The Hunter

208 Pages·2008·6.25 MB·English

by  Richard Stark

Praise for The Hunter:
"Richard Stark (which must be the pseudonym of some
long-experienced pro) writes a harsh and frightening story
ofcriminal warfare and vengeance in The Hunter with econ
omy, understatement and a deadly amoral objectivity-a
remarkable addition to the list of the shockers that the
French call romans noirs."
-Anthony Boucher, New York Times Book Review (1963)
"RichardStark's Parkernovels, aclusterofwhichwerewrit
ten in an extraordinary burst ofcreativity in the early '60s,
are among the most poised and polished fictions of their
time and, in fact, ofany time."
-John Banville, Bookforum
"Parker is a brillant invention. . . . What chiefly distin
guishes Westlake, under whatever name, is his passion for
process and mechanics.... Parker appears to have elimi
nated everythingfrom his program but machine logic, but
this is merely protective coloration. He is a romantic ves
tige, a free-market anarchist whose independent status is
becoming a thing ofthe past."
-Luc Sante, New York Review ofBooks
"Grittyand chillingly noir ... [Westlake] succeeds indem
onstrating his total mastery ofcrime fiction." -Booklist
"Super-ingenious, super-lethal. ... Parker is super-tough."
-New York Times Book Review
"Richard Stark is the Prince ofNoir."
-Martin Cruz-Smith
"One ofthe most original characters in mystery fiction has
returned without a loss ofstep, savvy, sheer bravado, street
smarts, or sense ofsurvival." -Mystery News
"The Parker novels ... are among the greatest hard-boiled
writing ofall time." -FinancialTimes (London)
"No one can turn a phrase like Westlake."
-DetroitNews andFree Press
"Westlake's ability to construct an action story filled with
unforeseen twists and quadruple-crosses is unparalleled."
-San Francisco Chronicle
"Ifyou're looking for crime novels with a lot ofpunch, try
the very, very tough novels featuring Parker by Donald E.
Westlake (writing as Richard Stark). The Hunter, The Outfit,
TheMourner, and TheManwiththeGetawayFaceareallbeau
tifully paced [and] tautly composed."
-James Kaufmann, Christian Science Monitor

BOOKS BY RICHARD STARK
The Hunter [Payback}
The Man with the Getaway Face
The Outfit
The Mourner
The Score
TheJugger
The Seventh
The Handle
The Damsel
The Rare Coin Score
The Green Eagle Score
The Dame
The BlackIce Score
The Sour Lemon Score
Deadly Edge
The Blackbird
Slayground
Lemons Never Lie
Plunder Squad
Butcher's Moon
Comeback
Backflash
Flashfire
Firebreak
Ask the Parrot
Dirty Money

TheUniversityofChicagoPress,Chicago60637
© 1962byRichardStark
Allrightsreserved.
UniversityofChicagoPressedition2008
TheHunterwasalsopublishedunderthetitlePayback
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 09 08 1 234 5
ISBN-13: 978-0-226-77099-4(paper)
ISBN-10: 0-226-77099-0(paper)
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Stark,Richard.
Thehunter/RichardStark.- UniversityofChicagoPressed.
p.em.
ISBN-13: 978-0-226-77099-4(pbk. :alk.paper)
ISBN-I0: 0-226-77099-0(pbk. :alk.paper) 1. Parker(Fictitiouscharacter)
Fiction. 2. Criminals-Fiction. 1. Title.
PS3573.E9H8 2008
813'.54-dc22
2008011226
§ Thepaperusedinthispublicationmeetstheminimumrequirementsofthe
AmericanNationalStandardforInformationSciences-PermanenceofPaperfor
PrintedLibraryMaterials, ANSIZ39.48-1992.