The Jugger, by Richard Stark

(pb; 1965, 2009: sixth novel in the Parker series.  Foreword by John Banville.)


From the review:

"Joe Sheer, a retired safecracker living in Nebraska who knows too many of Parker's criminal secrets, says he's in trouble.  By the time Parker arrives on the scene, the safecracker is dead and a greedy cop, a nosy neighbor, and a gaudy crook are busy looking for a treasure the old man may never have even had.  Parker is a pro with a past to protect and a future to consider - and the last thing he needs is a bunch of determined amateurs who know more than they should.  And for this pro, killing is the only way out of town."


Review:

A few months after the events of The Score, Parker finds himself in Sagamore, Nebraska, delving into the real reason for his friend's death.  The local newspaper says a heart attack killed Joe Shardin (a.k.a. Joe Sheer), but Parker knows better.  A host of shady characters - including Abner Younger, a local corrupt police captain - are hiding something from him, as well as dropping fresh bodies, and it's up to Parker to not only find out who's crossing who (in various ways), but how to protect his cover identity, Charles Willis.

Like the preceding Parker novels, Jugger is short, sharp, lean and pulp-icy in tone.  Also, like the aforementioned works, it's excellent in its execution - that is to say, worth owning.

What I particularly love about this story is how it ties into Score and how its ending marks a relatively huge transition for Parker, as well as his need to eliminate further, thus-far-unresolved threats to his person - threats which will presumably be dealt with in The Seventh.

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The resulting loosely - and I do mean loosely - linked film, Made in the U.S.A., was released stateside on September 27, 1967.  Jean-Luc Godard, billed as JLG, directed and scripted the film.  He also, uncredited, voiced the character Richard Politzer.

Anna Karina, billed as AK, played Paula Nelson.  Laszlo Szabó, billed as LS,  played Richard Widmark (a shout-out to the actor with the same name).  Jean-Pierre Léaud, billed as JPL, played Donald Siegel (a shout-out to the director with the same name).   Marianne Faithfull, billed as MF, played herself.   Yves Afonso, billed as YF, played David Goodis (a shout-out to the author with the same name).

The Score, by Richard Stark

(pb; 1964, 2009: fifth novel in the Parker series.  Later published under the title Killtown.  Foreword by John Banville.)


From the back cover:

"It was an impossible crime: knock off an entire North Dakota town called Copper Canyon - clean out the plant payroll, both banks, and all the stores in one night.  Parker called it 'science fiction,' but with the right men (a score of them), he could figure it all out to the last detail.  It could work.  If the men behaved like pros, cool and smart; if they didn't get impatient, start chasing skirts, or decide to take the opportunity to settle old scores. . . they just might pull it off."


Review:

Parker works - with eleven other professionals - his most audacious theft yet, a town-wide multiple target job.  As in previous Parker novels, Stark's prose is blunt, cool-toned and streamlined, with no wasted words.  As always, there are character-based complications, all of which make the writing more entertaining.  Worth owning, this.

Followed by The Jugger.

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The resulting film, Pillaged, was released stateside on November 15, 1967.  Alain Cavalier directed and co-scripted the film.  Claude Sautet was his co-screenwriter.

Daniel Ivernel played Edgar.  Michel Constantin played Georges.  Paul Le Person played Stéphane.  Franco Interlenghi played Maurice.  Phillipe Moreau played Paulus.  Julien Verdier played Lebuisson.  Phillipe Ogouz played Wiss.  Simone Landry played Madame Lancret.  Irène Tunc played “La standardiste Marie-Ange”.

The Mourner, by Richard Stark

(pb; 1963, 2009: fourth novel in the Parker series.  Foreward by John Banville.)



Review:

Parker and his sometimes-partner-in-crime Handy McKay are in the middle of a job, stealing a priceless statuette for Bett Harrow (last seen in The Outfit), who has blackmailed Parker into doing so, when - naturally - unforeseen (and possibly fatal) complications arise.  In true Parker fashion, he and Handy work these complications into opportunities - opportunities that ensure that not everyone who crosses them will be left standing.

Stark keeps the writing lean, entertaining and character-focused (as he has in previous Parker novels), making this another reader-engaging crime novel.  Worth owning, this.

Followed by The Score.