Dirty Money - Hardcover

Stark, Richard

3.93

1,290 ratings by Goodreads

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0446178586 ISBN 13: 9780446178587

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing, 2008

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"[One] of the greatest writers of the twentieth century...Richard Stark, real name Donald Westlake...His Parker books form a genre all their own."
--John Banville, Booker Prize-winning author of The Sea

Master criminal Parker takes another turn for the worse as he tries to recover loot from a heist gone terribly wrong. In Nobody Runs Forever, Parker and two cohorts stole the assets of a bank in transit, but the police heat was so great they could only escape if they left the money behind. In this follow-up novel, Parker and his associates plot to reclaim the loot, which they hid in the choir loft of an unused country church. As they implement the plan, people on both sides of the law use the forces at their command to stop Parker and grab the goods for themselves. Though Parker's new getaway van is an old Ford Econoline with "Holy Redeemer Choir" on its doors, his gang is anything but holy, and Parker will do whatever it takes to redeem his prize, no matter who gets hurt in the process.

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About the Author:

Richard Stark has been hailed as one of the inventors-and one of the true masters-of noir crime fiction. Stark's most recent Parker novels, Comeback and Backflash, were each selected as a New York Times Notable Book of the Year. His first novel, The Hunter, became the classic 1967 movie Point Blank. Thirty years later, The Hunter was adapted again by Hollywood, in the hit Mel Gibson movie Payback. Richard Stark is also, at times, the mystery Grand Master Donald E. Westlake. To learn more about the author, you can visit www.donaldwestlake.com.

Review:

“Fiercely distracting . . . . Westlake is an expert plotter; and while Parker is a blunt instrument of a human being depicted in rudimentary short grunts of sentences, his take on other characters reveals a writer of great humor and human understanding.” (John Hodgman "Parade")

“Parker is as resolute and dangerous as ever.” (Booklist)

“The nice thing about the rather nasty stories Stark writes about a career criminal named Parker is that none of the significant characters is ever innocent. Which is why it’s so easy to laugh when their intricate schemes begin to unravel. . . . Everyone in this merry misadventure ends up at Bosky Rounds, a quaint bed-and-breakfast that looks like the cover art for Yankee magazine—something to bear in mind on leaf-peeing excursions to picturesque New England villages.” (Marilyn Stasio New York Times)

“Slamming through a new crime novel by Westlake—and it’s hard to drag your feet once the process starts—is a little like spelunking in a cave system whose twisted paths lead to fascinating galleries and grottoes, some bright and sparkly, some shadowy and frightening. Dirty Money and the other thrillers Westlake writes under the pseudonym of Richard Stark are of the latter category, an exploration of caverns dark and gritty. But even with the ground shifting under your feet and a sense of foreboding in the air, the experience is compelling and oddly exhilarating. . . . Ever the pro, Parker takes each hitch in stride, keeping his eye on the prize.” (Dick Lochte Los Angeles Times)

“Acquaint yourself with Stark’s taut, toned brand of noir. . . . There’s no denying the force of his storytelling or his flair for caper comedy: wonderfully, Parker and his gang plan to make their getaway in an old Ford Econoline van with ‘Holy Redeemer Choir’ stenciled on its side.” (Guardian)

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