Lemons Never Lie

Lemons Never Lie by Richard Stark
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Theatre owner and part-time hood Alan Grofield goes to Las Vegas for job. Once he figures out the guy running things is crazy and the job is a long shot at best, he backs out, along with another crook, Dan Leach. Only Myer, the guy running things, is crazy. He ambushes Grofield and Leach, then makes off with Leach's winnings from the casino. From there, Grofield goes back home and Leach goes after Myer. When Leach turns up at Grofield's theatre with multiple knife wounds, things get messy...

Lemons Never Lie was my first Richard Stark novel and I enjoyed it. It was more serious than Westlake's work under his own name. The capers were believeable and Grofield turned out to be a pretty likeable character for part time criminal. The twists were unexpected and Stark never lets you catch your breath for long.

I guess I'll be tracking down more Stark/Westlake once the to-read pile gets a little smaller.



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