When people talk about Parker's opening salvo, arguably the
strongest set of PI novels since Spillane's work in the
1950's, they usually point at MORTAL STAKES as a prime
example. And there's a good reason. Everyone in this book
ends up diminished, except maybe Spenser's two bed buddies,
Brenda Loring and Susan Silverman.
Spenser's asked to look into whether Red Sox pitcher Marty
Rabb is throwing games. There's nothing concrete to suggest
it, only "whispers and rumors." Spenser can't see much in the
beginning, but an insecure thug named Frank Doerr decides to
lean on him. Not the brightest way to avoid suspicion.
Spenser pulls on a loose thread, the vague personal history
of Linda Rabb, and tracks her down as Donna Burlington to a
small Mississippi River town in Illinois. From there, she
went to New York to become first a street walker, then a high
priced call girl, and finally, the wife of a Red Sox pitcher.
Someone has been using that information to blackmail Rabb,
and Doerr, it seems, is reaping the profits.
A couple things I didn't like was Spenser's seeming
invincibility. He stares down and disarms hitman Wally Hogg,
though later he says Hogg is dangerous. He also beats the
snot out of Lester, the bodyguard to Red Sox play-by-play
man, Bucky Maynard. Again, a little too easy for my tastes.
Spenser hardly gets a scratch for all his work.
What makes up for the Superman routine is Spenser's mental
wounds. He's forced to commit murder to save both himself and
the Rabbs. And here's where Susan Silverman shines. Spenser
doesn't go to Brenda Loring, whom he spends 2/3 of the book
sleeping with. He goes to Susan, who sits and listens and
says she knows him well enough to know he had a good reason.
Also, Susan actually IS beautiful in the book, rather than
the later insipid description of men gladly letting their
eyes burst into flame so they can gaze upon her supernatural
beauty. All the roots of what we've come to hate about this
series are here, but in MORTAL STAKES and probably all the
way up to VALEDICTION, it works. It's genuine. Besides,
Spenser actually lives on the calendar rather being this
bulletproof smartass he's become. And Hawk is nowhere in
sight. Not that I dislike Hawk, but there are days when I
think he and Spenser ought to just elope now that it's legal
in Massachussetts.
Best line: "If Ihad a dog, I could walk it." Apparently,
Pearl had not yet been born.
And now for the most controversial thing I came away with.
Has anyone read this and thought Maynard and Lester were gay?
I normally laugh things like that off, but I really got that
vibe in a couple of scenes. It might be just me. Or I might
be just stirring up a hornets' nest. Probably both.
Jim Winter
http://www.jamesrwinter.com
http://jamesrwinter.blogspot.com
winter-newsletter-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
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