Known Printings of The Mourner

Pocket Books (1964)

Heyne (Germany) (1968)

Gregg Press (not pictured) (1981)

It all started when a small statuette, the mourner–stolen from a fifteenth-century tomb during the French Revolution–turned up suddenly in America. A man named Harrow, the very rich father of a very naughty daughter, offered Parker $50,000, in advance, to steal it. This presented no special problem since stealing was Parker’s business anyway, and besides, Bett Harrow, the daughter, had something of Parker’s that was very incriminating.

But the statuette was in the Washington residence of a man named Kapor, a minor official from one of the Communist nations, who not only had the stolen statuette but had also misappropriated $100,000 of his government’s funds. When Parker went to call on Kapor, he met an agent of the KGB who had been sent to liquadate Mr. Kapor. But when Menlo, the agent, discovered the value of the statuette, he decided to defect with it–and the misappropriated hundred grand.

Avon (1984) front

Avon (1984) back

Viihdeviikarit Ltd. (Finland) (Translated by Heikki Haveri) (1984)

Allison & Busby (UK) (1987)

Books on Tape (19??)

When it comes to stealing nobody does it better than Parker and up against the mob or the KGB he intended to beat them all.

The heist was a piece of cake. It didn’t bother Parker that the priceless statue was in a Russian Diplomat’s house…because he had no scruples about ripping off a Red. It didn’t bother Parker that his ex-girlfriend had blackmailed him into pulling this job…because he figured out how to make an extra fifty grand on the deal. It did bother Parker that somebody else was trying to steal the statue first…because being second wasn’t Parker’s style. Whether he was up against the mob of the KGB, Parker intended to beat them all at the stealing game…because that’s what Parker did best. Of course, he didn’t count on a double cross, a two-timing blonde, and one lethal luger aimed at making him not only second, but last. Dead last.

“Cunning…Courage…Imagination…Parker is in action once more.” (New York Times)