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ValedictionValedictionRobert B. Parker Published 1984 |
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Reviewed and Researched by Lisa Shea
Valediction is a religious story. And a personal voyage for Spenser. Susan graduates from Harvard (doctoral) and "decides" to go that night out to San Francisco. She won't tell Spenser where she is living. So Spenser gets a case from Paul - to help his dance instructor in Boston find his missing girlfriend ("abducted" by a cult). He finds her, and she's happy in the cult. So he digs some more, finds the cult's laundering money for a heroin dealer, and works to break that up.
He's about to nab the heroin guy when the guy is shot. He's dating the "art director" Linda Thomas from across the street but tells her he wants to stay loyal to Susan, who meanwhile has admitted to going to San Francisco to be with a guy she likes from college. Vinnie Morris helps with the heroin negotiations. Rita Fiori is on the good guys' side. Eventually Spenser discovers he was wrong all along about the heroin situation - the cult leader was actually supplying, the girlfriend was involved with him, and in the end Spenser's shot by the girlfriend after just about everyone else is dead. Hawk saves him and Susan calls to admit "her boyfriend wants to go back to his wife" and now she wants Spenser back. She couldn't marry her boyfriend, so maybe the problem all along was her, and not Spenser.
Parker is playing his love-but-not-together card heavily here. Sherry says, "separate people can still love" and the two main relationships in the story are BOTH about people in that situation.
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Lisa's Notes Good God!! What a twisted tale. The whole cult-heroin thing was interesting with all the plot turns. You trust the cult, you don't. You trust the girl, you don't. Spenser just doesn't care if he gets killed, and the art director tries unsuccessfully to wean him from Susan. But why does he stick with Susan? She's lied to him!! She runs off to San Fran to sleep with a married guy, continually lies to Spenser, goes "oh, you can't find me, I want to be away from you" but calls to say she still loves him. What a jerk!! She wants to "try out" this new guy but have Spenser around as a safety net. Spenser tries deperately to believe in True Love - but is Susan worth it? The art director is much more open and honest and he won't dedicate to her because he "loves" Susan. Even though he keeps thinking about Candy who he slept with (and "let die") out in CA. And he realizes that was betrayal (which of course we knew) so he was fooling himself too about his motives. In the end, Susan goes "guess I was wrong about this guy, you can have me back now" and Spenser's there waiting. *sigh* True love is about dedicating yourself to someone who deserves it. It is not about allowing yourself to be used and abused because you're stubborn. Even Paul says Spenser is obsessive here. He's driving a 1980 Subaru hatchback which he totalls partway through the story. Hawk is in a Jaguar. Spenser says he quit smoking in '68. |
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Traveling in Spenser's Footprints |
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Spenser's Menu and Drinks Coffee after his fight Middleton HQ - coffe (he wants to wean himself and adds more milk and sugar) Office - Old Bushmill Harvard Gardens with Quirk - Irish whiskey with beer chaser House - beer, beer and shots |
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