Synopses & Reviews
You probably havent ever noticed them. But theyve noticed you. They notice
everything. Thats their job. Sitting quietly in a nondescript car outside a bank making note of the tellers work habits, the positions of the security guards. Lagging a few car lengths behind the Brinks truck on its daily rounds. Surreptitiously jiggling the handle of an unmarked service door at the racetrack.
Theyre thieves. Heisters, to be precise. Theyre pros, and Parker is far and away the best of them. If youre planning a job, you want him in. Tough, smart, hardworking, and relentlessly focused on his trade, he is the heisters heister, the robbers robber, the heavys heavy. You dont want to cross him, and you dont want to get in his way, because hell stop at nothing to get what hes after.
Parker, the ruthless antihero of Richard Starks eponymous mystery novels, is one of the most unforgettable characters in hardboiled noir. Lauded by critics for his taut realism, unapologetic amorality, and razor-sharp prose-style—and adored by fans who turn each intoxicating page with increasing urgency—Stark is a master of crime writing, his books as influential as any in the genre. The University of Chicago Press has embarked on a project to return the early volumes of this series to print for a new generation of readers to discover—and become addicted to. Parker goes under the knife in The Man with the Getaway Face, changing his face to escape the mob and a contract on his life. Along the way he scores his biggest heist yet: an armored car in New Jersey, stuffed with cash.
“Westlake knows precisely how to grab a reader, draw him or her into the story, and then slowly tighten his grip until escape is impossible.”—Washington Post Book World
“Elmore Leonard wouldnt write what he does if Stark hadnt been there before. And Quentin Tarantino wouldnt write what he does without Leonard. . . . Old master that he is, Stark does all of them one better.”—Los Angeles Times
“Donald Westlakes Parker novels are among the small number of books I read over and over. Forget all that crap youve been telling yourself about War and Peace and Proust—these are the books youll want on that desert island.”—Lawrence Block
Review
"Whatever Stark writes, I read. He's a stylist, a pro, and I thoroughly enjoy his attitude." Elmore Leonard
Review
"Elmore Leonard wouldn't write what he does if Stark hadn't been there before. And Quentin Tarantino wouldn't write what he does without Leonard....Old master that he is, Stark does all of them one better." Los Angeles Times
Synopsis
In New York there was a contract on his life. In Nebraska there was an unscrupulous plastic surgeon guarded by a punch-drunk fighter. And somewhere in New Jersey there was an armored car stuffed with money. In the middle of it all was Parker.
Parker goes under the knife in The Man with the Getaway Face, changing his face to escape the mob and a contract on his life. Along the way he scores his biggest heist yet, but there's a catch — a busty, dangerous catch named Alma.
About the Author
Richard Stark is one of the many pseudonyms of Donald E. Westlake, prolific author of noir crime fiction. In 1993 the Mystery Writers of America bestowed the society's highest honor on Westlake, naming him a Grand Master.