msand3's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars. The final Parker novel before Stark would resurrect him in the 1990s was clearly meant to be a kind of swan song. It’s the longest Parker novel by far and isn’t structured in four parts like the previous fifteen. The novel also deviates in a few other ways: Parker goes out for revenge rather than just to take what’s his, Parker tries to save a colleague (perhaps the closest thing he has to a friend), and Parker assembles a team of more than five. But for all these differences, we get so many references to previous Parker novels: characters appear from heists that go all the way back to the first novel, Grofield is there, and we get a sequel to [b:Slayground|447175|Slayground (Parker, #14)|Richard Stark|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1174855051l/447175._SY75_.jpg|3854] to boot. But I also found all these attempts at closure to be much like the final episode of a beloved series that tries too hard to bring back popular characters and subplots (think the finale of Seinfeld, in particular). In trying to create the ultimate Parker send-off, Stark just manages to bog down the narrative. Gone are the tight plotting and intricate set-ups. Gone also is a key part of Parker’s personality, which is put aside for a rather un-Parker-like rescue operation. I’m not sure how I felt about where all these characters ended up (I’m being vague so as not to include spoilers) considering I invested about seven years in making my way through these sixteen novels. All I can say is that I’m glad Stark eventually returned to the world of Parker in the '90s so that this wasn’t the final novel of the series. I know it’s quite popular and seems to have the highest rating on Goodreads, but I thought it was mostly an odd aberration from so many of the previous novels.
ericwelch's review against another edition
4.0
Parker is short of cash and pissed. He knows where he had hidden a stash and takes Grofield, the actor/theater director/thief along to help retrieve it from a carnival ride where he had hidden it several years before. Problem is that the money is gone so suspecting it was found by a local mafia boss, Frank Lonzini, he decides to get it back.
Unfortunately, Parker and Grofield find themselves in the midst of a mob leadership fight. All they want is to get their money back and leave town, but events conspire against them leaving them no alternative but to stir up the pot, pit one against the other, and still try for the seventy-three thousand, a number that remains immutable. (Had I been Parker, I would have tacked on many thousands for the trouble.)
Some marvelous scenes. A particular favorite was Parker’s method for working out which residents might be gone on an extended vacation as he searches for an apartment to use as a temporary base of operations after Grofield is shot.
The description of the mobster’s office is evocative and vivid, typical of the sardonic wit that permeates the Parker novels. The room was a disaster, a combination of so many misunderstandings and misconceptions that it practically became a work of art all in itself, like the Watts Towers. It was a den, or studio, or office-away-from-office; called by the family “Daddy's room,” no doubt. The walnut-veneer paneling, very dark, made the already small square room even smaller and squarer, darkening it to the point where even a white ceiling and a white rug would have had a hard time getting some light into the room. Instead of which, the ceiling was crisscrossed with Styrofoam artificial wooden beams, à la restaurants trying for an English-country-inn effect, and the two-foot-by-four-foot rectangles between the beams had been painted in a kind of peach or coral color; Consumptive's Upchuck was the color description that came to Grofield's mind. While the floor was covered with an oriental rug featuring dark red figures on a black background, with a dark red fringe buzzing away all the way around. Would there be a kerosene lamp with green glass shade, converted to electricity? Yes, there would, on the mahogany table to the right, along with the clock built into the side of a wooden cannon; above these on the wall were the full-color photographs of The Guns That Won the West lying on beds of red or green velvet. Don’t you love “consumptive upchuck”?
A very entertaining Parker novel, intricate in detail, typical of the other Parkers as things never work out as planned for Parker who has to use his wits to overcome the obstacles. Therein lies their appeal.
Unfortunately, Parker and Grofield find themselves in the midst of a mob leadership fight. All they want is to get their money back and leave town, but events conspire against them leaving them no alternative but to stir up the pot, pit one against the other, and still try for the seventy-three thousand, a number that remains immutable. (Had I been Parker, I would have tacked on many thousands for the trouble.)
Some marvelous scenes. A particular favorite was Parker’s method for working out which residents might be gone on an extended vacation as he searches for an apartment to use as a temporary base of operations after Grofield is shot.
The description of the mobster’s office is evocative and vivid, typical of the sardonic wit that permeates the Parker novels. The room was a disaster, a combination of so many misunderstandings and misconceptions that it practically became a work of art all in itself, like the Watts Towers. It was a den, or studio, or office-away-from-office; called by the family “Daddy's room,” no doubt. The walnut-veneer paneling, very dark, made the already small square room even smaller and squarer, darkening it to the point where even a white ceiling and a white rug would have had a hard time getting some light into the room. Instead of which, the ceiling was crisscrossed with Styrofoam artificial wooden beams, à la restaurants trying for an English-country-inn effect, and the two-foot-by-four-foot rectangles between the beams had been painted in a kind of peach or coral color; Consumptive's Upchuck was the color description that came to Grofield's mind. While the floor was covered with an oriental rug featuring dark red figures on a black background, with a dark red fringe buzzing away all the way around. Would there be a kerosene lamp with green glass shade, converted to electricity? Yes, there would, on the mahogany table to the right, along with the clock built into the side of a wooden cannon; above these on the wall were the full-color photographs of The Guns That Won the West lying on beds of red or green velvet. Don’t you love “consumptive upchuck”?
A very entertaining Parker novel, intricate in detail, typical of the other Parkers as things never work out as planned for Parker who has to use his wits to overcome the obstacles. Therein lies their appeal.
vailynst's review against another edition
3.0
Notes:
Currently on Audible Plus
That's a wrap for the original books in the Parker series. This one was loaded with more tension and the pragmatic, business side of Parker that no one wants to see.
In 2021, I'll continue the series with Comeback. The revival of Parker. ;)
Currently on Audible Plus
That's a wrap for the original books in the Parker series. This one was loaded with more tension and the pragmatic, business side of Parker that no one wants to see.
In 2021, I'll continue the series with Comeback. The revival of Parker. ;)
mikedeab63's review
4.0
I'll admit I've completely lost most partiality when it comes to Westlake's Stark books. I love all of them and this one was no exception. For a long time, this looked like the last of the Parker books and it feels like a finale.
It has all the trappings, huge plot, lots of set pieces, tons and tons of returning characters. When I first received the Chicago Press version in the mail, I was shocked at how thick it was. Almost every other Parker iteration was slim and mean. This was sprawling and while I'm not sure it would have worked every time out, it works really well here as a simple plot to regain some hidden cash quickly balloons into an all out war. Are you seriously going to be against Parker?
A fun read, full of call backs and Easter eggs for long time fans. Not sure it's the best introduction to the character, but anyone who has a passing interest in Parker and his hard boiled companions will like this one.
It has all the trappings, huge plot, lots of set pieces, tons and tons of returning characters. When I first received the Chicago Press version in the mail, I was shocked at how thick it was. Almost every other Parker iteration was slim and mean. This was sprawling and while I'm not sure it would have worked every time out, it works really well here as a simple plot to regain some hidden cash quickly balloons into an all out war. Are you seriously going to be against Parker?
A fun read, full of call backs and Easter eggs for long time fans. Not sure it's the best introduction to the character, but anyone who has a passing interest in Parker and his hard boiled companions will like this one.
antij's review
5.0
This was a great culmination of the previous books. All I can say is that I'm thankful that I don't have to wait the 20 years that people had to when the book first came out.
nigellicus's review
5.0
The Parker novel par excellence, returning to the setting and the abandoned money of Slayground and calling on old friends from many of the previous novels. Professional criminal Parker's having a bad streak with jobs going bad or turning up empty, leaving his funds dangerously low. With partner Grofield he goes back to the town where he robbed an armoured car, but was forced to stash the take. The take is gone, and Parker sets out to find. At first, it seems like a variation on The Man With The Getaway Face, as Parker and Grofield put pressure on a local mob by robbing their various joints, but with a takeover being mounted behind the scenes, things soon go badly wrong, Grofield is shot, Parker loses patience, and it all ends in a massive series of heists and an explosion of ruthless violence. The Parker books went on a long hiatus after this one, and it's easy to see why. In a series of brilliant, brutal crime novels, this is definitely a high point.
imzadirose's review
2.0
For being supersized, a book longer than the rest, I really didn't like it much. It wasn't any more action, just more talk and descriptions. Like someone would get shot, and they'd move on. Definitely dull until Parker got everyone together, about 70% into it, then it was good for the last 30%.
I do look forward to the next one, which is written years after these. It's a 20 year break from Parker. Hopefully it'll be interesting when he makes his comeback.
I do look forward to the next one, which is written years after these. It's a 20 year break from Parker. Hopefully it'll be interesting when he makes his comeback.
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