Lemons Never Lie - by Richard Stark (Paperback)

About the Book

Originally published: New York: World Pub. Co., 1971.

Book Synopsis

When he's not carrying out heists with his friend Parker, Alan Grofield runs a small theater in Indiana. But putting on shows costs money and jobs have been thin lately - which is why Grofield agreed to fly to Las Vegas to hear Andrew Myers' plan to knock over a brewery in upstate New York.

Unfortunately, Myers' plan is insane - so Grofield walks out on him. But Myers isn't a man you walk out on, and his retribution culminates in an act of unforgivable brutality.

That's when Grofield decides to show him what a disciple of Parker is capable of...

Review Quotes

"A violent odyssey...that should thrill both old and new readers of this hard-boiled master." -Wall Street Journal

"The author maintains the dead-eyed tone of Stark while plotting as generously and inventively as Westlake. Trust Stark, or Westlake, to make even the most ordinary heist nail-biting." - Kirkus Reviews

PRAISE FOR DONALD E. WESTLAKE

One of the great writers of the 20th Century.--Newsweek

The novel's deeper meditations will keep you thinking long after you've closed the book.--USA Today

Elegant, melancholy... a significant final work from a master.--Publishers Weekly, starred review

One of his most interesting books... absolutely a must-read.--Booklist, starred review

Terse and bleak and low-key emotional... indelible.--Entertainment Weekly

An unsparing look at a man adrift, it's a fitting final dispatch from a master.--Time

A tour-de-force that shows a master at the top of his game.--Edward Champion, Philadelphia Inquirer

Relentlessly involving.--Weekly Standard

Among the best novels of his brilliant career. It is pure noir writing at its best.--BookReporter

A great book... it outshines anything else Westlake has done.--Craig Clarke, Somebody Dies

Compelling... bleak stuff - though always with a bit of hope shining through.--The Complete Review

With the unveiling of his final unpublished novel [Westlake's] range and depth as a writer are only deepened.--Barnes & Noble

This is an exceptional and painful book. It is the essence of noir... one man's unceasing, provocative struggle to make good in a relentlessly grim world... Our unanimous pick for the best genre book of the year.--PornoKitsch

Few novels conjure up such a state of pervasive dread...This is the noir nightmare, plain and simple. I read it in a white heat.--Vince Keenan

The most terrifying identity puzzle Westlake ever crafted, and it keeps you guessing all the way.--The Westlake Review

A penetrating tale, a wonderful story.--Midwest Book Review

About the Author

Richard Stark is the best-known pseudonym of multiple award winner Donald E. Westlake. As Stark, Westlake wrote more than 20 books about the ruthless professional thief Parker, starting with The Hunter, which was the basis for the movie Point Blank starring Lee Marvin. He also wrote books about Parker's partner in crime, Allan Grofield, of which Lemons Never Lie is by far the darkest.