ASK THE PARROT opens where "Nobody Runs Forever" left off, with Parker dodging dogs, cops, and a helicopter. He's forced to work with a small-town recluse and some fools in a gun club, and only Parker's brains, cool, and speed keep him a step ahead of everyone pursuing him. While others get impatient and stupid, Parker stays focused on getting cash and getting out. This is the 23rd of Stark's 24 Parker novels, Lots of guns and cars, and a feeling of being trapped in rural Massachusetts. Duane Swwierczynski's brief and breezy foreword describes how he came to read and search for the Parker novels, and much they influenced him.
