Preview

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Bank Shot

By: Donald E. Westlake
Narrated by: Jeff Woodman
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $19.95

Buy for $19.95

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

With the help of an unusual set of cronies, bank robber John Dortmunder puts a set of wheels under a trailer that just happens to be the temporary site of the Capitalists' & Immigrants' Trust and hauls it away. But when the safe won't open and the cops get close, Dortmunder realizes he's got to find a place to ditch the "bank".

Listen to more Dortmunder capers.
©1972 Donald E. Westlake (P)2010 Audible, Inc.
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Critic reviews

All-Time Top 100 Mysteries (Mystery Writers of America).

What listeners say about Bank Shot

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    146
  • 4 Stars
    76
  • 3 Stars
    31
  • 2 Stars
    10
  • 1 Stars
    8
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    147
  • 4 Stars
    42
  • 3 Stars
    16
  • 2 Stars
    6
  • 1 Stars
    2
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    117
  • 4 Stars
    57
  • 3 Stars
    24
  • 2 Stars
    10
  • 1 Stars
    4

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

great story - well narrated!!!

Happy I discovered Donald Westlake. I love Thomas Perry's capers such as 'Metzger's Dog' (except his Jane Whitefield stories), this is similar! Great fun to listen to and well narrated by Jeff Woodman who I sometimes find a bit whiney (e.g. Chris Grabenstein stories). Don't miss out!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Lots of fun but felt a little rushed at the end

A fun caper with lots of ridiculousness and clever character foibles. It definitely does not require you to remember or even to have read the previous book. My only gripe was that the end wrapped up too fast which made it feel a bit disappointing. But I did enjoy right up to the end.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Great Read

Westlake really knows how to "spin a yarn". Each character is terrific. An implausible plot, but I felt like this could really happen.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Amusing Crime Hijinx from Dortmunder and Crew

If you could sum up Bank Shot in three words, what would they be?

"Stolen bank job." Why waste time cracking the safe onsite when you can drag off the whole bank and crack it at your leisure. That's the hypothesis that Dortmunder and crew test in this, the second book in the series.

What other book might you compare Bank Shot to and why?

Westlake's Parker series, written under the pen name of Richard Stark, are incredible heist novels of a different sort. The tone is dark and the main characters are generally competent. The Dortmunder novels are a lighter take on the heist story, filled with quirky characters, sloppy execution, and general hilarity. These are thoroughly enjoyable listens (both series).

Have you listened to any of Jeff Woodman’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Jeff Woodman is the perfect choice for this book. He does a fantastic job, putting just enough character into each voice to differentiate them without sounding like one-man's attempt at a full-cast dramatization. After hearing Jeff, I can't imagine anyone else reading these.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Bank on the Run

What did you love best about Bank Shot?

The outrageous idea of steeling a bank. Fresh idea.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Kelp, unbelievable character. Too ditsy to be true. Merch's mom is a hoot.

Have you listened to any of Jeff Woodman’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Only the Dortmunder books. The characters are coming along quite well.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

HAVE BANK WILL TRAVEL!!!

Any additional comments?

Not to long a book definitely a one day listen and truly hysterical. This group is a dense as a bag of nail. I found myself talking to myself saying your on the phone to long they can trace, or your giving them enough information so they can find out who you are. Funny, Funny, Funny.

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
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Fun read. Excellent performance.

A classic Dortmunder yarn.
Good characters. Lots of snags in the caper. Great dialogue. Nobody bleeds.
A perfect road-trip novel.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

The Best

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes. It's funny and clever.

What did you like best about this story?

Making the unbelievable believable.

What about Jeff Woodman’s performance did you like?

Each character voice was unique and seemed appropriate.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Laugh!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Dortmunder rides again

Any book with Dortmunder is tons of fun. The narrator was a little different from some of the others, but he's great.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Elmore Leonard fans—see what you've been missing

This was an unexpected treat. Vibrant characters, a plot that has plenty of hooks, and a lighthearted tone. As good as anything by Elmore Leonard. Penned in a style that says Westlake (who also wrote as Richard Stark) had fun at the typewriter. Makes for an entertaining and breezy drive. Can't miss.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Another terrific Dortmunder novel, well read

I've been an enthusiastic fan of Westlake's Dortmunder books for decades, and was very pleased to discover that someone had the sense to get readers that do them justice. In "Bank Shot," Jeff Woodman does an excellent job; his voices and tone are perfect for the book.

If you're not familiar with Dortmunder, you really should be: Westlake pretty much invented the comic caper novel with the gloomy John Dortmunder (the first was "The Hot Rock," also an excellent audiobook) and his group of somewhat misfit pals. The extraordinarily quirky situations they get into are invariably entertaining, and the curve balls Fate throws at Dortmunder have, on occasion, actually helped me see the comic side of my own misfortunes...not that mine are nearly as entertaining as Dortmunder's!

The only people I would not recommend this & other Dortmunder books to are those who absolutely hate to laugh.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful