Memory, Donald E. Westlake
Memory, Donald E. Westlake
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Memory

Author: Donald E. Westlake

Narrator: Stephen R. Thorne

Unabridged: 10 hr 58 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 04/01/2010

Synopsis

Hospitalized after a liaison with another man's wife ends in violence, Paul Cole has just one goal: to rebuild his shattered life. But with his memory damaged, the police hounding him, and no way even to get home, Paul's facing steep odds—and a bleak fate if he fails. This final, never-before-published novel by three-time Edgar Award winner Donald E. Westlake is a noir masterpiece, a dark and painful portrait of a man's struggle against merciless forces that threaten to strip him of his very identity.

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 Stephen R. Thorne

Stephen R. Thorne, winner of multiple AudioFile Earphones Awards for narration, is a professional actor and member of the resident acting company at Providence’s esteemed Trinity Repertory Company, where he has played Hamlet, Henry V, and Tom Joad.

Reviews

Goodreads review by TheBookWarren on May 10, 2024

5.0 ⭐️ — Reading this again recently (160-odd pages anyways) I couldn’t help but genuinely have a mind-giggle, as in… well.. giggle silently in my mind! Why do such a thing? Well, it’s cus I picked up this Westlake powerhouse again post a rather long-day of kids sports & didn’t think it could possib......more

Goodreads review by Kemper on April 20, 2015

Despite being Donald Westlake’s last novel and published by Hard Case Crime this is not a mystery or a crime story. It’s just one incredibly good book. Paul Cole is an actor from New York crossing the Midwest as part of a traveling theater company. When he hooks up with a married woman the husband ca......more

Goodreads review by Dave on May 21, 2021

A posthumously-published novel Donald Westlake couldn't get in print in the sixties when he wrote it because his career as a crime-writer had taken off and no one wanted to publish what is essentially a straight-up novel written by him. It's good, though, well-written, and sort of mirrors what his b......more

Goodreads review by James on August 27, 2010

I'm coming a bit late to this book and really have nothing at all to add to the many good reviews that have already been posted here. Like several others, I'm not sure what to make of it. I'm a huge fan of the Parker series that Westlake wrote as Richard Stark, but I confess that I'm not that enthus......more

Goodreads review by MH on July 30, 2022

A man is assaulted and suffers a traumatic head injury - he has amnesia and an inability to retain recent memories - and finds himself nearly broke and far from home. Despite the Hard Case Crime imprint, this isn't any kind of hard-boiled thriller (their, as always, wonderful pulpy cover shows the e......more

Quotes

“The novel’s deeper meditations will keep you thinking long after you’ve closed the book.” USA Today

“Westlake’s fans will note the author’s typically careful use of description and dialogue…But this is no typical Westlake novel; in fact, in many ways it’s one of his most interesting books, simply because it’s so very different.” Booklist (starred review)

“Lovely language and the overall discourse on the consequences of thoughtlessness make this a significant final work from a master.” Publishers Weekly

“The three-time Edgar winner and Mystery Writers of America Grand Master left a huge body of work as well as a devoted following. Noir fans will be eager to jump on this ‘found’ work even though it’s different from much of his later more comedic work.” Library Journal

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