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Baron is clever-perhaps too clever. He sits on the heavily protected island of Cockaigne, a mini-Las Vegas forty miles out in the Gulf of Mexico, raking in as much as $250,000 some nights, laughing at the Outfit, who can't collect their cut. Now the Outfit can no longer stand the loss of face-not to mention the loss of revenue. That's why they've sent for Parker, who knows that the line between success and failure on this score would be exactly the length of the barrel of a .38. show more Double-crosses and double-dealings from the word go, not to mention the arrival of Parker's flamboyant friend Grofield, make this one of Richard Stark's best. show lessTags
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This reads like author Stark/Westlake doing a Bond story -- Parker, the great anti-hero, tries to rob an entire island. The island is, in essence, a floating casino, ruled by an overly theatrical owner, who's like any number of colorful Bond adversaries. The island is tantalizingly close to the American coast, just out of reach of law enforcement.
What's especially interesting about this entry in the Parker series is that he works for both his main antagonists: the outfit (the syndicate, or mob) and the law. Both want the island's owner taken care of -- taken out, or brought in.
As always, though, Parker is only in it for himself.
What's especially interesting about this entry in the Parker series is that he works for both his main antagonists: the outfit (the syndicate, or mob) and the law. Both want the island's owner taken care of -- taken out, or brought in.
As always, though, Parker is only in it for himself.
Excellent early Parker novel, and also includes a guest appearance of another Stark character, Grofield. In this one, Parker is tasked on robbing an island near Galveston. He can get the money, but he needs to turn the boss of the island over to the outfit, and make sure everything on the island is burned to the ground. As always, things don't go the way they figure.
As with all the Stark novels, the key to the book is the Parker character. He's fascinating, cold, smart, unemotional, no-nonsense. But some nuances of his character reveal themselves slowly, in this case in the small affair he has with a woman slightly involved in the heist, and also in the ending. I also enjoyed Stark's nod towards the excellent Continental Op story, The show more Gutting of Couffignal, also about an island robbery.
Another thing I got a kick out of was the various footnotes in the book. In the story, there are various references to other Parker stories. In this book, at least, footnotes tell you which books in the Parker series these events are in. I don't remember seeing that in very many books (the Quarry series could use it), and it's kind of fun. show less
As with all the Stark novels, the key to the book is the Parker character. He's fascinating, cold, smart, unemotional, no-nonsense. But some nuances of his character reveal themselves slowly, in this case in the small affair he has with a woman slightly involved in the heist, and also in the ending. I also enjoyed Stark's nod towards the excellent Continental Op story, The show more Gutting of Couffignal, also about an island robbery.
Another thing I got a kick out of was the various footnotes in the book. In the story, there are various references to other Parker stories. In this book, at least, footnotes tell you which books in the Parker series these events are in. I don't remember seeing that in very many books (the Quarry series could use it), and it's kind of fun. show less
“One thing I know. Some nights, the handle in that place is a quarter million bucks.”
Parker is back, and this time he’s taking on an island! An island names Cockaigne, off the coast of Texas. And he's doing it on behalf of the Outfit? Makes for strange bedfellows indeed... But throw in ol’ Alan Grofield, and you’ve got yourself one heck of a caper!
But, like most Parker books, it’s a bit of a rocky ride, especially for Alan! “For the fifth time tonight, for the fifth time in his life, Grofield had been shot. This one, he was afraid, this one was was much worse than the other four.” Yeesh. It's a short, quick read, but fun and exciting! In my opinion, you can never go wrong with a Parker novel!
Parker is back, and this time he’s taking on an island! An island names Cockaigne, off the coast of Texas. And he's doing it on behalf of the Outfit? Makes for strange bedfellows indeed... But throw in ol’ Alan Grofield, and you’ve got yourself one heck of a caper!
But, like most Parker books, it’s a bit of a rocky ride, especially for Alan! “For the fifth time tonight, for the fifth time in his life, Grofield had been shot. This one, he was afraid, this one was was much worse than the other four.” Yeesh. It's a short, quick read, but fun and exciting! In my opinion, you can never go wrong with a Parker novel!
Thought I wasn't going to like it because Parker's partner in crime the actor/crook Grofield is in it, but it's actually a good one -Grofield doesn't get to ruin it.. There are very definitely Bond-like touches to the story as mentioned in the introduction to this edition. Would make an excellent movie.
In the beginning of Richard Stark’s “The Damsel,” Alan Grofield is laid up in a Mexico City hotel with a suitcase full of money and bullet wounds across his body. “The Handle” is the story of how he got there. With Parker and a few others, Grofield robbed a casino on a private island (ostensibly under the Cuban flag) off the coast of Texas. Strangely enough, Parker was engaged to pull this caper by the very Outfit that once had him in its sights. Can’t have a competitor operating, can you?
“The Handle” is a slang term referring to the loot one gets when robbing an establishment. Like all Parker novels, this story is told in sparse prose that shows how ruthless and singleminded Parker is when compiling his team of crack show more experts and when executing the robbery itself. It is a well-told story and includes some great scenes of mayhem and destruction, on and off the island. There are, as always, numerous things that seem to crop up when planning the perfect caper, but Parker deals with them in his way.
There are great characters that appear in this novel as well, including Grofield, who first made an appearance in the Score, and Salsa, who also appeared in that novel. Crystal is the dame the Outfit sent to pump Parker for information and she is quite interesting. The reader first meets her as Parker and her are preparing to board a boat to go to the casino for recon. Crystal just can’t stop blabbing on and on and, as Parker tries to tune her out, he realizes that she is scared of the boat ride and it’s the only way she can deal with it. The biography of the villain of the piece (or victim, if you will, since he was the one being robbed by Parker and company) is Baron and his biography is a fascinating piece all by itself, including instances of international espionage and boundary disputes. The action in this Parker novel is ongoing and intense and it is just a terrific read. show less
“The Handle” is a slang term referring to the loot one gets when robbing an establishment. Like all Parker novels, this story is told in sparse prose that shows how ruthless and singleminded Parker is when compiling his team of crack show more experts and when executing the robbery itself. It is a well-told story and includes some great scenes of mayhem and destruction, on and off the island. There are, as always, numerous things that seem to crop up when planning the perfect caper, but Parker deals with them in his way.
There are great characters that appear in this novel as well, including Grofield, who first made an appearance in the Score, and Salsa, who also appeared in that novel. Crystal is the dame the Outfit sent to pump Parker for information and she is quite interesting. The reader first meets her as Parker and her are preparing to board a boat to go to the casino for recon. Crystal just can’t stop blabbing on and on and, as Parker tries to tune her out, he realizes that she is scared of the boat ride and it’s the only way she can deal with it. The biography of the villain of the piece (or victim, if you will, since he was the one being robbed by Parker and company) is Baron and his biography is a fascinating piece all by itself, including instances of international espionage and boundary disputes. The action in this Parker novel is ongoing and intense and it is just a terrific read. show less
Parker is asked by the Outfit to put a guy out of business permanently, who runs a casino on a private island. Of course, he's no killer, but he will burn/bomb the place to hide his theft. He's a cool cucumber in negotiating the economics of his heist. The planning is great, with Parker's usual no nonsense approach, and of course, things go wrong, putting everyone in grave danger (is there any other kind? :-)) A 4-star story with a 2-star ending although Parker does go all out, and then some, to rescue his crew.
Parker and the Island Casino
Review of the Blackstone Audio Inc. audiobook edition (December, 2011) of the Pocket Books paperback (1967)
Richard Stark was one of the many pseudonyms of the prolific crime author Donald E. Westlake (1933-2008), who wrote over 100 books. The Stark pseudonym was used primarily for the Parker novels, an antihero criminal who is usually betrayed or ensnared in some manner and who spends each book getting revenge or escaping the circumstances.
In The Handle, Parker is hired by his old adversaries The Outfit to rob and destroy an off-shore casino that is taking away their gambling business. Parker enlists various allies for the job, including parttime actor Alan Grofield (making his 2nd Parker appearance). Of show more course the job goes bad and everyone is hard-pressed to get out alive. In the end, Parker gets Grofield to a Mexican hospital to recover and that sets the scene for Grofield's own spin-off series which starts with The Damsel (1967).
Narrator Stephen R. Thorne does a good job in all voices in this audiobook edition.
I had never previously read the Stark/Parker novels but became curious when they came up in my recent reading of The Writer's Library: The Authors You Love on the Books That Changed Their Lives (Sept. 2020) by Nancy Pearl & Jeff Schwager. Here is a (perhaps surprising) excerpt from their discussion with author Amor Towles:
The 24 Parker books are almost all available for free on Audible Plus, except for #21 & #22 which aren't available at all.
Trivia and Links
There is a brief plot summary of The Handle and of all the Parker books and adaptations at The Violent World of Parker website.
Although the 2011 Blackstone Audio Inc. audiobook edition shares the same cover art as the University of Chicago Press 2009 reprint, it does not include the Foreword by author Luc Sante. show less
Review of the Blackstone Audio Inc. audiobook edition (December, 2011) of the Pocket Books paperback (1967)
Richard Stark was one of the many pseudonyms of the prolific crime author Donald E. Westlake (1933-2008), who wrote over 100 books. The Stark pseudonym was used primarily for the Parker novels, an antihero criminal who is usually betrayed or ensnared in some manner and who spends each book getting revenge or escaping the circumstances.
In The Handle, Parker is hired by his old adversaries The Outfit to rob and destroy an off-shore casino that is taking away their gambling business. Parker enlists various allies for the job, including parttime actor Alan Grofield (making his 2nd Parker appearance). Of show more course the job goes bad and everyone is hard-pressed to get out alive. In the end, Parker gets Grofield to a Mexican hospital to recover and that sets the scene for Grofield's own spin-off series which starts with The Damsel (1967).
Narrator Stephen R. Thorne does a good job in all voices in this audiobook edition.
I had never previously read the Stark/Parker novels but became curious when they came up in my recent reading of The Writer's Library: The Authors You Love on the Books That Changed Their Lives (Sept. 2020) by Nancy Pearl & Jeff Schwager. Here is a (perhaps surprising) excerpt from their discussion with author Amor Towles:
Nancy: Do you read Lee Child?
Amor: I know Lee. I had never read his books until I met him, but now I read them whenever they come out. I think some of the decisions he makes are ingenious.
Jeff: Have you read the Parker books by Donald Westlake [writing as Richard Stark]?
Amor: I think the Parker books are an extraordinary series.
Jeff: They feel like a big influence on Reacher, right down to the name. Both Reacher and Parker have a singular focus on the task in front of them.
Amor: But Parker is amoral. Reacher is just dangerous.
Jeff: Right. Reacher doesn't have a conventional morality, but he has his own morality. Parker will do anything he has to do to achieve his goal.
Amor: But to your point, Westlake's staccato style with its great twists at the end the end of the paragraphs, and his mesmerizing central character - these attributes are clearly shared by the Reacher books.
The 24 Parker books are almost all available for free on Audible Plus, except for #21 & #22 which aren't available at all.
Trivia and Links
There is a brief plot summary of The Handle and of all the Parker books and adaptations at The Violent World of Parker website.
Although the 2011 Blackstone Audio Inc. audiobook edition shares the same cover art as the University of Chicago Press 2009 reprint, it does not include the Foreword by author Luc Sante. show less
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Author Donald E. Westlake was born in Brooklyn, New York on July 12, 1933. He attended colleges in New York, but did not graduate. He wrote more than 100 novels and 5 screenplays throughout his lifetime. He also wrote under numerous pseudonyms including Richard Stark, Tucker Coe, and Samuel Holt. Almost 20 of his novels were adapted into films and show more he created the television series, The Father Dowling Mysteries. He is a three-time winner of the Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America and was nominated for an Academy Award for his screenplay for The Grifters. He was also named a Mystery Writers of America Grand Master in 1993. He died of a heart attack on December 31, 2008 at the age of 75. (Bowker Author Biography) Donald E. Westlake has won three Edgar Awards & was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for "The Grifters". He lives in upstate New York. (Publisher Provided) show less
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- Canonical title
- The Handle
- Alternate titles
- Run Lethal
- Original publication date
- 1966
- People/Characters
- Parker; Alan Grofield
- First words
- When the engine stopped, Parker came up on deck for a look around.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)"That's right," Grofield said. "I'll be seeing you."
- Disambiguation notice
- The Handle a.k.a., Run Lethal
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- ISBNs
- 19
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