Donald Westlake

Pseudonyms include Alan Marshal, Edwin West, Edwina West, Edwin Wood, Richard Stark, Tucker Coe, Timothy J. Culver, Samuel Holt, Curt Clark, J. Morgan Cunningham, Ben Christopher, Grace Salacious
(1933-2008)

Simply the best.

One of the most accomplished crime writers ever, and certainly one of the funniest in the hard-boiled school, Donald Edwin Edward Westlake was born in Brooklyn in 1933, and rambled around much of New York state, growing up, or at least that’s his story. He was raised in Yonkers and Albany, and attended Champlain College in Plattsburgh (Plattsburgh? That’s uncomfortably close to Montreal!), Troy and Binghamton, and finally Manhattan.

“None to much effect,” he hastens to assure us. He served a few years in the U.S. Air Force (where he learned “a little German”). He began his writing career in the mid-fifties, selling short stories to various magazines and second-tier mystery digests, honing his skills and moving on up the food chain, and his first novel (at least under his own name), The Mercenaries, appeared in 1960. It was but the first of over a hundred novels and non-fictionbooks published either under his own name or one of a rash of pseudonyms in a long and successful career.

Westlake was one prolific and talented guy, probably best known–at least under his own name–for his caper novels, which essentially come in two flavours: humourous and hard as hell. In the lighter vein, he wrote the John Dortmunder series, about a brilliant, but hilariously unlucky master criminal. The first Dortmunder caper, The Hot Rock, appeared in 1970.

But Westlake also enjoyed a large and devoted following for his decidedly darker books about professional criminal Parker, written under the pen name of Richard Stark. And Stark is the perfect pen name for the author of these books–they’re stark, all right, and nasty, bleak and violent. They’re also some of the absolutely best heist novels ever written. Westlake/Stark fans were very happy when Parker made his triumpant return, after a 23-year hiatus, with the appriately-titled Comeback in 1997. Westlake has promised more.

But that’s not all!

As Tucker Coe, Westlake has written a series about guilt-ridden private eye, Mitch Tobin, and under his own name he wrote Killing Time, a stand-alone about small town P.I. Tim Smith.

But that’s not all!

He’s written about New york cop Abe Levine and cop turned actor Sam Holt (under the pen name of Sam Holt). And he’s written dozens of stand-alones: capers, thrillers, historicals, science fiction and even a lesbian romance or two. Under J. Morgan Cunningham, he’s written the Arthur Hailey spoof, Comfort Station, which boasts the memorable blurb “I wish I had written this book,” attributed to one Donald E. Westlake.

As Thomas J. Culver, he wrote a political novel political novel, and under the names of Alan Marshall and Edwin West, he penned several soft-core books in the fifties and early sixties, much like his long-time poker buddy and fellow former lesbian Lawrence Block. As well, he’s written several more stand-alone caper novels, mysteries and even a little science fiction. One of my favourites is a thriller, Kahawa (1982), set in Idi Amin’s Uganda, and revolving around a plot to hijack a coffee train. A true renaissance man!

But that’s not all!

He also found the time to script a few films and television scripts, most notably The Grifters (1990), based on the novel by Jim Thompson. He’s also written a few screenplays based on his own works, and he’s written pilots for television series, including Supertrain and The Father Dowling Mysteries.

Well, nobody’s perfect…

Still, balancing out the scales are several fine films which have been made based on his works.

Westlake was deservedly named a Mystery Writers of America Grand Master in 1993, and in his later years he lived with his wife, the writer Abby Adams, out in the New York State boonies, next to a goat farm.

 

SHORT STORIES

• “The Arrest” (first published story?)
• “Or Give Me Death” (November 1954, Universe)
• “The Blonde Lieutenant” (July 1957, Rogue)
• “The Arrest” (January 1958, Manhunt)
• “Fluorocarbons Are Here to Stay!” (March 1958, Science Fiction Stories)
• “Everybody Killed Sylvia” (May 1958, Mystery Digest)
• “Matin’ Place” (August 1958, Escapade; by Grace Salacious)
• “The Devil’s Printer” (September 1958, Mystery Digest)
• “Sinner or Saint” (December 1958, Mystery Digest)
• “Decoy for Murder” (March 1959, Mystery Digest)
• “Down-Payment for Murder” (April 1959, Mystery Digest; aka “Death for Sale”)
• “And Then He Went Away” (June 1959, Future)
• “Journey to Death” (June 1959, Mystery Digest)
• “One on a Desert Island” (June 1959, AHMM; aka “One Man on a Desert Island”)
• “The Ledge Bit” (September 1959, Mystery Digest; as by Richard Stark)
• “Knife Fighter” (November 1959, Guilty Detective Story)
• “The Best-Friend Murder” (December 1959, AHMM; Abe Levine; aka “Intellectual Motivation”)
• “The Last Ghost” (November-December 1959, Mystery Digest, as by Richard Stark)
• “An Empty Threat” (February 1960, Manhunt)
• “Travellers Far And Wee” (May 1960, Science Fiction)
• “Friday Night” (Jume 1960, Tightrope)
• “You Put on Some Weight” (June 1960, Guilty Magazine; aka “Fresh Out of Prison”)
• “Elephant Blues” (July 1960, 77 Sunset Strip Magazine; as by Ben Christopher; 77 Sunset Strip)
• “Anatomy of an Anatomy” (September 1960, AHMM)
• “The Curious Facts Preceding My Execution” (September 1960, AHMM; as by Richard Stark)
• “Cat Killers (September 1960, Shock Magazine)
• “Come Back, Come Back” (October 1960, AHMM; Abe Levine; aka “Man On A Ledge”)
• “Good Night! Good Night!” (December 1960, AHMM)
• “Man of Action” (December 1960, Analog SF)
• “Just a Little Impractical Joke” (March 1961, AHMM; as by Richard Stark)
• “The Risk Profession” (March 1961, Amazing Science Fiction; Ged Stanton; aka “Murder In Outer Space”)
• “Never Shake a Family Tree” (March 1961, AHMM, also 2002, A Century of Noir)
• “They Also Serve” (September 1961, Analog SF)
• “Call Him Nemesis” (September 1961, World of If)
• “The Spy in the Elevator” (October 1961, Galaxy)
• “The Feel of the Trigger” (October 1961, AHMM; Abe Levine)
• “Meteor Strike!” (November 1961, Amazing Stories)
• “A Time to Die” (January 1962, The Saint Mystery Magazine)
• “A Toast to the Damned” (May 1962, Off Beat Detective Stories)
• “Look Before You Leap” (May 1962, Analog SF)
• “Lock Your Door ” (August 1962, AHMM)
• “The Earthman’s Burden” (October 1962, Galaxy)
• “The Sound of Murder” (December 1962, AHMM; Abe Levine)
• “The Question” (March 1963, F&SF; with L.M. Janifer)
• “Nackles” (January 1964, F&SF; by Curt Clark)
• “Just the Lady We’re Looking For” (September 1964, EQMM)
• “The Death of a Bum” (June 1965, Mike Shayne Mystery Magazine; Abe Levine)
• “The Letter” (August 1965, Mike Shayne Mystery Magazine)
• “Stage Fright” (September 1965, The Saint Mystery Magazine)
• “The Method” (October 1965, AHMM)
• “Paid in Full” (November 1965, Swank)
• “The Spoils System” (December 1965, AHMM)
• “Just One of Those Days” (January 6, 1966, This Week)
• “The Mother of Invention Is Worth a Pound of Cure” (February 1966, Dapper; aka “The Mother of Invention”)
• “Teamwork” (February 1966, Shell Scott Mystery Magazine)
• “The Perils of the Sky Rangers” (May 1966, Cavalier; with Dave Foley, as P.N. Castor)
• “The Rape of Rodney Royal” (June 1966, Dapper; as by Edwin West)
• “Domestic Intrigue” (July 1966, The Saint)
• “Devilishly” (August 1966, Signature)
• “Cool O’Toole” (September 1966, AHMM)
• “The Sincerest Form of Flattery” (October 1966, AHMM)
• “The Sweetest Man in the World” (March 1967, EQMM)
• “Sniff” (May 1967, The Saint Detective Magazine)
• “It” (September 1968, Playboy)
• “All Men Are Bea…” (December 1968, Argosy)
• “Devilishly” (1968, The Curious Facts Preceding My Execution)
• “No Story” (1968, The Curious Facts Preceding My Execution)
• “Murder in Outer Space” (1968, The Curious Facts Preceding My Execution)
• “You Put on Some Weight” (1968, The Curious Facts Preceding My Execution)
• “The Winner” (1970, Nova 1)
• “The Ultimate Caper: The Purloined Letter” (May 11, 1975, The New York Times)
• “This Is Death” (1977, The Thirteenth Ghost Book; aka “In at the Death”)
• “Ordo” (1977, Enough!; 2001, Pulp Masters)
• “A Travesty” (1977, Enough!)
• “This is Death” (November 1978, EQMM)
• “The Girl of My Dreams” (1978, The Midnight Ghost Book; also April 1979, EQMM)
• “The Mulligan Stew” (January 1979, EQMM)
• “Ask a Silly Question” (1981, Playboy; Dortmunder)
• “Interstellar Pigeon” (May 1982, Playboy)
• “Re Porter” (July 1982, EQMM)
• “Dream a Dream” (August 1982, Cosmopolitan)
• “Heaven Help Us ” (July 1983, Playboy)
• “Don’t You Know There’s a War On?” (December 1983, Playboy)
• “The World’s a Stage” (July 1984, Playboy)
• “Hydra” (March 1984, F&SF)
• “After I’m Gone” (June 1984, EQMM; Abe Levine)
• “A Good Story” (October 1984, Playboy)
• “Breathe Deep” (July 1985, Playboy)
• “Hitch Your Spaceship to a Star” (December 1985, Playboy)
• “Horse Laugh” ( June 1986, Playboy; Dortmunder)
• “Here’s Looking At You” (May 1989, Playboy)
• “Too Many Crooks” (August 1989, Playboy; Dortmunder)
• “The Dortmunder Workout, or Criminal Exercise” (April 29, 1990, The New York Times Magazine; Dortmunder)
• “A Midsummer Daydream” (May 1990, Playboy; Dortmunder)
• “Love in the Lean Years” (February 1992, Playboy)
• “Party Animal” (December 1992, Playboy; Dortmunder)
• “Last-Minute Shopping: A Tinsel Tale of Love and Larceny” (December 5, 1993, The New York Times Book Review)
• “Give Till It Hurts” (1993, The Mysterious Bookshop; Dortmunder)
• “Jumble Sale” (Summer 1994, The Armchair Detective; Dortmunder)
• “The Burglar and the Whatsit” (December 1996, Playboy)
• “Skeeks” (1995, Playboy)
• “Take It Away” (Summer/Fall 1997, MHCMM, also 1997, The Plot Thickens)
• “Now What?” (December 1999, Playboy; Dortmunder)
• “Art & Craft” (August 2000, Playboy; Dortmunder)
• “Spectacles” (May 2001, Playboy; Dortmunder)
  An excerpt from Bad News.
• “Come Again?” (2001, The Mysterious Press Anniversary Anthology)
• “Fugue For Felons” (2004, Thieves’ Dozen)
• “Walking Around Money” (2005, Transgressions; Dortmunder)

NOVELS

• The Mercenaries (1960; aka “The Smashers” and”The Cutie”) | Buy this book
• Killing Time (1961; Tim Smith; aka “The Operator”) | Buy this book
• Brother and Sister (1961; by Edwin West)
• Campus Doll (1961; by Edwin West)
• Young and Innocent (1961; by Edwin West)
• 361 (1962) | Buy this book  | Buy the audio | Kindle it!
• The Hunter (1963; aka “Point Blank,” “Payback”; Parker, by Richard Stark) | Buy this book | Buy the audio | Kindle it!
• Strange Affair (1962; by Edwin West)
• Killy (1963)
• The Man With the Getaway Face (1963; aka “The Steel Hit”; Parker, by Richard Stark) | Buy this book | Buy the audio | Kindle it!
• The Outfit (1963; Parker, by Richard Stark) | Buy this book | Buy the audio | Kindle it!
• The Mourner (1963; Parker, by Richard Stark) | Buy this book | Buy the audio | Kindle it!
• The Score (1964; aka “Killtown”; Parker, by Richard Stark) | Buy this book | Buy the audio | Kindle it!
• Pity Him Afterwards (1964)
• The Fugitive Pigeon (1965)
• The Jugger (1965; Parker, by Richard Stark) | Buy this book | Buy the audio | Kindle it!
• The Busy Body (1966)
• The Spy in the Ointment (1966)
• Kinds of Love, Kinds of Death (1966; Mitch Tobin; by Tucker Coe) | Buy this book | Kindle it!
• The Seventh (1966; aka “The Split”; Parker, by Richard Stark) | Buy this book | Buy the audio | Kindle it!
• The Handle (1966; aka “Run Lethal”; Parker, by Richard Stark) | Buy this book | Buy the audio | Kindle it!
• Anarchaos (1967; as by Curt Clark)
• God Save the Mark (1967)
• The Rare Coin Score (1967; Parker, by Richard Stark)) | Buy this book | Buy the audio | Kindle it!
• The Damsel (1967; Alan Grofield, by Richard Stark) | Buy this book | Buy the audio | Kindle it!
• The Green Eagle Score (1967; Parker, by Richard Stark) | Buy this book | Buy the audio | Kindle it!
• Murder Among Children (1967; Mitch Tobin; by Tucker Coe) | Buy this book | Kindle it!
• Philip (1967; juvenile)
• Who Stole Sassi Manoon? (1968)
• The Black Ice Score (1968; Parker, by Richard Stark) | Buy this book | Buy the audio | Kindle it!
• Somebody Owes Me Money (1969) | Buy this book
• Up Your Banners (1969)
• The Sour Lemon Score (1969; Parker, by Richard Stark) | Buy this book | Buy the audio | Kindle it!
• The Dame (1969; Alan Grofield, by Richard Stark) | Buy this book | Buy the audio | Kindle it!
• The Blackbird (1970; Alan Grofield, by Richard Stark) | Buy this book | Buy the audio | Kindle it!
• The Hot Rock (1970; Dortmunder; Alan Grofield) | Buy this book | Buy the audio | Kindle it!
• Adios Scheherezade (1970 )
• Wax Apple (1970; Mitch Tobin; by Tucker Coe) | Buy this book | Kindle it!
• A Jade In Aries (1970; Mitch Tobin; by Tucker Coe) | Buy this book | Kindle it!
• Ex Officio (1970 ; by Timothy J. Culver; aka “Power Play”)
• I Gave at the Office (1971)
• Lemons Never Lie (1971; Alan Grofield, by Richard Stark) | Buy this book | Buy the audio | Kindle it!
• Slayground (1971; Parker, by Richard Stark) | Buy this book  | Buy the audio | Kindle it!
• Deadly Edge (1971; Parker, by Richard Stark) | Buy this book | Buy the audio | Kindle it!
• Bank Shot (1972; Dortmunder) | Buy this book | Buy the audio | Kindle it!
• Plunder Squad (1972; Parker, by Richard Stark) | Buy this book | Buy the audio | Kindle it!
• Cops and Robbers (1972) |Buy this book
• Don’t Lie To Me (1972; Mitch Tobin; by Tucker Coe) | Buy this book | Kindle it!
• Comfort Station (1972; by J. Morgan Cunningham)
• Gangway! (1973, with Brian Garfield)
• Help I Am Being Held Prisoner (1974) | Buy this book | Kindle it!
• Jimmy the Kid (1974; Dortmunder) | Buy this book | Buy the audio | Kindle it!
• Butcher’s Moon (1974; Parker, by Richard Stark)| Buy this book | Buy the audio | Kindle it!
• Brothers Keepers (1975)
• Two Much! (1975) | Buy this book
• Dancing Aztecs (1976; aka “New York Dance”)
• Nobody’s Perfect (1977; Dortmunder) | Buy this book | Buy the audio | Kindle it!
• Castle in the Air (1980) | Buy this book | Kindle it!
• Kahawa (1982) | Buy this book
• Why Me? (1983) | Buy this book | Buy the audio | Kindle it!
• A Likely Story (1984)
• High Adventure (1985)
• Good Behaviour (1986; Dortmunder) | Buy this book | Buy the audio | Kindle it!
• I Know a Trick or Two of That (1986; Samuel Holt; by Samuel Holt)
• One of Us Is Wrong (1986; Samuel Holt; by Samuel Holt)
• High Jinx (1987, with Abby Westlake)
• Transylvania Station (1987, with Abby Westlake)
• What I Tell You Three Times Is False (1987; Samuel Holt; by Samuel Holt)
• Trust Me on This (1988) | Buy this book
• Sacred Monster (1989)
• The Fourth Dimension Is Death (1989; Samuel Holt; by Samuel Holt)
• Drowned Hopes (1990; Dortmunder) | Buy this book | Buy the audio | Kindle it!
• The Perfect Murder (1991, with Jack Hitt, Lawrence Block, Sarah Caudwell, Tony Hillerman & Peter Lovesey)
• Humans (1992 )
• Don’t Ask (1993; Dortmunder) | Buy this book 
• Baby, Would I Lie? (1994) | Buy this book
• Smoke (1995) | Buy this book
• What’s The Worst That Could Happen? (1996; Dortmunder) | Buy this book | Kindle it!
• The Ax (1997) | Buy this book
• Comeback (1997; Parker) | Buy this book | Buy the audio | Kindle it!
• Backflash (1998; Parker) | Buy this book | Buy the audio | Kindle it!
• Flashfire (2000; Parker, as by Richard Stark) | Buy this book  | Buy the audio | Kindle it!
• The Hook (2000) | Buy this book
• Bad News (2001; Dortmunder) | Buy this book | Buy the audio | Kindle it!
• Firebreak  (2001; Parker, as by Richard Stark) | Buy this book | Buy the audio 
• Put a Lid on It (2002) | Buy this book
• Breakout (2002; Parker, as by Richard Stark) | Buy this book | Kindle it!
• Money for Nothing (2003) | Buy this book | Buy the audio | Kindle it!
• The Road to Ruin (2004; Dortmunder) | Buy this book | Buy the audio | Kindle it!
• Nobody Runs Forever (2004; Parker, as by Richard Stark) | Buy this book | Kindle it!
• Watch Your Back! (2005; Dortmunder) | Buy this book | Buy the audio | Kindle it!
• Ask the Parrot (2006; Parker, as by Richard Stark) | Buy this book | Buy the audio 
• What’s So Funny? (2007; Dortmunder) | Buy this book | Buy the audio | Kindle it!
• Dirty Money (2008; Parker, as by Richard Stark) | Buy this book | Buy the audio | Kindle it!
• Get Real (2009; Dortmunder) | Buy this book | Buy the audio | Kindle it!
• Memory (2010) | Buy this book
• The Comedy is Finished (2012) | Buy this book | Kindle it!
• Forever and a Death (2017) | Buy this book | Kindle it!
  Unpublished during his lifetime, this was originally supposed to be a James Bond film. When the film wasn’t made, Westlake repurposed it as a novel.
• Call Me a Cab (2022) | Buy this book | Kindle it!

COLLECTIONS

• Enough! (A Travesty & Ordo) (1977)
• The Curious Facts Preceding My Execution (1968)
• Levine (1984; Abe Levine)
• Horse Laugh and Other Stories (1991)
• A Good Story and Other Stories (1999) | Buy this book
• Thieves Dozen (2004; Dortmunder stories) | Buy this book | Kindle it!
• Double Feature (2020) | Buy this book | Kindle it!
  Contains the two novellas, A Travesty and Ordo.

NON-FICTION/ARTICLES

• “John D. MacDonald: A Remembrance” (1987, Mystery Scene Reader #1)
• “Peter Rabe” (1989, Murder Off the Rack: Critical Studies of Ten Paperback Masters)
• “The Tarnished Knight” (Winter 1990, The Armchair Detective, Vol. 23 #1)
• “Introduction” (1990, The New Edgar Winners: A Mystery Writers of America Anthology)
• “Foreword” (1991, Thurber on Crime; by James Thurber)
• “Tricksters, Lovable and Otherwise” (July 19,1998, The New York Times)

NON-FICTION/BOOKS

• Elizabeth Taylor: A Fascinating Story of America’s Most Talented Actress and the World’s Most Beautiful Woman (1962, by John B. Allan)
• Under an English Heaven (1972)
• The Getaway Car (2014) | Buy this book | Kindle it!
  Bits and pieces of a writer’s life, including unpublished fiction, parts of an uncompleted autobiography, assorted correspondence, an extended history of private eye fiction and even a recipe for something called “Sloth à la Dortmunder.”

FILMS

  

• THE SCORE
  (British title: Killtown)
  (1964)
  Based on the novel by Richard Stark
• POINT BLANK | Buy this DVD
  (1967, MGM)
  Based on the novel The Hunter by Richard Stark
  Directed by John Boorman
  Starring Lee Marvin as WALKER (Parker in the novel)
• MADE IN THE U.S.A.
  (1966)
  (Unofficially) based on the novel The Jugger by Richard Stark
  Directed by Jean-Luc Godard
  Starring Anna Karina as a female Parker.
• MISE À SAC
  (1967)
  French
  Based on the novel The Score by Richard Stark
  Directed by Alain Cavalier
• THE BUSY BODY
  (1967, Paramount)
  101 minutes
  Based on the novel by Donald Westlake
  Screenplay by Ben Starr
  Directed by William Castle
  Starring Sid Caesar, Robert Ryan, Anne Baxter, Kay Medford, Jan Murray, Richard Pryor, Arlene Golonka, Charles McGraw, Ben Blue, Dom DeLuise, Godfrey Cambridge, George Jessel.
• THE SPLIT
  (1968, MGM)
  Based on the novel The Seventh by Richard Stark
  Directed by George Flemyng
  Starring Jim Brown as McCLAIN (Parker in the novel)
• THE HOT ROCK  | Buy this video  | Buy this DVD
  (1972, Fox)
  Based on the novel by Donald Westlake
  Screenplay by William Goldman
  Score by Quincy Jones
  Directed by Peter Yates
  Starring Robert Redford as DORTMUNDER
• COPS AND ROBBERS
  (1973, United Artists)
  89 minutes
  Based on the novel by Donald Westlake
  Screenplay by Donald Westlake
  Directed by Aram Avakian
  Starring Joseph Bologna, Dick Ward, Sheppard Strudwick, John P. Ryan, Ellen Holley, Dolph Sweet, Joe Spinell, Cliff Gorman
• THE OUTFIT
  (1973, MGM)
  Based on the novel by Richard Stark
  Directed by John Flynn
  Starring Robert Duvall as EARL MACKLIN (Parker in the novel)
• BANK SHOT  | Buy the DVD  | Buy the Blu-Ray | Watch it now!
  (1974, United Artists)
  Based on the novel by Donald Westlake
  Directed by Gower Champion
  Starring George C. Scott as WALTER UPJOHN BALLANTINE (Dortmunder in the book)
• HOT STUFF | Buy this video
  (1979, Columbia)
  91 minutes
  Written by Donald Westlake and Michael Kane
  Directed by Dom DeLuise
  Starring Dom DeLuise, Jerry Reed, Suzanne Pleshette, Ossie Davis
• JIMMY THE KID
  (1983, United Artists)
  Based on the novel by Donald Westlake
  Directed by Gary Nelson
  Starring Gary Coleman
  With Paul leMat as DORTMUNDER
• SLAYGROUND
  (1983, EMI)
  Based on the novel by Richard Stark
  Directed by Terry Bradford
  Starring Peter Coyote as STONE
• THE TWIN
  (1984, France)
  Based on the novel Two Much by Donld Westlake
• THE STEPFATHER
  (1987, ITC)
  89 minutes
  Written by Donald Westlake
  Directed by Joseph Ruben
  Starring Terry O’Quinn, Shelley Hack, Jill Schoelen, Charles Lanyer, Gillian Barber, Paul Batten, Blu Mankuma
  Cheapo B-horror that delivers the goods.
• THE GRIFTERS  | Buy this video | Buy this DVD | Buy the Blu-Ray | Watch it now!
  (1990, Cineplex)
  114 minutes
  Based on the novel by Jim Thompson
  Screenplay by Donald Westlake
  Directed by Stephen Frears
  Starring John Cusack, Angelica Huston, Annette Bening, Pat Hingle, J.T. Walsh, Charles Napier, Henry Jones, Gailard Sairtain
  Great version of Jim Thompson classic, with dynamite script by Westlake and superb acting by Cusack, Huston and Bening. As recommended as it gets.
• WHY ME?
  (1990, Epic)
  Released in France, but in English!
  96 minutes
  Based on the novel by Donald Westlake
  Screenplay by Donald Westlake and Leonard Mass, Jr.
  Directed by Gene Quintano
  Starring Christopher Lambert as GUS CARDINALE (Dortmunder in the book)
• TWO MUCH  | Buy this video
  (1996, U.S.A./Spain)
  118 minutes
  Based on the novel by Donald Westlake
  Screenplay by Fernando Trueba  and David Trueba
  Directed by Fernando Trueba
  Starring Antonio Banderas, Melanie Griffith, Daryl Hannah, Danny Aiello, Joan Cusack, Eli Wallach, Gabino Diego, Austin Pendleton
  A Spanish/American joint production. Screwball fluff about young musician in love with two sisters at the same time, who invents a twin-brother so he can date both of them. Supposedly Joan Cusack steals the show.
• LA DIVINE POURSUITE
  (aka “The Gods Must Be Daring”)
  (1997)
  Based on the novel Dancing Aztecs by Donald Westlake
• PAYBACK | Buy this DVD | Buy this Blu-ray | Buy this video
  (1999, Paramount)
  Screenplay by Brian Helgeland and Terry Hayles
  Based on the novel The Hunter by Richard Stark
  Directed by Brian Helgeland
  Starring Mel Gibson as PORTER (Parker in the book)
  I know convential wisdom says that 1967’s Point Blank is the classic, what with Lee Marvin and all that slick, arty style, but there’s something about this unapologetically gritty and nasty flick, starring a pre-fall-from-grace Mel, that really appeals to me. Even more astounding, though, were complaints from some long-time Parker fans that Gibson was “too nice” in the role — which was remedied by a subsequent re-released “director’s cut” on DVD. A terse, violent, nasty, bleak, scuzzy walk on the wild side. Filmed in Chicago.
• WHAT’S THE WORST THAT COULD HAPPEN? | Buy this DVD | Buy this video
  (2001, MGM)
  97 minutes
  Based on the novel by Donald Westlake
  Screenplay by Matthew Chapman
  Directed by Sam Weisman
  Produced by Ashok Amritraj, Wendy Dytman
  Co-producer: Peaches Davis
  Associate producer: Carol Kelson
  Executive producers: Lawrence Turman, David Nicksay, John Morrissey, Martin Lawrence, Michael Green, David Hoberman
  Starring Martin Lawrence as KEVIN CAFFREY (Dortmunder in the book)
  Also starring Danny DeVito, John Leguizamo, Glenne Headly, Carmen Ejogo, Bernie Mac, Larry Miller, Nora Dunn, Richard Schiff, William Fichtner, Ana Gasteyer, Sascha Knopf, Siobhan Fallon, GQ, Lenny Clarke, Robin Brown
  Some great performances, particularly by DeVito as the greedy media tycoon who steals Dortmunder’s (oops, Caffrey’s) ring during a botched burglary attempt. But the film is tremendously marred by the fact Lawrence is spectacularly miscast. Much of the real humour in this series is that Dortmunder is the perpetual straight man in a world of comedians — he shouldn’t be as wonky as everyone else.
• PARKER
  (2013, Filmdistrict)
  118 minutes
  Based on the novel Flashfire by Richard Stark
  Screenplay by John J. McLaughlin
  Directed by Taylor Hackford
  Starring Jason Statham as PARKER
  Also starring Jennifer Lopez, Michael Chiklis, Bobby Cannavale, Wendell Pierce, Nick Nolte
  Everyone’s favourite ice-cold professional thief returned, for the first under the name Westlake gave him: Parker. The good news is that Jason Statham, who already looked like a stone-cold bastard, played the lead, in what was being discussed at the time as a possible franchise, and Michael Chiklis, Bobby Cannavale, Wendell Pierce, Nick Nolte and Jennifer Lopez–all pretty good in this kind of stuff–were along for the ride. It did okay, but a sequel never showed up.

TELEVISION

• SUPERTRAIN
  (1979, TV pilot)
  60 minute episodes
  Story and teleplay by Donald Westlake
  Directed by Dan Curtis
  Starring Robert Alda, Edward Andrews , Patrick Collins, Ilene Graff, George Hamilton, Steve Lawrence , Vicki Lawrence, Don Meredith, Stella Stevens, Don Stroud, Nita Talbot, Keenan Wynn
  Guest stars: Rebecca Balding, Joyce DeWitt, Sally Kirkland
  Well, they can’t all be winners.Westlake wrote the pilot for this floppero about the adventures of a nation-spanning train and its passengers. Sort of a land-locked Love Boat, but worse. Maybe if they’d let Idi Amin buy a ticket, the show might have caught on. Then again, a year later, Westlake wrote Kahawa, so maybe it wasn’t a complete waste.
• FATAL CONFESSION: A FATHER DOWLING MYSTERY
  (1987, TV pilot)
  100 minutes
  Original broadcast: November 30, 1987
  Story and teleplay by Donald Westlake
  Directed by Christopher Hibler
  Associate producers: Ruth A. Foster
  Executive producers: Dean Hargrove, Fred Silverman
  Supervising producer: Joel Steiger
  Original music by Dick DeBenedictis
  Starring Tom Bosley as FATHER FRANK DOWLING
  and Tracy Nelson as Sister Stephanie ‘Steve’ Oskowsky
  Also starring Robert Prescott, Mary Wickes, Mark Arnott, Susan Blakely, Kevin Crowley
• THE FATHER DOWLING MYSTERIES
  (1989-91, TV series)
  Based on characters created by Ralph McInerny
  Pilot scripted by Donald Westlake
  Directors: Alan Cooke, Charles S. Dubin, Charles S. Dubin, James Frawley, Harry Harris, Christopher Hibler, Russ Mayberry, Sharron Miller, Seymour Robbie, Ron Satlof
  Produced by Joyce Burditt, Barry Steinberg
  Associate producer: Timothy King
  Supervising producers: Robert Hamilton, Robert Schlitt
  Executive producers: Dean Hargrove, Fred Silverman
  Co-producers: Victoria LaFortune, David Solomon
  Starring Tom Bosley as FATHER FRANK DOWLING
  and Tracy Nelson as Sister Stephanie ‘Steve’ Oskowsky
  Also starring James Stephens, Mary Wickes
  Guest stars: Colm Meaney, Michelle Forbes, Linda Kelsey, Katherine Moffat, John Vernon, Al Rossi, Bill Macy, Roger L. Simon, Roscoe Lee Browne, Candy Clark, Ed Lauter, Yaphet Kotto, Stephen Dorff, Michael Des Barres, Anthony LaPaglia, Diane Ladd, Barbara Stock, Kiel Martin, Jennifer Edwards
  • SEASON ONE
  • “The Missing Body Mystery” (January 20, 1989)
  • “What Do You Call A Call Girl Mystery” (January 27, 1989)
  • “The Man Who Came To Dinner Mystery” (ep. #1.4) 2/10, 1989)
  • “The Mafia Priest Mystery, Part 1” (February 7, 1989; AKA The Renegade Priest Mystery)
  • “The Mafia Priest Mystery, Part 2” (February 24, 1989; AKA The Renegade Priest Mystery)
  • “The Face In The Mirror Mystery” (March 3, 1989)
  • “The Pretty Baby Mystery” (March 10, 1989)
  • SEASON TWO
  • “The Visiting Priest Mystery” (January 4, 1990)
  • “The Exotic Dancer Mystery” (January 11, 1990)
  • “The Sanctuary Mystery” (January 18, 1990)
  • “The Stone Killer Mystery” (January 25, 1990)
  • “The Woman Scorned Mystery” (February 1, 1990)
  • “The Ghost of a Chance Mystery” (February 8, 1990)
  • “The Blind Man’s Bluff Mystery” (February 15, 1990)
  • “The Falling Angel Mystery” (February 22, 1990)
  • “The Perfect Couple Mystery” (March 8, 1990)
  • “The Confidence Mystery” (March 15, 1990)
  • “The Solid Gold Headache Mystery” (March 29, 1990)
  • “The Passionate Painter Mystery” (April 26, 1990)
  • SEASON THREE
  • “The Royal Mystery” (September 20, 1990)
  • “The Medical Mystery” (September 27, 1990)
  • “The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea Mystery” (October 4, 1990)
  • “The Showgirl Mystery” (October 18, 1990)
  • “The Movie Mystery” (October 25, 1990)
  • “The Undercover Nun Mystery” (November 1, 1990)
  • “The Murder Weekend Mystery” (November 8, 1990)
  • “The Reasonable Doubt Mystery” (November 15, 1990)
  • “The Vanishing Victim Mystery” (November 29, 1990)
  • “The Christmas Mystery” (December 13, 1990)
  • “The Fugitive Priest Mystery” (January 3, 1991)
  • “The Substitute Sister Mystery” (January 10, 1991)
  • “The Missing Witness Mystery” (January 17, 1991)
  • “The Joyful Noise Mystery” (January 24, 1991)
  • “The Prodigal Son Mystery” (January 31, 1991)
  • “The Mummy’s Curse Mystery” (February 21, 1991)
  • “The Hardboiled Mystery” (March 28, 1991)
  • “The Malibu Mystery” (April 4, 1991)
• FLY PAPER
  (1993, Showtime)
  Based on the short story by Dashiell Hammett
  Teleplay by Donald Westlake
  Starring Christopher Lloyd as THE CONTINENTAL OP
  Part of the Fallen Angels anthology
• A SLIGHT CASE OF MURDER
  (1999, TNT)
  Based on the short story “A Travesty” by Donald Westlake
  Teleplay by William H. Macy and Steven Schachter
  Directed by Steven Schachter
  Produced by Mitch Engel
  Executive producer: Salli Newman
  Starring William Macy, Adam Arkin, Felicity Huffman, James Cromwell, Julia Campbell, James Pickens Jr., Paul Mazursky
  Enjoyable made-for-cable fluff with Macy as a fumblin actor trying to cover up an accidental murder. 
• PLAY DIRTY | Watch it now!
  (2025, Amazon Prime)
  Based on the Parker novels by Richard Stark
  Written by Shane Black, Charles Mondry & Anthony Bagarozzi
  Directed by Shane Black
  Starring Mark Wahlberg as PARKER
  and LaKeith Stanfield as GROFIELD
  Also starring Rosa Salazar, Keegan-Michael Key, Chukwudi Iwuji, Nat Wolff, Gretchen Mol, Thomas Jane, Tony Shalhoub
  Pass. Hard-as-nails professional thief Parker is re-reincarnated in this bang-bang-bang action thriller, played by smarmy one-noter Mark Wahlberg. Lots of things go boom, the violence is often gratuitous, the humor is strained and the too-often-jokey tone a far cry from anything in the grim, tight novels. Wahlberg tries to dial it down, but can’t help himself. A Dortmunder caper would have been a better choice for adaptation by Black and Wahlberg.

GRAPHIC NOVELS

• RICHARD STARK’S PARKER: THE HUNTER (2009, Parker) | Buy this book
  Written and illustrated by Darwyn Cooke
  Based on the novel by Richard Stark
• THE HOT ROCK (2010, Dortmunder) | Buy this DVD
  Written and illustrated by Christian Lacroix (Lax)
  Based on the novel by Donald Westlake
  A lightly cartoonish approach that captures the wit — without losing the grit — of the source material. Recommended.
• RICHARD STARK’S PARKER: THE OUTFIT (2010, Parker) | Buy this book
  Written and illustrated by Darwyn Cooke
  Based on the novel by Richard Stark
• RICHARD STARK’S PARKER: THE MARTINI EDITION (2011, Parker) | Buy this book
  Written and illustrated by Darwyn Cooke
  Based on the novels by Richard Stark
  Includes both The Hunter and The Outfit in one fancy pants oversized, slipcased hardcover edition, with a whopping additional 65 pages of Darwyn Cooke content, plus a brand-new story.
• RICHARD STARK’S PARKER: THE SCORE (2012, Parker) | Buy this book
  Written and illustrated by Darwyn Cooke
  Based on the novel by Richard Stark
• RICHARD STARK’S PARKER: SLAYGROUND (2013, Parker) | Buy this book
  Written and illustrated by Darwyn Cooke
  Based on the novel by Richard Stark

REFERENCE

• “An Interview with Donald Westlake” (Fall 1997, Murderous Intent; by J. Alec West)
• “Looking on the Dark Side” (Fall 1998, MHCMM)

FURTHER INVESTIGATION

• “But I could be wrong…”
  The official Donald Westlake web site contains a semi-complete bibliography, a biography and, best of all, occasional rarities to read. Also quotes this site, but don’t let that stop you…
• The Violent World of Parker
  Trent Reynolds’ extensive site devoted to Richard Stark’s Parker novels. Tell him where you came from.
• The Donald Westlake Interview: The Stark Truth
  Our old pal Ed Gorman gave Westlake a light grilling upon the re-release of the Parker series in 2008. (Fall 2008, Mystery Scene)
• The Mitch Tobin Series
  Overview by Bryan Schingle.

Report respectfully submitted by Kevin Burton Smith. Thanks to Rudyard Kennedy for the lead.