I'm not a particular fan of Parker's but at one time I sat down and compulsively read a whole bunch of the Spencers, one after the other. I think I read all of them up to Pale Kings And Princes They were like popcorn.....you couldn't have just one. That's his main strength, I think....Really good high-order pulp, and I don't mean that as a put down.
What I find to be his flaws are closely related to his strengths. His characters strike me as kinda flat and static. I know that their life stories develop over the course of the series, but never in ways that came alive for me. Contrast that with Marlowe, the Op, or even Archer where one get's the sense that each case injures the protagonist a little bit more. Now, when I say "flaws" I'm not saying that I felt cheated....I didn't. But that is why I can't put him in the first ranks of the HB gang.
I think a lot of people didn't like the soap opera aspects of the series, but I would guess that was actully one source of their broad appeal.
James
----- Original Message -----
From: Kevin Burton Smith
To: rara-avis-l@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Tuesday, January 19, 2010 18:17
Subject: RARA-AVIS: Re: They won't have Parker to kick around anymore...
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