I still remember how the film “Grifters” freaked me out. Showed how reality could be more creepy than any horror film. Glad he got credit for how great that script made the film.

While I never got into much of his stuff, I did enjoy the early Parker series.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/02/books/02westlake.html?_r=2

I saw some people post Westlake/Stark among their favorites authors in that thread so i thought post this here.

This news hit me hard cause Westlake was my favorite crime writer thanks mostly the great Parker books.  To know that Westlake is gone is horrible.

I admired him greatly for the awesome Parker books.  They cost me alot in second but worth it.  Parker,his world is one of a kind in crime fiction.

I don’t know if this has been posted, here’s an interview with Elmore Leonard and Donald Westlake.

http://www.wgaeast.org/fileadmin/user_upload/files/OW_28_05.pdf

There’s an html version here:

http://74.125.47.132/search?q=cache:s2BPQDE94loJ:www.wgaeast.org/fileadmin/user_upload/files/OW_28_05.pdf+Donald+Westlake+NPR&hl;=en&ct;=clnk&cd;=6≷=us

Sarah Weinman has listed a lot of the Donald Westlake tributes onher blog (many people are saying the NYT obit isn’t very good):
http://www.sarahweinman.com/confessions/2009/01/donald-westlake-rip.html

Thanks for the interview, John. 

This was one of the best I have ever read with Mr. Leonard.  I think having Mr. Westlake there really allowed for more depth to his answers.  He is usually on a panel with authors 20-40 years younger.

Good stuff.  I have read very little Westlake.  I will now.

I haven’t read much Westlake, either, and as soon as I get through these George V. Higgins I’m going to start.

I do remember reading one, Deadly Edge, one of his Richard Stark novels which opens with the robbery of a rock concert in New York that I think was based on Led Zeppelin getting robbed in the early 70’s. Something like $180,000 in cash was stolen, either from Madison Square Gardens where the concert was happening, or the hotel, I forget the actual story. But I remember the robbery scene in the book is terrific.

This is a good website about Westlake’s Parker books: http://www.violentworldofparker.com/

Agreed, Robb: Thanks for a great link to the interview, John.
It’s a great read.

I haven’t read any Westlake. I’ll have to do something about that.

If you like Hardboiled fiction about criminals you will like his books as Richard Stark and Westlake.  Stark are dark ones and his Drummond series is more comic.  It was fun the books i have read.

I think Parker himself should appeal to any EL fan who likes interesting charcters.

All of his Richard Stark books are returning to print. They re printed three last year and they are going to do three more a year until they are all back in print.

Yep which sucks for me since i paid 30$ per book for second hand versions of every of first 7 Parker books.  They dont exist in sweden as second hand, so i bought the cheapest ones i found on the internet….

Year later you can buy them in cheap,new paperbacks

Thank you, John, for the link to the Writer’s Guild interview with Dutch and the late-great Donald E. Westlake.  I was not aware DEW worked on the screenplay(s) for RED HARVEST and the Eric Ambler novel.
The Richard Stark books are tremendous reads and should appeal to any of us who appreciate great writing.  Thanks again.

Parker - 08 January 2009 11:53 PM

Yep which sucks for me since i paid 30$ per book for second hand versions of every of first 7 Parker books.  They dont exist in sweden as second hand, so i bought the cheapest ones i found on the internet….

Year later you can buy them in cheap,new paperbacks

Yeah, I guess that’s a pisser for you. But, you had the pleasure of tracking down, and reading the books that you were after. That’s a great experience, I think; however much you pay.

For the rest of us, or those, like myself, that have never read Westlake, these reprints provide a great opportunity to experience a ‘new’ writer.

Your collection must be a good one.

Jade - 17 January 2009 12:11 AM

Parker - 08 January 2009 11:53 PM

Yep which sucks for me since i paid 30$ per book for second hand versions of every of first 7 Parker books.  They dont exist in sweden as second hand, so i bought the cheapest ones i found on the internet….

Year later you can buy them in cheap,new paperbacks

Yeah, I guess that’s a pisser for you. But, you had the pleasure of tracking down, and reading the books that you were after. That’s a great experience, I think; however much you pay.

For the rest of us, or those, like myself, that have never read Westlake, these reprints provide a great opportunity to experience a ‘new’ writer.

Your collection must be a good one.

I dont regret anything since you can see my nick how much Parker,Richard Stark is to me.  Sure the books cost more than twice a regular new paperback but the reading joy i got from them was amazing and i didnt think twice before getting more of them.  Heck i read the first 7 books in the less than two months cause i had to wait for the orders

My collection of the books are good.  But i have promised to give away them in bookmooch to people who wants to try Parker books.  Im doing them a favor insead of selling the books like others do.

I will change all of them for the new paperbacks in my shelf.  2010 i cant wait for cause then the new paperback releases has catched up to the 8th book and thats where im in the series.

Lemons never lie is now on the way to me.
It will be the first Stark/Westlake book for me; I’ll let you know what I think.

You do know its not about Parker ?  I havent read that book yet but i do hope its as hardboiled as other Stark books so you can see what makes Stark so good.

Parker - 10 February 2009 12:42 PM

You do know its not about Parker ?  I havent read that book yet but i do hope its as hardboiled as other Stark books so you can see what makes Stark so good.

It was about the only title in stock at Amazon JP.
It just arrived, and guess whose endorsment appears on the cover….. Yup, Mr. Leonard’s.

“Whatever Stark writes, I read.” - Elmore Leonard.

Here’s the cover.