Butcher’s Moon (1974)

Parker, the master theif who has appeared in fifteen previous tough, lean novels by Richard Stark, now appears in his masterwork. The same hardness of line and clarity of prose that led The New York Times to say that "nobody tops Stark in his objective portrayals of a world of total amorality" is here wedded to a sweep of story and a range of action far beyond the usual thriller. When Parker comes to Tyler, a thriving Midwestern city, he isn't looking for trouble. Just the proceeds from the armored-car robbery he engineered here two years ago and had to leave behind when the robbery turned sour and the action got sudden. Now, short on cash, Parker comes back to town to collect his goods. But the money isn't there. And the local gang boss, Lozini, who should know what happened to it, doesn't feel like talking. It's up to Parker, working with his old partner Alan Grofield, to change Lozini's mind and make him want to cooperate.