Books with author Richard Starr

You probably haven’t ever noticed them. But they’ve noticed you. They notice everything. That’s their job. Sitting quietly in a nondescript car outside a bank making note of the tellers’ work habits, the positions of the security guards. Lagging a few car lengths behind the Brinks truck on its daily rounds. Surreptitiously jiggling the handle of an unmarked service door at the racetrack. They’re thieves. Heisters, to be precise. They’re pros, and Parker is far and away the best of them. If you’re planning a job, you want him in. Tough, smart, hardworking, and relentlessly focused on his trade, he is the heister’s heister, the robber’s robber, the heavy’s heavy. You don’t want to cross him, and you don’t want to get in his way, because he’ll stop at nothing to get what he’s after. Parker, the ruthless antihero of Richard Stark’s eponymous mystery novels, is one of the most unforgettable characters in hardboiled noir. Lauded by critics for his taut realism, unapologetic amorality, and razor-sharp prose-style—and adored by fans who turn each intoxicating page with increasing urgency—Stark is a master of crime writing, his books as influential as any in the genre. The University of Chicago Press has embarked on a project to return the early volumes of this series to print for a new generation of readers to discover—and become addicted to. In The Outfit, Parker goes toe-to-toe with the mob—hitting them with heist after heist after heist—and the entire underworld learns an unforgettable lesson: whatever Parker does, he does deadly. “Westlake knows precisely how to grab a reader, draw him or her into the story, and then slowly tighten his grip until escape is impossible.”—Washington Post Book World “Elmore Leonard wouldn’t write what he does if Stark hadn’t been there before. And Quentin Tarantino wouldn’t write what he does without Leonard. . . . Old master that he is, Stark does all of them one better.”—Los Angeles Times “Donald Westlake’s Parker novels are among the small number of books I read over and over. Forget all that crap you’ve been telling yourself about War and Peace and Proust—these are the books you’ll want on that desert island.”—Lawrence Block

Young genius Morag Chen doesn’t believe in the supernatural. Or not until a thousand gods show up in front of her, appearing from a clear-blue sky. The Architects are terrifying, they’re hypnotically attractive, and they’re real—but what are they, and what do they want, and why have they stolen the mind of Daniel Calder, the person she is closest to?Ancient gods? Invading aliens? Everyone has a theory, but no one has guessed the truth. In this dark, suspenseful, mind-bending sequel to The Fire Seekers, Morag picks up the narration from Daniel as she works to accept that there’s more than one way to think about the nature of humanity. And she will find that the only way forward is through secrets that Daniel himself seems desperate but unable to convey.A mysterious lab. The house of a dying billionaire. The hidden home of a strange and forgotten people. In each of these places, Morag and Daniel will come a step closer to answers, hope, and a way of fighting back.

You probably haven’t ever noticed them. But they’ve noticed you. They notice everything. That’s their job. Sitting quietly in a nondescript car outside a bank making note of the tellers’ work habits, the positions of the security guards. Lagging a few car lengths behind the Brinks truck on its daily rounds. Surreptitiously jiggling the handle of an unmarked service door at the racetrack.They’re thieves. Heisters, to be precise. They’re pros, and Parker is far and away the best of them. If you’re planning a job, you want him in. Tough, smart, hardworking, and relentlessly focused on his trade, he is the heister’s heister, the robber’s robber, the heavy’s heavy. You don’t want to cross him, and you don’t want to get in his way, because he’ll stop at nothing to get what he’s after.Parker, the ruthless antihero of Richard Stark’s eponymous mystery novels, is one of the most unforgettable characters in hardboiled noir. Lauded by critics for his taut realism, unapologetic amorality, and razor-sharp prose-style—and adored by fans who turn each intoxicating page with increasing urgency—Stark is a master of crime writing, his books as influential as any in the genre. The University of Chicago Press has embarked on a project to return the early volumes of this series to print for a new generation of readers to discover—and become addicted to.In The Outfit, Parker goes toe-to-toe with the mob—hitting them with heist after heist after heist—and the entire underworld learns an unforgettable lesson: whatever Parker does, he does deadly. “Westlake knows precisely how to grab a reader, draw him or her into the story, and then slowly tighten his grip until escape is impossible.”—Washington Post Book World “Elmore Leonard wouldn’t write what he does if Stark hadn’t been there before. And Quentin Tarantino wouldn’t write what he does without Leonard. . . . Old master that he is, Stark does all of them one better.”—Los Angeles Times “Donald Westlake’s Parker novels are among the small number of books I read over and over. Forget all that crap you’ve been telling yourself about War and Peace and Proust—these are the books you’ll want on that desert island.”—Lawrence Block

In the conclusion to Richard Farr’s richly imaginative Babel Trilogy, Morag and Daniel race toward a terrifying confrontation with an entity that holds the key to humanity’s fate.After narrowly surviving an encounter with the Architects, Daniel Calder experiences visions of global destruction, dreamlike moments of insight, and vivid “memories” of a meeting with a famous scientist—none of which ever happened. When he and his sister, Morag Chen, are attacked by unknown assailants deep in the cavernous city of the I’iwa cave dwellers, they must escape with an enigmatic, centuries-old mathematical calculation.Time is running out. All signs point to the final “Anabasis,” when the Babel myth will reach its terrible culmination. But thousands of miles of hazardous jungle and unforgiving ocean lie between the siblings and their one slim chance to fight back.As they undertake their perilous journey, the apocalypse seems imminent: scores of vanished believers, global telecom failures, societies in chaos. The Architects have set the stage for their conquest, and Morag and Daniel—armed only with a list of mysterious numbers and the dreams of an aging astrophysicist—seem hopelessly outmatched.

The time of our immortality is at hand.An undeciphered language in Crete. A rash of mysterious disappearances, from Bolivia to Japan. An ancient warning at the ruins of Babel. And a new spiritual leader, who claims that human history as we understand it is about to come to an end.Seventeen-year-old Daniel Calder’s world falls apart when a freak accident brings personal tragedy—and he discovers there’s a link between the accident and a wildly successful new cult, the Seraphim. Catapulted into a violent struggle for humanity’s past and future, he’s not even sure who the enemy is, or if he’s battling a phantom that doesn’t exist. But as Daniel puts his life on the line, he is forced to conclude that our very survival as a species will depend on who, and what, we choose to believe.

Winner of the Scandiuzzi Prize"So gripping you will not want to put it down" - Science Teacher (a National Science Teachers Association Outstanding Book)In the Antarctic Winter of 1911 - waiting to assist Robert Falcon Scott in his bid to conquer the South Pole - three extraordinary men decided to amuse themselves with a side-expedition. The point was to test a theory about bird evolution by collecting and studying the eggs of the Emperor penguin. They set out into the perpetual winter dark hauling two sleds with a combined weight of over 700 lb. Everything went wrong."An enthralling tale" -- the Horn Book "Compelling" - Book List

Anglo-American relations, the so-called 'Special Relationship', reached a new era with the rise of New Labour and the New Democrats in the late-1980s and early-1990s. Richard Carr reveals the untold story of the transatlantic 'Third Way'­ by analysing how Tony Blair and Bill Clinton won power and ultimately how they lost it. Using newly unearthed archives and interviews with key players, he investigates the relationship between the administrations and sheds new light on big events such as the Good Friday Agreement in Northern Ireland, the handover to George W. Bush, and the controversial Iraq War.

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.

Anglo-American relations, the so-called 'Special Relationship', reached a new era with the rise of New Labour and the New Democrats in the late-1980s and early-1990s. Richard Carr reveals the untold story of the transatlantic 'Third Way'­ by analysing how Tony Blair and Bill Clinton won power and ultimately how they lost it. Using newly unearthed archives and interviews with key players, he investigates the relationship between the administrations and sheds new light on big events such as the Good Friday Agreement in Northern Ireland, the handover to George W. Bush, and the controversial Iraq War.

A guest on the #1 downloaded podcast with Adam Carolla, now read his compelling story of gangs, prison, and success in the business world. The “Skinny Bandit”—a whiter-than-cocaine kid from gang-filled streets of Otay in San Diego—who robbed banks to eat ironically no longer needs banks because of his steady success in Bitcoin trading and other cryptocurrencies. Meticulous and calculating, Richard Stanley continually evaded capture and grew brazen with each additional bank heist in the early 2000s. The robberies continued, and it appeared that the FBI would never catch the elusive yet polite robber who went from teller to teller saying, “Put the money on the counter…” and walked away with thousands in cash in a clear plastic bag. Upon his sudden arrest, the shocking truth was finally revealed when this criminal mastermind who repeatedly outwitted authorities turned out to an eighteen-year-old kid from the Hispanic gang-filled streets of Otay in San Diego. Why Did He Rob Banks? The first time was for cash to buy a Taco Bell grande meal. Richard Stanley did his time—seven-plus years in Donovan, a rough Southern California prison, where he hustled to stay up on game and where he experienced the real Orange Is the New Black—and where he witnessed the worst horrors of the prison system, from guards killing inmates to rampant drug use and the lengths desperate people go to get what they need (such as snacks, drugs, cell phones, and warm clothing). WARNING to readers: This book contains offensive language and graphic descriptions of criminal activity.The Story of the Neighborhood StruggleRichard Stanley recounts his tumultuous childhood of growing up in the dangerous neighborhood of Otay, surrounded by gangs, drugs, violence, and poverty. His crimes started with petty shoplifting before graduating to bank robbery. After a short time, Stanley had perfected his craft and hit multiple banks. Each time, he and his crew evaded capture, but one critical mistake cost him everything. The FBI finally tracked him down, and Stanley was sentenced to hard time in one of Southern California’s worst prisons, but his story was only beginning. Stanley details his time in prison and how he sold drugs from behind bars. He also illustrates what daily life was like in jail, his interactions with the other inmates, and the dark side of the correctional officers whose jobs are to maintain law and order. He wondered just who the criminals were—the guards or the inmates. Maybe both. Making the Case for Prison Reform After his release, Stanley became very successful in adult online marketing with exotic dancers and professional escorts where he was introduced to Bitcoin as a form of payment. He schooled himself in Bitcoin trading and other cryptocurrencies. Although he doesn’t say he’s an expert, he’s moved up in the world to swanky Newport Beach, where his business is based, and where he lives a life far from the hellhole of the two-man prison cell at Donovan. [This book contains bootlegged graphic photos of prison life taken by the cellies behind bars.]With his degree in “business” from one of California’s finest institutions where he was given a free ride in their eight-year program (with a seven-month sabbatical in solitude), Richard Stanley graduated from bank robbery to stacking Bitcoin as a legit entrepreneur and shares a vital message: People can change. READ THE FIRST CHAPTER/5 MIN AUDIO-BOOK CLIP and for more info, visit the book’s website: www.UpOnGameBook.com