Ask the Parrot, Donald E. Westlake
Ask the Parrot, Donald E. Westlake
List: $29.95 | Sale: $20.97
Club: $14.97

Ask the Parrot

Author: Donald E. Westlake

Narrator: William Dufris

Unabridged: 5 hr 50 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 07/15/2008

Synopsis

Racing through the backwoods of Massachusetts and on the verge of being taken down for one of the biggest and most disastrous bank heists the state has ever seen, Parker runs right into the barrel of a gun pointed from the wrong side of the law. A quiet and angry recluse with only a silent parrot for company in his seclusion, Tom Lindahl saves Parker from the police dogs, but enmeshes him in yet another in a long line of dubious, highly dangerous—but seriously profitable—jobs. Far more than some aimless indigent, holed up in a shack in the woods, Lindahl is a man built on rage and driven by a thirst for revenge. A whistleblower whom nobody heard, a man tossed aside by a corrupt political establishment, Lindahl plans to rob them of their lucre and needs Parker's help.

About Donald E. Westlake

Richard Stark (1933–2008), wrote dozens of novels under his own name and a rainbow of other pseudonyms. Many of his books have been adapted for film, most notably The Hunter, which became the 1967 noir Point Blank and the 1999 smash Payback.

About William Dufris

William Dufris attended the University of Southern Maine in Portland-Gorham before pursuing a career in voice work in London and then the United States. He has won more than twenty AudioFile Earphones Awards, was voted one of the Best Voices at the End of the Century by AudioFile magazine, and won the prestigious Audie Award in 2012 for best nonfiction narration. He lives with his family in Maine.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Dave on May 18, 2024

Ask the Parrot, #23 of the 24 Parker novels from Richard Stark/Donald Westlake, is the continuation of the story begun in Nobody Runs Forever, to be concluded in Dirty Money, the last of 24 Parker novels Stark wrote. It begins where that last book ended, with Parker running in the woods, with bloodh......more

Goodreads review by John on October 20, 2022

[Read in Jan 2020; Reviewed May 2022] Depending on your philosophy--and there seems to be as many as there are people who write novels--the middle appears to be the most difficult part of the process. In the beginning you have all these great characters and concepts and situation you are excited to e......more

Goodreads review by Skip on April 27, 2019

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 r......more

Goodreads review by Amos on March 31, 2022

Only one Parker book left!! Oh nooooooooOOOooooo!!!!!!!!!! 4 Starked Stars......more

Goodreads review by James on April 06, 2010

Parker is on the run from a failed bank job. The money is lost; one of his partners has been caught, and the other is on the run as well. Parker is fleeing up a hill, hoping to find some avenue of escape on the other side. The cops are right behind him and the hounds are baying at his heels. He fina......more

Quotes

“The usual high quotient of mishaps, reversals, double crosses, fatal surprises, and automotive information…As for what happens to the parrot—don’t ask. Our beak is sealed.” New York Times

“As with any Parker novel, things go to hell in bits and pieces as the tight-knit plan unravels, while Parker, ever the cold-blooded professional, deals with the pitiful attempts of amateurs and law enforcement alike to bring him down. Why do readers love this heartless bad guy? Because he’s so damn good at what he does.” Publishers Weekly

“William Dufris’ performance is excellent…Dufris’ delivery of the characters’ voices, complete with local accents, is totally believable.” AudioFile

“In a rare detour from his starkly realistic style, Stark waves his beak at Westlake fans by giving Parker’s sour sidekick a nameless parrot that finally finds a reason to speak during an explosively comic scene sure to ruffle the feathers of a few bird lovers.” Booklist

“A rough, unpredictable thread running through each and every paragraph, a hint that this, or perhaps the next, event that takes place may spell the end to Parker and to the series…Clean, dark narrative.” BookReporter.com

Add to Cart
Add to Wish List