Tough Business
An eclectic archive of all things Richard Stark's Parker.
Our homepage
We welcome inquiries, conversation, and any Parker-related ephemera!
Men's Magazine Archive
The world's first archive of men's pulp/adventure magazine reprints of the Parker novels.
The Black Ice Score (1968) Review
Our latest review.
Pride Month Special: A Response to a Response and the Denial of Subtext
Our Pride 2026 essay - a deep dive into Donald Westlake's staunch allyship to the LGBT community.
Time Capsule: Behind the Mystery with Donald Westlake
Flashback to an obscure and very in-depth intervew with Donald Westlake himself.
The Outfit (1973) Blu-Ray Announcement
The latest on our featurette appearing on the Arrow Video release of The Outfit.
“I feel such admiration for Westlake and Darwyn’s work” - An Exclusive Interview with Ed Brubaker
Our exclusive interview with Eisner Award-winning comic book writer Ed Brubaker.
“We don’t compromise Parker’s code” - An Exclusive Interview with Shane Black
Our exclusive interview with acclaimed director Shane Black on all things Play Dirty (2025).
"We’re the first people allowed to do an original Parker story" - An Exclusive Interview with Sean Phillips
Our exclusive interview with Eisner Award-winning comic book artist Sean Phillips.
In Defence of Grofield: Stark’s Non-hero
An analysis of the four Grofield solo novels.
“The planning of the job is like rehearsal” - An Exclusive Interview with Stephen R. Thorne
Our exclusive interview with actor, director, and audiobook narrator Stephen R. Thorne.
“I collected Westlake as obsessively as I did Stark” - An Exclusive Interview with Max Allan Collins
Our exclusive interview with crime fiction author, screenwriter and comic book creator Max Allan Collins.
"Golden Androgyny" – Homoerotic Subtext in Point Blank (1967)
A collection of pieces analyzing the homoerotic subtext in John Boorman's Point Blank.
Play Dirty’s Parker DNA: A Collection of References
A list of all the Parker novel references in Shane Black's Play Dirty.
Forty Kinds of Trouble: A Parker + Grofield Zine
A pulp-inspired Parker & Grofield comic expanding on the ending of The Handle (1966).
Unfailingly Loyal: A Parker + Grofield Zine
A collection of short comics (and one essay) in zine form.
“No filler, just action and thrills” - An Exclusive Interview with Sarah Weinman
Our exclusive interview with journalist, author and crime fiction authority Sarah Weinman.
“All about cold hard practicality” - An Exclusive Interview with Dennis Lehane
Our exclusive interview with award-winning author Dennis Lehane.
“He’s not a machine” - An Exclusive Interview with Charles Ardai
Our exclusive interview with co-founder and editor of Hard Case Crime Charles Ardai.
“The fans help you do the work” - An Exclusive Interview with Levi Stahl
Our exclusive interview with Levi Stahl, marketing director of the University of Chicago Press and the editor of The Getaway Car: A Donald E. Westlake Nonfiction Miscellany.
"In my family, everyone was a fan of Westlake": An Exclusive Interview with the Creative Team Behind Parker 1969 - La Proie
Our exclusive interview with Doug Headline, Kieran, and Olivier Jalabert – the passionate and talented creative team behind Parker 1969 - La Proie.