📖 About Dortmunder

Dortmunder is a series universe written by Donald E. Westlake. The complete collection runs to 15 books across 1 series, published between 1970 and 2009.

The main series is Publication Order of Dortmunder Books with 15 books. It opens with The Hot Rock (1970) and currently runs to Get Real (2009).

Series included on this page:

🎯 Where to Start with Dortmunder

New readers should begin with the first book of the main series in publication order: The Hot Rock (1970), book 1 of Publication Order of Dortmunder Books. Reading in publication order lets the world and characters develop the way the author intended, and it avoids spoilers that later books may contain.

Each of the 1 series on this page is expandable — click a series heading to see every title it contains, in order, with a direct link to buy the book on Amazon.

📚 Dortmunder Books in Order

Publication Order of Dortmunder Books
15 books
1
The Hot Rock book cover1The Hot Rock1970Buy on Amazon
Bank Shot book cover2Bank Shot1972Buy on Amazon
Jimmy The Kid book cover3Jimmy The Kid1974Buy on Amazon
Nobody's Perfect book cover4Nobody's Perfect1977Buy on Amazon
Why Me? book cover5Why Me?1983Buy on Amazon
Good Behavior book cover6Good Behavior1985Buy on Amazon
Drowned Hopes book cover7Drowned Hopes1990Buy on Amazon
Don't Ask book cover8Don't Ask1993Buy on Amazon
What's The Worst That Could Happen? book cover9What's The Worst That Could Happen?1996Buy on Amazon
Bad News book cover10Bad News2001Buy on Amazon
The Road To Ruin book cover11The Road To Ruin2004Buy on Amazon
Thieves' Dozen book cover12Thieves' Dozen2004Buy on Amazon
Watch Your Back! book cover13Watch Your Back!2005Buy on Amazon
What's So Funny? book cover14What's So Funny?2007Buy on Amazon
Get Real book cover15Get Real2009Buy on Amazon

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

How many Dortmunder books are there?
There are 15 books in the Dortmunder collection, organised into 1 series and published between 1970 and 2009.
What is the first Dortmunder book?
The first book is The Hot Rock, published in 1970.
What order should I read the Dortmunder books in?
Most readers use publication order, which is the order the books were originally released. A chronological order is also provided on this page for readers who prefer to follow the internal timeline of the story.
Who wrote the Dortmunder books?
The Dortmunder books were written by Donald E. Westlake.
Is the Dortmunder series finished?
The main series, Publication Order of Dortmunder Books, has 15 books so far. The most recent title listed on this page gives the current end point of the series.
When did the Dortmunder series start?
The earliest title in this collection was published in 1970, and the most recent in 2009.