Nobody Runs Forever

Nobody Runs Forever When he saw the one called Harbin was wearing a wire, Parker said, "Deal me out". They were playing seven card stud. Parker should have walked away right then. It didn't get any better. This was one capper that was snake-bit from the get go. Could this be Parker's Waterloo? I think Donald Westlake writing as Richard Stark is just playing with us. Maybe he'll get a jury from Los Angeles and get off all together. As usual Stark is very entertaining with his fast paced tough guy. This time robbing a bank's vault's contents as it is being moved to another larger bank via armored cars. Highly recommended for Parker fans. As far as I can tell the other Parker books are: 1) The Hunter (1963; AKA Point Blank, Payback; Parker, by Richard Stark). 2) The Man With the Getaway Face (1963; AKA The Steel Hit; Parker, 3) The Outfit (1963; Parker, by Richard Stark) 4) The Mourner (1963; Parker, by Richard Stark) 5) The Score (1964; AKA Killtown; Parker, by Richard Stark) 6) The Jugger (1965; Parker, by Richard Stark) 7) The Seventh (1966; AKA The Split; Parker, by Richard Stark) 8) The Handle (1966; AKA Run Lethal; Parker, by Richard Stark) 9) The Rare Coin Score (1967; Parker, by Richard Stark) 10) The Green Eagle Score (1967; Parker, by Richard Stark) 11) The Black Ice Score (1968; Parker, by Richard Stark) 12) The Sour Lemon Score (1969; Parker, by Richard Stark) 13) Slayground (1971; Parker, by Richard Stark) 14) Deadly Edge (1971; Parker, by Richard Stark) 15) Plunder Squad (1972; Parker, by Richard Stark) 16) Butcher's Moon (1974; Parker, by Richard Stark) 17) Comeback (1997; 18) Backflash (1998; Parker).. 19) Nobody Runs Forever (2004; Parker) Gunner November 2007

I've read only a couple of the original Parker novels but all of the ones since Richard Stark resurrected the series with "Comeback" in the late 1990s. I'd say this is the best of the lot -- and by a fair margin. "Nobody Runs Forever" is a pitch-perfect gem of a noir crime novel. From the opening scene (it takes Stark less than a page before Parker is choking a man to death) to the novel's final sentence, Stark crafts tension onto every page. Stark (Mystery Writer of America Grand Master Donald Westlake's most notable pen name) has never written more powerfully. He can accomplish so much with so few words, and no one -- save perhaps Elmore Leonard -- writes better dialogue. What sets this novel apart from even the high standard of his earlier work is the beautifully realized complexity of the secondary characters. Stark paints the whole "heister" milieu superbly, as you would expect. But there's a richer atmosphere on these pages, a certain mood that arises from the desperate motivations of several characters: the ex-con and his amateur insider who help set up the armored car robbery that's at the heart of the plot; the bounty hunter and his beautiful backup who want to find the man killed by Parker in the first chapter; the doctor and his lover who want a piece of the heist; the arms expert, who's shaken from an earlier job gone bad, who Parker enlists to supply the weapons for the robbery. That the story plays out in a relatively short crime novel is a tribute to Stark's superior writing ability. The ending doesn't resolve things in a tidy bundle, but then Parker novels never end that way. You can bet there'll be another installment forthcoming, and you can bet it'll be a dandy.

Another fine addition to the recent string of Parker novels from Stark (Westlake). Great ending that leaves the reader on edge.

Richard Stark is the alter ego of Donald E. Westlake and this 'Parker' thriller hits the mark. The characters are fresh, intelligent and interesting. Stark keeps you turning the pages hungry for the next ripple in the lake to change the course in the story. The ending is open for discussion, but if you think it leaves you hanging, then you don't appreciate Stark-Westlake and his sense of humor. The first line opens your eyes and keeps you guessing through the ending. All your questions are not answered, but the trip is more interesting than 99% of the high profile dribble pushed on the consummer in the last 4 months. Enjoy the read for the shear fun of it. The book is excellent, period.

In a Cincinnati hotel room, seven buddies play poker intending to discuss a heist. Parker, sitting out the hand, gets up, takes off his tie, and wraps it around the throat of Harbin who is wearing a wire. Dalesia and Mott pretend the game is still on as Parker kills Harbin. McWhitney, who brought Harbin to the game, disposes of the body. The game breaks up with Fletcher pretending to be Harbin informing the others he will clean up. Stratton thanks "Harbin" as they all leave. However, Dalesia and Parker, who have a bit of history together, talk about being out of work. Dalesia says he has a somewhat risky idea for a heist of over a million dollars being transported by four armored trucks guarded by twelve security agents. Parker wants in though he understands that the prime risk comes from two key "rookies", the banker's wife and a former bank employee, neither of which can keep their enthusiasm nor fears quiet. Meanwhile Harbin's partners hunt for him by tracking the poker players. Now the gang, Harbin's partners, and Police Detective Gwen Reversa rendezvous with four armored-cars. NOBODY RUNS FOREVER is a typical exhilarating Parker tale that leaves no prisoners from start to finish. Parker displays his professionalism from the onset as he calmly kills the informant in the opening scene and continues on that criminal path that makes him a popular antihero. Though his partners are so tyro and unprofessional that long term fans would doubt he would try the caper with them, all things considered readers will appreciate Richard Stark's latest Parker thriller. Harriet Klausner