Ươm Mầm Nhận Thức tải về miễn phí cuốn sách

Pratyusha Barua _ratyusha — ** spoiler alert ** Having decided to read horror books exclusively throughout October, as I did last year, when I finished my last book I had a few days before I could officially start the haunted celebrations. I needed a quick read, so I grabbed the latest in my go-to quickie series: Richard Stark's Parker. The Parker novels are quick, fun reads, the perfect way to fill up time between scheduled reading (which isn't to lessen their worth by any means; being short and sweet is part of their charm). But, here I am on the 29th of September with two days to kill before beginning my trek through the macabre. The Rare Coin Score is possibly the best Parker caper yet, and I read it faster than I had anticipated. This time, Parker becomes involved with a plot to rob a rare coin convention, but the most interesting part of this book is that Parker does something we never thought possible: he falls in love. Well, okay, maybe not quite love (it's still Parker we're talking about). But just the same, something is strange in Parkerville. Spoilers follow... When the novel begins, Parker is out of sorts. He's sleeping with woman after woman, but it never seems to satisfy him. Deciding that getting back to work may bring him out of his funk, he gets in touch with his go-between to the underworld, Handy McKay, and gets connected to the robbery of the title. But during the introductory process, he meets Claire. And he likes her. A lot. Parker begins doing something he never does: having sex during a job. It was a steadfast rule with him in the past; he remained celibate during the planning and execution of a robbery, and afterwards he found a woman and celebrated for a while. But he desires Claire and cannot wait until the job is over. He tries to reason it away, saying he's doing it to keep her satisfied and focused on the score, but he knows that's not true. During the planning stage, the setup and the score itself, he instructs her on the proper way to be a criminal, and while he does so harshly at times (well, all the time, really), there is a hint of affection as well. He also remarks that he hasn't wanted a woman the way he wants Claire since his late wife, Lynn. I hesitate to call it love, however. He slaps Claire a couple of times when she freezes during the robbery (which, as always, goes wrong). True, it was to save her life, but he could've probably handled it better. When he's offered sex by a female hostage, he takes it without seeming to even think of Claire. And, most damning of all, he contemplates killing her when it seems she may go to the police and tell them everything to ease her conscience. He says he really doesn't want to, which is a small step for Parker (who, when he kills, does it coldly and efficiently, as he does every other part of a job), but it's not quite what I'd call love. Still, he clearly has feelings for Claire and wants to be with her beyond the robbery. He's not sure for how long, but he wants to find out. He even arranges it so that she'll be cleared of any wrongdoing in the crime, and while there is a certain amount of self-interest at play (if they get to her, they can get to him), he also seems to genuinely want to spare her from a life she doesn't want. Their agreement, that he would keep his work separate from his relationship with her, is one I look forward to Stark exploring down the line. And the ending, where he waits in his car outside the hotel where they agreed to meet to make sure she hasn't alerted the police, is really kind of sweet. He's hoping she hasn't betrayed him, not just so he doesn't have to run but because he wants her to want to be with him the way he wants to be with her. For all the mocking he did of Billy (who also desired Claire), Parker is in the same exact boat. He just doesn't show it because he's too badass for that. Who'd have guessed Parker had a heart? The actual plot is great too. Once again, Parker is dealing with a team of clashing personalities, each of whom he has to keep in check. And, inevitably, someone will betray the group and try to make off with the loot. I was genuinely surprised at who it was, though. I was suspecting Mainzer (as was everyone, I imagine), or maybe Billy in a bout of jealousy, but bringing French back to try to hijack the score was brilliant. I thought he was being saved for another novel, particularly because Parker respected him so much. He turned out to be one of Parker's better adversaries. The Rare Coin Score was a real treat. Not only a good plot, but a rare insight into Parker's personality. It even humanizes him without betraying his character. Of course the series should be read from the beginning (this book would have much less impact on someone who didn't know Stark's Parker from Peter Parker), but the ninth Parker book is a real highlight. Now, to find some magazines until October 1st.