Donald edwin westlake 19332008 was an american author of numerous bestselling novels and nonfiction books under his own name and many pseudonyms. Westlake in pdf, epub, mobi formats for iphone, mac and ipad. Online shopping from a great selection at books store. When the last of the kids moved out of his home in new york city, he converted one of the empty rooms into his personal library of all things westlake. Westlake felt this book might read too much like martin scorseses 1982 film the king of comedy, so he stored it.
Arriving home at dawn after another failed burglary, john dortmunder the antihero of donald westlake s popular comic crime series is shocked to find his apartment occupied by a notorious cellmate everyone had supposed and hoped had been jailed for life. Westlake s ebooks free in pdf, epub and kindle formats. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read good behavior. He specialized in crime fiction, especially comic capers, with an occasional foray into science fiction and other genres. Best known for his mystery novels including the dortmunder series, he also wrote screenplays, including the script for the grifters which was nominated for an academy award for best screenplay. Parker is a professional criminal, specializing in armed robbery. A new collection of eight short stories by four master authors. He began his career in the late 1950s, churning out novels for pulp housesoften writing as many as four novels a year under various pseudonyms such as richard starkbut soon began publishing under his own name. I continue to scout for westlake novels i havent read, and this website will help. He has written dozens of novels over the past thirtyfive years, under his own name and a rainbow of pseudonyms. Donald westlake s 1997 novel the ax, shelved in the mystery section of my local library, is a sterling example of black humor. Richard starks actually donald westlakes parker is a hardened professional thief who appeared in a string of almost twenty excellent, extremely hardboiled caper paperback originals in the sixties and seventies. Westlake free books for your kindle, tablet, ipad, pc or mobile.
He was christened donald edwin westlake, initials which prompted the. Buy good behavior by donald e westlake online at alibris. None of the films that were made from donald westlake s books are as pure westlake as the originals. He had no shoes or socks, his shirt and trousers were bloody and filthy and torn, his face and arms were scratched and bruised, and he couldnt walk properly. Shop the latest titles by donald e westlake at alibris including hardcovers, paperbacks, 1st editions, and audiobooks from thousands of sellers worldwide.
Westlake 19332008 wrote dozens of novels under his own name and numerous pseudonyms, including richard stark and alan marshall. Donald edwin westlake was a noteworthy american author of the science fiction and crime genre. However, being caught redhanded is inevitable in dortmunders next production, when a tv producer convinces this thief and his merry gang to do a reality show that captures their next score. Westlake s books in order of publication and in chronological order. The responsibility for a movie is not as easy to define as the responsibility for a novel. Enough maybe isnt the most hilarious of all of westlake s comic capers, but it certainly is a very funny entertaining read. Free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project gutenberg. Westlake at the top of his game is to attend a master class in fun, fastpaced pulp. He began his career in the late 1950s, churning out novels for.
This condition has clearcut advantages for a man in freddies profession, but now everybody wants a glimpse of freddie. Being born in the year 1933, westlake died in the year 2008 at the age of 75 after writing hundreds of novels and nonfiction books. This site uses cookies to deliver our services, improve performance, for analytics, and if not signed in for advertising. He wrote under many different pseudonyms, including richard stark his bestknown pen name, alan marshall, andrew shaw. Donald edwin westlake july 12, 1933 december 31, 2008 was an. Westlake, mystery writer, is dead at 75 the new york.
Westlake published books under a number of pseudonyms. Demand for westlake to bring back parker resulted in the very wellreceived and appropriately titled comeback in 1997. Burke devore is gunning for his competition, and its getting easier every time. In this relentlessly fascinating novel, the masterful donald westlake takes us on a journey of obsession and outrage inside a quiet mans desperate world. Burke devore, a middleaged paper company middle manager, has gotten the ax from his employer after years of devoted service. Like parker, dortmunder is a career criminal, although he is a nonviolent criminal who prefers to plan out elaborate schemes, which of course never work out exactly the way he plans. Westlake and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. I was born donald edwin westlake on july 12th, 1933 in brooklyn, new york. The hunter 1962 is a crime thriller novel, written by donald e. By combining the intricate plotting characteristic of mystery writing with the deconstructive energies of comedy and satire, donald e. Im currently wading through a filing system that may be more complete than the library but i havent encountered anything that would add to the list of euphemism stories at this point. Because freddie noon has gotten a taste of invisibilityand he cant quit now.
None of the films that were made from donald westlakes books are as pure westlake as the originals. To the end he wrote everything on one of two manual typewriters. Interview with donald westlake, author of the parker novels. He began his career in the late 1950s, churning out novels for pulp housesoften writing as many as four novels a year under various pseudonyms such as richard stark. While one the narratives is superior to the other, both showcase the wit, knack for dialogue, and careful plotting that made westlake a household name and one of those crime. Due to a foiled burglary in a hightech lab doing research for cigarette manufacturers, freddie noon, the thief, is now invisible. Westlakes ebooks free in pdf, epub and kindle formats. But freddie doesnt dare show his face, his shadow, anything. Westlake s bestselling audiobooks and newest titles.
Westlake 19332008 was an american novelist who was best known for comic capers, but he also contributed to genres including more general crime fiction, science fiction and lots more. Westlake published nearly one hundred books, including two longrunning series starring the hardhitting parker and the hapless john dortmunder. May 29, 2018 the responsibility for a movie is not as easy to define as the responsibility for a novel. It will go over the novels the hot rock and bank shot.
Westlake invented his own form of crime fiction, the comic caper. Westlake, a prolific, awardwinning mystery novelist who pounded out more than 100 books and 5 screenplays on manual typewriters. Westlake july 12, 1933 december 31, 2008 was born in brooklyn, new york. The pattern of his life is to commit a lucrative heist, live well in luxury hotels for a period of months or years. Westlake 19332008 was one of the most prolific and talented authors of american crime fiction. This is the first novel in the dortmunder series and was released in the year 1970. John dortmunder is a character featured in a series of novels by american novelist donald e. The first novel in the series, the hot rock was originally intended to be a parker novel. A sly wit surfaced repeatedly throughout the long literary career of donald e westlake, who has died aged 75 from an apparent heart attack. However, being caught redhanded is inevitable in do. While the plot deals with the theft of a train load of coffee, the book is so far beyond an average hiest story that it is hard to catagorize. Download audiobooks by donald e westlake at and save. Get cozy and expand your home library with a large online selection of books at. Many of his books have been made into movies, including the hunter, which became the brilliant film noir point blank, and the 1999 smash hit payback.
Westlake donald edwin westlake 19332008 was an american author of numerous bestselling novels and nonfiction books under his own name and many pseudonyms. Westlake is available at in several formats for your ereader. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read the spy in the ointment. If one or more works are by a distinct, homonymous authors, go ahead and split the author. Westlake, creator of john dortmunder, the most clever and least lucky thief in crime fiction, and, writing as richard stark, the hardboiled heist master parker. The publisher hard case crime has undertaken a longterm project to recover many of westlakes leastknown books, and they have already. Westlake what will a group of monks do when their centuryold monastery in new york city is threatened with demolition to make room for a new highrise. With the getaway car, we get our first glimpse of another side of westlake the writer. Her two published books are an uncommon scold and the gardeners gripe book. This book is available for free download in a number of formats including epub, pdf, azw, mobi and more.
Westlake has written numerous novels over the past thirtyfive years under his own name and pseudonyms, including richard stark. Donald edwin westlake 19332008 was an american author of numerous bestselling novels and nonfiction books under his own name and. The same year, he published three additional novels as marshall. Under the pseudonym richard stark, he wrote twentyfour fastpaced, hardboiled novels featuring parker, a shrewd career criminal with a talent for heists. Donald edwin westlake 1933 2008 welcome and thanks for visiting the official website of crime novelist and mwa grand master donald e. For those readers looking to get into novels by donald e. I am reminded of the movie heathers of a few years ago. The ax pdf adobe drm can be read on any device that can open pdf adobe drm. Westlake, author of the parker novels under the name richard stark. All content included on our site, such as text, images, digital downloads and other, is the property of its content suppliers and protected by us and international laws.
His first novel, all my lovers, was published in 1959 under the name alan marshall. Westlake attended three colleges in new york state and spent two and a half years in the united states air force. Under various pseudonyms he produced around 100 novels. In double feature, the latest westlake release from hard case crime, we get two chances of seeing westlake in action. Best known for his mystery novels including the dortmunder series, he also wrote screenplays, including the script for the grifters which was nominated for an academy award for. Everything in the bibliography on this site is confirmed as a westlake book by its existence on the shelves of dons personal library in nyc. Westlake has 297 books on goodreads with 88717 ratings. The running man was first published in a signet edition under the name richard bachman, and later appeared in nal hardcover and plume trade paperback omnibus editions titled the bachman books under the name stephen king. This book is a total departure for donald westlake and one for the better. Project gutenberg offers 61,951 free ebooks to download. Kindle ebooks can be read on any device with the free kindle app. Although the crime and science fiction genres were his specialty, he used to write in other genres as well. Westlake, including the plot thickens, and the hot rock, and more on. Don always maintained a library of his own work, segregated from the rest of his rather immense collection of books by other authors.
What will a group of monks do when their twocenturyold monastery in new york city is threatened with demolition to make room for a. The parker novels are westlakes greatest achievement, and they retain a. Jan 08, 2009 a sly wit surfaced repeatedly throughout the long literary career of donald e westlake, who has died aged 75 from an apparent heart attack. May 29, 2018 the spy in the ointment ebook written by donald e. Westlake has written over a variety of genres throughout his career under his own name and various pen names the most successful is richard stark. Westlakes books in order of publication and in chronological order. Donald edwin westlake july 12, 1933 december 31, 2008 was an american writer, with more than a hundred novels and nonfiction books to his credit.
Many of his books have been adapted for film, most notably the hunter, which became the 1967 noir point blank and the 1999 smash hit payback. Oct 29, 2008 free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project gutenberg. Donald edwi n westlake july 12, 1933 december 31, 2008 was an. Yet they allor at least all the good onescarry his fingerprints. Air force he began his writing career with the mercenaries in 1960. And, even though donald westlake is best known for his detective novels, all of these stories fall into the category. The setting, the characters even the steamy sex scenes are more than one expects after reading westlake s other books. The importance of being bachman appeared in slightly different form in the 1996 plume edition of the bachman books.