" I walked off the spiral, and looked at the penguins on the first balcony. They were the false note in the place. There was no glass wall, no separation between us except six feet of space. The smell of fish and, I supposed, penguin, was rank and uninsulated. I didn't like it. The silent fish in the lucid tank were fantasy. The penguins were real."If you know Boston's Aquarium, you'll get this lovely description (if you don't, I do NOT recommend going there on any school holiday! That spiral walkway, when crowded with kids and double-wide strollers bearing down on you like Mac trucks, would make anyone claustrophobic). Great if you like Boston, and have walked those streets. Almost a love letter to the city, the way "The Shadow of the Wind" is a love letter to Barcelona. There must be a "Spenser" tour of Boston eateries, delis, and bars--it would probably take you a week or so to visit all of them. Maybe the "Spenser pub crawl" could become a post-Parade institution on St. Paddy's Day, like Chicago's "Death March" on the South Side.Parker begins to wander into po-mo detective territory here; the case doesn't wrap up as neatly and tidily as one thinks, and the character begins to wax metaphysical at the end about his code of ethics and how he can live with things that force him to choose between following that code and self-preservation (it's Susan who helps him articulate that code to himself, btw).Again, I have the same problem here as with the first, the need to describe characters, even the insignificant ones, by race. For example, at the welfare office in NYC: "Behind the counter a big black woman with blue-framed glasses on a chain around her neck was telling an old woman in an ankle-length dress that her check would come next week and would not come sooner. The woman protested in broken English, and the woman behind the desk said it again, louder. At the end of the counter, sitting in a folding chair, was a New York City cop, a slim black woman with badge, gun, short hair, and enormous high platform shoes. Beyond the counter ....." If you can buy any cop being allowed to wear platform shoes on the job, note immediately after the description of the secretary: "The woman at the desk was lean and young, not long out of Vassar or Bennington. She had a tanned outdoor face, with small lines around the eyes that she wasn't supposed to get yet." So I guess that the reference to Vassar means "white". Or maybe one just assumes that if their race isn't put into another box by Parker, the character must be white. It's that need to describe someone by race (white vs. non-white) instead of the way he described the secretary that bugs me. And, btw,if they're women, it often starts with whether or not they're wearing a wedding ring. If they are, it usually stops there, or goes on to the glasses. If they aren't, it goes on to their legs and how the short skirt allows him to check them out. And it always includes what they're wearing, regardless of whether it's men or women.As I said in the first review, I can appreciate that these books include characters that represent America's diverse society more than the genre had in the past, but it's still annoying to read. I'll have to check out one of the later ones, published near his death, to see if: 1) This goes away at some point (as I said, the Hawk quotes read at the Ireland conference make me doubt this) and 2) What happens to the description of women once the relationship between Spenser and Susan solidifies. If the same bawdy jokes continue...Still very much a guy's series.
BOTTOM LINE: This third Spenser story is a tidy PI tale centered around baseball, porno movies, and blackmail, mixed with a good deal of information about what makes Spenser "tick". A bit old-fashioned seeming now, but still powerful - and entertaining. Three-and-one-half stars, but I don't know how to give a rating of a half-star.Marty Rabb is a terrific pitcher, and with him on the mound it looks like Spenser's (and my) beloved Red Sox are going places. Plus he seems to be, PR-wise, one of the original good guys, a kindly, not too bright jock, with all the best components of that sort of man, including a high sense of personal honor, and a joy of "playing the game" that's very old-style honorable. (and seems rather innocent now). But now there's a nasty rumor going around that somebody on the team is throwing games, and it might be good-guy Marty; the PR department hires Spenser to find out the origin of the rumor, and if there's any truth to it. Spenser turns up lots of creepy-crawly stuff by turning over lots of rocks, and meeting with some extremely questionable folks, and we come along with him ever step of the way. It's mostly first-person narration/description throughout, and it's smoothly done, in the best PI tradition. And the tone of this nicely written, old-fashioned novel does seem rather innocent when compared with mores of the current day, but I enjoyed tripping back to a time (and place) when I, too, wanted to believe in The Good Guys and their ways. There's a good deal of examination of Spenser's rules for living and his code-of-honor and, indeed, he certainly fits the stereotype of White Knight PI to a T. And we love him for it. Plus the plot is tidily resolved, and not too sweetly neither. And, as an extra nice little bit, we get to watch Spenser and Susan's relationship developing - it's early days as yet, and she hasn't yet developed many of the quirks that make her so annoying in some of the later novels. Here she's still funny, sharp-witted (and sharp-tongued), and a nice foil to and for Spenser. All-in-all, this third Spenser novel is quietly forceful, rather like Spenser himself.
What do You think about Mortal Stakes (1987)?
I'd never read Parker, but the fact that the story for "Mortal Stakes" involves a Red Sox pitcher and his wife got my attention, having done my own Red Sox book, "One Day at Fenway." I found this one a delight. The story moved along at a nice clip, nothing too obvious, nor too confusing, and the writing and the dialogue were both first-rate, I thought. Spenser could maybe hit for a little higher average with his sense of humor, but that's kind of the point, isn't it? Makes him human. I also like the steady presence of books in the story, from Spenser making a "book joke" at what point involving Henry James to this: "You spend too much time reading, Spenser. Yow know more stuff that don't make you money than anybody I know."
—Steve Kettmann
I was late to the Spenser party. I can't remember exactly what Spenser tale I read first, but it was somewhere around book 25 or so. Parker's style of writing: short, quick sentences, fast-paced, clothing and food descriptions galore, sprinkled with literary references was pretty much solidified by this time. MORTAL STAKES is a different Spenser. In this one, Parker takes his time describing environs, people, and the intricate mind of his Spenser character. This is thoroughly enjoyable. For me, the systematic, conveyor belt mode of storytelling in the later Spenser novels becomes quite cliche -- even if I do love the character. So here I am, at this Spenser's party, and, if I may, loving every frickin' minute of it. The voice of Spenser is different. Martin Quirk is different. Frank Belson is different. And, yet, they are still the same characters I met in the later novels; the difference now being that I am truly meeting them at an early stage of their literary lives. How I wanted to tell Spenser during this time to stay clear of Susan Silverman, the woman that is going to cause him so much pain...and redemption. How I wanted to have Quirk and Belson know that they are not in for a picnic in some of the later novels. How I wanted to reassure Spenser that he will not be facing the world alone, that one day he was going to meet Hawk. But I couldn't. The music was just too good and I was drinking the kool-aid, ya know? You see, what it comes down to is this: Spenser is one of my favorite literary characters; Parker is one of my favorite novelists, and to see them in their infancy was incredible. Parker can craft a plot; he shows it in MORTAL STAKES. A three-pronged dilemma that involves baseball, pornography, and murder. But unlike the later novels, Parker takes his time, allows for growth, shows a side of Spenser I'd never seen before. To see a novelist work like this was like seeing the secret to a favorite magic trick. I feel lucky for having come across this book. Okay, so I sound like the ultimate ubergoober fanboy -- I am okay with that. If you only know Spenser through Parker's later novels, take the time to go back and discover Spenser's roots. It is well worth it. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
—TK421
Dammit, was it YOUR hold on this that kept me from renewing it last month? I started to read this at Sputnik & failed miserably, so I had to send it on & re-request. We only have one copy & some darn person keeps wanting to check it out. I guess I should actually finish it. Glad you liked it!
—Emily
