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Master criminal Parker and his cohorts return to an abandoned country church where they had been forced to abandon the spoils of a bank heist, an endeavor during which he drives an old choir van and works to outmaneuver foes on both sides of the law.Tags
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Parker yawned. “Nothing on the phone ever,” he said. “Except pizza.”
The final Parker book. The first half of which was pretty boring, with Parker almost a secondary character. Mostly just waiting around trying to collect the money from a recent heist. And even when the story picked up a little, there wasn't much action to be had. Definitely not the normal type of 'Parker' action. Sort of a bummer way to end an otherwise wonderful series.
Still, ends in true Parker fashion:
"If you leave me here," the guy on the floor said, "he'll kill me tomorrow morning."
Parker looked at him. "So you've still got tonight," he said.
Now, THAT'S the way to end the series!
The final Parker book. The first half of which was pretty boring, with Parker almost a secondary character. Mostly just waiting around trying to collect the money from a recent heist. And even when the story picked up a little, there wasn't much action to be had. Definitely not the normal type of 'Parker' action. Sort of a bummer way to end an otherwise wonderful series.
Still, ends in true Parker fashion:
"If you leave me here," the guy on the floor said, "he'll kill me tomorrow morning."
Parker looked at him. "So you've still got tonight," he said.
Now, THAT'S the way to end the series!
Look, you'll read this because it's an excellent example of genre fiction. Sure, you may choose to dress it up all fancy, maybe you refer to Parker as the existential noir antihero or something. You can talk about the raw amoral universe in which the book is set, where the code by which Parker and his associates live constitute some sort of ethical system. But you and me, we know the truth: these books are good, they don't need defending. They are simply good storytelling about an unusual protagonist in unusual situations. I can't remember the last bad Parker book – maybe The Black Ice Score (1968)? Certainly everything after the big Comeback (1998) has been good quality, and Dirty Money is no different.
The third book in a trilogy show more (starting with Nobody Runs Forever [2004] , followed by Ask the Parrot [2006]) describing what appears to be a couple of weeks in the life of Parker. If you're new to Parker, this is as good a starting place as any, because either you'll be disgusted and never want to read another book in the series, or you'll be hooked and want to read them all, and then re-read them. And probably again. Given the ambiguous in-print status of the Parker books, you'll probably never be able to read them in order anyway, so you may as well start here. show less
The third book in a trilogy show more (starting with Nobody Runs Forever [2004] , followed by Ask the Parrot [2006]) describing what appears to be a couple of weeks in the life of Parker. If you're new to Parker, this is as good a starting place as any, because either you'll be disgusted and never want to read another book in the series, or you'll be hooked and want to read them all, and then re-read them. And probably again. Given the ambiguous in-print status of the Parker books, you'll probably never be able to read them in order anyway, so you may as well start here. show less
Master thief Parker is back and events continue from the events in the last Parker outing, [b:Ask The Parrot|209198|Ask the Parrot|Richard Stark|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172699196s/209198.jpg|3847]. From that story, Parker and the surviving accomplices had to leave two million in marked bills stashed in an abandoned church in Western Massachusetts. Now one of those accomplices has escaped from police custody and Parker wants to get that money before he does. But the town is crawling with cops and wanted posters are cropping up with Parker's likeness on them. Of course, that's not the only complications.This is my twelfth Parker novel and they're short, briskly paced tales with a body count. Richard Stark is the name Donald show more Westlake uses for his lean, mean Parker tales. This one is the latest one published and it's a good one. show less
The last of Parker, one final lean, mean book, a masterclass in the art of crafting a hard-boiled crime novel, or, indeed, any kind of novel. So long, Stark.
Richard Stark's final Parker book (#24) and also the end of what was really a trilogy: Nobody Runs Forever, an armored car robbery, Ask The Parrot, Parker's narrow escape from the robbery, and Dirty Money, trying to recover the stolen loot. Nick Dalesia is arrested trying to spend some of the identified money, but manages to escape by killing a U.S. marshal. This motivates Parker and McWhitney to head back to the site of the crime, and recover the money stashed in an abandoned church mixed in with old hymnals. They team up with Sandra Loscalzo, whose P.I. partner was killed, who is an unknown quantity. Their clever plan begins to unravel when Dalesia shows up, Parker is identified, and McWhitney is double crossed. Yet, they pull off the show more recovery, forcing Parker to call some old pals to help clean the dirty money.
Sadly, the series ended prematurely with author Stark's death, leaving readers wondering about Parker's next escapade. Like others, I think the last books were all too long, with Stark having moved beyond his 200 page hard hitting thrillers to a longer, meandering format. I liked that Claire played a meaningful role in the finale. show less
Sadly, the series ended prematurely with author Stark's death, leaving readers wondering about Parker's next escapade. Like others, I think the last books were all too long, with Stark having moved beyond his 200 page hard hitting thrillers to a longer, meandering format. I liked that Claire played a meaningful role in the finale. show less
Dirty Money is number twenty four of Richard Stark's Parker series. It is the final Parker novel since Donald Westlake (aka Richard Stark) is gone and won't be writing any more.
Parker is a thief. Together with other professionals, he robs banks, armored cars, and casinos. He is ruthless, but not casually cruel. He kills when he has to, but doesn't like the extra heat that will draw.
In this novel, the story began in Nobody Runs Forever and continued in Ask the Parrot draws to a conclusion. It's not necessary to read the prior novels although it is helpful.
Parker and a few accomplices pulled off a daring bank robbery, pulling in over $2 million. However, the robbery went wrong, one of his partners got captured, and they had to leave the show more cash behind as the manhunt for the robbers tightened. This story is about returning for the cash and disposing of the tainted, numbered bills to an overseas buyer. And to top it off, Parker's identity has been blown and his likeness is plastered on wanted posters all over New England.
Get ready to be introduced to a multitude of characters whose paths keep crisscrossing. This includes the partner who was arrested and then escaped, killing an officer in the process, officers who have chased Parker in two other jurisdictions and know his face, a nosy reporter, and various persons who want either a cut of the money or the whole kit and caboodle.
There is plenty of action and humor as well, including the getaway vehicle being a van with "Holy Redeemer Choir" plastered on the side and Parker and his girlfriend Claire staying at the same B & B as various law enforcement types hunting for the bank robbers.
With Westlake's smooth writing style, this is a great read. Go for it. show less
Parker is a thief. Together with other professionals, he robs banks, armored cars, and casinos. He is ruthless, but not casually cruel. He kills when he has to, but doesn't like the extra heat that will draw.
In this novel, the story began in Nobody Runs Forever and continued in Ask the Parrot draws to a conclusion. It's not necessary to read the prior novels although it is helpful.
Parker and a few accomplices pulled off a daring bank robbery, pulling in over $2 million. However, the robbery went wrong, one of his partners got captured, and they had to leave the show more cash behind as the manhunt for the robbers tightened. This story is about returning for the cash and disposing of the tainted, numbered bills to an overseas buyer. And to top it off, Parker's identity has been blown and his likeness is plastered on wanted posters all over New England.
Get ready to be introduced to a multitude of characters whose paths keep crisscrossing. This includes the partner who was arrested and then escaped, killing an officer in the process, officers who have chased Parker in two other jurisdictions and know his face, a nosy reporter, and various persons who want either a cut of the money or the whole kit and caboodle.
There is plenty of action and humor as well, including the getaway vehicle being a van with "Holy Redeemer Choir" plastered on the side and Parker and his girlfriend Claire staying at the same B & B as various law enforcement types hunting for the bank robbers.
With Westlake's smooth writing style, this is a great read. Go for it. show less
Parker and the Loot Laundry
Review of the University of Chicago Press paperback edition (September 2017) of the original Mysterious Press hardcover (2008)
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.
Dirty Money is the conclusion to the 3-book saga of Nobody Runs Forever (2004) and Ask the Parrot (2006) and finds Parker trying to retrieve the cached loot from the armoured car heist in the 1st book. He is partnered with bar owner Nelson McWhitney and show more bounty hunter Sandra Loscalzo and somewhat surprisingly Parker's partner Claire plays a more significant role in the proceedings. The object is not only to retrieve the cash but also find a way to launder it as the bills are marked and not useable otherwise.
Although the plans seem to move along efficiently, the crew are constantly subject to identification from the police who are still on the hunt. Their escaped heister Nick Delasio also presents a threat as he has become a cop killer with nothing to lose. Various possible betrayals seem to be hinted at and McWhitney sets up his own possible money fence without telling the others. That brings an entirely new heist crew into the mix. As always, Parker has to salvage the best that he can out of the deal and the ending is abrupt but typical cold Parker mode. One is only left to wonder what an unwritten Parker #25 might have been, as Parker's face is now known to the authorities from several witness IDs. No continuation writer or series has ever been made, which is somewhat surprising these days in genre fiction.
These final Parker novels from #17 to #24 are stronger and more complex than the original run which was probably due to Westlake/Stark's development as a writer over the years and during the 23 year hiatus. Several of these are strong 4's to 5's (I've actually read or listened to all of them now and am just parceling out the reviews over time). #21 and #22 are my favourites of the Parker novels now that I've read them all. Ironically, they are the only ones not available as audiobooks for some reason.
Dirty Money (Parker #24) is the 3rd book of the final trio of Parker novels which are all tied together by the loot and the escape from one heist. This final Parker book was issued in 2008 and Donald Westlake (Richard Stark) passed at the end of that year.
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.
Other Reviews
There is an extremely detailed review and plot summary (in 3 parts) of Dirty Money (with spoilers obviously) at The Westlake Review, October 29, 2017.
Trivia and Links
The Dirty Money page at The Violent World of Parker website is not as complete as those for the earlier books, and only shows a few of the edition covers.
This paperback is part of the University of Chicago Press 2009-2017 series of reprints of the Parker novels and includes a new Foreword by author Laura Lippman . show less
Review of the University of Chicago Press paperback edition (September 2017) of the original Mysterious Press hardcover (2008)
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.
Dirty Money is the conclusion to the 3-book saga of Nobody Runs Forever (2004) and Ask the Parrot (2006) and finds Parker trying to retrieve the cached loot from the armoured car heist in the 1st book. He is partnered with bar owner Nelson McWhitney and show more bounty hunter Sandra Loscalzo and somewhat surprisingly Parker's partner Claire plays a more significant role in the proceedings. The object is not only to retrieve the cash but also find a way to launder it as the bills are marked and not useable otherwise.
Although the plans seem to move along efficiently, the crew are constantly subject to identification from the police who are still on the hunt. Their escaped heister Nick Delasio also presents a threat as he has become a cop killer with nothing to lose. Various possible betrayals seem to be hinted at and McWhitney sets up his own possible money fence without telling the others. That brings an entirely new heist crew into the mix. As always, Parker has to salvage the best that he can out of the deal and the ending is abrupt but typical cold Parker mode. One is only left to wonder what an unwritten Parker #25 might have been, as Parker's face is now known to the authorities from several witness IDs. No continuation writer or series has ever been made, which is somewhat surprising these days in genre fiction.
These final Parker novels from #17 to #24 are stronger and more complex than the original run which was probably due to Westlake/Stark's development as a writer over the years and during the 23 year hiatus. Several of these are strong 4's to 5's (I've actually read or listened to all of them now and am just parceling out the reviews over time). #21 and #22 are my favourites of the Parker novels now that I've read them all. Ironically, they are the only ones not available as audiobooks for some reason.
Dirty Money (Parker #24) is the 3rd book of the final trio of Parker novels which are all tied together by the loot and the escape from one heist. This final Parker book was issued in 2008 and Donald Westlake (Richard Stark) passed at the end of that year.
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 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.
Other Reviews
There is an extremely detailed review and plot summary (in 3 parts) of Dirty Money (with spoilers obviously) at The Westlake Review, October 29, 2017.
Trivia and Links
The Dirty Money page at The Violent World of Parker website is not as complete as those for the earlier books, and only shows a few of the edition covers.
This paperback is part of the University of Chicago Press 2009-2017 series of reprints of the Parker novels and includes a new Foreword by author Laura Lippman . show less
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268+ Works 27,812 Members
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
Some Editions
Series
Common Knowledge
- Original publication date
- 2008-04
- People/Characters
- Parker; Claire; Nelson McWhitney; Nick Dalesia; Sandra Loscalzo
- First words
- When the silver Toyota Avalon bumped down the dirt road out of the woods and across the railroad tracks, Parker put the Infiniti into low and stepped out onto the gravel.
- Blurbers
- Banville, John
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 275
- Popularity
- 117,351
- Reviews
- 12
- Rating
- (3.99)
- Languages
- English, German
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 17
- ASINs
- 7
