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Title: Firebreak

Subtitle: A Parker Novel, Book 20

Author: Richard Stark

Narrator: Stephen R. Thorne

Format: Unabridged

Length: 6 hrs and 6 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-01-13

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 12 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Modern Detective

Publisher's Summary:

Between Parkers 1961 debut and his return in the late 1990s, the world of crime changed considerably. Now fake IDs and credit cards had to be purchased from specialists; increasingly sophisticated policing made escape and evasion tougher; and, worst of all, money had gone digital - the days of cash-stuffed payroll trucks were long gone. Firebreak takes Parker to a palatial Montana "hunting lodge" where a dot-com millionaire hides a gallery of stolen old masters - which will fetch Parker a pretty penny if his team can just get it past the mansions tight security. The forests of Montana are an inhospitable place for a heister when well-laid plans fall apart, but no matter how untamed the wilderness, Parkers guaranteed to be the most dangerous predator around.

Critic Reviews:

"Parkerlumbers through the pages of Richard Starks noir novels scattering dead bodies like peanut shellsIn a complex world [he] makes things simple." (New York Times)

"Whatever Stark writes, I read. Hes a stylist, a pro, and I thoroughly enjoy his attitude." (Elmore Leonard, New York Times best-selling author)

"Parker is a true treasureThe master thief is back, along with Richard Stark." (New York Times Book Review)

Members Reviews:

2 stars. I kept getting distracted.

My mind wandered.

There seemed to be more characters than normal in this book. Toward the end I was confused about some of them. Maybe because a lot was going on in my personal life. Or maybe the book wasnt as good as others in the series.

There are two stories. The better story is about a hit man after Parker. Its a continuation with Paul and Max who Parker met in Bk 12 The Sour Lemon Score. I loved the scene where Parker gets to them. It reminded me of feelings of fear in the movie Jaws.

The second story is about stealing art from a hunting lodge in Montana. An interesting part of that story was Parker interacting with a young-computer-hacker-genius. But the rest of the story about the heist was muddled. It might be better read than listened to. Not sure.

I was disappointed that the 2011 Forward by Terry Teachout was in the physical book but not in this audiobook. Ive enjoyed all the forwards in this series.

The narrator Stephen R. Thorne was good, but I wish he had a rougher, darker, more menacing voice for Parker. His Parker voice was too clean cut and normal sounding.

THE SERIES:

This is book 20 in the 24 book series. These stories are about bad guys. They rob. They kill. Theyre smart. Most dont go to jail. Parker is the main bad guy, a brilliant strategist. He partners with different guys for different jobs in each book.

If you are new to the series, I suggest reading the first three and then choose among the rest. A few should be read in order since characters continue in a sequel fashion. Those are listed below (with my star ratings). The rest can be read as stand alones.

The first three books in order:

4 stars. The Hunter (Point Blank movie with Lee Marvin 1967) (Payback movie with Mel Gibson)

3 stars. The Man with the Getaway Face (The Steel Hit)

4 stars. The Outfit.

Read these two in order:

5 stars. Slayground (Bk #14)

5 stars. Butchers Moon (Bk #16)

Read these four in order:

4 stars. The Sour Lemon Score (Bk #12)

2 stars. Firebreak (Bk #20)

(not read) Nobody Runs Forever (Bk #22)

2 stars.