When Donald Westlake adopted the pseudonym of Richard Stark and wrote the Parker novels, which follow a master thief through a series of bloody heists and betrayals, he pulled off a magic trick. The novels reveal precious little about Parker—not even his full name, much less a detailed family history—and yet he remains a compelling…
When asked about my Caitlin Strong series, I always describe them as modern-day westerns. And, in fact, the thriller form itself owes a great deal of its heritage to that genre. Having grown up with the films of Audie Murphy and Roy Rogers—not to mention classics like Shane, The Magnificent Seven, and High Noon along…
I’ve been a consumer of countless crime fiction novels, films, and television for most of my life now—from eras ranging from Raymond Chandler to Elmore Leonard to Dennis Lehane—yet still I find myself pausing to ask this bleeding question: what the hell does neo-noir ever mean? Most commonly, people refer to neo-noir as anything that…
Parker has become one of the most celebrated characters in crime fiction. Over the course of 24 novels spanning four decades, this tough-talking, tougher-acting thief bulldozed his way through the years, never losing sight of his unique code of conduct. In the debut Parker novel, The Hunter from 1962, we meet a man who virtually…
“When the phone rang, Parker was in the garage, killing a man.” -Richard Stark, Firebreak When a book has an opening line like the one shown above, you’re compelled to rip through the rest of the novel straightaway, as if it were the most delicious hamburger you’ve ever tasted. The prolific Donald E. Westlake is…
An observation I had in my years working for Sports Illustrated: athletes and the heroes of crime fiction have much in common, but most simply this—a ruthless clarity of purpose and an ability to perform at their best when the action reaches its climax. Below I’ve assembled a football team populated by great characters from…
It’s me again, kittens. Your friendly neighborhood Bibliotherapist, and believe me when I tell you that I know what’s ailing you. Yes, you. And you, too. Gather round, chumps and listen up. As I write this now, we are out of salt, out of sand, and out of patience. I love the winter. Really, I…
Parker: Slayground by writer and artist Darwyn Cooke continues his award-winning graphic adaptations of the Parker series of hardboiled crime novels by Richard Stark (available December 24, 2013). I will freely admit that I haven’t read nearly enough of either author involved in this excellent graphic novel adaptation, though I have been a big fan…
We pointed out that seemingly irresisitible combination of women and dead bodies! Whether you already follow Tess Gerritsen’s novels about Boston Detective Jane Rizzoli and medical examiner Maura Isles, or are new to the series, people keep finding things to like about TNT’s Rizzoli and Isles. The show just got monster ratings for its season…
On the heels of the overwhelmingly negative reaction to Paramount’s idea for Lee Child’s creation, that is, casting Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher, we have a new casting decision to announce for yet another icon in the world of crime fiction. According to Deadline New York, director Taylor Hackford is close to finalizing U.S. distribution…
