This begins right where the previous book ended, with Parker on the run from the cops after the armored car robbery. And to blend in, he ends up joining a group of citizens combing the surrounding countryside - looking for him! (and the other two robbers). And, while on the run from the last job, he decides to take on a new job - robbing a racetrack! It's a good story, and interesting in that Parker teams up with a total amateur to pull of this job! Sort of a new twist for him! It's also part two of a three part story arc, so the next book will let us know how it all plays out!

Unfortunately, it is my last read in this series, which is a total bummer. Maybe in a few years I'll revisit the collection, and this time read them in order! I'll miss ya' Parker!

Funny thing about the title - the parrot doesn’t talk! So, um, don't do what the title of the book tells you to do. ( )

Redux: Parker and Backwoods Bumpkins
Review of the Blackstone Audio Inc. audiobook edition (October 2008) of the original Mysterious Press hardcover (2006)

This was a "re-read" after my read of the University of Chicago paperback edition earlier this year. The audiobook was narrated by William Dufris instead of series regular Stephen Thorne and the performance was fine, if not especially voiced in a hardboiled manner. The performance of the parrot's squawky voice was especially excellent though.

Ask the Parrot is the 1st sequel to Nobody Runs Forever (2004) and finds Parker on the run after the armoured car heist of that previous novel. Parker is taken in by a backwoods hermit named Tom Lindahl, who has a heist scheme of his own into which he enlists Parker. Lindahl was laid off at a horse race betting track after being a whistleblower and now seeks revenge. Parker needs useable money as the armoured car bills are numbered and can be traced. Lindahl has an apparently non-speaking parrot as a pet, which is the subject of the title joke.

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.

Ask the Parrot (Parker #23) is the 2nd book of the final trio of Parker novels which are all tied together by the loot, the escape & the recovery from one heist. The Parker series would conclude with Dirty Money (Parker #24). The final book was issued in 2008 and Donald Westlake (Richard Stark) passed away at the end of that year.

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 Ask the Parrot (with spoilers obviously) at The Westlake Review, October 2, 2017.

Trivia and Links
The Ask the Parrot 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 does not share a cover with the later University of Chicago Press 2009-2017 series of reprints of the Parker novels and therefore does not include the later Foreword by author Duane Swierczynski. ( )

Parker and Backwoods Bumpkins
Review of the University of Chicago Press paperback edition (September 2017) of the original Mysterious Press hardcover (2006)

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.

Ask the Parrot is the 1st sequel to Nobody Runs Forever (2004) and finds Parker on the run after the armoured car heist of that previous novel. Parker is taken in by a backwoods hermit named Tom Lindahl, who has a heist scheme of his own in which he enlists Parker. Lindahl was laid off at a horse race betting track after being a whistleblower and now seeks revenge. Parker needs useable money as the armoured car bills are numbered and can be traced. Lindahl has an apparently non-speaking parrot as a pet, which is the subject of the title joke. Overall, this one seems like a bit of a holding pattern until we get to the final book Dirty Money (2008) which is the real conclusion to the story, but any Parker is still good Parker.

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.

Ask the Parrot (Parker #23) is the 2nd book of the final trio of Parker novels which are all tied together by the loot and the escape from one heist. The Parker series would conclude with Dirty Money (Parker #24). The last 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 Ask the Parrot (with spoilers obviously) at The Westlake Review, October 2, 2017.

Trivia and Links
The Ask the Parrot 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 Duane Swierczynski. ( )

Took me awhile to get into this one & wonder about a few characters but a vintage Parker ( )

Picking up immediately from Nobody Runs Forever, Parker is being chased by the police and dogs when he runs into a local man, Tom Lindahl, who helps Parker avoid the police. Turns out that Tom was fired from his job at a racetrack because he "outed" their illegal political contributions. Tom wants revenge, and asks Stark to help him rob the place. In the meantime, Parker does his best to blend in, but Lindahl is known as a hermit and nobody believes he has an old friend. The town is really boring, as are most of its occupants, and the book is much too long. 2.5 stars, rounded up. ( )