Jim Doherty wrote:
<< ...That's what courage is all about. Making
difficult choices and weathering the consequences.
The "bad-ass sidekick" is a deus ex mahina whose main
function seems to be removing the necessity for making those
hard decisions from the hero.
>>
Well said. This may seem reductive, but IMO, Parker was at
the apex of his form in PROMISED LAND. We can't draw a clear
moral line between Spenser and Hawk, and we can't be sure
where Hawk's allegiances lie, even as the book ends. The best
Parker books are the ones where Spenser and Hawk are too
complex and distinct to be called sidekicks. Parker's mistake
was showing Hawk as trusted ally too soon.
Imagine how great the Spenser books would be if there were
still that tension between Spenser and Hawk: two men of equal
stature who respect each other, but from a mire of
complications, remain opposed. The series might not be as
long--Spenser and Hawk probably couldn't stay opposed for
thirty years--but the psychological depth that was Parker's
trademark would be in every book.
Gerald
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