Before there was Pulp Fiction, before Elmore Leonard was a household name, Richard Stark was the American master of noir - telling tales of bad men and bad moves that were hailed for their cutting edge realism. Now Richard Stark, one of the most acclaimed American crime writers, is back. And so is the unforgettable character of Parker, a man who lives for the perfect crime, and refuses to die committing it. The heist went down while the people prayed. An angel walked with sagging shoulders - he was Parker's inside man, dressed in wings and robes and destined to be a problem. An hour later, Parker, Liss and Mackey were out in the shimmering heat of a stadium parking lot with four duffel bags full of cash. Then the double-cross began. Now the half-million-dollar robbery of a Christian crusade is drawing a crowd of cops, crooks and the evangelist's own unrelenting security man, a tough ex-Marine who trusts nothing and nobody. What began at a gathering of the faithful has moved into the realm of night. Here every move has a countermove, every man is on his own and every lie leads to the deadliest moments of truth.