A review by thebeardedpoet
Looking For Rachel Wallace by Robert B. Parker
3.0
I regularly read detective novels out loud to my wife Christi. This was one of those. Looking For Rachel Wallace was a re-read for me, having read it in high school and a least one or maybe two other times, probably while in college. As with many of the things of youth, it didn’t hold up as well as I hoped.
Sure, Parker's narration in the voice of Spenser remains engaging and funny, but Spenser's violent tendencies no longer appeal to me. The fiasco at the insurance company where he beats up the people who want to expel Rachel Wallace just made me shake my head. I completely understood why Rachel fired him as a bodyguard--he stubbornly persisted in using violence or threats of violence in the face of every adversity.
Yeah, Spenser is a tough-guy and this is tough-guy fiction, so what am I complaining about? Mainly I'm saying I'm no longer the young punk who thought Spenser's macho "heroics" were cool back in the day. I prefer options of social discourse and peaceful resistance. Re-reading this showed me how much I have changed over the years.
Yet I have to admit Spenser had no reasonable options other than violence when it came time to rescue Rachel. In that case, I concede. It was a matter of life or death. But if he had considered Rachel's wishes earlier, he would not have been fired and would most likely have prevented the need for the rescue. Talking with his fists indirectly led to the need for the final showdown.
Sure, Parker's narration in the voice of Spenser remains engaging and funny, but Spenser's violent tendencies no longer appeal to me. The fiasco at the insurance company where he beats up the people who want to expel Rachel Wallace just made me shake my head. I completely understood why Rachel fired him as a bodyguard--he stubbornly persisted in using violence or threats of violence in the face of every adversity.
Yeah, Spenser is a tough-guy and this is tough-guy fiction, so what am I complaining about? Mainly I'm saying I'm no longer the young punk who thought Spenser's macho "heroics" were cool back in the day. I prefer options of social discourse and peaceful resistance. Re-reading this showed me how much I have changed over the years.
Yet I have to admit Spenser had no reasonable options other than violence when it came time to rescue Rachel. In that case, I concede. It was a matter of life or death. But if he had considered Rachel's wishes earlier, he would not have been fired and would most likely have prevented the need for the rescue. Talking with his fists indirectly led to the need for the final showdown.