Donald E. Westlake

Author profile

born

in Brooklyn, New York , The United States

July 12, 1933

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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Donald E. Westlake's Books

Average rating: 3.84 · 17,468 ratings · 1,712 reviews · 169 distinct works · Similar authors

	The Hot Rock (Dortmunder, #1) 3.97 of 5 stars 3.97 avg rating — 1,470 ratings — published 1970 — 22 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Bank Shot (Dortmunder, #2) 4.05 of 5 stars 4.05 avg rating — 787 ratings — published 1972 — 17 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Ax 3.91 of 5 stars 3.91 avg rating — 700 ratings — published 1997 — 16 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	What's The Worst That Could Happen? (Dortmunder, #9) 4.07 of 5 stars 4.07 avg rating — 611 ratings — published 1996 — 18 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	What's So Funny? (Dortmunder, #14) 3.77 of 5 stars 3.77 avg rating — 606 ratings — published 2007 — 15 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Don't Ask (Dortmunder, #8) 4.01 of 5 stars 4.01 avg rating — 548 ratings — published 1993 — 5 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Drowned Hopes (Dortmunder, #7) 4.08 of 5 stars 4.08 avg rating — 525 ratings — published 1990 — 9 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Somebody Owes Me Money 3.77 of 5 stars 3.77 avg rating — 493 ratings — published 1969 — 13 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Bad News (Dortmunder, #10) 3.86 of 5 stars 3.86 avg rating — 485 ratings — published 2001 — 17 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Watch Your Back! (Dortmunder, #13) 3.86 of 5 stars 3.86 avg rating — 469 ratings — published 2005 — 11 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Donald E. Westlake…

Series by Donald E. Westlake

Dortmunder (15 books)
by Donald E. Westlake
3.937207241422965 of 5 stars 3.94 avg rating — 7,899 ratings

Sara & Jack (2 books)
by Donald E. Westlake
3.735294117647059 of 5 stars 3.74 avg rating — 408 ratings

Quotes by Donald E. Westlake

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

tags: crime, mother, mystery, superstition

14 people liked it

“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

5 people liked it

“Nobody gets everything in this life. You decide your priorities and you make your choices. I'd decided long ago that any cake I had would be eaten.”
― Donald E. Westlake, Two Much

4 people liked it

See all Donald E. Westlake's quotes »

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