Donald E. Westlake - Money for Nothing (2003)
Josh Redmont was young and broke when the checks started arriving. He was completely in the dark as to their origin or purpose, but $1,000 a month was a lot of money, and he possessed neither the resolve nor the bank account to refuse them. If some unknown group calling itself "United States Agent" wanted to send him money for nothing, more power to them.
Of course, all of that was to change one day on the ferry, seven years after the checks first began: "A man came over and sat down beside him and smiled and said, 'Hello, I am from United States Agent.' Josh looked at him. Sudden dread clenched his stomach. His mouth was dry. He tried to speak, but couldn't. The man leaned closer. 'You are now active,' he said."
Josh should have known. "There ain't no such thing as a free lunch," and United States Agent was bound to want something for their money some day. Just as Tom Hagen in "The Godfather" cautioned that Don Corleone would one day ask for a favor that could not be denied, Josh's paymasters likewise require a service--and it would be in everyone's best interest if the request were not refused.
The U.S. Agent demand seems simple enough: Allow some people to stay in Josh's apartment while he's away. Of course, it progresses from that to stashing guns and army uniforms. Then the operatives start to show up while Josh is there. Before he knows it--surprise!--he's in over his head in a plot sure to leave several people dead, possibly including Josh himself.
Money for Nothing begins with a terrific premise that the veteran genre novelist Donald Westlake does an excellent job of developing, even if it never really goes in any surprising directions. The plot unfolds in mostly linear fashion, with few twists and turns. Even so, the execution of it is near perfect and provides great entertainment value.
The book does have a few flaws, particularly regarding the buttoned-down dullness of the story's main character. Josh Redmont is thrown into an interesting situation, but he is something of a bore. He is passive throughout the book, coming to life only at the end, by which point his actions seem unbelievable. Josh is a decent guy and a good family man, but as an agent provocateur, even an unwilling one, he leaves something to be desired.
Much better is the supporting cast, made up of such characters as Mitch Robbie, a fellow sleeper spy and actor in New York's least successful repertoire company, and the stunningly beautiful femme fatale Tina Pausto, who is more interested in boutique shopping than subterfuge. By taking the time to give even the minor players a good backstory, the author livens up the narrative considerably.
It would seem that every possible variation on the spy theme would have been used by now, but Westlake once again finds a way to put a fresh spin on an old story. By injecting a touch of sly wit and humor into the espionage genre, he is able to create a story that is rousing and amusing, while still maintaining a sense of jeopardy and intrigue.
Westlake writes this kind of book as well as--or, more likely, better than--anyone else. For a writer with some five dozen books to his credit, he continues to impress with his originality and inventiveness, as well as the freshness of his novels. Most authors would be lucky to write one book with the ingenuity of a Westlake, yet he has done it time and time again over the past four decades. Bravo!
Posted by David J. Montgomery in Book Reviews | Permalink
