Slayground: A Parker Novel (Parker Novels)

There's only ever been 3 books that I've read in say two sittings, one of these was The Friends Of Eddie Coyle. The Drop & No Country For Old Men. Now I have a 4th to add to this list. Richard Stark is a genre all of his own. This is fast paced hard-boiled crime fiction at its best. To often authors promise, but when you get down to it there's like a paragraph of the real stuff and the rest is boring page filling stuff. Think about this? With all the crime authors out there why only one ''Richard Stark'' who delivers a heist man as hard as nails? book after book. So these days I stay clear of the middle class of the road type of crime fiction. Stark every time. 5/5

I enjoyed Slayground. It's the 14th in the series.As in all Parker novels, crime is a business. Not good. Not bad.Parker's objective is always someone else's money...usually enough to live on for a year or so. There are no moral judgments. Parker is just as bad as he seems. He possesses a professional code of honor: loyalty and respect for fellow professional thieves with whom he has worked in the past. He is deeply suspicious of new amateurish thieves. He's violent without hesitation but only if he needs to be. He misses nothing. And no Parker novel would be complete without the double-cross.Parker is impatient with small-talk. He talks only if it serves a purpose. Odd to think that the untalkative Parker reserves for himself the most difficult task of handling people--both fellow thieves as well as the victims.A Parker story generally has these parts: 1) Planning the heist and assembling the team, 2) carrying out the heist that sometimes goes bad, 3) getting away, and 4) dealing with a double-cross. In Slayground, it is mostly surviving the getaway against impossible odds.In Slayground, Parker the thug becomes Rambo. Parker is trapped in a closed-for-the-winter amusement park with a gun and a bag of cash from a heist gone bad. Parker doesn't realize it at first, but Parker is trapped in the park, and there is only one way in and out of the park.The main story begins when Parker is seen entering the park with a bag of cash minutes after a heist that had gone terribly wrong (for Parker). Unbeknownst to Parker, the park is owned by the local mobster Al Lozini, the regional boss. The mob puts two and two together, takes matters into their own hands, and no surprise does not report Parker's whereabouts to the police. Parker becomes the prey. Parker figures this out quickly when police do not show at the amusement park despite being seen going in.The rest of the story is Parker overcoming impossible odds: a well-armed mob, couple of corrupt local police, winter cold, and being out-gunned. It's classic Parker because the mob has no idea of the buzz saw they walked into in pursuit of Parker. Parker uses his wits, violence, and ruthlessness to counter the mobsters.

Parker is trapped with a suitcase full of money on the inside and the (other) bad guys on the outside. The premise for this rollercoaster of a novel is as simple, and as fanciful, as can be, with the odds stacked against our protagonist and little time to waste on characterisation or plot. There are better, tougher, Parker novels but that won't bother any reader flying through this one.

Richard Stark was one of the many pseudonyms of Donald E. Westlake (1933-2008), who was a very prolific, and acclaimed, noir crime fiction writer. The Mystery Writers of America bestowed their Grand Master award on Westlake in 1993, and if Slayground is representative of the Westlake's quality of writing and storylines he certainly deserved the Grand Master award. Slayground: A Parker Novel was first published in 1969 after Stark (Westlake) had published dozens of novels about the tough and determined thief. Parker reconnoitered and planned his thefts very carefully. He also tried to choose his companion thieves very carefully. However, unexpected obstacles or glitches can turn the most carefully planned capers into a test of survival skills even for a consummate professional thief like Parker. Perhaps the trait that made Parker so amazing was his ability to accept those unexpected glitches without panic. He was not someone who was overcome by fear, agony, or self-pity when he found himself in desperate situations. Instead he was able to simply accept his difficult situations and respond analytically to extricate himself from dangerous situations. He was indeed tough (hardboiled), but he didn't use violence unless it was necessary for a successful heist or to extract himself from dangerous situations. In Slayground, Parker and two accomplices rob over $70,000 from an armored truck, but things go wrong when their escape vehicle crashes on an icy street during their escape. The two accomplices are injured and Parker flees alone on foot with the bag of money. He takes refuge in a closed-for-the-winter amusement park/fun house as a temporary hideout. However, he realizes that four people, including two policemen, saw him entering the park with the bag of money. He also discovers that the park is surrounded by a high fence and a moat on all sides but the front. The only way out is through the front gate. When no police attempt to capture him, he realizes that the men who saw him enter the amusement park intend to probably kill him and take the money for themselves. Unfortunately, the men, including the two policemen, are connected to the mob and they come after him with many reinforcements toting weapons. Parker is alone, cold, hungry, with a gun, but only a few bullets. This story places Parker in a position that seems impossible for him to survive. He realizes that he may not survive, but he steadfastly prepares to face, punish, and eliminate his foes with his wits and whatever resources he can find in the amusement park. He doesn't hate his enemies, but he does what he knows he must do to survive without any regrets. This is a thrilling, fun, and quick read. I plan to read other Parker novels in the future and I recommend Slayground to any crime-fiction aficionado, especially to those who enjoy the perspective of the criminal. However, don't expect deep thoughts from Parker because he is not that kind of guy. This edition of Slayground also contains an interesting forward written by Charles Ardai about Westlake and the Parker novels.

A real classic of this type. I found this author after watching the film Parker and decided to try the books in the series. I am so pleased I did. It had me turning the pages as he fought and plotted his way out of the different situations he found himself in. Well worth a read.