Back Story (Spenser)

Robert Parker continues to keep Spenser fresh, energetic and fun to read.Thirtysome novels into the series, "Back Story" finds Spenser and Hawk looking into a twenty-eight year old murder for a friend of a friend---the victim's daughter.As they attempt to connect whatever dots they can assemble, the first missing link is the FBI report on the case. Next thing you know, "government men" try to persuade Spenser to take a powder. Hmmm???Shortly thereafter some not-so-friendly mobster types pass a similar message Spenser's way.These "suggestions" merely strengthen Spenser's resolve and makes him dig deeper. Current members of the Boston PD and the FBI's Boston office are more than interested and do not inhibit the intrepid Spenser.The usual crisp repartee between Spenser and Hawk, lively dialogue, a colorful supporting cast and a cameo appearance by Jesse Stone highlight the story.Another highly entertaining, most enjoyable weekend diversion.

What is the going rate to investigate a twenty-eight year old murder? If you're Spenser, and the request comes from surrogate son, Paul Giacomin, the price is a hefty six Krispy Kreme doughnuts, paid up front. Paul's friend, Daryl Gordon, is looking for answers. Back in 1974, her mother, Emily, was shot and killed during a bank robbery right here in Boston. A hippie revolutionary group, The Dread Scott Brigade, claimed responsibility, and then, along with the stolen money, disappeared. There seemed to be few clues and leads to this robbery/murder, and the unsolved case has been cold and pretty much forgotten, all these years, until Spenser decides to take a look and stir things up. Now as two unlikely partners, the mob and the FBI, threaten Spenser to lay off and let this old crime remain unsolved, it's just the push he needs to dig deeper and see the case to its bitter end..... After a couple of rather disappointing, lackluster Spenser novels, Robert Parker is back in rare form, and Spenser's thirtieth outing is as intriguing and entertaining as his first. Mr Parker's well-paced story line is tense and compelling, filled with non-stop action, vivid, riveting scenes and brilliant characterizations. But as always, it's his spare, crisp prose and droll, witty dialogue that is the strength of this novel, and no one does it better than the P.I. Grand Master of them all. For those new to Robert Parker and Spenser, start with some of his earlier mysteries to get a real feel for the series and its characters. For those who are already fans, kick back, visit with old friends, and enjoy. Back Story is a strong addition no mystery lover should miss.

There is one trait about mystery series, which might not hold water for all readers, that I find interesting. As a series moves over the years, the interest moves from the case work to the personality of the detectives. When I first read Spenser I read the books for the puzzles and the action sequences. Now, I read them because of the characters--who feel like old friends--and what is happening. Each book of the series, in brief, becomes like a letter from an old friend. "Back Story" is such a book. The actions of Spenser, Hawk, and Susan are so well known to followers of the series that we are not surprised by Spenser's price for solving the mystery, the bond between Hawk and Spenser which allows them to move from Standard English to a form of Black English and the reactions of Spenser to attempts at pulling him off the case. It is a salute to Parker's ability as a writer that he keeps these characters and their actions fresh. There is also a reality about the death of Pearl the Wonder Dog and the pain which comes from such a loss. Pearl was a highpoint of the series because a reader (at least this one!)could see himself watching his dog all the time, noting her reactions, and having the feel of a proud owner/friend. Pearl was always in the background and she would be missed and griefed over. We also lost a dog and the feelings are real. The buying of a new dog to take the mantle of the older dog was something I have done--a nice touch of realism.

BACK STORY puts us back in the familiar groove that I believe Parker slipped out of with the inferior WIDOW'S WALK and POTSHOT. The story is original, the wisecracks are genuinely funny and not tiresomely "cute," the characters are true-to-form without being predictable. In short, I loved it!The characters have taken on lives of their own, and their interplay adds texture to the story. I loved Spenser's discomfort with Darryl's cautious reaction to Pearl. And I especially enjoyed Hawk's observation about Susan/Spenser conversation: he points out that first one of them says something cryptic, then the other one simply agrees. So true!Spenser gets very introspective about his chosen line of work. I wonder if that, combined with the introduction of Jesse Stone, means that Spenser might be preparing us for his retirement. And maybe it's time. While I admit I loved this book, I can't shake the knowledge that these characters are getting long in the tooth chronologically. Spenser served in Korea and quit smoking 40 years ago. That would put him in his 60s. Since he boxed professionally alongside Hawk, Hawk must be in that same range, yet women of all ages keep throwing themselves at him. And Susan, so beautiful and firm of flesh, can't be much behind them. Is the Charles River really the fountain of youth? Sorry, but credibility is strained. (A small criticism of an otherwise great read.)

As a reader who was introduced to Robert Parker and his Spenser detective novels by watching Robert Urich in the television series, I was saddened by Urich's death last year since in a way a part of the Spenser mystique for me had died with him. Thus, I was delighted that Spenser reappeared in BACK STORY, which as the thirtieth book in the series seems to have refined the characters to their essence. And we also have Jesse Stone, the chief of the Paradise police department and the main character of three Parker novels, become periperally in this Spenser case as Parker devotees probably guessed was inevitable. (Will Sunny Randall be next?) Paul Giacomin, a character in previous Spenser novels (and a surrogate son for Spenser) and now a successful playwright, visits Spenser with Daryl Silver, an actress and friend. While visiting Daryl's aunt in Boston twenty-eighty years ago (when Daryl was six years old), Daryl's mother Emily Gordon was murdered during a bank robbery by the Dread Scott brigade, an unknown revolutionary black power group reminiscent of the Black Panthers. The murder was never solved and the group members were never identified, and Daryl hopes Spenser will investigate the case so she can finally have closure. The police had hit a dead end, but of course Quirk still remembers it and would love to close an old case but isn't particularly hopeful regarding Spenser's chances of so doing. Things look even bleaker when it becomes apparent that all copies of the FBI file regarding the case have mysteriously disappeared.As Spenser follows up on old leads, he is soon threatened (first verbally and then shot at my a group of hit men). Of course, the danger that first he and then Susan Silverman face mean that Hawk is an almost continual presence in this story, much to the delight of all true Spenser fans. The story includes almost all the usual cast of characters that have made this series so successful (in addition to Quirk, Hawk, and Susan - Vinnie Morris, Tay Bop and Frank Belson all have bit parts). We are introduced to Nathan Epstein, who is delightful in his essential role as Spenser's FBI liasion. The bad guys include both the mob and other assorted characters from Daryl's childhood years. None of them are likely to appear in future stories, especially since more than the usual quota meet their demise at the hands of Spenser and Hawk.As Spenser gradually uncovers the truth and learns that it is not exactly as Daryl described, she becomes so emtionally distraught that she asks him to quit the case. However, since he had agreed to take the case as a favor to Paul and his only fee had been a box of Krispy Kreme donuts, he declines to end the investigation. Partially because he believes since he now has reopened the case that he and Susan will continue to be in danger unless it is solved, but also because as Susan observes using her fine psychoanalytical skills and thorough knowledge of Spenser's character (and reinforced by some wonderf