Put a Lid on It

A career criminal is offered a deal to keep out of prison—if he can steal a compromising video of the president—in this hysterical heist novel. "Sublime comedy . . . a crime caper that also gets some nice digs in as a political satire." —New York Times Francis Xavier Meehan, a career thief staring at life without parole, is awaiting sentencing at the Manhattan Correctional Center when he is called to a meeting by someone masquerading as his lawyer. The man, it turns out, represents the presidential re-election campaign committee—now finding itself in need of a little professional help. So they "outsource" Meehan in return for a walk from all pending criminal charges. All he has to do is steal a compromising video tape before the other side springs an "October Surprise" on the president. A shrewd burglar, Meehan bites, and shows just how easy Watergate would have been had they left it to the professionals. "This is Westlake at the top of his game, by turns antic, unexpected, quirky, clever, and always, very funny." —Booklist (starred review) "Westlake . . . does another brilliant job. . . . A tongue-in-cheek take on political scandal." —Library Journal "Westlake hooks the reader from the first sentence, maintaining the suspense with unpredictable turnabouts and dead-on descriptions." —Publishers Weekly