--- Gerald So <
gso@optonline.net> wrote: Spenser's
> traveling trend began
> with WALKING SHADOW, set in fictional Port City,
and
> has continued with
> CHANCE (Las Vegas), HUGGER MUGGER (Atlanta),
and
> POTSHOT (Various).
Spenser's travelling trend started a lot earlier than that.
He spends GOD SAVE THE CHILD (#2) in Smithfield--not exactly
a different time zone than Boston, but certainly not Boston,
either. He spends time in New York City in MORTAL STAKES
(#3). He spends most of his time on Cape Cod in PROMISED
LAND
(#4). He spends almost all of JUDAS GOAT (#5) in Europe and
Canada, and half of EARLY AUTUMN (#7) in Maine. A SAVAGE
PLACE (#8) takes place in L.A. He travels to D.C. in THE
WIDENING GYRE (#10). He travels all over the country in A
CATSKILL EAGLE
(#12). TAMING A SEA-HORSE (#13) takes place largely in NYC.
PALES KINGS AND PRINCES (#14) is set near Worchester, MA--I
can't remember the town name off the top of my head (Wheaton,
maybe?). He's in L.A. again for part of STARDUST (#17). All
of these take place before WALKING SHADOW (#21).
I would argue the opposite--that Spenser doesn't really need
Boston, much less that he somehow derives his power from the
city as Superman does from the sun.
All of the above list is from memory, so some of the
details--especially the book #'s--may be a little off, but
it's clear that Spenser spends alot of his crime-busting time
elsewhere. In fact, I wonder if he doesn't actually spend
more time elsewhere than he does in Boston. It would be an
interesting study, except that it would require re-reading
the entire series. I could never make it past VALEDICTION
(#11).
G.
===== George C. Upper III, Editor The Lightning Bell Poetry
Journal http://www.lightningbell.org/
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