Andrew
I am a fan of Donald E. Westlake's lighter, more comedic crime capers, and this was my first read of his Richard Stark pseudonym. The novels he wrote as Stark are deliberately leaner, meaner, grittier, and, well...stark.
The familiar fast-paced plotting is in place but the humor, wit, charm, surprise twists/reveals, etc., are all stripped out. Parker has been wronged and he goes intimidating, stealing, and killing his way up the criminal food chain until he feels the wrong has been righted. He never cracks a smile, has a tender moment, or stops to examine his motives. Not a bad thing...it's still a page-turner, I finished it in only a couple sessions, but it lacks the fun and cleverness of his other work like The Hot Rock or Help, I am Being Held Prisoner and the emotional depth and examination of the criminal lifestyle like The Cutie and 361.
I am a fan of Donald E. Westlake's lighter, more comedic crime capers, and this was my first read of his Richard Stark pseudonym. The novels he wrote as Stark are deliberately leaner, meaner, grittier, and, well...stark.
The familiar fast-paced plotting is in place but the humor, wit, charm, surprise twists/reveals, etc., are all stripped out. Parker has been wronged and he goes intimidating, stealing, and killing his way up the criminal food chain until he feels the wrong has been righted. He never cracks a smile, has a tender moment, or stops to examine his motives. Not a bad thing...it's still a page-turner, I finished it in only a couple sessions, but it lacks the fun and cleverness of his other work like The Hot Rock or Help, I am Being Held Prisoner and the emotional depth and examination of the criminal lifestyle like The Cutie and 361.
