The Pandemonium Of The Sun

Donald Westlake died a year ago today. He was peripherally on my radar (I often see book collectors looking for his harder to find novels written under the pseudonym Richard Stark). When he died, I took even more notice as all the tributes from people i respect started rolling out. Hard Case Crime’s reissue of 361 is my first experience with Westlake, and it certainly won’t be my last. The man is a master. Ray Kelly comes home to New York after a stint in the Air Force and meets his father in New York City. On the trip home to upstate New York, their car is ambushed, with the father being murdered and the son severely injured. Thus starts Ray Kelly’s quest to find the killer of his father. Engrossing and superbly written, this is the best of the Hard Case Crime books I have read thus far, and have gotten my hands on some of those Richard Stark novels for the near future. Very highly recommended.