Flashfire: A Parker Novel

Good pacing, well written and entertianing. Many unabridged audiobooks seem to plod along and have much unneeded and uninteresting descrptive, this book is an excellent treat as it has none of those defects. The lead character is interesting and believable and the story which could have been slightly unbelievable in an another authors hands was perfect as written by Stark. All-in-all an excellent use of one credit!

Flashfire is wonderful noir, stripped of purple prose and affectation.

The protagonist may be cold, but he's tough and smart, and he adheres at least to some criminals' code of honor. (Basically: Don't screw your partners.)

The dialogue and the propulsive plot are smart, too. Stark writes with economy and accuracy, like a boxer throwing stinging jabs or crisp combinations.

For the most part Stark avoids stereotypes like kinky serial killers, moronic small-time criminals and renegade detectives who argue with their superiors. His minor characters, like the real estate saleswoman, the small-town lawman and the Palm Beach socialites, are briefly drawn, but well-limned.

I also enjoyed Stark's matter-of-fact use of criminal tradecraft, and the leavening, on-target humor he aims at the wealthy menagerie that occupies Palm Beach.

Fast paced and raw. This was my first Parker novel and now I want them all. Too bad so few are available in audiobook format. The narration was fantastic, exactly matched the mood of the characters. Five stars. Keep these gems coming!