The Outfit

By: Richard Stark

Narrated by: John Chancer

The Outfit was organized crime with a capital O. They were big. They were bad. They were brutal. And no crook ever crossed them and lived to enjoy it. Except Parker. So they wanted Parker dead, and a hit man proved they meant business. Too bad for the Outfit he missed. Ripping off the Outfit was the easy part of Parker's game. Going one-on-one with Bronson, the Outfit's Big Boss, was the hard part.

©1963 Richard Stark (P)2011 AudioGo

Better than the movies

If you could sum up The Outfit in three words, what would they be?

Dark, gritty, entertaining

What other book might you compare The Outfit to and why?

Maybe some Dashiel Hammett novels, but much darker.

Have you listened to any of John Chancer’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

He's no hero, but you want him on your side.

Any additional comments?

I'll be getting more of the series. Yes, they are dated but so are novels by Dash Hammett, Raymond Chandler and even Robert B. Parker.

Unremorsefully cruel protagonist.

The self defining individualistic morals, entirely relative to the motivations of the character, creates the opportunity for a sympathetic psychopath, an immoral self server who appeals to our desire to “do whatever we want”

Love me some Noir

Another great instalment in the Parker series. Love the way the technique of heists and criminal organisations was explained.

The Outfit (mafia) sends a hitman to kill Parker.

Parker makes the Outfit sorry it ever tangled with him.

I’m enjoying these stories and find myself wanting to read one right after the other. Like potato chips, you can’t eat just one. These are about bad guys. They rob. They kill. They don’t go to jail. They’re smart. It’s fun to be in this world for a change. A few times I’m delighted or surprised with something. I liked the plot in this one.

The narrator John Chancer was ok.

This is book 3 in the 24 book series. It’s about 2/3 or less than a typical novel length. It’s better to read the first three books in order because they have a flow. In book 1 Parker clashes with the Outfit. In book 2 Parker gets facial plastic surgery so the Outfit can’t find him. In book 3 the Outfit knows about Parker’s surgery, so Parker takes action.

Genre: noir crime fiction

Book 3 Parker is hunted by the mob

Parker has his straight identity discovered by the mob.
Wanting to be left alone, he goes on the offensive disrupting the mobs revenue stream, this topples the top man from his position, and the new boss makes peace with parker

Love Parker !!!

Such a great character in a wonderfully written series , and I’m just getting started on it !!
Excited to see how it goes

Potato Chips Without the Salt and Calories

In their way, the Parker stories are a glimpse into an alternate universe, where coordinated, seamless crimes go down without the aid of earpieces and night-vision goggles.

And since I grew up in that universe, they’re a trip down memory lane, too. Not that I was a teenage bag man. But I remember phones that didn’t fit in your pocket and Lincolns and Caddys with roughly the same level surface area as aircraft carriers.

But first and foremost, these books are mental potato chips (just Google up the original book jackets). As the series proceeds, the writing is getting stronger, with even occasional sallies of the trademark Westlake wit (albeit wry). If you're looking to be amused rather than elevated, entertained rather than enlightened, go for it. Like potato chips, an occasional indulgence is just fine.

Again, John Chancer weighs in with a well-nigh perfect performance.

classic heist book

I loved it. short and sweet. pulp. just a great short story. I usually ho for the long reads but occasionally you need a good afternoon drama while you work on the house. this was perfect.

I've had enough!

The story begins with Parker ducking and jumping behind the bed away from a silenced thirty-two caliber pistol. His gun wasn’t silenced and would make too much noise in the hotel so he threw it at the assassin hitting him between the eyes, knocking him out. After extracting information, Parker led him to the stairwell. Still woozy he started down. Parker heard him fall down the stairs. The Outfit aka Syndicate was still after him. Even with his new face, they had found him. Parker had had enough, he was going to put an end to this. He visited a dozen old friends and wrote two dozen letters along the route. He figured at least half of the people he contacted would take advantage of the timing. So much for the setup of the story. Handy arrived at the hotel, beckoned by Parker’s call. Handy was changing and it bothered him. Parker had no friends, no woman, and owned nothing. The men he knew were just that, men he knew and worked with from time to time. That’s the way he wanted it. Handy wanted to buy a diner, even work there nights cooking, and own something. When men started craving possessions and friendships it meant he was losing the leanness. It was a bad sign. Parker wanted to go see Bronson, asking Handy to go with him. You’ll have to discover the ending yourself. Another good story with interesting characters. I am liking this series.

Lean & Mean

I just started listening the Parker series a few weeks ago after watching both film adaptations of series first book The Hunter (1967 & 1999, loved both versions) and now I’m on the 4th book just a few weeks later so the hook is pretty already deep in me lol. The Outfit, book 3, is my favorite so far, it takes some cool & unexpected turns all the way through. There are a lot of things to like about each one, thus far anyway, but 2 things that definitely stand out about the first 4 books are the way Stark portrays the series titular character & protagonist Parker, who certainly isn’t the most likable hero at times, though anti-hero is probably more accurate, but the fact he can be genuinely vicious when he needs to, coupled with his experience & skill as a crook, as well as an inexhaustible determination to get what he wants make him a character that is always fascinating. And 2nd thing is Starks literary style, it is definitely a no frills, ultra stripped down & chiseled approach. He only gives a minimum of information $ description, just enough to know what’s going on and no more, and as a result the pacing of each book is lightning fast making them a breeze to get through. The gentleman who reads books 1-3 does an outstanding job narrating each story and his voice for Parker is spot on, he sounds hard as nails lol. The guy who takes over reading duties in book 4 doesn’t do a bad job either but I prefer the first narrator no question. If you’re looking for some tightly written crime novels that feature a clever & pretty ruthless anti hero as a protagonist then by all means give the Parker series a chance 😬🤟