The Mourner

By: Richard Stark

Narrated by: Stephen R. Thorne

The heist was a piece of cake. It didn't bother Parker that the priceless statue was in a Russian diplomat's house… because he had no scruples about ripping off a Red. It didn't bother Parker that his ex-girlfriend had blackmailed him into pulling this job… because he figured out how to make an extra fifty grand on the deal. It did bother Parker that somebody else was trying to steal the statue first - because being second wasn't Parker's style. Whether he was up against the mob or the KGB, Parker intended to beat them all at the stealing game. Of course, he didn't count on a double cross, a two-timing blonde, and one lethal luger aimed at making him not only second, but last. Dead last.

©1963 Richard Stark (P)2011 BBC Audiobooks America

Book 4 good stand alone plot

This is a straight forward crime caper.
Parker is called on to steal a figurine, and you get to see how the heist is put together.
Taunt and well paced

A Good Read, But There Are Better Parker Stories

If you could sum up The Mourner in three words, what would they be?

Good, Not Great

Would you recommend The Mourner to your friends? Why or why not?

I would not recommend this as the first Parker book to read. It ties up loose ends from the previous story but is not as good of a heist story as The Score. It's a solid read but with better Parker books to choose from, it's mainly for the hardcore Parker fans.

What about Stephen R. Thorne’s performance did you like?

He's straight forward, gives a universal voice without exaggerating very much.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Not as much as previous Parker books.

Any additional comments?

This is solid, but not up to the level of the other Parker books I have read so far. It picks up where The Outfit lets off, but it doesn't expand much on that story which stands alone just fine, and it's not as good of a heist story as The Score which follows it.

Chancer is better

This time, Parker did not hold my attention. I have a feeling it’s because of the narrator. He reads it like he doesn’t care. His accent is distracting and offputting. John Chancer is a much better narrator and have my attention the entire time. I’m interested in the character in the story, but the narrators delivery is really tough to work against..

The Parker Saga Continues

The narrator does not sound as rugged as Parker would be, but the story moves along with its fair share of plot twists, turns, and betrayals that Parker must maneuver his way through. Looking forward to more stories!

It wasn’t as good as the first three books,

but it was still good. My mind wandered at times.

KGB guy Menlo comes to the US to kill Kapor, a Russian diplomat who stole from the KGB. A woman blackmails Parker into stealing a statue from Kapor. Parker and Menlo end up working together.

I was surprised at what Parker did after he was shot. Those kind of surprises are why I like this author.

The narrator Stephen R. Thorne was ok. But I preferred John Chancer’s gravely voice for Parker. Stephen’s voice sounded too clean cut and normal for Parker, but he was good with the rest.

This is book 4 in the 24 book series. It’s about half the length of a typical novel.

Genre: noir crime fiction