Parker goes against the Outfit – 12 heists and determination to hit them where it hurts, this time it’s personal. Worse, the Outfit has gone soft, many of its employees see themselves as regular stiffs; well Parker’s job is pulling off jobs. Stark, intricate, hardboiled, amoral, there is no more professional hardman in literature – think Robert DeNiro in Heat without a conscience. Also lots of great observations on the structure of the mob – numbers games, layoff bets, hedging, gaming joints etc. Zingers galore, almost cinematic, breathless writing. That’s what I’m talking about. Stark/Westlake does it again.

Anatomy of professional criminals and crime syndicates.