Pulp Fiction discussion

Picked up a hardback copy of his 1972 novel Cops and Robbers at the Goodwill store yeasterday.The price was right and the synopsis on the dust jacket made it sound interesting. I'm familiar with a few of the movies based on his books, but I've never read any of his novels regardless of which name appears on the book. I understand the man had like eighteen pen-names. So it's been a month of firsts for me. I just got into reading the Travis McGee books and now I'm going to try Westlake on for size.

oh sure Richard Stark is forever appearing on my recommendations but i'm yet to open the omnibus that i picked up a few months ago.

Yeah I have that problem. Or perhaps this isn't a problem for you. Too many books and not enough time. We (the family) are going to Germany in a few weeks and will be there for a few weeks. SO I'm taking several paperbacks to read. Threadbare worn out used books that I can read ,and if a few of them have to stay behind in Europe to make room for purchases in the suitcase, so be it. At least I'll be able to catch up on some of my reading. Television won't be a distraction since I don't know much German. And we're not part of a tour group. We have friends over there and we're renting a car so there will be downtime.

Checkman wrote: "Yeah I have that problem. Or perhaps this isn't a problem for you. Too many books and not enough time. We (the family) are going to Germany in a few weeks and will be there for a few weeks. SO I'm ..."

possibly wrong place (and too late) to recommend but Philip Kerr's Bernie Gunther novels are what made us pick Germany (and Vienna) for this years holiday. top quality noir.

and yes i think i only have 500 books to read (that i've bought already) at the moment. working in a secondhand book store does that to you i guess.

strangely not once have i seen a Don Westlake book come through in the last 18 months.

Well maybe it means that people hold onto his books.

Checkman wrote: "Well maybe it means that people hold onto his books."

i think you might be right, there are a few authors we just never see because people can't stand to part with them/have read them to pieces. ideally westlake falls in to this category.

Over the years, I have read quite a few of Westlake's books including most of the Dortmunder series. I found his work to be uneven. Some of his novels were comic masterpieces; others weren't worth the paper they were written on. Two of my favorites were Drowned Hopes and Dancing Aztecs.

I greatly prefer the books he wrote as Richard Stark to the ones he wrote under his own name. That being said, I've read 35 Stark/Westlake books.

There is a terrific Westlake novel called The Ax about a jobless man looking for work and trying to eliminate the competition. It's one of those books you can't put down, and really hits on the stress of being unemployed and willing to do almost anything for a job.

Checkman wrote: "Picked up a hardback copy of his 1972 novel Cops and Robbers at the Goodwill store yeasterday.The price was right and the synopsis on the dust jacket made it sound interesting. I'm familiar with a ..."

Cops and Robbers is not a real book, its very week Westlake because he wrote it as script and they remade to novel to sell with his name.

I see you like noir books and Westlake is legendary for his Richard Stark penname. Parker series starting with The Hunter is seminal work in the field. Made into comics,movie and re-realesed by Chicago University press.

Its the non-hero type heist series before all these hitman,coldhearted criminal series.

Let me know if you want recommendations for books under Westlake name which are comic crime,great fun,wacky stories. I rate Westlake as my fav crime writer along with Dashiell Hammett and i rate Hammett is immense writer,literary genius.

Mike wrote: "Over the years, I have read quite a few of Westlake's books including most of the Dortmunder series. I found his work to be uneven. Some of his novels were comic masterpieces; others weren't wort..."

Thats to be excepted, he was bestseller author who was very prolific. He couldnt realese books slowly because of his popularity. Do you know well his Westlake books ? Have you read Richard Stark.

I have read 20+ Westlake/Stark and 80% of them are quality,several masterpieces and few stinkers.

Kurt wrote: "There is a terrific Westlake novel called The Ax about a jobless man looking for work and trying to eliminate the competition. It's one of those books you can't put down, and really hits on the str..."

The Ax and The Hook are two of my favorite Westlake books published under his own name.

Dan wrote: "Kurt wrote: "There is a terrific Westlake novel called The Ax about a jobless man looking for work and trying to eliminate the competition. It's one of those books you can't put down, and really hi..."

Have you read God Save the Mark ? I havent read The Ax, The Hook yet but they sound like vintage Westlake. Too much Stark as you can understand being fellow Parker fan.

Mohammed wrote: "Have you read God Save the Mark ? I havent read The Ax, The Hook yet but they sound like vintage Westlake. Too much Stark as you can understand being fellow Parker fan. "

Still haven't read God Save the Mark even though you've been recommending it to me for three years.

Dan wrote: "Mohammed wrote: "Have you read God Save the Mark ? I havent read The Ax, The Hook yet but they sound like vintage Westlake. Too much Stark as you can understand being fellow Parker fan. "

Still ha..."

Ah my bad i didnt know i had recommended it to you so much. I just mention it every time people say Stark is the only great thing about Westlake.

I see why you have not read it, Richard Stark has utterly dominated Westlake books in my reading time. I have mostly read Dortmunder. I have read like 25 books of him and i feel guilty when i read so much Stark/Westklake and go for Leonard or Block or Max Allan Collins reading spree.

Mohammed wrote: "Dan wrote: "Mohammed wrote: "Have you read God Save the Mark ? I havent read The Ax, The Hook yet but they sound like vintage Westlake. Too much Stark as you can understand being fellow Parker fan...."

You got me into Richard Stark. I definitely owe you one for that.

Dan wrote: "Mohammed wrote: "Dan wrote: "Mohammed wrote: "Have you read God Save the Mark ? I havent read The Ax, The Hook yet but they sound like vintage Westlake. Too much Stark as you can understand being f..."

Hehe that is something i can brag about recommending Stark to people. I made a fellow SF fan that doesnt read much crime both Richard Stark and Hammett fan. Im proud of that.

I find interesting though that my american GR friends that like noir as much as me havent tried Ken Bruen's Jack Taylor series despite my recommendations. Bruen is not Stark like but more Jim Thompson with dark humor.

All this reminds me i dont have many unread Westlake/Stark books. Need to refill with The Ax,Parker,Dormunder.

Would be cool if we read a Parker book as group read, more Parker fans than usual in this group.

Now I'm looking for more of his books. No luck locally. Guess I'll have to go to the Internet. Thinking I'll get a few of the Parker novels.

Checkman wrote: "Now I'm looking for more of his books. No luck locally. Guess I'll have to go to the Internet. Thinking I'll get a few of the Parker novels."

Start with the first The Hunter, its not only a strong book in the series but it sets the tone for the series and introduces Parker so well.

Mohammed wrote: "Dan wrote: "Kurt wrote: "There is a terrific Westlake novel called The Ax about a jobless man looking for work and trying to eliminate the competition. It's one of those books you can't put down, a..."

Haven't read either of those two, but I should, much as I enjoy the other Westlake/Stark books.

I recently found a brand new copy of Somebody Owes Me Money in my local Dollar Bookstore. It's now been added to my giant 'to be read' pile.

I've yet to read a Westlake book that wasn't at least enjoyable, and he's one of the few writers who can reliably make me laugh out loud, especially with the Dortmunder series, though the last few of those did rather tail off. My first Westlake was Dancing Aztecs, picked up for a dime on a bargain table and worth every penny. (And more, of course!) In addition to Stark, pen names I know he used include Samule Holt, Tucker Coe (more crime stuff) and curt clark (for SF, including a short novel, Anarchaos). I carry a list of Westlakes I don't have with me every time I go to a bookstore.

Dominick wrote: "I've yet to read a Westlake book that wasn't at least enjoyable, and he's one of the few writers who can reliably make me laugh out loud, especially with the Dortmunder series, though the last few ..."

Thats sounds like real Westlake to me carrying a list of his books you dont have :)

He is huge fav of mine and i have only being less than impressed by Somebody Owes Me Money. He is both best comic crime and hardcore criminal noir.

His range is great, i can always buy a new Dortmunder or Parker or a Dancing Aztecs.

http://dothemath.typepad.com/dtm/a-st...

here's a lil something for the fellow fans. great bibliography/survey of westlake's career.

JD wrote: "http://dothemath.typepad.com/dtm/a-st...

here's a lil something for the fellow fans. great bibliography/survey of westlake's career."

Cool! Thanks for posting this link!

I have read that walkthrough of DEW career before. Good site for fans.

Now up on Grantland (one of my favorite sites, and some of the best sportswriting in America) is a super essay on Westlake/Stark and everyone's favorite criminal, Parker:

http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/8...