"Stark . . . applies his great wit and dexterous mental skills to a series of . . . ingenious exits and entrances in (what else?) Breakout. . . . Jampacked. . . . He writes with ruthless efficiency."--Marilyn Stasio "New York Times"
"Fiercely distracting . . . . Westlake is an expert plotter; and while Parker is a blunt instrument of a human being depicted in rudimentary short grunts of sentences, his take on other characters reveals a writer of great humor and human understanding."--John Hodgman
"Stark invites readers to project themselves onto the always-assured Parker, making him a frighteningly easy sociopath to root for. And watching knowledgeable bad guys ply their shadowy trade under pressure is always fun. An immensely pleasurable entry in the Parker series. . . . Simply put, Breakout is great escapist fiction."-- "Booklist, starred review"
"Packed so tightly with the painstaking details of everything from the dank tedium of prison life to the architecture and construction of a Midwestern shopping complex that it comes as a shock to realize the volume isn't bigger than it is. Stark, the nom de crime adopted for this series by MWA Grand Master Donald Westlake, is an artist of compression, with the ability to create a complex, frightening character in very few words. . . . Exhilarating. Watching artists like Stark and Parker at work is a great pleasure, which an increasing audience will be delighted to share."-- "Publishers Weekly"
"If nothing else, Breakout proves that it's hard to get good help nowadays. . . . With help at such a premium, fans will thank Stark/Westlake for assisting them in making it through another night of guaranteed spare, straight-ahead action and dark humor."-- "Library Journal"
"Another splendid noir thriller."-- "San Diego Union-Tribune"
"Suspenseful . . . snarling and tough. . . . As always, Stark/Westlake writes like the consummate pro he is."-- "Cleveland Plain Dealer"
"Richard Stark's Parker crime novels are the ultimate page-turners."--Jonathan Ames "The Boston Globe"
"Marvelous. . . . Westlake, nearly half a century into his writing career, remains frequently superb."-- "Entertainment Weekly"