Rough Weather

As a devoted Robert B. Parker fan it is sad to say his Spenser books are becoming a staid cookie-cutter series with almost replaceable by the number scenes. The razor edge that Spenser was famous for is not quite as sharp... and perhaps dulled by his advancing middle age... as more and more literary time is spent with boring predictable time with Susan. Loyal readers know she takes mini-microscopic bites of whatever food she orders... in whatever restaurant they visit. We know that whatever clothes she wears... she is the most beautiful woman Spenser has ever seen... we know that if she says she'll be ready in five minutes... she'll be ready in thirty-five minutes. And even more depressing for readers is the non-stop double entendre sexual conversations between the two of them... that are actually boorishly embarrassing to any adult. (Could you imagine sitting next to them on a cross country flight listening to such sophomoric interaction?)

And then there's Hawk. Just one sentence from Hawk when he enters a scene and there is immediate hope and enthusiasm brewing in the reader's soul. In this installment he doesn't do much more than chauffeur Spenser around.

The storyline starts when Heidi Bradshaw an attractive rich and famous woman who built her wealth by marrying a number of rich men ambles into Spenser's office and hires him to be her male escort and provide a non-defined security at her daughter's wedding, that will be taking place on her private island, Tashtego. Spenser takes Susan along with him and can't even explain to himself... let alone... to Susan... what his security job entails. On the day of the wedding... arch enemy "THE-GRAY-MAN" shows up as a guest... with no explanation or deep *"detecting"* work by Spenser... and from there we get senseless mass killings... what appears to be a ransom situation... without any immediate ransom request being made... and of course Spenser can't let go of the case even though he is no longer being paid.

Even Spenser's usual quota of sharp-snappy-funny quips are cut down to a minimum, but here's a couple of good ones: "IF YOU'RE GOING TO PRACTICE NEPOTISM, YOU MAY AS WELL KEEP IT IN THE FAMILY." And "SHE WAS CARRYING A PURSE THAT WOULD WORK AS A HAMMOCK FOR PYGMIES." And "ACCORDING TO RULE 4 IN SPENSER'S DETECTIVE FOR DUMMIES, IF YOU AREN'T GETTING ANYWHERE AND YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO, GO ANNOY SOMEBODY." The one great flash of former Parker street poetry occurred when he described the reverence that Ty-Bop a mob bosses killer had for Hawk: "HE WOULD KILL ANYTHING THAT TONY POINTED HIM TOWARD. BUT THAT ASIDE, HE ALWAYS SEEMED TO ADMIRE HAWK. HE NEVER SAID ANYTHING, BUT HE WATCHED HIM ALL THE TIME, THE WAY A SCHOOLYARD PLAYER WOULD WATCH MICHAEL JORDAN."

My suggestion for a future Spenser installment would be for Spenser to breakup with Susan, and then for Spenser, Hawk, and maybe one other respected "shooter" that Spenser calls on in time of need... go away to a mountain cabin to bond and unwind... and in the midst of booze and steaks... and sharing old stories... the cabin is surrounded by a group of bad guys whose lives Spenser and Hawk had made miserable in the past... and the boys have to fight to the death to survive.

This would be a lot more entertaining than listening to double entendre chit-chat while watching Susan take microscopic bites of her lettuce.

Some time ago, I stopped reading the Spenser series because I thought Parker had gotten lost in amoral violence, which is something I dislike in fiction. I started again after I thought the emphasis had changed. But this book goes back to what I consider the "bad period." By my count, 13 people are killed in this book, all apparently without any consequences to anyone. Two are arguably killed in self-defense, although alternatives were likely available. Three were criminals killed by criminals, so arguably we shouldn't care. One was the evil bastard the book is about. The other six were innocent nice, or at least neutral, people who didn't deserve killing. This is a bit too much "anything is justified so long as someone gets a good outcome" writing for my taste.

On page 106 of the book, the following conversation occurs:

"People aren't liking federal agencies much these days."
"Is it because we're being governed by a collection of nincompoops?
"Yeah, pretty much."
"It'll pass," (Spenser said). "We got through Nixon."

I certainly hope Spenser is right, because personally, I can't take much more of this "fecklessness".

Parker continues to involve us in the inner workings of Spenser's mind and keeps us thoroughly entertained. As with most authors these days, the books are too short and too far between, but still a character to read over and over. Loved the book!

A bigger dilemma for Spenser than usual. More 'international' intrigue than a local P.I. is used to. However, I love the character and Mr. Parker's style too much to be critical of the storyline. Joe Mantegna is superb as always crafting the perfect smart *ss delivery to the Spenser dialect.