We continue our series on the Parker books by Donald E. Westlake, published under the nom de guerre Richard Stark, which follow the various criminal activities of hard-boiled heister Parker and the shady characters surrounding him looking to screw up the score. Coming after the 'Outfit Trilogy' that kicked off the series, 1964's The Mourner is one of the weirder entries, focusing specifically on the eponymous MacGuffin: a lost historical statue sitting in the art collection of an embezzling expatriate from a small Slavic country who has himself been targeted by a secret policeman whose desire for a new life of luxury in America will mess everything up for Parker and his partner Handy McKay.
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Intro music: Unleash the Bastards / "Tea for Two"
Outro music: Marcus Pinn / "Vegas"