Finished Ask the Parrot by Richard Stark (aka Donald Westlake).

It’s about Parker, the coolest, calmest, coldest thief ever. When we last saw Parker, in 2004’s Nobody Runs Forever, he was climbing up a hill, trying to evade the police.

Ask the Parrot picks up right where the last book left off. Parker gets to the top of the hill, where he runs into Tom Lindahl. Tom has a grudge against the racetrack where he used to work because he blew the whistle on some illegal activities there, and the higher-ups fired him. So, instead of turning Parker over to the police, Tom brings him in on his plan to rob the racetrack. Parker, needing some cash and a place to hide after the botched job of the last book, agrees. What follows are a series of twists and turns as Parker tries to keep one step ahead of the law — and some local folks who are just a little too interested in him.

I really enjoyed this book … until the third part. Then, Stark veers away from Parker’s point of view and delves into what the other characters are thinking and doing. We don’t get to see Parker for several chapters. There’s even a chapter from the parrot’s point of view. It was … strange. But Stark got back on track in the last fifty pages, and Parker got to go through with the racetrack job. With a few complications, of course. 🙂

This is one of my all-time favorite series. I love heist books, and Stark delivers plenty of thrills and chills throughout the course of the Parker series. There are double-crosses and botched robberies and successul getaways galore. Oh yeah, lots of people die, too. If you like hard-boiled crime with a memorable anti-hero, you’ll like the Parker books.

So, thumbs-up.

What about you? What are you reading right now? Inquiring minds want to know …