involved

very exciting good on the road trip
kept me involved in the story at all times

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Be it Parker, or Porter, this is one awesome, hard-boiled character!

Firstly, discovering that there's a series of novels featuring Parker- whom Mel Gibson portrayed in 1999's "Payback", as Porter- was splendid! I've always wanted more stories about this anti-hero and now, I've got that.
Secondly, the narrator of this audio book is stellar! His voice work for each character was spot on (for the format)- from Parker, to Mal, to Carter, and Lynn; each voice distinctly represented the varied characters in this story.

I am looking forward to exploring more of Richard Stark's Parker novels!

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Incredibly Gritty. A Fascinating Protagonist.

Richard Stark's 'Parker' doesn't even really qualify as an antihero. He lives in a world of day-to-day criminal reality, truly awful people, and "convenient" murder. Parker nonchalantly robs innocent people, treats random contacts (like waiters & shopclerks) like dirt, and unapologetically kills those who he concludes have wronged him (or simply got in the way). Donald E. Westlake, writing under the pseudonym 'Stark', freed himself up to craft a textbook Sociopath without having to stick to conventional "hero" norms.
It's frankly discouraging that there are 24 novels in the series - implying that the author found a formula and started disappointingly cranking out pulp - because the character is unique. The writing is competent, the plot (straight-up revenge) is intriguing, and the descriptions are excellent. Altogether, this book is a quintessential Noir Hard-Boiled Crime story - the atmosphere is distinctly dark with *zero* redeeming morality in any of the events or characters. It's a most unusual but undeniably entertaining read.

Less fortunately, John Chancer is a professional reader.. but unspectacular. Thankfully he avoids silly New Yawk accents (his voice-acting is commendable), but his timbre/cadence/tone is nothing special and he reads too slowly (I found setting playback speed at 1.15X yielded the best results). In toto, I rate the narration "adequate".

I wasn't intending to listen to any further audiobooks in the 'Parker' series - despite them being offered for free - but this 8/10 star effort convinced me to download Book Two (This character is so unusual, I am curious to see where Westlake/Stark can take him).
The twist on Crime Fiction demonstrated in the series may end up being unpalatable to you, but this first foray is worth a listen.. even if you're asked to spend money on it.

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Amazing

An incredibly riveting reading of a riveting author! Better than a movie. Action-packed and heart-pounding!

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The original Parker

This first tale of Parker is the very definition of hard-boiled crime fiction, and the template used by many over the years. It’s mean, lean and fast moving, no bloat or padding. Excellent narration makes for an entertaining listen; recommended!

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Violent

I'm the furthest thing from a SJW, but the repeated beating up of women is even too much for me.

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