In Hugger Mugger, Spenser manages to stay out of bed with a bevy of Southern Belles and out of trouble with the law. He even manages to call in some favors from his old friend on the police force and cooperate with the local constabulary when he works a case down in Georgia. As much as I enjoyed this New England private investigators foray into Georgia, I really would have expected the setting to be Kentucky. To me, having lived in both states, a threat to thoroughbreds in the Bluegrass Country would have made more sense than in rural Georgia (in spite of the fact that there are stables in Georgia—I’m not disputing that).This novel also begins, refreshingly enough, with a mystery other than a murder. Horses are being killed and one particularly valuable one has been threatened. Of course, as one might expect, there is a murder soon enough and it completely changes the complexion on the case. Indeed, to borrow the title of a Martha Grimes mystery--The Case Has Altered before Spenser can solve the minor mystery. And, of course, the murder complicates the resolution of the minor mystery.A word of warning, however, is necessary for those who demand a tidy denouement where every detail is explained and every evildoer gets their comeuppance. This mystery doesn’t resolve everything. There is both an obvious villain and a less obvious one. One of those villains is clearly brought to justice while it isn’t as clear with the other. Nor is it clear exactly who did what. If I wanted to offer a spoiler, I could defend my position with regard to what I believe happened, but it might not correspond to the intent of the late Mr. Parker. Parker, respecting the reader and the complexity of life, doesn’t spell things out in a tidy Agatha Christie or “Murder, She Wrote” wrap-up. I left the novel feeling “sure” but not “certain.” To me, that’s a very satisfying ending.Now, just because I said one of the villains in this story isn’t obvious doesn’t mean that Parker doesn’t prepare us for that eventuality. He sprinkles foreshadowing through the book, but does it in such a way that you really don’t want to believe what you think you know. I like that. Not all villains are despicable. I also like the fact that not all of the supporting characters are what they seem. One is probably tempted to write most of them off as aristocratic, spoiled swine, but Parker is not beyond bringing more than you expect to some kind of redemption.Of course, one could quibble that the novel reads like Parker unloads all of his minimal research on thoroughbred breeding and horse racing fairly early in the book. For my taste, I thought he missed some delightful opportunities for red herrings involving rival stables/owners or former employees when dealing with the initial mystery. One could also doubt the probability of a person getting away with as much fraud as one of the characters manages to pull off when setting up an elaborate and expensive corporate enterprise. Sure, it happens, but does it happen in the profession that plays an important role in this book (not horse breeding or racing, mind you—that could easily be prone to fraud and misrepresentation).Yet, I still found myself enjoying the quick romp through the too-few pages of this mystery. I can’t resist the irreverent, wise-ass comments of the private investigator. Some first-person narrative mysteries offer a self-deprecating perspective, others a bit of braggadocio, and still others a poetic remoteness that belies the violent intensity of the mysteries themselves (think Sam Spade or Philip Marlowe and their “descendents”). My fascination with wise-cracking “detectives” may simply be a personal weakness, though. I might just wish that I had the chutzpah to back up the things I’d like to say but know better than to actually verbalize.Regardless, I found Hugger Mugger to be entertaining and worthwhile escape fare. There were times when I wished for more, but I’m still pleased with what I was served.
This is the 27th novel by Robert B. Parker featuring literate, wise-cracking Boston-based private eye, Spenser, “spelled with an ‘s’, like the English poet.” If Spenser reminds one of Raymond Chandler’s Phillip Marlowe, that is no coincidence: Parker once co-authored a book (Poodle Springs) with Chandler, and he also wrote a Phillip Marlowe novel (Perchance to Dream) after Chandler’s death. Hugger Mugger is the name of a horse, a two- year-old with great potential. Spenser is hired by Hugger Mugger’s extremely rich owner, Walter Clive (the richest man in Lamarr, Georgia), to protect the horse, which may be worth millions. It so transpires that three of Clive’s lesser horses have been shot for no apparent reason. Spenser doesn’t know much about horses, although he tells Clive that he once “met” Secretariat, who gave him “a big lap,” i.e., kiss. Clive is unimpressed, and Spenser observes that the horsey set doesn’t even care about the way thoroughbreds kiss. Spenser further demonstrates his equine ignorance when he pets Hugger Mugger and calls him “nice horsie,” to the supercilious amusement of Clive’s sexy youngest daughter.Spenser not only has no success finding the horse shooter, but one-fourth of the way through the book his client ends up dead, apparently shot with the same gun as was used on the horses. Spenser doesn’t like losing a client that way, and so is delighted when he is hired by the client’s “paramour” to solve the murder. During his investigation, we learn many dark secrets of the Clive family. Spenser even notes that he feels like he is a character in a Tennessee Williams play. Eventually of course, he solves the crime, with the help of the local sheriff and a bouncer at a nearby bar.Evaluation: Parker is at his witty best here as he has Spenser skewer the horsey set, superannuated hippies, and wily small town lawyers. In a nice twist, instead of a stereotypical inclusion of a racist white southern sheriff, the sheriff in this town turns out to be honest, intelligent, and black. The plot itself is more of a traditional who-done-it than many Spenser novels, and the ultimate villain doesn’t come as much of a surprise. No problem — the reason to read these books is the snappy dialog, which is as fun as ever. Rating: 3.5/5
What do You think about Hugger Mugger (2000)?
I said recently that the Spenser novels were really just westerns writtten in a modern day setting. The last two of these novels I've read certainly seemed to be such. In both cases-- Spenser investigates enough to tick off the bad guys, then gets challenged to show up for a showdown, which he does, where he ambushes the bad guys.. Spenser's dialgoue is full of both grit and wit, but is not enough to carry a decent mystery novel. In the case of Hugger Mugger, Parker glosses over the so-called my
—David
(This book is being added separate, as the other entry with this title is a collection, which is not what I read. Also, the other entry is an audio book, which this is not.)Spencer is back with his snappy dialogue and sarcastic sense of humor. That is what makes these books fun. He's tough and he knows it. Everyone else is a dumb oaf and he knows that too. At the same time he can quote literature and serve up a four course meal. Not your typical he-man private detective. But an infinitely loveable one. Which is a good thing because most Spencer novels are not really very involved. They have interesting characters, but the mysteries are not very detailed or intriguing. There are not a lot of red herrings. They are entertaining because of the characters and the dialogue. The books are generally pretty light reading and will even have you laughing out loud at times. This one is no different.It was a bit of a surprise to find out who was actually the mastermind behind everything. But then again, not so much. There really was only one person mentioned that was smart enough to even try to pull it off. There was just no indication that Spencer was even thinking about that person as the culprit until near the end.Great reading for a rainy afternoon.
—Beth Gibson
Hired to investigate some horse-shootings - and to protect Hugger Mugger, the prize horse at the Three Fillies stable - Spenser is soon caught up in murder, deceit, bath houses, amorous Southern Belles and bent security firms. Briskly told, with a fine atmosphere, this is a real return to form (I stopped reading new Spenser novels in the early 90s, as they felt padded out but this - from 2000 - is a real turnaround). The mystery works well, the wisecracks and put-downs are as funny as ever and there are some good set pieces. Prime Spenser, I really enjoyed this and thoroughly recommend it (though the ending is a bit abrupt).
—Mark
