The hot rock1970
the first Dortmunder novel
by Westlake, Donald E.
John Archibald Dortmunder is the thief whose capers never quite come off. Here, the released convict and his ride pal Kelp plot to steal the $500,000 Balaboma Emerald. The former British colony has recently become independent and split. The Akinzi have the stone, the Talabwo want it back, and their UN rep will pay for retrieval.
— from OpenLibrary
20 editions at OpenLibrary