Reading Order
Donald E Westlake Richard Starkseries.seoTitleShort
Start with Payback / Point Blank / The Hunter and continue through all 30 books in the listed reading order.
About This Series
The Donald E. Westlake Richard Stark series is a seminal collection of crime fiction that revolves around the iconic character Parker, a professional thief characterized by his cold efficiency and ruthless pragmatism. Written by Richard Stark, a pseudonym of the prolific author Donald E. Westlake, this series blends hardboiled crime narratives with intricate plots, creating a world that is both gritty and compelling. Stark's writing is taut and suspenseful, making each book an engaging read that keeps you on the edge of your seat.
What makes this series worth reading is its exploration of themes like morality, ambition, and the stark realities of criminal life. Each novel delves deep into Parker's psyche, offering readers a glimpse into the mind of a man whose life revolves around theft and survival. The stark portrayal of crime, coupled with Stark's masterful storytelling, makes this series a must-read for aficionados of the genre. Ideal readers include those who appreciate noir fiction, intricate heist plots, and character-driven narratives that challenge conventional notions of right and wrong.
Starting with Book 1, "Payback / Point Blank / The Hunter," is essential to understanding the evolution of Parker as a character and the thematic foundations of the series. While the books can often stand alone, experiencing them in order provides a richer understanding of the overarching narrative and the development of recurring characters. Though there are no specific thought leaders currently recommending this series, fans of crime fiction and readers who enjoy complex antiheroes will find much to appreciate in Westlake's sharp prose and Stark's relentless storytelling.
Start Here
Start with Payback / Point Blank / The Hunter
Book 1 by Richard Stark • Published 1962
Double crossed by his wife and partner during an arms heist, Parker survives a bullet and a prison stretch, then walks into Manhattan with one goal: get his share of the money back from the Outfit, whatever it costs.
Complete List
Donald E Westlake Richard Stark reading order
Ends with The Score
- 1
Book 1:Payback / Point Blank / The Hunter
Richard Stark • 1962
Double crossed by his wife and partner during an arms heist, Parker survives a bullet and a prison stretch, then walks into Manhattan with one goal: get his share of the money back from the Outfit, whatever it costs.
- 3
Book 3:The Mourner
Richard Stark • 1963
Called in to repay an old debt, Parker is hired to snatch a small medieval statue known as the Mourner. The job drags him into a world of art collectors, crooked officials, and security men where nobody is quite what...
- 4
Book 4:The Score / Killtown
Richard Stark • 1963
In an audacious scheme, Parker agrees to clean out an entire North Dakota mining town in a single night, from both banks to the company payroll. With a crew this large, one bad decision can bring the whole town crashi...
- 5
Book 5:The Jugger
Richard Stark • 1965
Anxious letters from an aging safecracker draw Parker to a quiet Midwestern town, only for him to find the man dead and the police already suspicious. With his own identity at risk, Parker has to locate the missing mo...
- 6
Book 6:The Seventh / The Split
Richard Stark • 1966
After a meticulously timed college football stadium robbery, Parker hides the cash and goes home, only to return to a murdered girlfriend and an empty room. Hunting the thief while dodging detectives, he turns a perfe...
- 7
Book 7:The Handle / Run Lethal
Richard Stark • 1966
Parker is hired by the mob to knock over an island casino and destroy a rival’s operation off the Texas coast. With Alan Grofield on the crew and betrayals waiting on the island, the line between a clean getaway and a...
- 8
Book 8:The Rare Coin Score
Richard Stark • 1967
Against his better judgment, Parker agrees to mastermind the robbery of a high-end coin convention, working with a nervy collector and a sophisticated widow. The payoff could be huge, but amateurs and attraction are b...
- 9
Book 9:The Green Eagle Score
Richard Stark • 1967
Relaxing in Puerto Rico with Claire, Parker is lured into a job targeting the cash payroll of an Air Force base in upstate New York. An edgy insider, a talkative ex-wife, and a loose-lipped therapist threaten to bring...
- 10
Book 10:The Damsel
Richard Stark • 1967
Shot up after a Parker caper, Grofield limps into a Mexico City hotel room and straight into the troubles of a woman on the run from killers and political schemers. Their frantic journey toward Acapulco mixes romance,...
- 11
Book 11:The Black Ice Score
Richard Stark • 1968
Envoys from a newly independent African nation ask Parker to help steal back a fortune in diamonds looted by a corrupt strongman and now locked in a New York museum. Training political amateurs for a professional heis...
- 12
Book 12:The Sour Lemon Score
Richard Stark • 1969
After a tight bank job, Parker expects an easy split, until one partner seizes the whole take and starts killing the rest of the crew. With cops circling and bodies falling, Parker hunts the traitor who should have ma...
- 13
Book 13:The Dame
Richard Stark • 1969
Summoned to Puerto Rico by a mysterious offer, Grofield ends up at the hilltop estate of Belle Danamato and tangled in a classic country-house murder when she turns up dead. Accused by mobsters and guests alike, he ha...
- 14
Book 14:The Blackbird
Richard Stark • 1969
After an armored car job explodes into disaster, Grofield wakes in a hospital under federal guard. Offered prison or a covert assignment at an international conference of dictators and revolutionaries, he is dragged i...
- 15
Book 15:Slayground
Richard Stark • 1971
A getaway crash strands Parker alone with the loot inside a closed-for-winter amusement park. Surrounded by mobsters and crooked cops who control the only exit, he turns Fun Island into a lethal maze where every ride...
- 16
Book 16:Deadly Edge
Richard Stark • 1971
Parker’s crew robs the cash take from a roaring rock concert and splits up, thinking the hard part is over. When someone begins murdering the heisters and traces the trail to Claire’s new house, Parker has to defend h...
- 17
Book 17:Lemons Never Lie
Richard Stark • 1971
Actor-thief Alan Grofield turns down a reckless brewery payroll job in Las Vegas, only to be beaten and robbed by the man who proposed it. When the trouble follows him home to Indiana, he is pushed into a violent, ver...
- 18
Book 18:Plunder Squad
Richard Stark • 1972
Moving between overlapping jobs, from hijacked cargo to an ambitious art theft, Parker finds himself juggling too many partners, buyers, and grudges. An old enemy on his trail and a string of misfires leave him fighti...
- 19
Book 19:Butcher's Moon
Richard Stark • 1974
Back in the corrupt town where he once lost a stash and nearly his life, Parker calls in favors from a long list of past accomplices. What starts as a hunt for missing money explodes into a brutal gang war played out...
- 20
Book 20:Comeback
Richard Stark • 1997
After robbing the cash haul from a stadium revival meeting, Parker is double crossed by one of his own crew and cut off from the money. Posing as an insurance investigator, he works alongside the evangelist's security...
- 21
Book 21:Backflash
Richard Stark • 1998
Parker breaks one of his own rules by taking a job on a Hudson River gambling boat stuffed with cash. With an insider feeding the crew information and unexpected muscle on board, he has to improvise fast or go down wi...
- 22
Book 22:Flashfire / Parker
Richard Stark • 2000
Cut out of his share after a Midwestern bank robbery, Parker is told his partners are “borrowing” the money for a jewel heist in Palm Beach. Building a fake identity among the rich, he plans to steal their big score o...
- 23
Book 23:Firebreak
Richard Stark • 2001
A tip about a dot-com millionaire’s private gallery of stolen masterpieces draws Parker to a fortified lodge in the Montana woods. Balancing this risky art heist with unfinished business from earlier jobs, he faces hi...
- 24
Book 24:Breakout
Richard Stark • 2002
Caught moving pharmaceuticals, Parker lands in a supposedly escape-proof prison where the authorities are close to learning who he really is. Teaming with two other inmates, he engineers a daring breakout that leads s...
- 25
Book 25:Nobody Runs Forever
Richard Stark • 2004
Short on cash after a blown job, Parker signs onto a plan to rob an armored car convoy during a bank merger. Loose talk, a nervous ex-con, a relentless cop, and a hungry bounty hunter turn the dangerous theft into a t...
- 26
Book 26:Ask The Parrot
Richard Stark • 2006
On the run after a botched armored car job, Parker limps into rural Massachusetts and takes refuge with a bitter loner nursing a grudge against the local racetrack. Together they plot one more score while police, poss...
- 27
Book 27:Dirty Money
Richard Stark • 2008
Returning to a New England town after the chaos of earlier jobs, Parker sets out to recover a hidden bundle of hot bank money before the law or rival thieves reach it. With federal agents, local cops, a bounty hunter,...
- 28
Book 28:The Hunter
Richard Stark
Use the reading order above to move through the series in the intended sequence.
- 29
Book 29:The Outfit
Richard Stark • 2010
Continuing the graphic adaptation, this volume finds Parker using his new face and a network of fellow thieves to strike the Outfit’s rackets across the country. Casinos, couriers, and counting rooms fall in a stylish...
- 30
Book 30:The Steel Hit / The Man With The Getaway Face
Richard Stark • 1963
With a surgically altered face and a price on his head, Parker signs on to an armored car job in New Jersey. A treacherous girlfriend and a nosy blackmailer turn the clean caper into a brutal fight to stay free.
- 31
Book 31:The Score
Elle Kennedy
Use the reading order above to move through the series in the intended sequence.
Quick Answers
Donald E Westlake Richard Stark FAQ
What is the best order to read the Donald E Westlake Richard Stark series?
The recommended reading order is the numbered order shown on this page, starting with Payback / Point Blank / The Hunter.
How many books are in the Donald E Westlake Richard Stark series?
There are 30 books currently listed in the Donald E Westlake Richard Stark series on GurusReads.
Where should I start with the Donald E Westlake Richard Stark series?
New readers should start with Payback / Point Blank / The Hunter, the first book in the reading order.
Is the Donald E Westlake Richard Stark series complete?
Based on the publication years we have, the series appears likely complete and spans releases from 1962 to 2010.