Tom Jimson, the burglar has $700,000 stashed away in a valley town, which has been converted into a reservoir, by the state of New York. Now, the money lies fifty feet below water and the only way in which Jim wants to retrieve it is to blow up the dam. With the fate of nine hundred people at stake, it falls on John Dortmunder to formulate an alternate plan for retrieving the loot. And, as each attempt by Dortmunder fails, Tom's dynamite finger gets itchier...and itchier.
Donald Edwin Westlake was an American writer, with over a hundred novels and non-fiction books to his credit, writing under at least 20 pseudonyms. He specialized in crime fiction, especially comic capers, with an occasional foray into science fiction or other genres. He was a three-time Edgar Award winner and in 1993, the Mystery Writers of America named Westlake a Grand Master, the highest honor bestowed by the society. Source: wikipedia
