Arriving home at dawn after another failed burglary, john dortmunder the antihero of donald westlake s popular comic crime series is shocked to find his apartment occupied by a notorious cellmate everyone had supposed and hoped had been jailed for life. This book is available for free download in a number of formats including epub, pdf, azw, mobi and more. Westlake published nearly one hundred books, including two longrunning series starring the hardhitting parker and the hapless john dortmunder. Westlake 19332008 was an american novelist who was best known for comic capers, but he also contributed to genres including more general crime fiction, science fiction and lots more. In this relentlessly fascinating novel, the masterful donald westlake takes us on a journey of obsession and outrage inside a quiet mans desperate world. But freddie doesnt dare show his face, his shadow, anything.
Parker is a professional criminal, specializing in armed robbery. However, being caught redhanded is inevitable in do. Westlake is available at in several formats for your ereader. Westlake donald edwin westlake 19332008 was an american author of numerous bestselling novels and nonfiction books under his own name and many pseudonyms. If one or more works are by a distinct, homonymous authors, go ahead and split the author. With the getaway car, we get our first glimpse of another side of westlake the writer. Westlake has written numerous novels over the past thirtyfive years under his own name and pseudonyms, including richard stark. Westlakes books in order of publication and in chronological order.
Westlake, mystery writer, is dead at 75 the new york. Project gutenberg offers 61,951 free ebooks to download. I continue to scout for westlake novels i havent read, and this website will help. He was christened donald edwin westlake, initials which prompted the. Westlake in pdf, epub, mobi formats for iphone, mac and ipad. The running man was first published in a signet edition under the name richard bachman, and later appeared in nal hardcover and plume trade paperback omnibus editions titled the bachman books under the name stephen king. Westlake 19332008 wrote dozens of novels under his own name and numerous pseudonyms, including richard stark and alan marshall. What will a group of monks do when their twocenturyold monastery in new york city is threatened with demolition to make room for a. Westlake s ebooks free in pdf, epub and kindle formats. A sly wit surfaced repeatedly throughout the long literary career of donald e westlake, who has died aged 75 from an apparent heart attack. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read the spy in the ointment. Burke devore is gunning for his competition, and its getting easier every time.
Westlake felt this book might read too much like martin scorseses 1982 film the king of comedy, so he stored it. Don always maintained a library of his own work, segregated from the rest of his rather immense collection of books by other authors. He began his career in the late 1950s, churning out novels for. None of the films that were made from donald westlakes books are as pure westlake as the originals. Buy good behavior by donald e westlake online at alibris. The importance of being bachman appeared in slightly different form in the 1996 plume edition of the bachman books. Donald edwin westlake 19332008 was an american author of numerous bestselling novels and nonfiction books under his own name and many pseudonyms. Westlake published books under a number of pseudonyms. Donald edwin westlake was a noteworthy american author of the science fiction and crime genre. Her two published books are an uncommon scold and the gardeners gripe book. Westlake july 12, 1933 december 31, 2008 was born in brooklyn, new york.
Due to a foiled burglary in a hightech lab doing research for cigarette manufacturers, freddie noon, the thief, is now invisible. May 29, 2018 the spy in the ointment ebook written by donald e. The hunter 1962 is a crime thriller novel, written by donald e. Like parker, dortmunder is a career criminal, although he is a nonviolent criminal who prefers to plan out elaborate schemes, which of course never work out exactly the way he plans. Being born in the year 1933, westlake died in the year 2008 at the age of 75 after writing hundreds of novels and nonfiction books. Westlake, including the plot thickens, and the hot rock, and more on. Enough maybe isnt the most hilarious of all of westlake s comic capers, but it certainly is a very funny entertaining read. This condition has clearcut advantages for a man in freddies profession, but now everybody wants a glimpse of freddie. To the end he wrote everything on one of two manual typewriters. Jamie davis a new twist to the traditional urban fantasy tales.
The publisher hard case crime has undertaken a longterm project to recover many of westlakes leastknown books, and they have already. It will go over the novels the hot rock and bank shot. Westlake s bestselling audiobooks and newest titles. Shop the latest titles by donald e westlake at alibris including hardcovers, paperbacks, 1st editions, and audiobooks from thousands of sellers worldwide. Demand for westlake to bring back parker resulted in the very wellreceived and appropriately titled comeback in 1997. Westlake free books for your kindle, tablet, ipad, pc or mobile. Best known for his mystery novels including the dortmunder series, he also wrote screenplays, including the script for the grifters which was nominated for an academy award for best screenplay. Westlake invented his own form of crime fiction, the comic caper. Westlake, a prolific, awardwinning mystery novelist who pounded out more than 100 books and 5 screenplays on manual typewriters. Oct 29, 2008 free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project gutenberg. Interview with donald westlake, author of the parker novels. Westlakes ebooks free in pdf, epub and kindle formats. Westlake has 297 books on goodreads with 88717 ratings.
For those readers looking to get into novels by donald e. He wrote under many different pseudonyms, including richard stark his bestknown pen name, alan marshall, andrew shaw. Westlake, author of the parker novels under the name richard stark. This is the first novel in the dortmunder series and was released in the year 1970. Yet they allor at least all the good onescarry his fingerprints. Although the crime and science fiction genres were his specialty, he used to write in other genres as well. Donald edwin westlake july 12, 1933 december 31, 2008 was an. The responsibility for a movie is not as easy to define as the responsibility for a novel. Donald edwin westlake 19332008 was an american author of numerous bestselling novels and nonfiction books under his own name and. I was born donald edwin westlake on july 12th, 1933 in brooklyn, new york. John dortmunder is a character featured in a series of novels by american novelist donald e. Online shopping from a great selection at books store. Under various pseudonyms he produced around 100 novels. A new collection of eight short stories by four master authors.
Westlake, creator of john dortmunder, the most clever and least lucky thief in crime fiction, and, writing as richard stark, the hardboiled heist master parker. The pattern of his life is to commit a lucrative heist, live well in luxury hotels for a period of months or years. Kindle ebooks can be read on any device with the free kindle app. While one the narratives is superior to the other, both showcase the wit, knack for dialogue, and careful plotting that made westlake a household name and one of those crime. Donald westlake s 1997 novel the ax, shelved in the mystery section of my local library, is a sterling example of black humor. Donald edwin westlake july 12, 1933 december 31, 2008 was an american writer, with more than a hundred novels and nonfiction books to his credit. Burke devore, a middleaged paper company middle manager, has gotten the ax from his employer after years of devoted service. Westlake 19332008 was one of the most prolific and talented authors of american crime fiction. Im currently wading through a filing system that may be more complete than the library but i havent encountered anything that would add to the list of euphemism stories at this point. The first novel in the series, the hot rock was originally intended to be a parker novel. Westlake what will a group of monks do when their centuryold monastery in new york city is threatened with demolition to make room for a new highrise. None of the films that were made from donald westlake s books are as pure westlake as the originals.
Best known for his mystery novels including the dortmunder series, he also wrote screenplays, including the script for the grifters which was nominated for an academy award for. When the last of the kids moved out of his home in new york city, he converted one of the empty rooms into his personal library of all things westlake. He began his career in the late 1950s, churning out novels for pulp housesoften writing as many as four novels a year under various pseudonyms such as richard starkbut soon began publishing under his own name. Donald edwin westlake 1933 2008 welcome and thanks for visiting the official website of crime novelist and mwa grand master donald e.
Westlake has written over a variety of genres throughout his career under his own name and various pen names the most successful is richard stark. Westlake s books in order of publication and in chronological order. The ax pdf adobe drm can be read on any device that can open pdf adobe drm. Everything in the bibliography on this site is confirmed as a westlake book by its existence on the shelves of dons personal library in nyc. While the plot deals with the theft of a train load of coffee, the book is so far beyond an average hiest story that it is hard to catagorize. Because freddie noon has gotten a taste of invisibilityand he cant quit now. His first novel, all my lovers, was published in 1959 under the name alan marshall. Many of his books have been adapted for film, most notably the hunter, which became the 1967 noir point blank and the 1999 smash hit payback. The parker novels are westlakes greatest achievement, and they retain a. Get cozy and expand your home library with a large online selection of books at. This site uses cookies to deliver our services, improve performance, for analytics, and if not signed in for advertising.
He has written dozens of novels over the past thirtyfive years, under his own name and a rainbow of pseudonyms. He began his career in the late 1950s, churning out novels for pulp housesoften writing as many as four novels a year under various pseudonyms such as richard stark. The setting, the characters even the steamy sex scenes are more than one expects after reading westlake s other books. Air force he began his writing career with the mercenaries in 1960. This book is a total departure for donald westlake and one for the better. I am reminded of the movie heathers of a few years ago. And, even though donald westlake is best known for his detective novels, all of these stories fall into the category. By combining the intricate plotting characteristic of mystery writing with the deconstructive energies of comedy and satire, donald e. Westlake s classic caper novels, the bad get better, the good slide a bit, and lord help anyone caught between a thief named john dortmunder and the current object of his attention. Download audiobooks by donald e westlake at and save.
Many of his books have been made into movies, including the hunter, which became the brilliant film noir point blank, and the 1999 smash hit payback. In double feature, the latest westlake release from hard case crime, we get two chances of seeing westlake in action. Jan 08, 2009 a sly wit surfaced repeatedly throughout the long literary career of donald e westlake, who has died aged 75 from an apparent heart attack. All content included on our site, such as text, images, digital downloads and other, is the property of its content suppliers and protected by us and international laws. Donald edwi n westlake july 12, 1933 december 31, 2008 was an. However, being caught redhanded is inevitable in dortmunders next production, when a tv producer convinces this thief and his merry gang to do a reality show that captures their next score. He had no shoes or socks, his shirt and trousers were bloody and filthy and torn, his face and arms were scratched and bruised, and he couldnt walk properly. He specialized in crime fiction, especially comic capers, with an occasional foray into science fiction and other genres. The same year, he published three additional novels as marshall. May 29, 2018 the responsibility for a movie is not as easy to define as the responsibility for a novel. Westlake and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project gutenberg. Richard starks actually donald westlakes parker is a hardened professional thief who appeared in a string of almost twenty excellent, extremely hardboiled caper paperback originals in the sixties and seventies.