Dirty Money: A Parker Novel - Softcover

"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 "

"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

"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

Together at last. Under the pseudonym Richard Stark, Donald E. Westlake, one of the greats of crime fiction, wrote twenty-four fast-paced, hard-boiled novels featuring Parker, a shrewd career criminal with a talent for heists and a code all his own. With the publication of the last four Parker novels Westlake wrote—Breakout, Nobody Runs Forever, Ask the Parrot, and Dirty Money—the University of Chicago Press pulls the ultimate score: for the first time ever, the entire Parker series will be available from a single publisher.

Parker’s got a new fence and a new plan to get the loot back from a botched job in Dirty Money, but a bounty hunter, the FBI, and the local cops are on his tail. Only his brains, his cool, and the help of his lone longtime dame, Claire, can keep him one step ahead of the cars and the guns.

Featuring new forewords by Chris Holm, Duane Swierczynski, and Laura Lippman—celebrated crime writers, all—these masterworks of noir are the capstone to an extraordinary literary run that will leave you craving more. Written over the course of fifty years, the Parker novels are pure artistry, adrenaline, and logic both brutal and brilliant. Join Parker on his jobs and read them all again or for the first time. But don’t talk to the law.