A Contest at The Seminary Co-op Bookstores:

Look here, we’ve got a contest, see, and this is more than just a drawing. It’s going to be a 350-word flash-fiction contest to see who writes the best bookstore heist story starring Parker.

And The University of Chicago Press Outfit has donated copies of each of the twelve (12, see?) Parker novels they’ve put out so far as a first-place prize. That’s twelve big ones for the winner. For second-place, the folks at Diamond Distribution have a copy of the the gorgeous graphic novel of The Hunter, illustrated by Darwyn Cooke, and the third-place prize is a bright-eyed mini-poster of the reissued book covers.

Here’s how it’s going down: send your 350-word entry in the body of an e-mail to contest@semcoop.com before midnight on June 14th, 2010. Include your name and address so we know who we’re dealing with and where to send your share of the take. The winning heists will be published on The Front Table: the webzine of The Seminary Co-op Bookstores.

And if you’re new to the series, you’re in for a treat. Unpretentious, exquisitely crafted, and addictive, these books are a master’s exercises in American crime fiction and staff favorites.  With his complete lack of appeal, Parker is very appealing and these books are sparkling studies both in character and in post-WWII crime.