Firebreak

When Parker’s in the middle of killing somebody you’d think he’d be too busy to take a phone call about a potential job, but a man’s gotta eat. The score is a bunch of valuable paintings that a rich d-bag had stolen for himself and are now hidden away in a remote hunting lodge he owns. However, secur......more

"The first line sort of catches your attention: "When the phone rang, Parker was in the garage, killing a man." This is an opening that the Parker reader hopes will return him to his harder, tougher self, and Stark/Westlake to his earlier, leaner approach, but it is not to be. One feature of this nov......more

With the very first line of Firebreak I had to laugh, though there is nothing funny about Richard Stark’s Parker books. If you want that, read the misadventures of John Dortmunder written under the author’s real name of Donald E. Westlake. But that opening sentence: “When the phone rang, Parker was......more

There is a lot going on in Firebreak. Loose ends from an old caper taint new prospects for Parker. He'll have to tie things up in order to come out ahead, as usual. But, that's what makes this series wonderful. While reading these books, in my head, I dare the other characters to try and cross the b......more

2.5 starts, better than the last, but Parker still isn't back to his norm. He's timeless & the last job isn't mentioned. That should have earned him $800,000, enough that I can't see him sticking with this job after all that went wrong up front. Nor do I understand the people he left alive. (view spoiler)[ He left (hide spoiler)]......more