The latest of the Dresden Files books, Skin Game, is a great heist novel. But it’s likely to fall rather flat if you aren’t already familiar with the series and the characters.
Elmore Leonard wrote a few capers.
[ul]
[li]Pagan Babies - a not-entirely moral missionary hopes to rebuild his Rwandan compound by enlisting the help of a comedienne in Detroit to swindle money from local wise guys.[/li][li]Pronto and Riding the Rap involve the character Raylan Givens, the US Marshall on which the series *Justified *was based.[/li][li]Get Shorty - adapted into film, this story is about Chili Palmer, a loanshark who breaks into a horror movie producer’s home to lean on him and collect, but winds up pitching an idea for a movie to him based on his own rl experiences. The caper element is more how Chili manipulates underworld figures and DEA agents into encountering each other while making away with the spoils to finance his movie.[/li][/ul]
Fourth the recommendation for the Dortmunder series. The regulars at the OJ Bar & Grill. Here’s a sample:
and one of my favorites: the OJ B&G’s version of Muslim heaven
http://www.donaldwestlake.com/watch-your-back/watch-your-back-chapter-one/
Quick Change, the '90s heist movie with Bill Murray, was based on an '80s novel.
Thank you all for the suggestions. Lots to go on here.
Really? I’ve heard of it, of course, but had no idea there was a caper involved.
:smack: One of my two all-time favorite thrillers, but I’d never realized that what I love about it is what I love about good capers. Brilliant.
The Woo and Durang novels by Ross Thomas are long con/caper novels, and his McCorkle and Padillo novels are rife with political intrigue, as are most of his other novels.
I miss Ross Thomas (d.1995) and would appreciate any recommendations of similar authors by Dopers. What makes him distinctive are his complex characters, mood, and insider knowledge of back room, real world politics.
I just enjoyed Garth Nix’s short story “A Cargo of Ivories,” a clever magical-heist fantasy tale, in the collection Rogues, edited by George R.R. Martin and Gardner Dozois. Left me with a big smile.
Sexy Beast. I remember it being a very cool movie. A “bank job” film.
The Gentlemen Bastards series by Scott Lynch
- The Lies of Locke Lomora
- Red Seas under Red Skies
- The Republic of Thieves
These are a combination of fantasy and caper/heist.
Thirteen by Richard K. Morgan (this was published as Black Manin the UK) (This story is told from the perspective of the detective trying to figure out what happened; this is science fiction)
The Fractal Prince by Hannu Rajaniemi (this story is told from the perspective of the thief who is trying to figure out what happened; this is science fiction)
Ghostman by Roger Hobbs (debut novel; story told from perspective of a getaway driver)
Prince of Thieves by Chuck Hogan (this was made into the film The Town by Ben Affleck a few years ago)
Thick As Thieves by Peter Spiegelman (ex-CIA guy organizes a massive planet-wide theft)
Another vote for Westlake – The Hot Rock was the first thing I thought of.
Metzger’s Dog, by Thomas Perry, isn’t exactly contemporay – I first read it thirty years ago – but it’s great fun as a gang of small-time crooks take on the CIA. It’s one that I reread every few years.
ETA: Blood Money, also by Thomas Perry. A former Mafia accountant who kept every transaction in his head, rather than on paper, istrying to get away from the mob. With the money – which he’s going to give to charity.