The Hunter

Richard Stark is the primary and most famous pseudonym of the prolific American crime fiction writer Donald Edwin Westlake, who lived from July 12, 1933, to December 31, 2008. Writing under the Stark pen name, Westlake adopted a gritty, hardboiled tone that contrasted sharply with the comedic caper novels he published under his own name. He debuted the pseudonym in 1959 with a short story and later explained that the alter ego allowed him to write with a more direct, relentless, and unsentimental voice. Under this name, he created the legendary Parker series, which follows a cold, hyper-professional, and highly efficient thief. Westlake wrote 16 Parker novels between 1962 and 1974, took a long hiatus, and then revived the character in 1997 for an additional eight books starting with Comeback. The Richard Stark novels had a massive impact on Hollywood. His debut novel, The Hunter, was adapted into the classic 1967 film Point Blank starring Lee Marvin, and was later remade in 1999 as Payback starring Mel Gibson. Other novels in the series, such as The Outfit and Slayground, were also adapted into feature films. Over his long career, Westlake won three Edgar Awards and was named a Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America in 1993.st.