Okay, I'll admit it, I've never read a Donald Westlake book. I have The Hot Rock, which I picked up last year but I just can't seem to get into it. Perhaps it was all the talk about how hysterical this book was, or how funny Westlake writes, but the beginning of this book just didn't speak to me at all. I had the same problem with the movie version, too, just couldn't get into it.
I do want want to read some Westlake books and the Parker series which is discussed endlessly on Rara-Avis might be more to my taste. Then I read the Thrilling Detective blog and Kevin mentioned the Mitch Tobin series Westlake wrote as Tucker Coe and these sound even more wonderful. So I will be on the lookout for a few of these and will once again give Westlake a try.
Any suggestions from some of his fans would be deeply appreciated.
6 comments:
I started reading Westlake about ten years ago with COMEBACK and I'm partial to these Richard Stark novels. The Tucker Coe books would be a very close second.
In the early 1980s I read two of his Starship hopeful short stories and found them entertaining. You might go to his website: donaldwestlake.com to read the science fiction stories there and some other excerpts to give you a better feel of his writing style.
Once you've read one of Westlake's Dortmunder books, whether it's The Hot Rock or a different title, the other Dortmunder books automatically get funnier, because you've learned the quirks of Dortmunder and his gang. I started in the middle of the series and have been working in both directions. Makes no difference, they're all funny, but the first one you read will be the least funny because you do have to spend the time to get to know the characters. Also, if you stay with the books Westlake will spin the tales in directions you never expect.
Conversely, if you don't really like funny crime capers, the Parker series, written under the Richard Stark pseudonym, are concise, brutal, and quick reads.
It's all good.
I recommend finding the first Parker novel and working your way through them in chronological order. This is what I did. Some of the books are hard to find, but I with the help of my local library I was able to track them all down. Plus the first three were just reissued and the next three will be coming out soon.
A good website devoted to the Parker novels is right here:
http://violentworldofparker.com/
I'd try The Ax. Not part of a series and boy, it's riveting.
Thank you, everyone, for your suggestions. I will be on the lookout for Westlakes's (Stark, Coe's) books and will try The Hot Rock again.
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