"When the phone rang, Parker was in the garage, killing a man. His knees pressed down on the interloper’s back, his hands were clasped around his forehead."
How's that for an opening of a novel? With Firebreak, Donald E. Westlake writing as Richard Stark has created a crime noir lollapalooza.
Here's a prime reason: published in 2001, Firebreak features two separate plotlines intersecting as a consequence of that distinctive feature of our postmodern society - the internet.
Oh, yes, Stark fans, on top of all his other challenges and concerns while living the life of an outlaw, Parker must now deal with the reality of a world connected by highly sophisticated technologies, the internet at its core.
Again, twin plots fuel Firebreak:
1) Parker meets with Wiss and Elkins, two heisters he has worked with previously. They talk of a job involving famous stolen artworks currently in a secret room at a billionaire's private mansion out in rural Montana. There's a sophisticated security system but they tell Parker they can handle any technology no matter how sophisticated since the other man in the room who's part of their team, a nerdy looking guy Parker hasn't met before, is a computer/electronics wiz by the name of Larry Lloyd.
2) Before Parker joins this trio on the Montana art heist, other business must be dealt with - specifically, the guy Parker killed in his garage turns out to be a hit man from Russia. Who sent this killer? Parker has to find out and deal with it.
Both plots contains multiple subplots. Several of my personal favorites from the highlight reel:
Time Sensitive
Usually a heist doesn't come with a deadline. But the Montana job has a deadline since Elkins and Wiss need cash for Corbett and Dolan, two of their partners from a past heist (Elkins and Wiss escaped but Corbett and Dolan were caught and have to pay money for lawyers and bail). If Elkins and Wiss don't come up with the dough fast, Corbett and Dolan will rat on them to lessen their own time behind bars. To pile on additional complication to an already complex equation: Corbett and Dolan are not the kind of guys who like to sit on the sideline and watch; nope, this pair is action all the way.
Super Geek, One
Parker is taken by surprise by Larry Lloyd, a bland looking man in his early thirties with thinning sandy hair and prominent horn-rimmed glasses and wearing a blue button-down shirt with a row of pens in his pocket. Parker is even more surprised when Larry says he's spent time in prison. Welcome to the 21st century, Parker, a world where criminals need not look like, well, hardened criminals. The inclusion of Larry Lloyd marks a shift in the underworld of crime, where seasoned lockpickers and safecrackers are replaced by computer hackers and dorky looking MIT science eggheads.
Odd Couple
Taking the needed steps to solve his problem regarding that Russian hitman, Parker teams up with a most unlikely partner: retired oldster Arthur who never owned or fired a gun in his life. As the two drive to an office in Bayonne, New Jersey, Parker tells Arthur, "If it turns bad, drop flat and roll into the corner." Arthur says, "And consign my soul to Jesus." Parker replies, "If you want."
Dastardly Duo
Stark fans will remember two scoundrels from The Sour Lemon Score: Paul Brock and Matt Rosenstein. These gents make a return appearance here. One of the many weaknesses of effete Paul Brock is his blind love for Matt Rosenstein. A dedicated Westlake fan writes, "To call Matt Rosenstein an animal would be doing a disservice to animals, predatory or not. He's the worst person ever to appear in a Parker novel." I concur. Rosenstein, who is now confined to a wheelchair after Parker crippled him ten years prior, spends his hours fuming at the world like some sadistic, spoiled adolescent. Pathetic.
The inclusion of these swinish bastards underscores the Westlake/Starkian morality that runs through the entire Parker series: if you don't know who you are or if you make a blunder in judgement, you will definitely pay the price, usually a monumental price, odds are you'll even have to pay with your very life.
Dot Com Billionaire
Paxton Marino owns that mansion in Montana, an arrogant, obnoxious chap, for sure. Here's what one detective thinks of mister moneybags: "A jumpted-up johnny-come-lately, Marino acted with such smug arrogance it made Hayes want to punch him in the mouth. Marino strolled through life with the self-satisfaction of someone who comes from a long line of rulers of the universe, and goddam it, he did not."
Nerdy in Montana
Westlake/Stark recognizes our worldwide computerized culture spawns millions of people at the opposite end of the spectrum from creative, innovative Larry Lloyd. One such is Dave Rappleyea. "Rappleyea had some sort of handheld computer game he was playing, pausing only to order his dinner, then eating one-handed so he could continue to play with the other." Is Dave R playing his computer game or is the computer game playing Dave, turning him into a passive, solipsistic dope addicted to his computer screen? If you read a Donald E. Westlake novel carefully, you'll detect caustic social commentary lacing the pages.
Super Geek, Two
In many ways, the most dramatic episodes in Firebreak relate to wishy-washy Larry Lloyd transforming into an outlaw on the run. And Larry can become quite emotional and inclined to fits of rage (Larry spent time in prison for attempting to murder his former partner in computer technology). The closing chapters of the novel where Larry Lloyd outlines a risky plan and initiates action are (at least by this reviewer's judgement) among the most moving and memorable in the entire Parker series. I never, ever thought I'd be close to tears while reading a Richard Stark novel, but I was toward the end of Firebreak.
Firebreak is an ace in the deck of Parker novels. I give it ten stars. Read it.
American author Donald E. Westlake, 1933-2008
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