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The Black Ice Score

A Parker Novel

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The Black Ice Score

By: Richard Stark
Narrated by: Stephen R. Thorne
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About this listen

The good guys in a new African nation were missing a treasury full of diamonds. The nation's corrupt leader had stashed the rocks somewhere in New York City. Now the good guys needed a specialist to get their diamonds back. So they came to the best in the business: Parker. Only the three mysterious tough guys came to Parker, too. They figured three hands filled with .38s could convince him to pass up this international gem game. But leaning on Parker was like pressuring a box of TNT with a short fuse.

Crack another case with Parker.©1968 Fawcett Publications, Inc. (P)2010 BBC Audio Modern Detectives Mystery Suspense Fiction

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Ask the Parrot By: Richard Stark
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I had never heard of the Parker novels or Richard Stark (Donald E. Westlake) until I read the audiobook 'Rules for Perfect Murders'. What a discovery! The writing is so taut it twangs. There is no fat in this novel, just sparsely written plot and character. I will be seeking out more of these novels (a shame there aren't more on Audible), and can't recommend this one highly enough. The narration by Stephen R. Thorne is excellent.

What a discovery!

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My first encounter with the Parker series and it was not as I'm had expected. In fact, I found it hard at times to concentrate on the action. The books have a bad boy, anti hero image and I can see why but it all seemed too forced, too lacking in personality. As if it was really written to be a film script or a play - to be seen as well as heard.
The plot was curious: Parker is retained by several men from a small, fairly new born African nation to devise a plan and train the little group to take part in a diamond heist. Naturally, an opposing team is as keen to stop the plan from working. Inevitably, although meticulously planned, it all goes wrong and Clair, who likes to stay well outside of Parker's projects, is kidnapped to ensure that he will perform as required.

The text is sparse, a stark noir style with minimal description, though a few tiny gems shine out, as, for example in 'wearing hysteria like a plastic raincoat'. But mostly even the emotion seemed flat, emotion!ess. And when it was over, I was left with the feeling of is that it, somehow expecting more.
Narration was by Stephen R.Thorne whose reading was good, a strong and pleasant English accented voice, well modulated and paced, who also gave the dialogue in fairly well differentiated voices. But, for me, even his performance failed to bring the book to life.

I downloaded the book for free through the Audible Plus programme. Thank you, Audible. And it was an easy read, quite short at almost four hours. But although I could see potential especially as a screen thriller, for me it failed to excite and engage.

"Mr.Parker, have they left?"

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