Bad News

Dortmunder doesnt like manual labor. So when Andy Kelp relays the offer of a grand to help dig up a grave in a far-flung cemetery, he balks.... until he begins to wonder just why Fitzroy Guilderpost, criminal mastermind, wants to pull a switcheroo of two 70-years-dead Indians. Central to the plan is Little Feather Redcorn, the ex-Vegas showgirl and great-granddaughter of the newly-switched stiff. She will pose as the last remaining member of the Pottaknobbee tribe, one-third owners of the largest casino in the east. When the remains of the last known Pottaknobbee are dug up, down there in Queens, the DNA will prove that its her ancestor. But when the scam goes into play, its Dortmunder and his band who must step in to make sure everything runs smoothly. Whats the Worst That Could Happen? (Mysterious Press, 1996), the most recent Dortmunder book, sold over 34,000 copies in hardcover and paperback combined. It will soon be a major motion picture starring Martin Lawrence and Danny DeVito. The first book in the Dortmunder series, The Hot Rock (made into a feature film starring Robert Redford), will be reissued in Mysterious Press trade paperback in 4/01. Payback (Mysterious Press, 1999), written under Westlakes Richard Stark pen name, was a top film of 1999 starring Mel Gibson. The Ax (Mysterious Press, 1998), with over 137,000 copies in hardcover and paperback print combined, was both a Los Angeles Times bestseller and a New York Times business bestseller.