Hard Case Crime - Donald E. Westlake Audiobook

Written by Donald E. Westlake
Read by Peter Berkrot, Stephen R. Thorne, L. J. Ganser
Format: MP3
Bitrate: 64 Kbps
Unabridged

Donald E. Westlake (1933 – 2009)

361 – (L. J. Ganser)

Publisher: Blackstone Audio
Hard Case Crime, book 09
Release date: May 11, 2006
Duration: 05:36:22

The men in the tan-and-cream Chrysler came with guns blazing. When Ray Kelly woke up in the hospital, it was a month later, he was missing an eye, and his father was dead. Then things started to get bad. From the mind of the incomparable Donald E. Westlake comes a devastating story of betrayal and revenge, an exploration of the limits of family loyalty and how far a man will go when everything he loves is taken from him.

L. J. Ganser effectively reads Westlake’s hard-boiled murder mystery. When several members of Ray Kelly’s family are killed, his investigation reveals that his father worked for the Mob. Ganser’s flat Philip Marlowe-style narration enhances the story’s many twists as Kelly seeks revenge. Ganser uses a variety of accents, as well as changes in pacing and volume, to provide unique voices for the myriad of underworld characters.

Somebody Owes Me Money – (Stephen Thorne)

Publisher: Blackstone Audio
Hard Case Crime, book 44
Release date: May 26, 2008
Duration: 06:37:31

Cab driver Chet Conway was hoping for a good tip from his latest fare, the sort he could spend. But what he got was a tip on a horse race. Which might have turned out okay, except that when he went to collect his winnings, Chet found his bookie lying dead on the living room floor. Chet knows he had nothing to do with it-but just try explaining that to the cops, to the two rival criminal gangs who each think Chet’s working for the other, and to the dead man’s beautiful sister, who has flown in from Las Vegas to avenge her brother’s murder…

Stephen Thorne sounds like a natural-born reader of Westlake’s breezy, irreverent characters. This pre-Dortmunder saga, written in 1969, is less polished than many of his more recent novels, but his trademark elements are here. Lots of buddies, some losers, a few heart-of-gold types, one misunderstood protagonist, one beautiful woman, and New York City. Stephen Thorne makes the most of it, rendering the implausible goings-on (which start with a cabbie being paid with a tip on a horse race) almost believable through an assured, commanding delivery. He handles male and female voices expertly and gives each of the main characters a distinct, consistent voice. This is a romp through the New York of 40 years ago

The Cutie (1960 - The Mercenaries) – (Stephen R. Thorne)

Publisher: Blackstone Audio
Hard Case Crime, book 53
Stand-alone, book 6
Release date: March 1, 2009
Duration: 05:26:23

Mavis St. Paul had been a rich man’s mistress. Now she was a corpse. And every cop in New York City was hunting for the two-bit punk accused of putting a knife in her. But the punk was innocent. He’d been set up to take the fall by some cutie that was too clever by half. My job? Find that cutie—before the cutie found me.

The “cutie” of the title isn’t the revolver-toting redhead depicted on the cover of this 1960 noir adventure. Rather, the term refers to the gangster who framed two-bit junkie Billy-Billy Cantrell for the murder of a political bigwig’s mistress. The story is told from the point of view of Clay, a young, college-educated Mob hit man who is developing a conscience.

Stephen Thorne gives the lead character a wry smart-aleck attitude and smoothly delivers the dialogue of supporting characters, providing each–whether a stuttering junkie, a gorgeous model, or the tough detectives–with a distinct voice and style. Thorne lacks the edgy urban voice that would give more credibility to the book, but as the story progresses, he’s able to carry it successfully to its dark, twisted conclusion.

Memory – (Stephen R. Thorne)

Publisher: Blackstone Audio
Hard Case Crime, book 64
Release date: April 1, 2010
Duration: 10:59:18

Hospitalized after a liaison with another man’s wife ends in violence, Paul Cole has just one goal: to rebuild his shattered life. But with his memory damaged, the police hounding him, and no way even to get home, Paul’s facing steep odds—and a bleak fate if he fails.

This final, never-before-published novel by three-time Edgar Award winner Donald E. Westlake is a noir masterpiece, a dark and painful portrait of a man’s struggle against merciless forces that threaten to strip him of his very identity.

Donald Westlake’s style adapts especially well to audio. It’s not hard-boiled, but it’s spare and filled with evocative description. This book is one of his earliest works and was rejected by a publisher as “too literary.” The story follows a man who is beaten by the husband of his paramour and loses his memory. The listener never knows or learns anything the main character doesn’t. This engaging device carries one along. The story is a mystery in the sense that the listener doesn’t know what’s going to happen, but there’s no real crime to solve. Stephen Thorne is solid as the narrator, effectively portraying the weariness and puzzlement of the main character. He doesn’t give each character a distinctive voice but differentiates each with slight changes in tone and pacing.

An elegant, melancholy novel, written in the 1960s and never before published

The Comedy is Finished - (Peter Berkrot)

Publisher: Blackstone Audio
Hard Case Crime, book 104
Release date: February 1, 2012
Duration: 10:49:14

The year is 1977, and America is finally getting over the nightmares of Watergate and Vietnam and the national hangover that was the 1960s. But not everyone is ready to let it go. Not aging comedian Koo Davis, friend to generals and presidents and veteran of countless USO tours to buck up American troops in the field. And not the five remaining members of the self-proclaimed People’s Revolutionary Army, who’ve decided that kidnapping Koo Davis would be the perfect way to bring their cause back to life.

This is the final novel from the legendary author Donald Westlake.

Peter Berkrot’s narration is compelling, and he doesn’t let the story lag. Curiously though, he frequently lapses into a Southern accent, which is unsupported by the story. In spite of this, his voices are suited to the well-drawn characters. If we take the title literally, the comedy is finished–that is to say, there’s no comedy to the story. Berkrot acknowledges this by not forcing humor where it doesn’t exist. Instead, we hear an absorbing narration.

Note - Hard Core Crime is a publishing company founded in 2009 to republish forgotten books by crime writers or publish new material. Their catalogue is a now has 131 titles. They published most of the Stark/Westlake’s Quary novels.