Murder Book
- By: Thomas Perry
- Narrated by: Peter Berkrot
- Length: 11 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When a sudden crime wave hits several small midwestern towns, the US Attorney for the region calls on Harry Duncan to investigate. An ex-cop known for his unorthodox methods, Duncan is reluctant to go up against a widespread criminal organization—but the attorney in question is Ellen Leicester, the wife who left him fifteen years earlier, and to her, he can't say no.
-
-
Not primo Perry
- By Old Squid on 01-23-23
By: Thomas Perry
-
Burglars Can't Be Choosers
- By: Lawrence Block
- Narrated by: Richard Ferrone
- Length: 6 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this first in a series of wickedly funny mysteries, best-selling author Lawrence Block introduces Bernie Rhodenbarr, sometimes burglar, sometimes sleuth. Pulling only an occasional, very discreet job, Bernie manages to maintain his comfortable New York City apartment and keep his unorthodox vocation a closely-guarded secret. Every burglar knows never to trust anonymous phone calls. But when the caller offers easy money for an hour's work, Bernie can't ignore the job.
-
-
Wonderful Wise-Ass Humour
- By Bodiccea on 02-25-14
By: Lawrence Block
-
Blue Heaven
- By: C. J. Box
- Narrated by: John Bedford Lloyd
- Length: 11 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A twelve-year-old girl and her younger brother are on the run in the Idaho woods, pursued by four men they have just watched commit murder—four men who know exactly who William and Annie are. And where their mother lives. Retired policemen from Los Angeles, the killers easily persuade the local sheriff to let them lead the search for the missing children. Now there's nowhere left for William and Annie to hide…and no one they can trust. Until they meet Jess Rawlins.
-
-
Interesting Mystery
- By Holly Helscher on 04-08-09
By: C. J. Box
-
Open and Shut
- By: David Rosenfelt
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 6 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Whether dueling with new forensics or the local old boys' network, irreverent defense attorney Andy Carpenter always leaves them awed with his biting wit and winning fourth-quarter game plan. But the fun stops the day Andy's dad, Paterson, New Jersey's legendary ex-DA, drops dead in front of him at a game in Yankee Stadium.
-
-
Does Anyone Else Notice the Missing Content?
- By pewter on 02-05-13
By: David Rosenfelt
-
The Hunter
- By: Richard Stark
- Narrated by: John Chancer
- Length: 5 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
You probably haven't noticed them. But they've noticed you. They notice everything. That's their job. Sitting quietly in a nondescript car outside a bank making note of the tellers' work habits. Lagging a few car lengths behind the Brinks truck on its daily rounds. Surreptitiously jiggling the handle of an unmarked service door at the racetrack. They're heisters.
-
-
A dark story
- By Dave Nelson on 04-06-13
By: Richard Stark
-
The Big Sleep
- Philip Marlowe, Book 1
- By: Raymond Chandler
- Narrated by: Scott Brick
- Length: 6 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A dying millionaire hires private eye Philip Marlowe to handle the blackmailer of one of his two troublesome daughters, and Marlowe finds himself involved with more than extortion. Kidnapping, pornography, seduction, and murder are just a few of the complications he gets caught up in.
-
-
I miss Ray Porter
- By Kindle Customer on 03-22-22
By: Raymond Chandler
What listeners say about Jimmy the Kid
Highly rated for:
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Mary B. Wheeler
- 08-14-19
Another great Dortmunder
Dortmunder reluctantly gets involved with Andy Kelp in a kidnapping this time. As usual, there are many amusing missteps and mishaps , but it is a fun ride and thoroughly enjoyable. You don't want to miss it!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- A
- 04-09-14
What a hoot!
I love the Dortmunder series for what it is! Give me more and more of the gang that could shouldn't shoot straight. I am happy to laugh my way through their escapades time after time. Here is a book that you can read with a light heart and a big laugh. Here is a book that isn't pretending or even trying to be great literature. It has no depth. It has no message. It doesn't even call out for a review.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
5 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Troy
- 08-23-15
The Kid Steals the Show
Any additional comments?
Another great entry in the Dortmunder series. I was laughing out loud at a scene where Dortmunder's gang is trying to pull off a kidnapping while in rubber masks.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- John
- 11-05-22
A Comic Tour de Force
I've never seen a writer simultaneously:
1. Write a novel based on another novel that he never wrote.
2. Use the first, comic novel to satirize his own darker, more serious work.
3. Make me laugh so hard I almost fell out of my chair. Seriously.
To get the full comic wattage out of this little gem, start at the beginning. That means the first two Dortmunder novels, and at least the first two or three Parker novels (written under the Richard Stark label). Don't worry. You'll enjoy them. And you'll be fully prepared to enjoy this one even more.
At first, Brian Holsopple struck me as a little stiff. But as the story unfolded, I realized his semi-serious local newscaster tone was just that: semi-serious, the perfect key for this hilarious misadventure.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Grandma G
- 12-31-15
Dortmunder Does It Again
Outstanding entertainment. Good and evil? There is no evil. Just entrepreneurship. Clever plot with twists. Brian's voice brings the characters to life.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Tim Healy
- 01-13-23
What's up with the narrator
This is a great story, but the choices made by the narrator are inexplicable. Kelp's voice is so high he sounds like a bad cartoon character. Both of the women have 30-year, four pack a day voices. They are indistinguishable from one another. Loved the book...not so much the narration.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anonymous User
- 11-10-23
A fun crossover
Dortmunder and the gang come across a thrilling crime novel about a team heist led by a professional thief named Parker. Not only does it feature a decent plan like one they could have come up with, it's quite feasible how well the scheme worked out for the characters in that story. So as long as Kelp, Murch, and the others stick to the same plan, what could go wrong?
What they'll never know is, in an almost meta twist, that book's author, Richard Stark, is a pen name of the very author who writes the books they unknowingly live in. In our world, Stark's books have more grit, edge, and those characters are more prone to choose violence than Dortmunder and his friends. Meanwhile, "what could go wrong" is a primary comedic premise of the Dortmunder series, and its author, whose real name is Donald Westlake, is reliably up to the challenge of giving a clever answer to that question in his books, at the gang's expense of course.
The narrator has performed a couple of the Dortmunder audiobooks, and does good voices that give life to the comically likeable characters without distracting or breaking the immersion from the thrilling twists and turns of the story.
Early on, it felt like some details were missing, like the plan was underway without us the readers knowing very well what it was, but snippets of the contents of our protagonists' new favorite novel are revealed alongside their enacting of it, so the reader gets to experience the hilariously "stark" (sorry not sorry for the pun) contrast of results between the two.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Cathy
- 03-01-15
I'm loyal to a different reader
Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?
The book was fine. It's not one that I would recommend. To recommend a book I have to find it especially good.
What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)
Having read Westlake before, the ending was predictable. Endings are not the reason I listen to a Westlake book. I listen for the humor and fun between the beginning and the end.
Did the narration match the pace of the story?
I am sure that Brian Holsopple is a great narrator for many books. With that said, the first 2 Westlake books I listened to were read by Jeff Woodman. His narrating was spot on, and enhanced the books, which is what a good reader should do. Holsopple's voice for women was exceedingly annoying, whereas Woodman's was wonderful. I bought 3 more Westlake books that I have not yet listened to. Sadly, only one was read by Woodman - which I did not know when I bought them.
Did Jimmy the Kid inspire you to do anything?
No.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Catherine Zara
- 05-02-14
very funny
Would you consider the audio edition of Jimmy the Kid to be better than the print version?
It's Donald Westlake at his best. A great since of humor.
Who was your favorite character and why?
Mom, is the person you encounter on any day in customer service work.
Which character – as performed by Brian Holsopple – was your favorite?
Holsopple made each person come to life.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- cynthia reilly
- 03-29-23
Killer ending!
This thing is so creative it should get six stars. And the twist at the end --well the whole thing-- is genius. My only complaint is the narrator picks a couple voices that are so grating and shrill i almost couldnt get thru it. He's usually a good narrator but he blew this one.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!