'The Score' by Richard Stark
Over the course of his prolific career, Donald Westlake wrote dozens of crime novels. Among his most memorable were those of the Parker series, written under the pseudonym Richard Stark. The books were written and published over nearly a half a century -- 1962 through 2008 -- but the protagonist is just as enigmatic, laconic, and downright ruthless throughout. Parker emerges as a completely amoral criminal, ready to do anything -- and kill anyone -- who stands in the way of a good heist. The books are undeniably formulaic, but the early ones are so short and the prose is so perfectly paired down, they can often be read in just a couple of sittings. "The Score" is the fifth book in the series, in which Parker and his cronies up the ante and attempt to rob an entire Midwestern town in one night. If you find "The Score" to your liking, there are two dozen more books in the series (plus a spinoff series featuring Parker cohort Alan Grofield) -- enough hard-boiled crime to keep you reading all year. -- John P. Falcone
November 16, 2012 4:18 PM PST
Photo by: Chicago University Press
