Donald E. Westlake

[saliotthomas]

He is generaly classified as thriller writer but his talent reach far behond that.
he as about 6 or 7 alias,the best known being Richard Stark.I would be at a loss to tell you how many novels he wrote,more than hundred?And alway with humour,easy style,suprising ideas.In one word a Master

My favorite of his books are
"the Ax";a simple familly guy killing all his rival for a job intreview,
"Human" where god fade up with us and our ways dicided total anihilation and the devil loving us for the same things do everything to save the world
"Kahama" a bunch of mercenaries decide to steal the year coffe train of an dictatorial african country
"the hook" about book writing,failure and murder
"smoke" a thief becoming invisible
all Dortmunder and Parker books,more classic thriller but always with a twist that make then original.

 

[saliotthomas]

Just finished "What's so funny" it was a classic Dormunderbut not one of the best

Drown hopewas exellent and what's the worst that could happennot far behind.

I found "Adios cherazade",look forward to it.

I also read a while ago the 6 first of the Parkers series.They are absolutly great,not in the funny line of the Dormunder,more hard boiled.
Highly adictive
the hunter
the man with a runaway face
the outfit
the mourner
the jugger
all made of greatness

 

[domani]

The Parker series (written as Richard Stark) are my favourites by Westlake. I much prefer his hard-boiled books to his more comedic ones. I don't find his comedic ones to be particularly funny, to be honest.

At the start of his career, Westlake also published some good hard-boiled novels under his own name, such as The Mercenaries, Killing Time and 361.

 

[saliotthomas]

I read 361,and wonder if Mercenary and Kahawa are not similar.You really should read Too humain,the AX,smoke, the hook all are not humoristic,just plain masterpiece.
As for Dortmunder been comedies,they are but not only.Dortmunder is just a looser,and mostly it's the echecs that a funny. By reading a few,you get use to the guys surrounding him, stan,kelp,tiny ,it's like a familly.
Some are better than other i grant you that.Give a try to Drown Hope,it's, i think, the best.

 

[chuephödli]

The Dortmunder stuff I find very funny. One of the Dortmunder books, I forgot which one, actually features a robbery modelled on a Richard Stark novel - which does not exist.

His later stuff seems a bit less exciting to me, I have to admit. My favorite is still Adios Sheherazade.

 

[saliotthomas]

I just finished A purple place for dying by John macdonald.The style reminded me a bit of the Stark novel.I'll dig a bit more this way.I heard Lonely silver rain is very good.

My brother told me that he left Adios cherazade in my parents house in Marrakech.I shall be able to collect it next time i'm in town.i look forward to that.