Pastime

Paul Giacomin, Spenser's surrogate son, comes to Spenser with yet another problem concerning his mother, Patty. She has vanished without a trace, although it appears that she left voluntarily, as there is no sign of foul play. Spenser and Susan Silverman have also become the custodians of Pearl the wonder dog, who formerly belonged to Susan's ex-husband. Spenser agrees to take the case and the trail quickly puts him on a collision course with gangster Joe Broz and his crazy son Gerry. Patty has run off with Rich Beaumont, a thief who has absconded with over a million dollars of Joe's money. After Spenser has a shoot out with Gerry Broz and some of his goons, Hawk becomes involved and protects Patty and Rich. At the end, Joe orders Gerry to kill Spenser, but Spenser has no difficulty in shooting Gerry in the leg first, sparing his life. What makes this Spenser story an essential one is that we learn a lot about Spenser's past. His father and uncles raised him, and they split the household and parenting tasks equally. Spenser talks about how strong and tough they were and how they loved him so totally. Spenser and Hawk also talk a bit about their past, how they fought in the ring once, and how Spenser first went to Hawk's aid. Susan also talks openly about the love they have for each other, yet never express. We also learn a great deal about the unusual code of honor between people like Spenser and the criminal elements. Vinnie Morris is a hit man for Joe Broz and he may be sent to kill Spenser. And yet, Vinnie and Spenser can talk to each other as equals, openly discussing the "problem" and ways in which they can perhaps resolve it. This is a fundamental element of the plots of future Spenser novels, so it is essential that it be understood. This story shows Spenser at his finest, hard enough to kill a man with no remorse or sympathy. Yet, he is very tender to Pearl and shows mercy to Gerry Broz, a man who would have shot him in the back if he had ever been given the chance. It is one of the best Spenser novels.

Mr. Parker says that he was surprised at the consecutive years of success that Spenser and his posse have enjoyed. Well. Mr. Parker didn't use the phrase "posse" although he could. He'd probably have Hawk utter it while they were doing 225 pound bench presses . . . . to warm up and Spenser would (with a straight face) ask Hawk if that was one of the code words of a downtrodden minority that signaled silent resistance and alienation by the oppressed peoples. And Hawk would finish his 15th rep and say "yeah, boss." Thing about Spenser and Hawk is that they fit. And together they are both navigators and soothsayers, bringing us like Mentor and Telemachus and Odysseus on an incredible, never ending voyage. I get a kick out of some of the reviews that say "not his best" or "he's done better," as if we need to compare one Spenser work with a subsequent one. Or an earlier one. It's the work, man. The whole ball of wax. Not making out with Susan in one and being angry with her in another. That's the story. Robert B. Parker, I am convinced, has never just mailed it in, a crime of greed infecting far too many authors who see a cash cow and just, well, mail it in. You know who they are. 5 stars. Larry Scantlebury. But I still hate that damn dog.

This was another strong effort from Robert Parker. As entertaining as always, there is an added layer of depth to this one as Parker explores the relationships between father and son. There is an interesting parallel between the Spenser/Paul relationship and the Joe Broz/Gerry Broz relationship. If you are looking for Spenser the "private investigator" you only get about half of the equation. There is plenty of "private" stuff, but not much of an "investigation" as Spenser and Paul go about the relatively easy task of finding Paul's mom who has been missing for a couple of weeks. But you DO get plenty of what we love the most: Spenser wit, Spenser justice, and Hawk, too.

Here we are up to the 18th novel in Robert B. Parker's Spenser series and we finally get to find out a whole lot of interesting things about our hero's past. Ten years earlier in "Early Autumn," Spenser saved Paul Giacomin from a destructive family situation and basically adopted the boy. Now Paul shows up to report that his mother is missing and he wants the help of his surrogate Father in finding her. As Paul tries to deal with what his mother means to him, Spenser reveals key details from his own life, raised out west by a father and two uncles, to both Paul and Susan. Like us, they are both fascinated to find out more about the history of the most important man in their lives. Ultimately the mystery of what happened to Paul's mother means Spenser again crosses paths with mobster Joe Broz, his inept son Gerry and his right-hand man Vinnie Morris in what proves to be a final reckoning for them all. It is by combining this plot line with the search for Paul's mother as the context in which we discover the secrets of Spenser's past that "Pastime" is elevated to the top rank of Parker's novels. In many ways I consider this novel to be the height of the Spenser series rather than "A Catskill Eagle," because while it is not as epic in scale, "Pastime" is more true to the essence of the character of Spenser and has much more depth. Although the book starts off as a son's search for his mother, ultimately "Pastime" is about fathers and sons. But if you read just one Spenser novel this is not the one to read, because you simply cannot appreciate it unless you have along for the ride from the very start.

This sequel to Early Autumn (1980) truly shows how Spenser (and Parker) have improved over the years.This is a sharp turn from the last Spenser novel. Instead of annoying women, there's real warmth and personality. Susan starts by getting "Pearl" from her ex-husband. Spenser names her Pearl after a dog of his youth. Paul comes along, wanting to find his mother. We run into Vinnie, who's looking for the mother's boyfriend, Rich, for Joe Broz. Vinnie actually warns Spenser to be careful - Rich is a friend of Joe's kid, Jerry, who they both feel is a "bad apple". The story is not only about this search, but also about Paul thinking about his past and Susan probing into Spenser's past. We hear about how Spenser's mom died giving him birth, and he grew up with his dad and two uncles in Laramy, WY. They moved out when he was a teenager to Boston. They hunted in Maine, when he had his first drink. They all boxed and taught him how to box. His "only other love" was a high school sweetheart that he was too shy to move on. It's sort of the book to "fill Spenser out" as a person. Very interesting on many levels. It's good after so long to hear what made Spenser the way he is. You have to ignore minor inconsistancies with what has previously been said about Spenser's past and take this as the truth. But what about "Brenda Loring"? Did he not love her despite dating her for over five years? Ah well.If you're a Spenser fan, this is not a book to miss!