Donald E. Westlake

Author profile

born

July 12, 1933 in Brooklyn, New York , The United States

died

December 31, 2008

gender

male

website

http://www.donaldwestlake.com

genre

Mystery & Thrillers

About this author

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aka John B Allen, Curt Clark, Tucker Coe, Timothy J Culver, J Morgan Cunningham, Samuel Holt, Sheldon Lord (with Lawrence Block), Alan Marshall, Allan Marshall, Richard Stark, Edwin West, Judson Jack Carmichael.

Donald Edwin Westlake was an American writer, with over a hundred novels and non-fiction books to his credit. He specialized in crime fiction, especially comic capers with an occasional foray into science fiction. He was a three-time Edgar Award winner, one of only two writers (the other is Joe Gores) to win Edgars in three different categories (1968, Best Novel, God Save the Mark; 1990, Best Short Story, "Too Many Crooks"; 1991, Best Motion Picture Screenplay, The Grifters). In 1993, the Mystery Writers of America named Westlake a G...more aka John B Allen, Curt Clark, Tucker Coe, Timothy J Culver, J Morgan Cunningham, Samuel Holt, Sheldon Lord (with Lawrence Block), Alan Marshall, Allan Marshall, Richard Stark, Edwin West, Judson Jack Carmichael.

Donald Edwin Westlake was an American writer, with over a hundred novels and non-fiction books to his credit. He specialized in crime fiction, especially comic capers with an occasional foray into science fiction. He was a three-time Edgar Award winner, one of only two writers (the other is Joe Gores) to win Edgars in three different categories (1968, Best Novel, God Save the Mark; 1990, Best Short Story, "Too Many Crooks"; 1991, Best Motion Picture Screenplay, The Grifters). In 1993, the Mystery Writers of America named Westlake a Grand Master, the highest honor bestowed by the society. He was also an occasional contributor to science fiction fanzines such as Xero.

Westlake was born in Brooklyn, New York and attended Champlain College and Harpur College in Binghamton, New York. He spent two years in the United States Air Force, an experience that would later influence his fiction (several of his novels' protagonists, notably Parker and the protagonist of 361, are ex-military men). He was married to Abigail Westlake (also known as Abby Adams Westlake and Abby Adams), a writer of nonfiction (her two published books are An Uncommon Scold and The Gardener's Gripe Book). The couple lived in upstate New York. Abby Westlake is a well-regarded gardener and the Westlake garden is frequently opened for public viewing in the summer. He died on December 31, 2008 in Mexico.

In addition to writing consistently under his own name, Westlake published under several pseudonyms. The best known continuing pseudonym was that of Richard Stark . From 1962-1974, 20 novels about the relentless and remorseless professional thief Parker and his accomplices appeared and were credited to Richard Stark. "Stark" was then inactive until 1997, when Westlake once again began writing and publishing Parker novels under Stark's name.

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combine editions
Books by Donald E. Westlake

Average rating: 3.82 · 11,361 ratings · 1,308 reviews · 169 distinct works

	The Hot Rock (Dortmunder, #1) 3.98 avg rating — 865 ratings — published 1970 — 18 editions	My rating:
	Bank Shot (Dortmunder, #2) 4.01 avg rating — 483 ratings — published 1972 — 15 editions	My rating:
	The Ax 3.87 avg rating — 467 ratings — published 1997 — 16 editions	My rating:
	What's The Worst That Could Happen? (Dortmunder, #9) 4.05 avg rating — 435 ratings — published 1996 — 12 editions	My rating:
	What's So Funny? (Dortmunder, #14) 3.70 avg rating — 450 ratings — published 2007 — 13 editions	My rating:
	Don't Ask (Dortmunder, #8) 4.01 avg rating — 381 ratings — published 1993 — 5 editions	My rating:
	Drowned Hopes (Dortmunder, #7) 4.09 avg rating — 338 ratings — published 1990 — 7 editions	My rating:
	Watch Your Back! (Dortmunder, #13) 3.83 avg rating — 342 ratings — published 2005 — 10 editions	My rating:
	Bad News (Dortmunder, #10) 3.85 avg rating — 341 ratings — published 2001 — 17 editions	My rating:
	Somebody Owes Me Money 3.76 avg rating — 334 ratings — published 1969 — 11 editions	My rating:

More books by Donald E. Westlake…

Series by Donald E. Westlake

Dortmunder (15 books)
by Donald E. Westlake

3.92 avg rating — 5,283 ratings

Sara & Jack (2 books)
by Donald E. Westlake

3.76 avg rating — 282 ratings

Quotes by Donald E. Westlake

“A lady doctor in the foreground, black horn-rims and white lab coat, suddenly cried, “You people ought to be ashamed of yourselves! Do you realize what you're doing to the reality concepts we're trying to instill in these people? How do you expect them to differentiate between illusion and reality when you do something like this?””
― Donald E. Westlake, The Hot Rock

tags: humor

4 people liked it

“My mother believed in all superstitions, plus she made some up.”
― Donald E. Westlake

tags: crime , mother , mystery , superstition

4 people liked it

“His eyes were eggy with blue yolks.”
― Donald E. Westlake

3 people liked it

See all Donald E. Westlake's quotes »

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