Flashfire

Parker, Book 19

By: Richard Stark

Narrated by: Mark Peckham

The basis for the movie Parker, starring Jason Stratham and Jennifer Lopez!

Between Parker's 1961 debut and his return in the late 1990s, the world of crime changed considerably. Now fake IDs and credit cards have to be purchased from specialists; increasingly sophisticated policing makes escape and evasion tougher; and, worst of all, money has gone digital - the days of cash-stuffed payroll trucks were long gone.

But cash isn't everything, and now Parker's after a fortune in jewels. In Flashfire, Parker's in West Palm Beach, competing with a crew that has an unhealthy love of explosions. When things go sour, Parker finds himself shot and trapped - and forced to rely on a civilian to survive.

©2000 Richard Stark (P)2012 AudioGO, Ltd.

Tight story; no BS

What’s to dislike; I’ve got nothing else to say other than there’s a 15 word minimum that’s required for this review.

Made me actually laugh out loud with delight

This has all the grit and toughness of any great Parker novel. But for me, who has not yet read all of them yet, although I’ve read a few, it has some added features that I loved.

While there is often humor in Donald Westlake‘s work particularly the Dortmunder novels, and it even peaks out here and there in the Parker novels, for me this one had more, but it fits so well. It was not like Dortmunder humor. It fit the Parker character perfectly. This may become one of my favorites if not my favorite of all of them.

And there’s also an element in this particular novel, that added a lot for me. I won’t say what it is, because maybe it’s a spoiler for some people. It would have been a spoiler for me if I knew about it before hand. It’s really not a plot element, as much as a character element. And I found it delightful. While I’d like to write more about it here, I’m going to save it for something else, because it would be I think a spoiler for some people. But it made the book even better for me, and I like all of the Parker books that I have read so far. I think I’ve read about five or six of them. I have all of them as part of my Audible membership it seems, so I look forward to listening to the rest.

And as far as the listening, the reader is awesome. He does some really interesting subtle things, including coming up with his own “stage directions“, but also uses the subtle ones that are written into the book, that after listening, seem obvious as a good use of the writing to decide what voice to use. The careful listener, and experienced reader, will probably pick up on what I mean. This is definitely a five star book all around, and I will probably read it multiple times. Especially since these Parker novels, aren’t very long. Well worth listening to multiple times, even at different speeds both slower and faster. Highest recommendation

Where’s the money?

Another great story, stronger than the last I want to say. Don’t know how Stark does it.

Tit for Tat!

An acquaintance of Parker introduces him to three pros who are looking for a fourth (sounds like a round of golf) to do a job. After the job, if they like him they’ll tell him about another bigger job they have planned. Of course, they like him and they tell him about a large jewelry heist in Palm Beach. Parker says no, they try to convince him, he says no. They need all the money for expenses on the job they have planned. They had hoped Parker would go in with them. They give Parker ten percent of his take for the job they just did, implicitly threaten him, and walk out. Parker has two months before their job. So much for the setup of the story. So, you all know how this is going to go, right? LOL. Parker needs cash, guns, clothes, and a car. All presentable for Palm Beach. During his cash grab, he burglarized nine houses for $120,000 cash. That’s more than he usually gets doing a job! Cripes, he could just do that every month with much less risk. Parker ran into some serious trouble that put him out of commission for a while but he still had a few days before the robbery. Luckily, he had some help. A pretty real estate agent named Leslie had shown him some houses and condos in the area. Not only was she pretty, but smart, quick on the uptake, and interested in Parker. The time for the robbery was approaching. This is a very good story, a bit different than the others. Parker’s ingenuity once again shines through. The real estate agent Leslie plays a major role in the tale, and a small-town sheriff from Snake River plays a minor, but interesting role. I liked this one a lot.

Narrator kills it

Other than David Dukes, this is the worst narrator on planet earth. Zero recognition of the source material. They should have to prove they know the books when reading a series.