"I think what they liked about Parker was that he had chosen to reject society, rather than the other way around. He was the prowling outsider, but it hadn't been forced on him. Or maybe not."

- Donald Westlake, The Getaway Car: A Donald Westlake Nonfiction Miscellany

Richard Stark's Parker novels were reintroduced to modern audiences with Darwyn Cooke's comic book adaptations and in the process, these seminal classics of crime fiction have reached readers that might have generally found the genre unwelcoming. Parker has always been an outsider though, and his exploits have historically resonated with more than just the stereotypical Stark fan. We offer an eclectic collection of reviews, thoughts, obscure finds and news from a different perspective.

You can reach us at toughbusiness@mail.com -- we welcome inquiries, conversation, and any Parker-related ephemera!

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“I feel such admiration for Westlake and Darwyn’s work” - An Exclusive Interview with Ed Brubaker

02/01/2026

For our first interview of the year, the team at Tough Business had the distinct pleasure of chatting with Eisner Award-winning comic book writer Ed Brubaker about crime fiction, his friendship with Darwyn Cooke, and all things Parker.

We spoke to Ed's frequent collaborator, Sean Phillips, a while back about their Alan Grofield story appearing in Richard Stark's Parker: The Martini Edition - Last Call — and Ed kindly filled in some of the blanks for us. Check out the full interview below for a look behind the scenes of the first original Parker story, as well as a hint at what's in store in Five Gears in Reverse, the latest installment of the acclaimed Criminal comic book series.

the novels

The Grofield solo novels are counted as part of the original twenty-book series, as per the back cover blurb on the Butcher's Moon first edition, and appear in the in-universe chronological order.