Gritty and intense. The Parker novels are the highest form of crime and noir fiction. ( )

Parker's post-score girlfriend Bett Harrow introduces him to her father, who wants Parker to steal a rare alabaster statuette from a foreign diplomat, except that when Parker and his thieving pal, Hardy, start to case the joint, the Outfit is already there in cahoots with someone else. When the Outfit figures out that it has competition, they turn on their employer, a shady foreign character himself. Parker saves him from the Outfit and they combine forces, each seeking a different prize. Then, things go badly awry, leaving Parker/Hardy in deep trouble. Better than the last one, 3.5 stars. ( )

Parker and the Statue
Review of the Blackstone Audio Inc. audiobook edition (March, 2011) of the Pocket Books paperback (1963)

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 in some manner and who spends each book getting revenge.

The Mourner is a rare statue that Parker is hired to steal. It is in the hands of a corrupt ambassador from a fictional Eastern Bloc country, but Parker's main adversary is an agent from that country's secret police who is looking to cash in for himself. This book diverges from the usual Parker narrative and tells the story of the agent Auguste Menlo instead. Narrator Stephen R. 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 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 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 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 Mourner and of all the Parker books and adaptations at The Violent World of Parker website.

Although the 2011 Blackstone Audio Inc. audiobook edition shares the same cover art as the University of Chicago Press 2009 reprint, it does not include the introduction by author John Banville. ( )

The Parker books may be a bit formulaic, but what a great formula. ( )

Another solid entry in the Parker series. Parker is offered a considerable sum to retrieve a valuable and rare statuette. From there, as is usual, everything goes awry with complications caused by a rogue cop from eastern Europe who has his own plans. Enjoyable. ( )