Ok. Not as good as some of the others, but I still enjoy reading Parker.Parker is in the woods fleeing after a robbery. A local guy Tom sees Parker and realizes he’s one of the robbers. Tom wants Parker to help him rob a racetrack. Tom introduces Parker to other locals telling them Parker is a friend visiting. Parker joins the locals as they hunt for Parker. It’s pretty good watching Parker interact with various local people.Minor complaint. A security guard sees car lights at an unusual time. He goes to investigate, but the author did not tell what happened as he investigated. (Or maybe I missed it.)The narrator William Dufris was ok, but not good for this series. He made Parker sound too ordinary.THE SERIES:This is book 23 in the 24 book series. These stories are about bad guys. They rob. They kill. They’re smart. Most don’t go to jail. Parker is the main bad guy, a brilliant strategist. He partners with different guys for different jobs in each book.If you are new to the series, I suggest reading the first three and then choose among the rest. A few should be read in order since characters continue in a sequel fashion. Those are listed below (with my star ratings). The rest can be read as stand alones.The first three books in order:tttttttt4 stars. The Hunter (Point Blank movie with Lee Marvin 1967) (Payback movie with Mel Gibson)3 ½ stars. The Man with the Getaway Face (The Steel Hit)4 stars. The Outfit.Read these two in order:5 stars. Slayground (Bk #14)5 stars. Butcher’s Moon (Bk #16)Read these four in order:4 ½ stars. The Sour Lemon Score (Bk #12)2 ½ stars. Firebreak (Bk #20)(not read) Nobody Runs Forever (Bk #22)2 ½ stars. Dirty Money (Bk #24)Others that I gave 4 or more stars to:The Jugger (Bk #6), The Seventh (Bk#7), The Handle (Bk #8), Deadly Edge (Bk#13), Flashfire (Bk#19)DATA:Narrative mode: 3rd person. Unabridged audiobook length: 5 hrs and 53 mins. Swearing language: none. Sexual content: none. Setting: around 2006 New York. Book copyright: 2006. Genre: noir crime fiction.
When Parker was on the run from police dogs and chanced upon a rabbit hunter who unexpectedly aided him, he should have known the rabbit hunter had motives of his own. Now Parker's teaming with him to rob a racetrack. Can Parker get away with the robbery while a manhunt is going on for him?Ask the Parrot was one of the better books of the new era Parker. Parker is his ruthless self, evident in the way he handles most of the supporting cast. Unlike some of the more recent Parker books, Parker doesn't seem soft in this one. The way he handles Thiemann after Thiemann accidentally kills a bum is vintage Parker, cold and calculating. The robbery was pretty simple but the petty crimes Parker pulled along the way were pretty good. Parker showed he was as ballsy as ever, participating in his own manhunt.Ask the Parrot also shares many of the flaws that have marred the more recent Parker books. For one thing, the style is long winded compared to the earlier ones and the story feels padded. For another thing, there's a chapter from the damn parrot's point of view! WTF, Stark? That's okay for a Dortmunder book but not for Parker. This isn't a Monty Python sketch, though the parrot does wind up deceased.The gripe list was shorter than usual for a post-Butcher's Moon Parker. Good, not great, the earlier ones are better, etc. I'm a little sad that I only have one Parker book left to read after this one.
What do You think about Ask The Parrot (2006)?
I resented the beginning of this novel, was bored by the ending, and was thoroughly entertained in between. Ask the Parrot begins exactly where Nobody Runs Forever ends, with Parker in dire straits, and the defusion of the situation is totally, lazily deus ex machina. The end of the novel dissolves into a gun battle, which I always find to be a particularly anticlimactic way for a Parker novel to wind down, especially given my confidence that Parker is not going to die. In between, which is most of the book, Parker plans a heist while trapped in the middle of a Parker-seeking manhunt, which is, of course, great fun.
—David
Ask The Parrot was a continuation from Nobody Runs Forever, opens with Parker running from digs and helicopters from where nobody ends. Stopped by a man in the hills and they go on a man hunt later after deciding not to turn in Parker but rather ask him for help on a revenge plot against the races. But on the manhunt Theimann shoots an unarmed hobo in the back thinking it was one of the crooks. Parker had to get a new ID and stake out the town. There were roadblocks in and out try and catch all
—zackxdig
At the beginning of this excellent crime novel, Parker is actually runing uphill from the law dogs that have been chasing him since the authorities found his trail. Helicopters sweep overhead as he keeps moving. Parker and his crew had a bank robbery go bad in the last Parker novel 2004's Nobody Runs Forever. At the top of the hill, his luck changes when he meets a townie who will help Parker get away if the criminal helps him with a job of his own.The prose by Donald Westlake writing as Richard Stark is sharp and zips right along. Since Parker is the consummate professional and without emotion, the townie gets a lot of time to explain how the owners of the racetrack screwed him over and why he wants revenge on his former employer. He has a simple job planned which is complicated when a pair of local hicks want in on the big payday. The story really shines when Parker has a bad day.The odd title comes from a silent parrot owned by the townie that bribes Parker into a partnership. Sure enough, there is a chapter from the bird's point of view when the parrot finally chooses to speak. This is excellent work and Stark is a must read for noir fans.
—Bill Williams
