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2025-01-05
CRIME FICTION
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The Score
by Richard Stark
Publisher Note:
By late 1963, Westlake (aka Richard Stark) had published four novels about a professional heavy heister–not simply an armed robber, but a specialist, who typically works with a ‘string’ of fellow professionals, to commit institutional robbery–that is to say, stealing from organizations, private or public in nature. Banks, payrolls, businesses that have a lot of cash or valuables on hand, etc. He may sometimes steal from an individual, but it’s never his preferential option. He may work alone or with just one partner at times, but ditto.
He feels most comfortable in a group of about five skilled reliable people he already knows, scoping out the target, coming up with a solid plan (one of Parker’s two specialties), taking untraceable cash, making an agreed-upon split, and then going their separate ways, without any ‘civilians’ getting hurt along the way, because death ups the ante for law enforcement. And it never did quite work out that way, in any of the novels. But that was always the goal. ( Via The Westlake Review)
Troy Note:
This was part of a collection of crime stories put out by Libary of America (my absolute favorite curators of literature). This was the fifth book in the collection I read (Crime Thrillers of the Sixties). I enjoyed three of the four previous selections but this one stood out. Fact is I was so struck by it, I looked into the author in the middle of reading it and before closing the browser window, had bought a collection containing thirteen first editions of his Parker series, which this book is part of. Thus, you can be assured this won't be the last Richard Stark book to be noted in these reviews since my personal library just got upgraded so.
Passage(s) of Note:
"That's the way my income tax will read," Littlefiled told him.
"Income tax?" Grofield stared at him. "You pay income tax?"
"On every penny."
"I bet your return shakes them up."
"I account for every penny of income," Littlefield told him, "but I am forced, of course, to invent my sources."
"Why bother?"
Littlefield leaned closer to him. "You're a young man, you can still learn. Pay attention to this. You can steal in this country, you can rape and murder, you can bribe public officials, you can pollute the morals of the young, you can burn your place of business down for the insurance money, you can do almost anything you want, and if you act with just a little caution and common sense you'll never ever be indicted. But if you don't pay your income tax, Grofield, you will go to jail."
"This is Jean," said Edgars. He seemed uncomfortable.
Jean wasn't uncomfortable at all. She was a hard-looking blonde of about thirty, short, with hard, conical breasts. She was sitting on the sofa in the living room of Edgars' apartment, her legs crossed and skirt hiked up to show her tan.
Parker Looked at Jean and then at Edgars. He said, "So what?"
Edgars swallowed. "She's coming along," he said.
"Since when?"
"Since always. She's always been with me."
Always?" Parker looked at her. She wouldn't be with anybody always, and especially not Edgars.
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