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God Save the ChildRobert B. ParkerPublished 1974 |
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Reviewed and Researched by Lisa Shea
This is Book 2, and Spenser is as feisty as ever. A couple comes to his office and says they never thought of using a Private Eye before; he's bored because he's heard it so many times. Turns out their kid has vanished, taking his guinea pig with him. This is in Smithfield, bastion of the rich up on the north shore. The local police chief is portly and doesn't like Spenser much. So what else is new?
One thing is new - Susan Silverman, the High School Guidance Counsellor. She's feisty and beautiful. She becomes a staple to the series, the love-partner of Spenser throughout the books, the one that brings sense to his sometimes frayed world. Unfortunately, at least in this book, she doesn't seem to be helping much. The story is extremely simplistic in dealing with the causes of child unhappiness and the ways in which it can be "fixed".
The story has a good dose of homosexual behavior, drugs and fetishes - all soon to be part of the Spenser trademark plotline. What is EXTREMELY interesting to me is that while the "later" Spenser is very much a hip guy with gay friends and easily defending gay rights, he most definitely did not start out that way. Some of the stereotypes shown here border on insulting.
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Lisa's Notes Hmmm, there's a trend forming. Alcoholic couple, the "artistic" wife is drooling all over Spenser. But there's a definitely new twist here with Susan, who of course we knows influences the rest of Spenser's life. The "meeting" is a little overdone, ah well. She's not "beautiful" but has a "tangability". She has shoulder-length black hair in a shiny page boy and a thin dark Jewish face. 5'7", his side of age 30. Her laugh sounded like he imagined the taste of mead. He'd never tasted mead?? :) She drinks a lot, which is MUCH different from later stories. He tells of his nose-breaking and she likes his carving of the "Indian on the Horse" (in front of the MFA) which he did in the first book. He does hear from Brenda Loring from book 1, but doesn't seem to follow up. She's sad that she's only a guidance counselor and can't really help people. I have a feeling that many guidance counselors out there would have some objection to her point of view. You can make a difference anywhere you are - if only you do your best. You learn his rates here for the first time - $100/day, $500 retainer. He's still wearing his gun a lot because the "mob is mad at him" - i.e. Joe Broz from Book 1. It's Sept after Labor Day here and he is still 37, so his birthday is between September and November. He sees a Baltimore Oriole and says he saw those as a kid. Either he was VERY lucky in Wyoming to see one or he meant as a teenager. Spenser likes the motorcycle used in the story - a "big one" 350cc with high rise handlebars, small front wheel and sissy bar behind. I wouldn't call that a big bike :) The gay references are interesting - Parker's not afraid to tackle controversial subjects, but he definitely handles it much better in the later years. Also interesting is the repetition of tennis references (which I didn't think Spenser played), and his reference to the comfort food of the chop suey his mom used to make. His mom? State Cop Healey makes his first appearance here, and immediately relies on Spenser rather than the local cop. Spenser goes to the Harbor Health Club for the first time and chats with Henry Cimoli. I love the wine references in this one. He puts a bottle of red wine in an ice-packed ice bucket even though he knows this is bad for the wine. He claims he likes the taste - really this KILLS the taste of the wine meaning he normally can't tolerate the tannins in a red wine. Or he's serving them at 80F thinking that is room temperature instead of 50F which is the GOOD serving temperature for a red wine. When the French say "room temperature" they mean in a cold French house. Anyway, when serving it to Susan he jokes, saying "A self effacing little domestic red with just a hint of presumption". When she says she likes the wine ice cold too he asks her to elope. Also during their two-Champagne-bottle first night together, Susan says, "I thought you had to pop it and make a mark in the ceiling and spill some on the rug." Spenser replies, "That's for tourists." Which is completely right - a well opened Champagne bottle will sigh softly, saving all the precious bubbles! Susan drives a 2 year old Nova. We still don't know what Spenser drives, just a convertible with a torn roof. We learn that Spenser carries a .38 cal Smith & Wesson. Despite in general being a huge fan of Spenser stories, I disliked the ending. I read it again a few years later and hated the ending even more. Read it and decide for yourself on that one. UPDATE: A friend of mine sent me this note: "He describes her as having a Jewish face (whatever that is) and invites her to his place for a pork chop dinner (!!!!)" I never even caught that issue! |
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Traveling in Spenser's Footprints * Office - Stuart Street by Jake Wirths (a great German restaurant btw) * Smithfield - Apple Knoll Develoment off Main Street * Jogging on the Charles - concert shell to BU Bridge * Apt on Marlborough St, last block before the public garden * Smithfield High to meet Susan Silverman * Stables 10 min away on Route 1 * Communite on Lowell Street at Smithfield-Reading line * North Shore shopping center on 128 in Peabody * Harbor Health Club on Atlantic Ave * 1/2way up Newbury past Ritz - brick building with Race's Faces photography * Bay Village - side street off Broadway - Odds' End * Boylston to Common for Halloway meeting * Smithfield Motel on Route 1 * Apartment on Fenway, 136 Park Drive #3 |
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Spenser's Menu and Drinks * Narragansett Beer from a can * Case of Amstel in the fridge * Bottle of red wine in ice-packed ice bucket * Vodka gimlet: 5 pt vodka, 1pt Rose's lime juice with ice * Calvados Brandy with family * "Can of Beer" * Beer at party * Beer with burger at bar * Miller's Beer at gay bar * Double cognac at bar * Dom Perignon Champagne with Susan * Mumm's Champagne with Susan * Beaujolais after their night together * Bourbon on the rocks with a dash of bitters |
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