06-01-2012, 09:06 AM
Parker passed away last year (Two years ago?) He wrote over forty books in the Spenser canon. He also wrote several other series, but for it is always about Spenser. The other just seem to be pale shadows of Spenser with different problems. And in one case boobs.
Well his estate decided the characters wouldn't die with him. They have other authors already writing the Jesse Stone and Sunny Randall books. They hired Ace Atkins to pick up the Spencer series. Ace has written a bunch of murder mysteries. I read some of them to find out how he would do as the Spenser heir-apparent. They were of medium quality.
I guess Parker can't argue too much about someone taking over his characters. For one, he is dead. And two, he did the same thing with Raymond Chandler. Chandler died with an unfinished manuscript which Parker turned into Poodle Springs. Then he wrote the stand alone sequel to The Big Sleep called Perchance to Dream. In both books Marlowe sounded like Spenser.
In Lullaby, Spenser is hired by Mattie to find out who really killed her mother four years ago. Mattie is fourteen and worldly wise. She saw men drag her mother into a car and never saw her again. But the man convicted was not one of the men she saw take her mother away. Spenser takes the case in his knight errant role. All the usual cast of characters appear and do what they usually do.
It was like seeing the characters filtered through a dirty window. You could kind of recognize them but there was something just a bit off. Spencer and Hawk were just too quippy. Spencer didn't seem as cool, more of a young smart ass. But he does the thing Spenser does. He cooks gourmet food. He dresses snappily. He work's out at Simoli's gym. But all of it just a bit rough.
The one thing I did enjoy was the every other chapter devoted to Spenser and Susan talking about how much they love each other. And how Susan is the perfect woman. I can live without that.
Plus, Atkins doesn't have Parker's minimalist approach to writing. Lot's of description. Which meant it took me eight hours to read the book rather than the usual two. I used to be able to go to a bookstore and read a Parker in a sitting. I don't think I could do that with Atkins.
I'm not giving up on Parker just yet but I hope Atkins gets a little closer to the character I want to read about.
Well his estate decided the characters wouldn't die with him. They have other authors already writing the Jesse Stone and Sunny Randall books. They hired Ace Atkins to pick up the Spencer series. Ace has written a bunch of murder mysteries. I read some of them to find out how he would do as the Spenser heir-apparent. They were of medium quality.
I guess Parker can't argue too much about someone taking over his characters. For one, he is dead. And two, he did the same thing with Raymond Chandler. Chandler died with an unfinished manuscript which Parker turned into Poodle Springs. Then he wrote the stand alone sequel to The Big Sleep called Perchance to Dream. In both books Marlowe sounded like Spenser.
In Lullaby, Spenser is hired by Mattie to find out who really killed her mother four years ago. Mattie is fourteen and worldly wise. She saw men drag her mother into a car and never saw her again. But the man convicted was not one of the men she saw take her mother away. Spenser takes the case in his knight errant role. All the usual cast of characters appear and do what they usually do.
It was like seeing the characters filtered through a dirty window. You could kind of recognize them but there was something just a bit off. Spencer and Hawk were just too quippy. Spencer didn't seem as cool, more of a young smart ass. But he does the thing Spenser does. He cooks gourmet food. He dresses snappily. He work's out at Simoli's gym. But all of it just a bit rough.
The one thing I did enjoy was the every other chapter devoted to Spenser and Susan talking about how much they love each other. And how Susan is the perfect woman. I can live without that.
Plus, Atkins doesn't have Parker's minimalist approach to writing. Lot's of description. Which meant it took me eight hours to read the book rather than the usual two. I used to be able to go to a bookstore and read a Parker in a sitting. I don't think I could do that with Atkins.
I'm not giving up on Parker just yet but I hope Atkins gets a little closer to the character I want to read about.
So much for the flickr badge idea. Dammit