From the archives, review by Ed Gorman
THE JUGGER BY RICHARD STARK
How
this for an opener? I'm about to review the worst book Donald E.
Westlake ever wrote. Don't take my word for it. Here's Westlake himself
speaking.
"I
spoiled a book by having him do something he wouldn’t do. The sixth
book in the series is called The Jugger, and that book is one of the
worst failures I’ve ever had. The problem with it is, in the beginning
of the book this guy calls him and says “I’m in trouble out here and
these guys are leaning on me and I need help,” and Parker goes to help
him. I mean, he wouldn’t do that, and in fact, the guy wouldn’t even
think to call him! (laughs)"
I found this
quote on The Violent World of Parker website, a goodie. Westlake
has more than once cited The Jugger as a failure, and although I’ve
never heard it straight from the horse’s mouth, I’ve heard he considers
it the worst book he’s ever written. Well, Mr. Westlake, if this is the
worst you can do after cranking out more books than I can count, I am
in great envy of your abilities.
"Mr.
Westlake is wrong about Parker acting out of character in The Jugger.
He seems to have forgotten the details, which is perfectly
understandable, as the book was written in 1965 and he probably has not
had much reason to revisit it if he doesn’t care for it that much."
Me
again: I frequently find myself liking books most other people don't
and vice-versa. The Jugger's a good example. No it's not a great Parker
adventure, but it's got a lot of early Sixties atmosphere, a cast of
truly despicable characters, and a constantly shifting plot.
What
we have here is a kind of psychodrama. We have a dumb but crafty
Sheriff, a smart but unlucky FBI man, a dumb but uncrafty lady friend
of a pathetic dead guy who'd been trying to find an imaginary sum of
money hidden by Joe Sheer.
It goes like
this. Parker and Sheer worked together sometimes and then Sheer got old
and all he did was serve as a way station for Parker. If you wanted to
talk to the big man you had to call Sheer who'd screen you. But when
Parter got a nervous communication from Sheer he got concerned that
maybe the old man was coming apart and would blow Parker's cover. He
had to go to the small Midwestern city and make sure that didn't
happen.
But when he got there Sheer was
dead. And the (imaginary) enormous amount of stolen money was nowhere
to be found--yes there;s money but it's modest compared to what others
think. So Parker proceeds to deal with both problems. Under the name of
Willis.
The Psychodrama: The Sheriff is a
dope but a brutal one and Parker has to string him along in order to
learn what he needs to. Watching Parter mislead him is a game worth
watching. The Sheriff is a human pit bull. He's capable of killing
Parker at any moment. But then Parker is more than willing to strike
first. On the other hand the FBI man is slick and political. Mitt
Romney could play him. Quoting Norman Mailer on a writer he didn't
like: "He's as full of shit as a Thanksgiving
turkey." But he suspects that this guy Willis is really a big catch
under another name. He's already signing a book contract and learning to
wave in parades.
So The Jugger ain't
perfect and ain't gonna win none of them NYC awards but I don't care. I
just enjoyed this particular take on Parker's world. I read it in two
dazzled sittings.
9 comments:
I spent months back in the Seventies looking for "Richard Stark" books in used book stores. Terrific books about a professional thief! Because the series was published in paperback, no libraries had them. I recall finding THE JUGGER in a small used bookstore in Rochester, Minnesota. I was on a consulting gig and had some spare time to visit the bookstore. I'm sure I let out a shout in the store when I found THE JUGGER in a stack of books!
Westlake wrote some good stuff, Patti, both under his own name and as 'Richard Stark.' Good to be reminded of him.
I have only read one or two Richard Stark books. More Westlake.
The worst novel, albeit short, Westlake wrote remains, in what I've read and gathered from the descriptions of those I haven't yet, ANARCHAOS (the only novel he published as by "Curt Clark", as in rude scribe; he used Clark on the good Christmas horror story "Nackles" when published in THE MAGAZINE OF FANTASY AND SCIENCE FICTION, as well, a handful of years after writing a snide kiss-off to fantastica or at least its magazines for Patricia and Richard Lupoff's magazine XERO). It's by far the worst component of the collection TOMORROW'S CRIMES. Do get that book if at all interested in his fantasy and sf work, which libraries might still have (I read it 33 years ago. Man. Whole grown-up people working on their mortgages since then.).
The only libraries I visited in the '70s, in Connecticut, New Hampshire and Hawaii, all carried paperbacks, at least a few in the permanent collection when no other edition was available, and those often rebound. Though I can believe most didn't have "Stark" novels in those years...except perhaps in the uncatalogued paperback racks, where the books would be discarded as they fell apart after the fifth or twentieth patron did their casual worst to them.
As always, glad to see an Ed Gorman review.
Yes, his voice was distinct in every sentence.
I have to agree with Todd - I couldn't get through that book at all.
Patti, you should check out the 5 books he wrote as Tucket Coe, but they need to be read in order. I've read all the Starks, of course. George, several were published in paperback in Britain, and I'd always pick them up whenever I came across one over there,
Sadly I had two Tucker Coe books that somehow got lost in a move. Now, whittling down to maybe 200 books, they are going fast.
The newly-published Westlake novel is the longer form of CALL ME A CAB, a romance/cross-country journey story; I FFB'd the short form published in REDBOOK here:
https://socialistjazz.blogspot.com/2009/04/fridays-forgotten-short-fiction-donald.html
And ANARCHAOS here:
https://socialistjazz.blogspot.com/2019/07/ffb-classic-tomorrows-crimes-by-donald.html
I have enjoyed all the books I have read in the Parker series, but that is another series where I have several more to go. I haven't read nearly enough of Westlake's books. When I was younger I read quite a few, but mostly I remember the Dortmunder from that time.
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