A review by brianlokker
The Widening Gyre by Robert B. Parker
3.0
I had mixed feelings about this entry in the Spenser series. The plot involves the intersection between politics and the mob, but that interaction isn't really explored in much depth, and I didn't find the resolution to be particularly satisfying.
The crime plot seems almost secondary to Spenser's musings about himself and his relationship with Susan Silverman. I do like the fact that Spenser is thoughtful and introspective (similar to Michael Connelly's Bosch in this regard), but I wish that Spenser didn't always feel the need to go on and on ad nauseum about Susan and analyze his attraction to her at every opportunity. I guess I get it: Spenser is the ultimate masculine hero living by his own “code” and part of that code for him is idealizing his romantic partner. But it gets old.
As a resident of the Washington DC area, I enjoyed seeing Spenser pursue his investigation in DC. Parker is very good at setting and describing the scene, whether it be Boston, the Maine woods (Early Autumn), Los Angeles (A Savage Place), or in this case, Washington.
I also enjoyed the reappearance of Paul Giacomin, whom Spenser rescued and mentored in Early Autumn. It was nice to see how much Paul has matured and fun to read his “Spenserian” quips and his philosophical interactions with Spenser. I found the discussions between Spenser and Paul to be more interesting and illuminating than most of Spenser's talks with Susan, although I admit that that may be due to my bias when it comes to Susan, as I discussed above. (It's not that I dislike Susan per se, but more that I get tired of Spenser's idealization of Susan.)
Hawk, as always, is a breath of fresh air. A large part of my formula for a good Spenser novel is more Hawk, less Susan.
Despite my quibbles with certain aspects of the Spenser persona, he is a great character, and every Spenser novel is worth reading. So I'm glad I read this one, but there are others that I've enjoyed more.
The crime plot seems almost secondary to Spenser's musings about himself and his relationship with Susan Silverman. I do like the fact that Spenser is thoughtful and introspective (similar to Michael Connelly's Bosch in this regard), but I wish that Spenser didn't always feel the need to go on and on ad nauseum about Susan and analyze his attraction to her at every opportunity. I guess I get it: Spenser is the ultimate masculine hero living by his own “code” and part of that code for him is idealizing his romantic partner. But it gets old.
As a resident of the Washington DC area, I enjoyed seeing Spenser pursue his investigation in DC. Parker is very good at setting and describing the scene, whether it be Boston, the Maine woods (Early Autumn), Los Angeles (A Savage Place), or in this case, Washington.
I also enjoyed the reappearance of Paul Giacomin, whom Spenser rescued and mentored in Early Autumn. It was nice to see how much Paul has matured and fun to read his “Spenserian” quips and his philosophical interactions with Spenser. I found the discussions between Spenser and Paul to be more interesting and illuminating than most of Spenser's talks with Susan, although I admit that that may be due to my bias when it comes to Susan, as I discussed above. (It's not that I dislike Susan per se, but more that I get tired of Spenser's idealization of Susan.)
Hawk, as always, is a breath of fresh air. A large part of my formula for a good Spenser novel is more Hawk, less Susan.
Despite my quibbles with certain aspects of the Spenser persona, he is a great character, and every Spenser novel is worth reading. So I'm glad I read this one, but there are others that I've enjoyed more.