Arizona Public Radio | Your Source for NPR News
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
SERVICE ALERT:

Our 88.7 transmitter site sustained a fire of unknown origin. We have installed a bypass that has returned us to full power for most, though repairs are still ongoing. Our HD service remains inoperable. We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your patience as we continue to work on the transmitter. Online streaming remains unaffected.

Donald Westlake: Hard-Boiled To The End

Award-winning mystery writer Donald Westlake — the author behind bungling burglar John Dortmunder and the dark-souled gun-for-hire Parker — died from a heart attack on Dec. 31 at the age of 75.

Westlake, who also wrote under the pseudonyms Richard Stark, Tucker Coe, Samuel Holt and Edwin West, produced more than 100 novels and numerous screenplays — including the Academy Award-nominated screenplay for The Grifters.

He was a three-time Edgar Award winner, and was named Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America in 1993. A new Westlake novel, titled Get Real, is due in April 2009.

Fresh Air remembers Westlake with interviews from 1988 and 1997.

Copyright 2023 Fresh Air. To see more, visit Fresh Air.