{"product_id":"the-blackbird-9780226770420","title":"The Blackbird","description":"\u003cp\u003eDonald E. Westlake is one of the greats of crime fiction. Under the pseudonym Richard Stark, he wrote twenty-four fast-paced, hardboiled novels featuring Parker, a shrewd career criminal with a talent for heists. Using the same nom de plume, Westlake also completed a separate series in the Parker universe, starring Alan Grofield, an occasional colleague of Parker. While he shares events and characters with several Parker novels, Grofield is less calculating and more hot-blooded than Parker; think fewer guns, more dames. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Not that there isn't violence and adventure aplenty. The third Grofield novel, \u003ci\u003eThe Blackbird\u003c\/i\u003e shares its first chapter with \u003ci\u003eSlayground\u003c\/i\u003e: after a traumatic car crash, Parker eludes the police, but Grofield gets caught. Lying injured in the hospital, Grofield is visited by G-Men who offer him an alternative to jail, and he finds himself forced into a deadly situation involving international criminals and a political conspiracy. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e With a new foreword by Sarah Weinman that situates the Grofield series within Westlake's work as a whole, this novel is an exciting addition to any crime fiction fan's library.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eStark, Richard:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cb\u003eRichard Stark\u003c\/b\u003e was one of the many pseudonyms of Donald E. Westlake (1933-2008), a prolific author of crime fiction. In 1993, the Mystery Writers of America bestowed the society's highest honor on Westlake, naming him a Grand Master.","brand":"University of Chicago Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50565553750290,"sku":"9780226770420","price":12.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_63e1f28a-44fe-4d54-8940-b821a70ab460.jpg?v=1731886404","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-blackbird-9780226770420","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}