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Summary: Back Story
Review: "Back Story" is the 30th Spenser novel by Robert B. Parker. Daryl Gordon, a friend of Spenser's "surrogate son" Paul Giacomin, asks Spenser to investigate the murder of her mother Emily Gordon in 1974. A radical group calling itself the Dread Scott Brigade claimed responsibility but it seems that no one saw who shot her. As Spenser investigates it becomes apparent that some people will stop at nothing to keep him from uncovering the truth. Sonny Karnofsky, an aging crime boss, puts out a hit on Spenser. Susan and Hawk play important roles, and Susan and Spenser get a new pet. "Back Story" is an excellent addition to this long-running series and is highly recommended.
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Summary: Sometimes I sat in my car and just listened
Review: A hardened private investigator is asked by a surrogate son to investigate the murder of the mother of his girlfriend that took place nearly thirty years ago. It appeared to be a random shooting, as it occurred when a bank was robbed by a seventies revolutionary group called the Dread Scott Brigade. The victim, a woman named Emily Gordon, was a visitor from out of town who was in the bank cashing travelers checks. At first, it appears hopeless, but as the detective starts chasing down the particulars of the case, he suddenly finds that the FBI has stonewalled the investigation. Shortly after that revelation, he is the target of some mob soldiers bent on assassination.
The story takes several different turns and involves many characters of dubious backgrounds and integrity. However, the main plot line is strong enough to overcome the tangents and we come to learn all of the facts in the case. I listened to the story in my car and there were some points that held my attention so well that I sat in my car and listened until a local cliffhanger was resolved. It is a very good story, one of the best detective yarns that I have ever read and certainly the best I have encountered on tape.
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Summary: Good Friends Return
Review: After a couple of downers, Parker's back - Spenser, Susan and Hawk are all there. The dialog is crisp, the story is a good one. You will not be disappointed.
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Summary: Comfortable Like an Old Shoe, But Not Much Bite
Review: Another Spenser novel, much like the last few. Some good dialogue, some drama, but the same old formula with Hawk as bodyguard, and others assigned to protect Susan while Spenser rubs some bad guys the wrong way. Yada yada yada.
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Summary: An Excellent Spenser Book Despite The Death Of An Old Friend
Review: 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 wonderfully rich imagery from Hawk), he "can't quit early... [he] has to know how it will turn out". This book does not present an especially difficult mystery for the reader to solve, as several of the elements of the solution are in fact telegraphed relatively early in the story. However, there are enough details which involve the usual misdirection to keep the interest of the reader. And some of the characters, such as the aging hippie who is Daryl's father and the associated imagery are wonderful. It also has some of best dialog and psychological interplay between Spenser, Susan, and Hawk in any of the stories in the series. Over the years, their characters have grown comfortable with each other, in fact they have become among the most enjoyable characters in this genre. Both the male/female and black/white interplay is done in a meaningful and enjoyable manner. So, if you are a new Robert Parker reader, don't hesitate to start with this book although you will probably not enjoy it as much as those readers with an extensive background in the series. And if you are already a fan, this is another excellent addition to the series, despite the death of another old friend besides Robert Urich.
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Summary: Parker improves with age
Review: At this point it's kind of academic, telling people that Spenser novels are fun to read. They're so easy to follow, quick to digest, and fun to enjoy, that it's almost a shame when the book proves to only be 280 pages or so long. The dialog's snappy, the characters interesting, and of course the plot winds up being almost irrelevant, just a vehicle for Spenser, Hawk, Vinnie, Capt. Quirk, and the gang to sit and talk for a while, and then shoot some bad guys. This time around, Paul Giacomin (Spenser's adoptive son, first seen in one of the best Spenser novels, Early Autumn) brings Spenser a client, a young actress he knows whose mother was murdered in a bank robbery almost thirty years ago. She wants Spenser to find who shot her mother, and, Spenser being Spenser, when it turns out that she brought half a dozen Krispy Kreme donuts for him, he impulsively takes the case. I guess Spenser hasn't been caught up in the low-carb diet craze. Instead, he soon finds himself mired in a decades-old murder case where all of the principles seem to have been Simbionese-Liberation-Army-type lunatics who waved guns around and shot people randomly, and just caught this young woman in the crossfire. Things are not what they seem, however, and everyone from the FBI to the CIA to the local mafia gets involved, trying to tell Spenser to leave the case alone and find something else to do. This, of course, only provokes Spenser, and makes him more curious about what's happening. I enjoy Parker's writing immensely, and as I said, the plot's secondary to the characters, the dialog, and the writing. Parker by now has become the closest we're going to have (I think) to Raymond Chandler, and he's a great deal more prolific, thankfully. This was a reasonable addition to what's just about the longest-running series in American detective fiction, and what's certainly the most popular.
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Summary: The Honorable Detective Is Tested
Review: Back Story involves Spenser almost casually in an abandoned trail to a 1974 killing of actress Daryl Silver's (nee Gordon) mother, Emily. When she was 6, Daryl's mother was killed while cashing some traveler's checks in the old Shawmut Bank branch in Audubon Circle. A revolutionary group, the Dread Scott Brigade, was responsible. For openers to the case, Spenser quickly is puzzled by a reference to an FBI intelligence report in the case file . . . a report that has gone missing. Soon, he has visitors who firmly ask him to "desist" from asking questions about Emily Gordon because "it is in the best interest of the United States." Spenser learns that "a tax audit is not impossible." Next, a less polite visitor arrives with a gun and shoots a hole in a lamp shade. "Boss wanted you to see me shoot." As Spenser begins to sort out the crime, his "client" tells him she doesn't want to know any more. Spenser continues relentlessly, despite being "paid" only six Krispy Kreme doughnuts flown in thoughtfully from out of town by Paul Giacomin, Spenser's almost surrogate son. Spenser's sense of duty is even stronger than he thought. He's stirred up a hornet's nest and the hornets had better look out! One of the great appeals of this story is the extensive involvement of lots of Mr. Parker's best characters. That makes the story development a lot of fun. You'll find out about Paul's career as a theatrical director, spend lots of time with an armed and dangerous Hawk, Vinnie Morris is brought in for protection, Quirk is advising from the sidelines, and Susan is adjusting to a new "Pearl" whom Spenser brings back from Toronto. During the book's resolution, Spenser teams with Jesse Stone (of Death in Paradise, Trouble in Paradise and Night Passage) in a memorable collaboration of the two strong men. The context for the story was also very appealing to me from a nostalgia point of view. The bank robbery described mimics a similar crime in Boston which brought me back to my younger days. There are hippies from the free love times. Spenser finds himself in the middle of a gunfight at Harvard Stadium following a jog nearby in an earlier chapter. Government cover-ups were prevalent in 1974, so hearing about another one brings back those memories. The story's resolution also chimes in well with recent developments among the crime lords in Massachusetts, giving the book an up-to-date feel. As usual, the dialogue is crisp, witty and original. I don't remember better. Then why did I rate the book at four stars rather than five? Unfortunately, the mystery itself is something of a clunker . . . being way too obvious and coming into the open way too soon. If Mr. Parker had kept the mystery hidden better and longer, this would have been one of his very best books. As it is, the book is extremely interesting, entertaining and amusing. The development of Spenser's moral obligation to solve the case is very fine. All Spenser fans should immediately read Back Story! After you finish, think about what ethical challenges you would respond to . . . even after it became in your personal best interest to stop.
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Summary: Parker prevails!
Review: Back Story is the 30th novel in the Spenser series. The popularity of this series is a testimony to Parker's ability to weave a compelling story, tell it in a clean and direct way, and sustain the same personalities for a generation. Spenser is still strong. Hawk, his sidekick, is still stronger. They both are fierce protectors of Susan, a lovely psychologist and Spenser's longtime love interest. All three characters are gradually aging but with a continuing commitment to a life worth living. Spenser, a Boston private eye, retains his gift for finding a case that brings him into a threatening relationship with a mobster, who is willing to use hired guns to kill him. When Spenser doesn't back down, Susan's life is threatened. Enter Hawk, whose loyalty to Spenser and Susan is matched only by his deadliness toward anyone who threatens them. If you already love Parker's works, you'll want to purchase Back Story automatically without reading any other reviews. If you have never sampled Parker before, this is an excellent place to begin.
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Summary: Back on track
Review: 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.)
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Summary: Parker goes retro-with great success!
Review: Back Story, the latest in Parker's Spenser series, is a retro turn reminiscent of a previous Spenser novel, Pastime. In Pastime Spenser's quasi son, Paul Giacomin, approached Spenser when he discovers that his (Paul's) mother has disappeared and asks Spenser to find her, bringing up all sorts of unwanted info in the investigations wake. (Read Parker's Early Autumn if you are interested in how Paul becomes Spenser's quasi son.) In back Story Paul approaches Spenser on behalf of a friend of his. Her mother was killed in a bank robbery in Boston nearly 30 years ago when she was just a child and she wants Spenser to determine what really happened and who did the deed. As is always the case, a lot of unwanted baggage is dredged up and Spenser has to persevere though the client gets cold feet and there are some very bad guys who are not pleased by the turn of events. The Spenser series has become a sort of hit or miss thing lately. The most recent book previous to this, Widow's Walk, was pretty lame. The edition before that, Pot Shot, very strong. I don't know if his other series are distracting Parker too much or what. One of the real pleasures of this series earlier years was the genuinely good story telling that marked each new entry. That's not the case anymore. However, Parker can still hit the occasional home run in this series and back Story is a home run. The story is marked by an intensity reminiscent of the early Spenser novels. The characters are vibrant. The violence convincing. This one is a winner. If only they could all be this good.
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