J
JAMESBJOHNSON
Guest
BACKFLASH by Donald Westlake
At 304 pages its a long Parker novel, too long for my taste.
Westlake proved how to make formula writing endure forever. The first Parker novel came out in 1960, and the last one was published in 2005. There are 24 titles. All are virtually identical in form and substance. Only W.E.B. Griffin played it longer, and then his son took over the writing.
Westlake's books are filled with twists and surprises, always include double-crosses and treacheries, and features plenty of criminal factoids and psychological insights about people minus navel gazing, soul searching, or second-guessing.
THE STORY: The book begins with Parker inside a wrecked car with a dying accomplice. They and others were fleeing from a caper where they robbed the army of cash and weapons. The accomplice then wrecked the car and Parker gets away with the money. Normally Parker shoots his wounded but the accomplice begs for his life and Parker spares him, thinking the guy is about dead anyway.
Soon enough Parker gets a call from a man wanting to hire Parker to rob a gambling boat. And the rest of the book is about the heist and the double-crosses. Lets just say Parker shoulda shot his accomplice back at the wreck. The man died soon after the wreck but not soon enough.
At 304 pages its a long Parker novel, too long for my taste.
Westlake proved how to make formula writing endure forever. The first Parker novel came out in 1960, and the last one was published in 2005. There are 24 titles. All are virtually identical in form and substance. Only W.E.B. Griffin played it longer, and then his son took over the writing.
Westlake's books are filled with twists and surprises, always include double-crosses and treacheries, and features plenty of criminal factoids and psychological insights about people minus navel gazing, soul searching, or second-guessing.
THE STORY: The book begins with Parker inside a wrecked car with a dying accomplice. They and others were fleeing from a caper where they robbed the army of cash and weapons. The accomplice then wrecked the car and Parker gets away with the money. Normally Parker shoots his wounded but the accomplice begs for his life and Parker spares him, thinking the guy is about dead anyway.
Soon enough Parker gets a call from a man wanting to hire Parker to rob a gambling boat. And the rest of the book is about the heist and the double-crosses. Lets just say Parker shoulda shot his accomplice back at the wreck. The man died soon after the wreck but not soon enough.
