Walking Shadow (Spenser)

Susan is on the board of directors of a local theater, so when the theater owner says he's being followed, Spenser agrees to investigate as a favor to her. Between Spenser and Hawk, however, they can't find anyone following him. Then during a performance of an exceedingly long, boring, and pointless play, one of the actors is shot dead with a .22 to the heart, and things start getting more exciting, with the involvement of a Chinese gang and the reappearance (or not) of the stalker. I thoroughly enjoyed this one. The mystery was convoluted and complex, yet everything got tied up in the end, and the ending was.... (trying hard to avoid spoilers) .... dark and surprising. I love, love, loved the ending. In a way it was unsatisfying, but that just made me like it more. Gah. I can't explain without giving it away. Suffice to say it's not your usual mystery novel climax. It was also a relief to read a book from a bit later in the series, with Spenser and Susan more comfortable in their relationship--they've just bought a house in the country, where they live together on weekends, maintaining their separate lives during the week.

Susan has become a board member for a theatre in Port City, a shabby district on the water front that contains a Chinese ghetto filled with many illegal immigrants, including the Death Dragons, a gang that is run by the dai low for the Kwan Chang tong. The dai low in this case is Ronnie Lu, whose wife Rikki is on the board with Susan. Susan brings Spenser to a board meeting one day because the Artistic Director of the board - Demetrius Christopoulous - believes he is being stalked and wishes Spenser's protection. When one of the actors is murdered during a production later that night, Spenser's priorities shift to finding the murderer; however, no one knows much about the murder victim - Craig Sampson - and certainly no one can come up with a reason for his demise. However, as soon as Spenser begins nosing around in the area, Ronnie Lu shows up with a couple of young Death Dragons to ask Spenser to butt out or face the consequences. This, of course, just makes Spenser decide to call in Hawk and Vinnie Morris for back up. The addition of Ming Lei to the team for her linguistic skills is something I hope will be permanent. She adds good chemistry. A side plot with a new house Spenser and Susan buy that they are fixing up makes a nice change of pace once and a while during the book. A third thread with another actor - Jocelyn Colby - claiming first to be stalked and then disappearing altogether with a videotape soon showing up at Spenser's office showing her bound to a chair, adds a note of intrigue. All in all a nice, well-written book. Strong recommend from me.

By the time you get to "Walking Shadow," the twenty-first Spenser novel by Robert B. Parker, you expect there to be a certain escalation in the dangers confronting our hero. The clearest sign of that this particular time around the block is that Spenser needs the backup of both Hawk and Vinnie Morris the defrocked mobster. Having faced down billionaire eccentrics, syndicate bosses and homicidal maniacs, Spenser is now facing what might be his greatest danger, a Chinese tong. As with the life in the projects portrayed in "Double Deuces," Parker has been reading up on Chinese-American culture, continuing to expand Spenser's horizons. Certainly the extent to which this novel is concerned with the problems of illegal Chinese immigration makes it far and away the most socially conscious Spenser story. At one point Hawk tells Spenser this is the silliest case they have ever worked together, but by the end that proves most decidedly not to be true.Susan Silverman, a board member of the Port City Theater Company, asks our hero to discover the identity of the figure in black who has been stalking the Artistic Director. During a performance of an obtuse play that makes "Waiting for Godot" a paragon of clear reason, a figure in black shoots dead one of the actors on stage. The square peg to be pounded into the round hole this time around is how these two acts are connected. After all, Spenser does not believe in coincidence, especially when he starts nosing around and is quickly threatened by the head of the tong. Toss into the mix the local chief of police, a former state cop who appears to have sold his good name to obtain a small measure of power in this world. "Walking Shadow" is probably the Spenser novel in which our hero seems most like a duck out of water, because, after all, this time around its Chinatown (supply your own dramatic music). Fortunately the man knows how to be patient. On the home front there is not much cooking in this novel (lots of sandwiches and picnic lunches), but Spenser and Susan are busy restoring a cottage for their weekends together where Pearl gets to chase squirrels. "Walking Shadow" is certainly an above average Spenser novel with some of Parker's better twists at the end of the ride.

Susan's on the board of the Port City Theater Company, and asks Spenser to help one of it's employees with a stalking problem. Spenser does, but finds no stalker. Then, during a show, one of the actors is shot. While questioning people, Spenser talks to a board member, which upsets her husband, who controls the Chinese gang in the area. So Spenser has no clues and the Chinese "Death Dragons" after him. To complicate matters (if you believe they aren't already), another woman claims to be stalked, and then is kidnapped. The local police chief is no help, as he's in the "employ" of the Chinese. Things wrap up in the end, but not after some unexpected plot twists and character development that is really stellar. Usually Spenser is just about fantastic writing and environments. This time Parker also put some solid work into developing the characters you meet, and the cultures involved.On the downside, I think Parker was on an "annoying women" kick. This woman was TRULY annoying, although to make up for her, the Chinese translator they use is smart, resourceful, and brave. Port City is very well described - you get a very good sense both of how it feels to wander its streets, and also of its history and people.An interesting sideline, which provides nice counterpoint to the story, has the pair working on a house in Concord - pruning and ripping out the innards. In addition to Susan and Hawk, Spenser calls on the help of Vinnie - a mob friend (ex-main-man of Joe Broz) with amazingly fast gun draw. He has Farrel, the gay police officer help him out, too. All in all, one of the greats in the Spenser lineup.

Another great Spenser novel, but read the book, don't listen to the tape. The reader, Daniel Parker (son of the author) doesn't do it justice. Bring back David Dukes!