| Book Review | Jennifer Hairfield |
Ask the Parrot
by Richard Stark
Ask the Parrot is the continuation of the mystery
novel
Nobody Runs Forever, a Massachusetts bank heist gone
terribly wrong. The main character, Parker, is running for
his life through the backwoods when he meets up with local
recluse Lindahl at the wrong end of his shotgun. Instead of
killing Parker, Lindahl makes a deal with him. He won't turn
him in to the police if he promises to help him get back at
his old job at a corrupt racing establishment.
What better place to hide then in plain sight under a
different name? Parker agrees to the deal. They go back to
Lindahl's place to wait and plan. What Lindahl doesn't
realize is that he's being played like a marionette by
Parker. Lindahl tells Parker his plan about knocking the
track over. The only problem that Parker sees is the
getaway.
This novel is a very slow paced story. The characterization
is not done very well and it's difficult to keep the
supporting characters separate. I actually had to skip
chapters because they were not necessary for the story's
progression. There could have been a little bit of actual
mystery in the story instead of it being Parker hiding in
plain sight and helping to plan another heist. Don't waste
your time with this novel unless you need to get some sleep.