Alan Grofield is career criminal and professional thief. But he yearns for a career in theater. While Grofield is handsome and charming, his main passion–life on the Stage–remains elusive. Hence, Grofield’s involvement with professional thief, Parker. Grofield owns a summer stock company based in Mead Grove, Indiana which struggles to survive. He takes part in heists to get the money to keep his theatre company running,.
During the events of The Score, Grofield met his future wife and acting partner, Mary Deegan–a hostage taken during the heist in that novel. Surprisingly, Deegan insists on staying with Grofield after the heist. In Lemons Never Lie, Deegan helps Grofield run his summer stock theater and even stars as his leading lady.
Grofield appeared in eight out of twenty-eight Richard Stark novels–I’ve read them all. In Lemons Never Lie, Grofield is working at his own small theater and talking to Mary Deegan about plays they might put on and the actors they might recruit…if they had the money. That’s why Grofield considers a caper when Andrew Myers presents a plan to knock over a brewery. Grofield considers this heist unworkable and walks out on Meyers. This triggers a cascade of violence and retribution.
Lemons Never Lie is a much darker novel than The Damsel, The Dame, and The Blackbird. But I consider Lemons Never Lie the best of the Alan Grofield books. Don’t miss it in this wonderful new Hard Case Crime edition! GRADE: A
While in general I consider the Grofield books lighter than the Parker series they sprang from, LEMONS NEVER LIE was the best, as I remember them. At least, I mostly remember this one and would have to go back and check the others to refresh my memory.
Just checked the shelf and I have a Hard Case Crime edition from July 2006 with a different cover. I really should reread it. One of these days, maybe.
Jeff, I enjoyed reading the Grofield books back in the 1970s. LEMONS NEVER LIE is the pick of the litter in my estimation.
THE DAMSEL was the second Richard Stark I read, after THE SOUR LEMON SCORE. I thought THE DAME and THE BLACKBIRD were disappointing, but tastes change and I might like them better now than I did in 1970 and ’71. LEMONS NEVER LIE was a strong finish to the series. As I recall, there was talk that THE DAMSEL would be turned into a movie with Charles Bronson (!) as Grofield but if so, it never materialised.
Fred, I think Paul Rudd would make a good Grofield.
I may have read one of this series. WIsh I had kept track better.
Patti, I keep a Reading Diary so I can keep track of my reading.
My last TWO posts are “waiting moderation!”
Bob, sorry for the delay but Diane and I are spending THANKSGIVING WEEKEND with Patrick and Katie. The hotel we’re st doesn’t have a Busienss Center so no computer access. Patrick is sharing his laptop with me this afternoon so I can respond to blog comments.
I figured it was something like that! As always, I’m the only one who has to go through the moderating process! Now I know how the civil rights protestors felt! What do I want?
ACCESS!
When do I want it?
NOW!
The only genuinely bad Westlake novel I’ve read is ANARCHAOS…haven’t read this series, and should.
Todd, Westlake was not a good SF writer. But he more than made it up with great crime novels!