--- product_id: 4403502 title: "Flashfire: A Parker Novel" price: "NZ$40" currency: NZD in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.nz/products/4403502-flashfire-a-parker-novel store_origin: NZ region: New Zealand --- # Flashfire: A Parker Novel **Price:** NZ$40 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Flashfire: A Parker Novel - **How much does it cost?** NZ$40 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.nz](https://www.desertcart.nz/products/4403502-flashfire-a-parker-novel) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description An action-packed crime novel starring Parker, the heister starring in the forthcoming Shane Black film Play Dirty ! Richard Stark's Parker novels are the hardest of hard-boiled, classic crime novels where the heists are huge, the body counts are high, and the bad guys usually win. The Parker novels have been a huge influence on countless writers and filmmakers, including Quentin Tarantino, Stephen King, George Pelecanos, Colson Whitehead, Lucy Sante, John Banville, and many more. Their stripped-down language and hard-as-nails amorality create an unforgettable world where the next score could be the big one, but your next mistake could also be your last. There's nothing else like them. Between Parker’s 1961 debut and his return in the late 1990s, the whole world of crime changed. Now fake IDs and credit cards had to be purchased from specialists; increasingly sophisticated policing made escape and evasion tougher; and, worst of all, money had gone digital—the days of cash-stuffed payroll trucks were long gone. But cash isn’t everything: Flashfire (which was the basis of the Jason Statham and Jennifer Lopez film Parker ) finds Parker going after a fortune in jewels in West Palm Beach. He's unexpectedly competing with a crew that has an unhealthy love of explosions, and when things go sour, Parker finds himself shot and trapped—and forced to rely on a civilian to survive. Review: Another good Parker - I read the original printing of the Parker novels when they came out. I have forgotten the plots & they are just as good the second time as the first. I highly recommend the series. Review: Flashfire is a Barn-burner - This Parker novel, in which Richard Stark's professional thief seeks revenge on three crime partners who do him out of his share of the score in a garden variety heist, is a good stand-alone thriller on its own, but surprisingly enough, the movie version with Jason Statham (called simply "Parker") is better. In "Flashfire," Parker's accomplices in a stick up that takes place in the first chapter want him to join them and kick in the lion's share of his end as "seed money" for a truly once-in-a-lifetime score, a multi-million-dollar jewel robbery in Palm Beach, Florida. Parker, partly due to native stubbornness but also because he thinks the job can't be done, resists. His now ex-partners take his share anyway and tell him they will be in touch. Instead, Parker gets in touch with them -- in a violent way. As anybody knows who has followed this series by Donald Westlake (writing as Richard Stark), Parker is not someone you want to cheat. He immediately sets out to even the score, pulling several stylish robberies in a row to raise the cash he needs to go to Florida, get his revenge and screw up his former colleagues' plans. Once he arrives there, he joins forces with Leslie, a real estate broker on the make who pushes her way in to his revenge scheme in the hope of making enough money to put a bad marriage and divorce behind her. The rest of the novel focuses on how our protagonist gets back at his former colleagues in truly Parker-esque fashion. This is a solid four-star novel, a perfect quick read with plenty of action and a minimum of extraneous business. The characterization is sharp and believable, the dialog works and the plot makes sense, given Parker's twisted code of ethics. But, as I said in the first paragraph of this review, the folks who made the Jason Statham film "Parker" from it have actually managed to improve on the original. (A DVD of the film, incidentally, will be available on May 21. It is available for pre-order from desertcart now at http://www.desertcart.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=parker.) For one thing, they eliminate a couple of characters who really don't move the story forward very effectively, including Leslie's semi-retarded sister (who figures in a subplot that sets up the book's ending in a way that isn't nearly as satisfying as the one in the film). Second, they dump a couple of subplots overboard that are simply weak and seem to waste the reader's time. The action unfolds in pretty much the same way, the key scenes are all there and the conclusion is virtually identical to that in the book. All that has been changed is a little bit of streamlining in the narrative which actually gives the story greater impact. In short, I give the novel four stars, but the film made from it a full compliment of five. Sometimes even a good writer can use some edits, and the ones that were made in the film version greatly improve the story. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #730,971 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #2,088 in Hard-Boiled Mystery #7,645 in Mystery Action & Adventure #8,007 in Suspense Thrillers | | Customer Reviews | 4.6 out of 5 stars 501 Reviews | ## Images ![Flashfire: A Parker Novel - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71AYqW5dFdL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Another good Parker *by R***R on January 25, 2026* I read the original printing of the Parker novels when they came out. I have forgotten the plots & they are just as good the second time as the first. I highly recommend the series. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Flashfire is a Barn-burner *by W***E on March 14, 2013* This Parker novel, in which Richard Stark's professional thief seeks revenge on three crime partners who do him out of his share of the score in a garden variety heist, is a good stand-alone thriller on its own, but surprisingly enough, the movie version with Jason Statham (called simply "Parker") is better. In "Flashfire," Parker's accomplices in a stick up that takes place in the first chapter want him to join them and kick in the lion's share of his end as "seed money" for a truly once-in-a-lifetime score, a multi-million-dollar jewel robbery in Palm Beach, Florida. Parker, partly due to native stubbornness but also because he thinks the job can't be done, resists. His now ex-partners take his share anyway and tell him they will be in touch. Instead, Parker gets in touch with them -- in a violent way. As anybody knows who has followed this series by Donald Westlake (writing as Richard Stark), Parker is not someone you want to cheat. He immediately sets out to even the score, pulling several stylish robberies in a row to raise the cash he needs to go to Florida, get his revenge and screw up his former colleagues' plans. Once he arrives there, he joins forces with Leslie, a real estate broker on the make who pushes her way in to his revenge scheme in the hope of making enough money to put a bad marriage and divorce behind her. The rest of the novel focuses on how our protagonist gets back at his former colleagues in truly Parker-esque fashion. This is a solid four-star novel, a perfect quick read with plenty of action and a minimum of extraneous business. The characterization is sharp and believable, the dialog works and the plot makes sense, given Parker's twisted code of ethics. But, as I said in the first paragraph of this review, the folks who made the Jason Statham film "Parker" from it have actually managed to improve on the original. (A DVD of the film, incidentally, will be available on May 21. It is available for pre-order from Amazon now at http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=parker.) For one thing, they eliminate a couple of characters who really don't move the story forward very effectively, including Leslie's semi-retarded sister (who figures in a subplot that sets up the book's ending in a way that isn't nearly as satisfying as the one in the film). Second, they dump a couple of subplots overboard that are simply weak and seem to waste the reader's time. The action unfolds in pretty much the same way, the key scenes are all there and the conclusion is virtually identical to that in the book. All that has been changed is a little bit of streamlining in the narrative which actually gives the story greater impact. In short, I give the novel four stars, but the film made from it a full compliment of five. Sometimes even a good writer can use some edits, and the ones that were made in the film version greatly improve the story. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Richard Stark at his best. *by C***E on February 10, 2026* Parker is a character you never get tired of and Richard Stark knows how to get the best from him! A great read!! --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.nz/products/4403502-flashfire-a-parker-novel](https://www.desertcart.nz/products/4403502-flashfire-a-parker-novel) --- *Product available on Desertcart New Zealand* *Store origin: NZ* *Last updated: 2026-06-01*