Slayground by Richard Stark (Donald E. Westlake)

Slayground (1971) by Richard Stark (Donald E. Westlake)

Slayground is my first experience with the famed Parker series of crime novels by Donald E. Westlake, writing as Richard Stark, and what a ride it is! What took me so long? Technically this is the 14th book in the series, though knowledge of any previous book is unnecessary as this adventure starts cold with a bang-up action scene and literally never slows down.

We are immediately introduced to Parker and his gang as they successfully take out an armored car, netting them $70,000 in cash. A recurring theme in the Parker novels is how the protagonist’s carefully laid plans fall apart due to the intervention of fate or the carelessness or betrayal of a member of the crew. In this case it is the getaway driver, a man for whom Parker expresses reservations. Almost immediately after the robbery, the driver loses control of the car, crashing within sight of the armored car and leaving Parker as the only member of the crew mobile and in possession of the money.

Realizing the police are en route to the accident scene, Parker grabs the loot and makes haste toward an adjacent amusement park that is closed for the winter. However, as he scales the fence he is seen by a group of men, two of whom are police officers. We will eventually learn that the cops are on the take and in the employ of a mobster who owns and operates the amusement park. They quickly and correctly piece together that the man in the park is related to the nearby heist and that the duffel bag he carries contains the stolen money. Rather than bring in the authorities, the decision is made to bring in mob soldier reinforcements and to flush out the thief and take the ill-gotten money for themselves.

This sets up back and forth chapters that alternate between Parker and the mobsters as our anti-hero uses his short window of opportunity to start laying traps within the various dark ride attractions and waterways that connect the various separate areas of the park, such as New York Island, Alcatraz, Treasure Island, and Voodoo Island. There are times where it almost moves from crime thriller into horror territory as Parker begins to take the mobsters and their soldiers down one-by-one with a variety of different deadly methods. It plays out like a very adult version of the movie Home Alone, but a whole lot darker.

I can’t recommend this book highly enough; it sprints from the action-filled beginning to its violent ending and never bogs down. There’s not a lot of characterization, nor is it needed. This is lean and economical story-telling that knows exactly what it wants to be and efficiently accomplishes the task with skill and style. Now to move other Parker book to the top of my to-be-read pile. What a rush!

Review by Steve Carroll