Crime fiction with a violent edge, anyone? Deadly Edge fits the bill.
And
to think, this Parker novel, #13 of 24 in the series, starts off with a
heist both successful and clean (no bloodshed) at a rock concert that's
the final show in the old Civic Auditorium in an unnamed city, a
success thanks to mastermind Parker and three capable professionals
Parker has working with him.
The novel's Part One is devoted
entirely to the heist, beginning with Parker, Keegan and Briley up on
the roof, taking turns with an ax, chopping away to create a hole large
enough for the boys to drop though. Meanwhile, young Morris sits by the
roof's edge and keeps lookout. They know where to chop to avoid
electrical cables since they're working from a blueprint of the
auditorium they bought from a guy on the inside.
Parker and
company also know the layout of the rooms and the position of the
security guards (always much better to work from a detailed plan).
Donald E. Westlake writing as Richard Stark underscores this point by
noting most of John Dillinger's jobs back in the years of the Great
Depression had been done that way.
Once inside, Parker
effectively speaks to and deals with all the individuals he encounters: a
security guard by the name of Patrick Dockery (Parker knows it's always
best to address people by their first name and in a calm, relaxed
voice), a critically positioned accountant and then three armed guards
and four clerks in the cash room, making sure everyone does exactly what
he tells them to do without the need to resort to violence
(professional that he is, Parker also knows not to allow murder to
become the easy answer).
Parker remains keenly aware for any
possible unforeseen screw ups, particularly since old man Berridge
experienced a case of nerves and pulled out. Parker would ordinarily let
a job go rather than change things at the last minute, in this case,
modify the plan to fit four men rather then five, but the rock concert was
simply too tempting - no advanced ticket sales, all seats payed for in
cash at the door.
Through each and every step, both crime
fiction aficionados and readers new to the genre can better appreciate
all the expertise needed to pull off such a complex caper, things like
Parker's organizational skills and Keegan's background in electronics.
The
boys complete the robbery clean and easy from beginning to end. When
they reach their apartment hideout, they get ready to sit around a
table to split all the green. But then the shock: Briley beckons Parker
to the bathroom. "Berridge was lying on his back on the floor. The side
of his head had been punched in, and a plumber's wrench with the end
bloody and hair-matted was lying on the floor between the body and the
toilet."
Who would do such a thing? And, why? Parker and the other men are baffled.
Deadly Edge
delves into territories dark, twisted and forbidding. As
author/critic/lifelong Westlake fan Charles Ardai observes, “Parker
occupies a world of constant threat, where style counts for nothing.”
What
gives Parker the edge? As Stark writes toward the end of the novel,
“That was the edge Parker had, he knew that survival was more important
than heroics. It isn’t how you play the game, it’s whether you win or
lose.”
As stated above, Deadly Edge is violence with edge. I'll conclude with a taste of how violent:
"Keegan
was nailed to the wall. His naked body had been cigarette burned and
scratched with a knife-tip, but it was probably the bleeding around the
nails in his forearms that had killed him. He looked shriveled and small
hanging there, his feet crumpled against the floor beneath him."
American author Donald E. Westlake, 1933-2008
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