Nobody Runs Forever - by Richard Stark (Paperback)

About the Book

Originally published: New York, Mysterious Press, 2004.

Book Synopsis

An action-packed crime novel starring Parker, the heister starring in the forthcoming Shane Black film Play Dirty!

Richard Stark's Parker novels are the hardest of hard-boiled, classic crime novels where the heists are huge, the body counts are high, and the bad guys usually win.

The Parker novels have been a huge influence on countless writers and filmmakers, including Quentin Tarantino, Stephen King, George Pelecanos, Colson Whitehead, Lucy Sante, John Banville, and many more. Their stripped-down language and hard-as-nails amorality create an unforgettable world where the next score could be the big one, but your next mistake could also be your last. There's nothing else like them.

Nobody Runs Forever opens with a job at a poker game that sours into a necktie party. When Parker goes in on a messy scam-stealing an armored car-with someone he barely knows, as usual the amateurs get in the way of the job. From a nervous ex-con and his well-intentioned sister to a bank manager's two-timing wife and a beautiful, relentless cop, too many people have their hands too close to Parker's pie. Even when he sees the job turning bad, he can't let go of the score-and there just might be nowhere left to run . . .

Review Quotes

"Parker is refreshingly amoral, a thief who always gets away with the swag."--Stephen King "Entertainment Weekly"

"The Parker novels were very influential to [Reservoir Dogs]."--Quentin Tarantino

"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"

"Westlake/Stark is the cleanest of all noir novelists, a styleless stylist who gets to the point with stupendous economy, hustling you down the path of plot so briskly that you have to read his books a second time to appreciate the elegance and sober wit with which they are written."--Terry Teachout "Commentary"

"Whatever Stark writes, I read. He's a stylist, a pro, and I thoroughly enjoy his attitude."--Elmore Leonard

"Fiercely distracting . . . . Westlake is an expert plotter; and while Parker is a blunt instrument of a human being depicted in rudimentary short grunts of sentences, his take on other characters reveals a writer of great humor and human understanding."--John Hodgman ""Parade""

"Richard Stark's Parker crime novels are the ultimate page-turners."--Jonathan Ames "The Boston Globe"

"Blazingly written. . . . From the necktie party beginning to the flap-flap of police helicopters on his trail at the end, it's another thrill ride worth staying up all night and calling in sick tomorrow morning for, you nine-to-five bandit, you."-- "Austin Chronicle"

"Stark's careful control over every element results in a fascinating novel, a look at the true price of crime, and an opportunity to enjoy another book by this master writer."-- "School Library Journal"

"You just can't get good criminal help these days. That's what Stark's heist-meister Parker quickly discovers as he tries to make a score to repair his sagging finances. . . . Stark offers lots of bleak fun as well as intriguing physical details of the illegal variety and righteously sharp descriptions of people we pass every day on the street. . . . This stellar series just gets better and better."-- "Publishers Weekly, starred review"

"A cliffhanger. . . . A one-two punch . . . [with] impact and velocity."--James Wolcott "New York Times"

"Although Parker keeps his cool to the bitter end, it will probably be some time before he can pick up a hymnal without cringing."--Marilyn Stasio "New York Times"

About the Author

Richard Stark was one of the many pseudonyms of Donald E. Westlake (1933-2008), a prolific author of crime fiction. In 1993, the Mystery Writers of America bestowed the society's highest honor on Westlake, naming him a Grand Master. For a Parker character guide and infographics, visit Fifty Years of Parker, http: //parkerseries.uchicago.edu/.