As those of you who read the blog know, I keep a running tab of all the books I’ve read. I’m up to 850 so far. I finished a book this weekend I’d already read (although I don’t remember reading it before). So, to keep the numbers right between my database and blog, I’m going to review this one without giving it a number. Make sense? 

Anyway, I finished The Jugger by Richard Stark (aka Donald E. Westlake). This is one in his long-running series about Parker, a professional thief who’d just as soon kill you as look at you if you get in his way.

In this one, Parker travels to the Midwest to check on an old safeman (a jugger) named Joe Sheer who’s gotten into some trouble. When Parker gets to town, Joe’s dead, and there are several people looking for the old man’s money stash, including a greedy cop. Parker has to find a way to smooth over the situation — especially when other people start turning up dead.

I didn’t particularly like the framing device in this one. Parker starts out in the middle of the action and only later do we get to see what brought him to town in the first place. There’s also a lot of flashbacks used to describe the relationship between the greedy cop and Joe Sheer.

Overall, not Stark’s (Westlake’s) best effort, but Parker is always entertaining — especially watching him figure all the angles and take the one that works out best for him.

So, thumbs up. 

Up next: The Seventh by Richard Stark.