What's the Worst That Could Happen? by Donald Westlake

I always forget how good a writer Westlake is. His characters are always engaging and his plots are clever. This particular book revolves around Dortmunder, a petty thief who is caught in the act robbing the home of Max Fairbanks, a mega-millionnaire. Fairbanks turns the tables as the police prepare to take the burglar away and says that the only thing stolen was the ring on Dortmunder's hand. In spite of his protest's, the police take the ring off Dortmunder's finger and 'return' it to the Fairbanks.

This annoys Dortmunder, and he is a very single-minded person. He escapes from police custody, returns home, and calls in his friends who proceed to not only beard the lion (Fairbanks) in his den once, but three times! Once at home in New York, once at the Watergate in D.C. (heh), and finally in Las Vegas. Dortmunder is truly only in it for the ring, but the robberies are so spectacularly successful that he ends up with a nice little nest egg, insurance in case he has a few lean months. Well, lean years, really.

Fun caper novel. Reminded me a great deal of Ocean's 11 et al. Funny in a very dry and ironic way.