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When the bandages came off, Parker looked in the mirror at a strange. He nodded to the stranger and looked beyond at the reflection of Dr. Adler.
Parker had been at the sanitarium a little over four weeks now. He had come with a face that the New York syndicate wanted to put a bullet in, and now he was going back out with a face that meant nothing to anyone.
There is pieces of wisdom you can stay oblivious to all your life. For example, when rappers demand from one another to ''keep it real'', what the fuck is that supposed to mean, right? It means it's difficult to keep your artistic integrity and the quality of your product when the demand is increasing and money is easier to come by. Basically, old school hip-hop artists are imploring each other not to let success makes them lazy. You know who kept it real? Donald Westlake, also known as Richard Stark. The Parker series have sprawled over several decades and kept its crippling dialogue and its clever and unpredictable series of plot twists going strong. THE MAN WITH THE GETAWAY FACE is slower and not as polished as THE HUNTER, but it's a smart and tense novel with an incredible finale. So by definition, Richard Stark is a G.
The mysterious Parker paid a visit to a plastic surgeon at the end of THE HUNTER, because there was somewhat of an Outfit bounty on his head. THE MAN WITH THE GETAWAY FACE picks up a couple of weeks after the surgery as the bandages are coming off. Parker is low on cash, so he accepts a job from Skimm, an old acquaintance who found a way to contact him at the sanitarium. The catch is that Skimm is in bed with a waitress who wants to call the shots and double cross the party. She's a brilliant woman, yet she doesn't understand exactly who she's dealing with. There's that and there's that plastic surgeon business that is getting in the way. Getting a brand new face comes with its own set of issues.
In THE MAN WITH THE GETAWAY FACE, Richard Stark keeps pulling the veil on Parker without ever straying too far from the moment. His notion of identity is rooted in his cold logic, in his moral code and other abstractions by which he lives by. He would appear dysfunctional, borderline asperger's if he wasn't so socially apt. Parker doesn't waste words, but he can judge the fortitude of a man with a stare. He understands what he can get from a man, if he needs to consider him a friend or an enemy with one look. it's not as apparent in THE HUNTER as he is consumed by revenge, but in THE MAN WITH THE GETAWAY FACE, his nerves and his social skills are a lot more demanded. It's a novel with a very different vibe. It's more claustrophobic and marginal, yet highly enjoyable in its own way.
''One time,'' said Stubbs, ''there was a guy came hereto get a new face. Doc gave it to him, and then figured the best thing was to kill Doc, because then nobody'd know who it was under the new face. He didn't have to do that, because the Doc is one man you can trust with your life. But this guy wouldn't take that, so I had to take the new face away from him again. You follow me?''
Parker smiled at him. ''You think you could take this face away from me?''
''No trouble at all,'' said Stubbs. ''Dont come back, mister.''
Parker studied him, but challenges were for punks. ''A fella named Joe Sheer told me the doctor was straight. It's his word I take.''
Richard Stark keeps Parker fresh in the second volume of the series by keeping close to the adventure and straying far from the tone of THE HUNTER. To be effective, sequels have to innovate on the premise. It's still Parker, it's still a heist novel, but THE MAN WITH THE GETAWAY FACE is about a man trying to lay low and earn his keep while THE HUNTER was about raising hell and settling a grudge. The clash between the tones and the consistence of the character throughout the two novels make a compelling portrait for a sequel. If you fell for Parker in THE HUNTER, you'll appreciate the quirky character development in THE MAN WITH THE GETAWAY FACE
The reputation of Parker speaks for itself. The series made a legion of rabid fans that will defend their hero into their grave and I am now one of these people. Can someone explain me why the concept and the storylines haven't been picked up for a television series, yet? I mean, that would make the purists howl (I love Parker, but I'm not a purist of anything), but it would make some serious money if it was handled by the proper team of writers. Anyway, while I ponder on my own delusions of grandeur, make sure to give THE MAN WITH THE GETAWAY FACE a chance. It doesn't matter if you've read THE HUNTER or not. There is a special satisfaction that comes with connecting the dots in Parker books, but they all carry their weight as standalone novels. Getting bitten by the Parker bug comes with its drawbacks though, like financial setbacks and a temporary loss of social life. But in the best possible way, you know?