Firebreak - Parker Novels
Author: Richard Stark

When the telephone rang, Parker was out in the garage killing a man. Someone from his past had hired a soon-to-be-departed assassinand Parker wasnt one to give a guy a second chance. But where theres one cockroach, a whole nest isnt far behind. Now, with one eye over his shoulder, Parkers gotta keep focused on the project at hand: breaking into a computer moguls compound to retrieve some priceless, purloined works of art. Parker is feeling the pressure, but thankfully, hes always at his dead-on best when hes got a deadline.

Donald Westlake was a very talented and prolific author of crime fiction who passed away in 2008. He wrote under his own name as well as the pen name Richard Stark. I have read several of his novels including some in the Dortmunder series which I really enjoy. The Dortmunder novels are about a thief and his gang and include a lot of humor thrown in. On the other hand, the Parker novels written under the name Richard Stark are a lot more gritty and hard core.

FIREBREAK is the first Parker novel that I have read and I thought it was a really good action noir novel. The novel starts out with Parker killing a man in his garage who was a hired assassin out to do away with Parker. The story actually has Parker dealing with two jobs. First, he has to find out who sent the hit man to kill him and why. Then he gets a call from a cohort who has a plan to rob a remote lodge owned by a billionaire in Montana. The lodge contains a fortune in gold fixtures including toilets and sinks but also contains a secret room housing stolen art treasures. Parker teams up with a crew to do the heist in Montana which includes an ex-con named Lloyd who is a computer whiz and who can crack the lodge's alarm system. But Lloyd also seems to be a loose cannon who could blow up at any minute.

I really enjoyed this one and will be looking to read more in this series if I can find them. The Parker character has also been featured in a few movies including Point Blank starring Lee Marvin which was based on the first Parker novel and the 2013 movie Parker which starred Jason Statham and Jennifer Lopez. I recently saw and enjoyed the Parker movie and I remember seeing Point Blank years ago and will be looking forward to seeing it again.

Leaving at the LFL. Hope someone will enjoy it.

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