The Hunter (Parker #1) (1962)

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by Richard Stark AKA Donald Westlake



Betrayed and left for dead by his wife and a partner after a heist, Par︆ker goes on the warpath to get revenge and recover $80,000 in 1960s money, leaving a trail of dead bodies in his wake. 



Writing as Richard Stark, Donald Westlake introduced one of the great characters of hard-boiled crime fiction. 

Donald Westlake


Par︆ker himself is a cipher with only slightly more depth than the Terminator and just about as much humanity.

 


The cast of characters arrayed against him are given more dimension, but that doesn’t make them any less despicable, so it is quite satisfying to see Par︆ker come among and wreak havoc.

 


But just in case we’re in danger of liking Par︆ker too much, Westlake shows us that the accidental killing of an innocent bystander phases him not one bit. 



Parker’s direct, brutal approach is a welcome change from crime novels that focus more on the intricacies of a complex plot.



"At Point Blank Range" (Spanish)



"Anonymous Carrion" (Italian)

"The Gang" (Portuguese)

"Bank to Parker Ferries" (Finnish)

"Pay" (Russian)

"Dude" (Estonian)

"The Hunter" (Romanian)

"Point Blank" (Bengali)

"Checkout" (Persian)


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