Donald E. Westlake books in order
American novelist
- Lived
- 1933–2008
- Country
- United States
- Books
- 98
- Series
- 1
- Also writes as
- Richard Stark
Donald E. Westlake published 94 novels, 1 novella, 1 non-fiction book and 2 other books, beginning with The Outfit (1963). The series is Dortmunder (15 books, starting with The Hot Rock). 25 feature Parker. The best-known is The Hot Rock (1970).
Updated September 2026
Dortmunder books in order (15)Series page
Reading order: 1 The Hot Rock (1970) · 2 Bank Shot (1972) · 3 Jimmy the Kid (1974) · 4 Nobody's Perfect (1977) · 5 Why Me (1983) · 6 Good Behavior (1985) · 7 Drowned Hopes (1990) · 8 Don't Ask (1993) · 9 What's the Worst That Could Happen? (1996) · 10 Bad News (2001) · … all 15 below
- 1.
The Hot Rock (1970)
- 2.
Bank Shot (1972)
- 3.
Jimmy the Kid (1974)
- 4.
Nobody's Perfect (1977)
- 5.
Why Me (1983)
- 6.
Good Behavior (1985)
- 7.
Drowned Hopes (1990)
- 8.
Don't Ask (1993)
- 9.
What's the Worst That Could Happen? (1996)
- 10.
Bad News (2001)
- 11.
The Road To Ruin (2004)
- 12.
Thieves' Dozen (2004)
- 13.
Watch Your Back! (2005)
- 14.
What's So Funny? (2007)
- 15.
Get Real (2009)
Books featuring Parker (25)
The Hunter (1962)
The Outfit (1963)
The Handle (1966)
The Split (1966)
The Green Eagle Score (American Crime) (1967)
The Rare Coin Score (1967)
The Black Ice Score (Allison & Busby American Crime Series) (1968)
Deadly Edge (Violent World of Parker, No 6) (1969)
The Sour Lemon Score (1969)
Slayground (1971)
The Score (1971)
Plunder Squad (1972)
Butcher's Moon (1974)
The Mourner (1981)
The Steel Hit (1981)
The Jugger (Allison & Busby American Crime Series) (1985)
Comeback (1997)
Backflash (1998)
Flashfire (2000)
Firebreak (2001)
Breakout (2002)
Nobody Runs Forever (2004)
Ask the Parrot (2006)
Dirty Money (2008)
Parker (2012)
Where to start with Donald E. Westlake
Start here
The Hot Rock
Donald E. Westlake's most-read book and the first of the 15 Dortmunder books.
Standalone novels in order
Killing Time (1961)
Killy (1963)
Pity Him Afterwards (1964)
The Spy in the Ointment (1966)
God Save the Mark (1967)
MURDER AMONG CHILDREN (1967)
The Curious Facts Preceding My Execution (1968)
The Blackbird (1969)
Up Your Banners (1969)
Who Stole Sassi Manoon? (1969)
Adios, Scheherazade (1970)
Jade in Aries (1970)
I Gave at the Office (1971)
Lemons Never Lie (Hard Case Crime) (1971)
Cops and Robbers (1972)
Gangway (1973)
Help I Am (1974)
Brothers Keepers (1975)
Two Much (1975)
Dancing Aztecs (1976)
Enough (1977)
Castle in the Air (1980)
Kahawa (1982)
A Likely Story (1984)
Levine (1984)
High Adventure (1985)
The Sour Lemon Score and Deadly Edge (1985)
The Damsel (1988)
Trust Me on This (1988)
Sacred Monster (1989)
Tomorrow's Crimes (1989)
The Dame (1990)
Anarchaos (1991)
Mystery for Halloween (1991)
The Mercenaries (1991)
Humans (1992)
Baby, Would I Lie (1994)
Smoke (1995)
Murderous Schemes (1996)
361 (Hard Case Crime) (1997)
The Ax (1997)
The Busy Body (1997)
The Fugitive Pigeon (1997)
A Good Story and Other Stories (1999)
Corkscrew (2000)
Put a Lid on It (2002)
Money for Nothing (2003)
Somebody Owes Me Money (2008)
Memory (Apr 2010)
The Comedy Is Finished (2012)
A Girl Called Honey (2016)
Forever and a Death (2017)
Richard Stark's Parker (2017)
Richard Stark's Parker The Outfit (2017)
Novellas in order
High Jinx (1988)
Non-fiction in order
Under an English Heaven (1972)
Other books in order
Stark Mysteries (1981)
Transylvania Station (1987)
Film and TV adaptations
- Point Blank (1967)Film · from The Hunter
- Payback (1999)Film · from The Hunter
- The Outfit (1973)Film · from The Outfit
- The Hot Rock (1972)Film · from The Hot Rock
- The Ax (2005)Film · from The Ax
- No Other Choice (2025)Film · from The Ax
- The Actor (2025)Film · from Memory
Free to read
All free classics
About Donald E. Westlake
Donald Edwin Westlake was an American writer with more than one hundred novels and non-fiction books to his credit. He specialized in crime fiction, especially comic capers, with an occasional foray into science fiction and other genres. Westlake created two professional criminal characters who each starred in a long-running series: the relentless, hardboiled Parker, and John Dortmunder, who featured in a more humorous series.
Biography from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
Donald E. Westlake FAQ
- How many books has Donald E. Westlake written?
- Donald E. Westlake published 94 novels, 1 novella, 1 non-fiction book and 2 other books that we list, as of September 2026.
- What order should I read Donald E. Westlake's books in?
- Read each series in its own order: start Dortmunder with The Hot Rock. The other books stand alone and can be read in any order.
- What is Donald E. Westlake's last book?
- Memory (2010).
- What is Donald E. Westlake's most famous book?
- The Hot Rock (1970) is Donald E. Westlake's most widely read book.
- Are Donald E. Westlake's books connected?
- 15 books belong to 1 series (Dortmunder); the other 83 books stand alone.
- Does Donald E. Westlake write under a pen name?
- Yes: Donald E. Westlake has also published as Richard Stark.
- Which Donald E. Westlake books have been adapted?
- 5 books have been adapted for film or TV, including The Hunter (as Point Blank, film, 1967), The Outfit (film, 1973), The Hot Rock (film, 1972) and The Ax (film, 2005).
- Can I read Donald E. Westlake's books for free?
- Yes. 5 books by Donald E. Westlake are in the public domain in the US and free to read online or download here.
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Sources: book lists and dates from Wikidata and Open Library, ratings from Open Library readers, free texts from Project Gutenberg. Last updated September 2026.