The Jugger

Parker, Richard Stark's antihero, isn't the kind of guy you'd have over for dinner. He's a ruthless thief and a brutal sociopath. As written by Stark (a.k.a. Donald E. Westlake) and read by Michael Kramer, however, he's so fascinating and deliciously evil, you just have to root for him. Parker comes to a small town to kill and thus silence a jugger (a retired safecracker) he's worked with for years. He finds his former associate already dead and sets out to learn why. Kramer must have loved doing this character because he's more animated than usual. As Parker, Kramer's deep voice is convincingly menacing--so menacing you just know he's going to come out on top. A.L.H. (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine

The Parker series is a standout in the history of noir crime fiction. This entry is the sixth of 24 featuring the ruthless antihero (no first name) Parker, whose profession is criminality with no bones about it--except for those that he buries. Parker's physical appearance and fictional persona is that of a tough and dangerous villain. Various audio narrators have portrayed Parker over the years; Stephen Thorne is particularly effective. His voice is flat and adamant. He portrays various other characters in memorable ways; one sounds like Richard Nixon, for example. But Thorne never allows himself to get in the way of the story: Parker tries viciously to hide behind the identity of his alias. D.R.W. (c) AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine