On the Loose, On the Streets, and Out for Blood: Point Blank by Richard Stark

Parker is the quintessential hard man of American fiction. There are men. Then there are men. And then there is Parker. A loner, a streetwise criminal intellectual with a burning desire to see his own form of justice wherever he deems necessary. Parker is hard, tough, and indefatigable.  Expect cold-hearted murder, tough justice, and a stack of freshly killed bodies. 

In this novel (originally titled The Hunter) Parker is double-crossed by his wife and partner in crime and left for dead in a burning building. This cannot, and will not, stand.  Parker proceeds to take us on a journey through which he will receive what is rightfully his regardless of the consequences.  Sit back and enjoy the ride as Parker makes up for these terrible crimes against him - Mafia or no Mafia.

Point Blank is a truly original take on the heist and thriller genres and deserves its plaudits. Try to savour the words and not rush it as the book is only 190 pages long.  Luckily for us there are 12 more Parker novels for us to enjoy.   I would, however, like to leave the last word on the book to the writer Elmore Leonard who clearly and unequivocally states: "Whatever Stark writes, I read".  Get out there and buy it, or borrow it.  Better yet steal it from the hands of your unjust assailant as he realises he crossed the wrong man...