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A review by saareman
The Black Ice Score by Richard Stark
3.0
Parker and the African Diamonds
Review of the Blackstone Audio Inc. audiobook edition (August, 2010) of the Fawcett Gold Medal paperback (1968)
Richard Stark was one of the many pseudonyms of the prolific crime author [a:Donald E. Westlake|30953|Donald E. Westlake|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1336863543p2/30953.jpg] (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.
The Black Ice Score is different from the other Parker novels in that Parker himself does not participate in the heist. He is instead recruited as a consultant by opposing political forces from a fictitious African nation to help them retrieve the diamonds with which their corrupt dictator has absconded from the country. Unfortunately there are other gangs on the same quest and the heist goes bad as it always does. Claire (Parker's love interest since [b:The Rare Coin Score|619067|The Rare Coin Score (Parker, #9)|Richard Stark|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1432283340l/619067._SY75_.jpg|3162084] (Parker #9) is kidnapped in an effort to manipulate Parker, so it becomes a rescue mission as well.
Narrator Stephen Thorne does a good job in all voices in this audiobook edition.
I had never previously read the Stark/Parker novels but became curious when they came up in my recent reading of [b:The Writer's Library: The Authors You Love on the Books That Changed Their Lives|49203398|The Writer's Library The Authors You Love on the Books That Changed Their Lives|Nancy Pearl|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1588038545l/49203398._SX50_.jpg|73236167] (Sept. 2020) by Nancy Pearl & Jeff Schwager. Here is a (perhaps surprising) excerpt from their discussion with [a:Amor Towles|4536964|Amor Towles|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1472937967p2/4536964.jpg]:
The 24 Parker books are almost all available for free on Audible Plus, except for #21 & #22 which aren't available at all.
Trivia and Links
There is a brief plot summary of The Black Ice Score and of all the Parker books and adaptations at The Violent World of Parker website.
Like many of the 2010-2013 Blackstone Audio Inc. audiobook editions which share the same cover art as the University of Chicago Press 2009-2010 reprints, this audiobook DOES NOT include the Foreword by author [a:Dennis Lehane|10289|Dennis Lehane|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1227580381p2/10289.jpg].
Review of the Blackstone Audio Inc. audiobook edition (August, 2010) of the Fawcett Gold Medal paperback (1968)
Richard Stark was one of the many pseudonyms of the prolific crime author [a:Donald E. Westlake|30953|Donald E. Westlake|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1336863543p2/30953.jpg] (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.
The Black Ice Score is different from the other Parker novels in that Parker himself does not participate in the heist. He is instead recruited as a consultant by opposing political forces from a fictitious African nation to help them retrieve the diamonds with which their corrupt dictator has absconded from the country. Unfortunately there are other gangs on the same quest and the heist goes bad as it always does. Claire (Parker's love interest since [b:The Rare Coin Score|619067|The Rare Coin Score (Parker, #9)|Richard Stark|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1432283340l/619067._SY75_.jpg|3162084] (Parker #9) is kidnapped in an effort to manipulate Parker, so it becomes a rescue mission as well.
Narrator Stephen Thorne does a good job in all voices in this audiobook edition.
I had never previously read the Stark/Parker novels but became curious when they came up in my recent reading of [b:The Writer's Library: The Authors You Love on the Books That Changed Their Lives|49203398|The Writer's Library The Authors You Love on the Books That Changed Their Lives|Nancy Pearl|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1588038545l/49203398._SX50_.jpg|73236167] (Sept. 2020) by Nancy Pearl & Jeff Schwager. Here is a (perhaps surprising) excerpt from their discussion with [a:Amor Towles|4536964|Amor Towles|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1472937967p2/4536964.jpg]:
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.
Trivia and Links
There is a brief plot summary of The Black Ice Score and of all the Parker books and adaptations at The Violent World of Parker website.
Like many of the 2010-2013 Blackstone Audio Inc. audiobook editions which share the same cover art as the University of Chicago Press 2009-2010 reprints, this audiobook DOES NOT include the Foreword by author [a:Dennis Lehane|10289|Dennis Lehane|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1227580381p2/10289.jpg].