The Black Ice Score is Parker novel #11 by Donald E. Westlake writing as Richard Stark.
Forever the creative literary artist, with Black Ice, Mr. Westlake puts a unique spin on his conventional four-part heist structure - and that's understatement.
I see many reviewers do not rate Black Ice as among the best Parker novels. I do not share this opinion. I read Black Ice for the first time last summer, my introduction to the Parker series after Slayground.
I was intrigued from first page to last with all the many angles and
plot twists. Also, I find crime noir with an international flare holds
special appeal.
The novel's opening lines: "Parker walked into
his hotel room, and there was a guy in there going through his suitcase
laid out on his bed."
Turns out, the guy speaks with some kind
of foreign accent and two of his buddies (one holding a gun) assume
Parker is working on a job. Parker doesn't have the slightest idea what
they're talking about. They urge Parker to quit the job and then all
three tromp out.
Huh? What the hell was that about? And to
think, Parker and Claire came to New York so Claire could do some
clothes shopping. Claire is frightened, suggests they go back to Miami.
Parker says, no, they're staying.
Minutes later, Parker is in
the hotel bar downstairs, meeting a guy by the name of Hoskins who
called on the telephone. Similar to the three guys in his hotel room,
Hoskins assumes Parker is involved, or at least has been approached, to
work on a job. Parker plays it so he can extract some information from
Hoskins.
Just then, the barman hands Parker the phone. It's
Claire. Claire tells Parker he should return to their room since four
gentlemen, all black, want to speak with him. When Parker returns, he
can see four black men in red robes standing in his room "like a scene
in a Negro version of Julius Caesar."
After Parker listens
to their leader, a Mr. Gonor, explain their plan, the pieces of the
puzzle begin to fit together. Quick synopsis: Gonor and the others are
from the small, newly independent African nation of Dhaba. The nation's
current leader, a corrupt Colonel, ultimately wants to abscond with
diamonds worth millions, diamonds critical to Dhaba's economic
well-being, diamonds currently held by his family members in a museum
dedicated to African art on East Thirty-eighth Street in Manhattan. As a
first step to establishing stability in Dhaba, Gonor needs to reclaim
the diamonds. And he needs Parker's help: Gonor asks Parker if he'll
devise a plan so they, the men from Dhaba, can sneak into the building
and take away the diamonds.
Diamonds worth millions, you say? The
plot thickens. Gonor first approached Hoskins to plan the heist but
quickly discovered Hoskins wasn't qualified, he wasn't that caliber of
crook. But Hoskins isn't about to walk away from such a large booty. And
those white guys who came to Parker's hotel room? All three are from
wealthy families in Dhaba who lost their land and wealth when the newly
formed government took over. They also want the diamonds.
So that's the basic framework. Several highlights/themes/philosophic reflections:
Loyal Fans of the Parker Series
Parker
is a hard, tough outlaw, wolf on the inside, man on the outside.
Understandably, a large percentage of Parker fans back in the 1960s were
African-Americans. Writing a Parker novel revolving around intelligent,
quick-witted, resourceful, courageous black Africans working for a good
cause made abundant sense, particularly in light of current affairs in
Africa. Also, Mr. Westlake could pick up on the reader frenzy for James
Bond-style international intrigue. We can hardly blame the author for
wishing to increase his fan base.
Parker and Race
Here's what one literary critic and avid Westlake/Stark fan has to say about Parker:
"And
we realize, with a start, that race is nothing to him. That he really
is colorblind. It would never occur to him to say, à la Stephen Colbert,
“I don’t see race.” Of course he sees skin color. He just can’t
understand the significance the rest of us place upon it. He happened to
be born into the body of a white man, but that’s all it is to him – a
vessel. It isn’t who or what he is, down inside. He truly is a minority
of one.
And we can only envy him for that all-encompassing sense
of self – he doesn’t need some arbitrary collective identity. He’s
content to be as he is. Is that the secret of racial harmony, that has
eluded us all these millennia? To just be happy with ourselves the way
we are? To not need a group to belong to? A ceremonial mask of human
skin to hide behind? As Parker, the wolf, hides behind his – but never
makes the mistake of believing in the masquerade. That way lies
madness."
In the way, Parker can serve as a lesson for all of us -
to know ourselves, truly know ourselves, independent of group think or
superficial categories.
Claire Chimes In
At one point Claire
suggests to Parker that he take the job since it is a good cause.
Parker's reply: He doesn't work for causes. In point of fact, Parker
doesn't have the slightest interest in politics, US politics or the
politics of any other country. And he tells one of the Dhaba men just
that. This point gets back to Parker knowing who he is and what he is.
Eager Students
One of the more intriguing and enjoyable sections of Black Ice
is watching how Gonor and the other Dhaba men learn from Parker. This
is especially true of Formutesca, the man who heads up the diamond
heist. Formutesca looks up to Parker, takes Parker as a role model for
how to perform an operation. And when circumstances force Parker to ask
Formutesca for help, the African is more than willing to offer his
services.
The Black Ice Score rocks. Read it.
American author Donald E. Westlake, 1933-2008
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