Parker yawned. “Nothing on the phone ever,” he said. “Except pizza.”

The final Parker book. The first half of which was pretty boring, with Parker almost a secondary character. Mostly just waiting around trying to collect the money from a recent heist. And even when the story picked up a little, there wasn't much action to be had. Definitely not the normal type of 'Parker' action. Sort of a bummer way to end an otherwise wonderful series.

Still, ends in true Parker fashion:

"If you leave me here," the guy on the floor said, "he'll kill me tomorrow morning."
Parker looked at him. "So you've still got tonight," he said.

Now, THAT'S the way to end the series! ( )

Final Parker
Review of the Blackstone Audio Inc. audiobook edition (2008) of the original Mysterious Press hardcover (2008)

Richard Stark was one of the many pseudonyms of the prolific crime author Donald E. Westlake (1933-2008), who wrote over 100 books. The Stark pseudonym was used primarily for the Parker novels, an antihero criminal who is usually betrayed or ensnared in some manner and who spends each book either getting revenge or escaping the circumstances.

Dirty Money was the final Parker book and was also the conclusion to the 3-book arc of Nobody Runs Forever (2004) and Ask the Parrot (2006). It finds Parker trying to retrieve the cached loot from the armoured car heist in the 1st book of the trilogy. He is partnered with bar owner Nelson McWhitney and bounty hunter Sandra Loscalzo and somewhat surprisingly Parker's partner Claire plays a more significant role in the proceedings. The object is not only to retrieve the cash but also find a way to launder it as the bills are marked and not useable otherwise.

Although the plans seem to move along efficiently, the crew are constantly subject to identification from the police who are still on the hunt. Their escaped heister Nick Delasio also presents a threat as he has become a cop killer with nothing to lose. Various possible betrayals seem to be hinted at and McWhitney sets up his own possible money fence without telling the others. That brings an entirely new heist crew into the mix. As always, Parker has to salvage the best that he can out of the deal and the ending is abrupt but in typical ice-cold Parker mode. One is only left to wonder what an unwritten Parker #25 might have been, as Parker's face is now known to the authorities and is on wanted posters from several witness IDs. No continuation writer was chosen and no further series has ever been made, which is somewhat surprising these days in genre fiction.

These final Parker novels from #17 to #24 are stronger and more complex than the original run which was probably due to Westlake/Stark's development as a writer over the years and during the 23 year hiatus. Several of these are strong 4's to 5's (I've read or listened to all of them now and am parceling out the reviews over time). #21 and #22 are my favourites of the Parker novels now that I've read them all. Ironically, they are the only ones not available as audiobooks for some reason.

The narration in this audiobook was by Stephen Thorne who delivers a very matter of fact performance. It didn't have quite the sly or gruff character that one might expect in a hard-boiled noir novel, but it was certainly adequate.

This final Parker book was issued in 2008 and Donald Westlake (Richard Stark) passed at the end of that year. The 24 Parker books are almost all available for free on Audible Plus.

Other Reviews
There is an extremely detailed review and plot summary (in 3 parts) of Dirty Money (with spoilers obviously) at The Westlake Review, October 29, 2017.

Trivia and Links
The Dirty Money page at The Violent World of Parker website is not as complete as those for the earlier books, and only shows a few of the edition covers.

This 2008 audiobook predated the most recent paperback edition which was part of the University of Chicago Press 2009-2017 series of reprints of the Parker novels. It therefore does not include the latest Foreword by author Laura Lippman written for the new releases. ( )

Parker and the Loot Laundry
Review of the University of Chicago Press paperback edition (September 2017) of the original Mysterious Press hardcover (2008)

Richard Stark was one of the many pseudonyms of the prolific crime author Donald E. Westlake (1933-2008), who wrote over 100 books. The Stark pseudonym was used primarily for the Parker novels, an antihero criminal who is usually betrayed or ensnared in some manner and who spends each book getting revenge or escaping the circumstances.

Dirty Money is the conclusion to the 3-book saga of Nobody Runs Forever (2004) and Ask the Parrot (2006) and finds Parker trying to retrieve the cached loot from the armoured car heist in the 1st book. He is partnered with bar owner Nelson McWhitney and bounty hunter Sandra Loscalzo and somewhat surprisingly Parker's partner Claire plays a more significant role in the proceedings. The object is not only to retrieve the cash but also find a way to launder it as the bills are marked and not useable otherwise.

Although the plans seem to move along efficiently, the crew are constantly subject to identification from the police who are still on the hunt. Their escaped heister Nick Delasio also presents a threat as he has become a cop killer with nothing to lose. Various possible betrayals seem to be hinted at and McWhitney sets up his own possible money fence without telling the others. That brings an entirely new heist crew into the mix. As always, Parker has to salvage the best that he can out of the deal and the ending is abrupt but typical cold Parker mode. One is only left to wonder what an unwritten Parker #25 might have been, as Parker's face is now known to the authorities from several witness IDs. No continuation writer or series has ever been made, which is somewhat surprising these days in genre fiction.

These final Parker novels from #17 to #24 are stronger and more complex than the original run which was probably due to Westlake/Stark's development as a writer over the years and during the 23 year hiatus. Several of these are strong 4's to 5's (I've actually read or listened to all of them now and am just parceling out the reviews over time). #21 and #22 are my favourites of the Parker novels now that I've read them all. Ironically, they are the only ones not available as audiobooks for some reason.

Dirty Money (Parker #24) is the 3rd book of the final trio of Parker novels which are all tied together by the loot and the escape from one heist. This final Parker book was issued in 2008 and Donald Westlake (Richard Stark) passed at the end of that year.

I had never previously read the Stark/Parker novels but became curious when they came up in my recent reading of The Writer's Library: The Authors You Love on the Books That Changed Their Lives (Sept. 2020) by Nancy Pearl & Jeff Schwager. Here is a (perhaps surprising) excerpt from their discussion with author Amor Towles:

Nancy: Do you read Lee Child?
Amor: I know Lee. I had never read his books until I met him, but now I read them whenever they come out. I think some of the decisions he makes are ingenious.
Jeff: Have you read the Parker books by Donald Westlake [writing as Richard Stark]?
Amor: I think the Parker books are an extraordinary series.
Jeff: They feel like a big influence on Reacher, right down to the name. Both Reacher and Parker have a singular focus on the task in front of them.
Amor: But Parker is amoral. Reacher is just dangerous.
Jeff: Right. Reacher doesn't have a conventional morality, but he has his own morality. Parker will do anything he has to do to achieve his goal.
Amor: But to your point, Westlake's staccato style with its great twists at the end of the paragraphs, and his mesmerizing central character - these attributes are clearly shared by the Reacher books.

The 24 Parker books are almost all available for free on Audible Plus, except for #21 & #22 which aren't available at all.

Other Reviews
There is an extremely detailed review and plot summary (in 3 parts) of Dirty Money (with spoilers obviously) at The Westlake Review, October 29, 2017.

Trivia and Links
The Dirty Money page at The Violent World of Parker website is not as complete as those for the earlier books, and only shows a few of the edition covers.

This paperback is part of the University of Chicago Press 2009-2017 series of reprints of the Parker novels and includes a new Foreword by author Laura Lippman . ( )

Classic Parker story, so many throwbacks, like a greatest hits book ( )

Richard Stark's final Parker book (#24) and also the end of what was really a trilogy: Nobody Runs Forever, an armored car robbery, Ask The Parrot, Parker's narrow escape from the robbery, and Dirty Money, trying to recover the stolen loot. Nick Dalesia is arrested trying to spend some of the identified money, but manages to escape by killing a U.S. marshal. This motivates Parker and McWhitney to head back to the site of the crime, and recover the money stashed in an abandoned church mixed in with old hymnals. They team up with Sandra Loscalzo, whose P.I. partner was killed, who is an unknown quantity. Their clever plan begins to unravel when Dalesia shows up, Parker is identified, and McWhitney is double crossed. Yet, they pull off the recovery, forcing Parker to call some old pals to help clean the dirty money.

Sadly, the series ended prematurely with author Stark's death, leaving readers wondering about Parker's next escapade. Like others, I think the last books were all too long, with Stark having moved beyond his 200 page hard hitting thrillers to a longer, meandering format. I liked that Claire played a meaningful role in the finale. ( )