by Robert B. ParkerRedux= "Of a topic, redone, restored, brought back, or revisited"
Jean went to the library yesterday and came home with two Parker books, hoping that I had not read them. I had....
However, I picked up "Stranger in Paradise" and glanced at it to refresh my memory and before I knew it I had reread the whole book... before bedtime.
So, this is not so much a review of the book than my reaction to the second reading.
For those of you who do not know the works of Robert B. Parker, you should. There are a lot of them and he has the ability to write a book that is readable. We have all encountered the books in which there are far too many plots going at the same time and thus end up almost vanishing up their own backside. Parker's books have a certain clarity to them and I seldom have to ask myself a question on the order of, "Who the hell is this character? Have I met them already?"
Most of Parker's books centre on Spenser who is a P.I. and they feature heavily a man named Hawk.
"Stranger in Paradise" is one of the Jesse Stone series of books. Stone is the chief of police in the town of Paradise, Mass. In this book Parker introduces a character called "Crow" who performs many of the functions of Hawk: physical strength, self-sufficiency, loyalty, a strong sense of honour and humour.
Crow's importance to this novel is underscored by the picture of a crow on the cover.
One of my observations in rereading the book was that I found my self caring less about the plot than the Stone/Crow relationship... and I recalled that I felt the same way about the Spenser/Hawk relationship.
I won't bore you with a whole string of examples, but in this reading I was far more aware that Parker writes well. One line that really impressed me was:
“The day was eighty-five and clear. The tide was in. The ocean covered most of the beach, and the waves rolled in quietly, without animosity.”
Very simple, very clear and with a delightfully fresh observation at the end.
Parker's recent death left those of us who have read almost all of his stuff feeling bereft.
I found it encouraging to discover that I could return to this book and enjoy gobbling it down in one evening...
Reviewed by David Nale
However, I picked up "Stranger in Paradise" and glanced at it to refresh my memory and before I knew it I had reread the whole book... before bedtime.
So, this is not so much a review of the book than my reaction to the second reading.
For those of you who do not know the works of Robert B. Parker, you should. There are a lot of them and he has the ability to write a book that is readable. We have all encountered the books in which there are far too many plots going at the same time and thus end up almost vanishing up their own backside. Parker's books have a certain clarity to them and I seldom have to ask myself a question on the order of, "Who the hell is this character? Have I met them already?"
Most of Parker's books centre on Spenser who is a P.I. and they feature heavily a man named Hawk.
"Stranger in Paradise" is one of the Jesse Stone series of books. Stone is the chief of police in the town of Paradise, Mass. In this book Parker introduces a character called "Crow" who performs many of the functions of Hawk: physical strength, self-sufficiency, loyalty, a strong sense of honour and humour.
Crow's importance to this novel is underscored by the picture of a crow on the cover.
One of my observations in rereading the book was that I found my self caring less about the plot than the Stone/Crow relationship... and I recalled that I felt the same way about the Spenser/Hawk relationship.
I won't bore you with a whole string of examples, but in this reading I was far more aware that Parker writes well. One line that really impressed me was:
“The day was eighty-five and clear. The tide was in. The ocean covered most of the beach, and the waves rolled in quietly, without animosity.”
Very simple, very clear and with a delightfully fresh observation at the end.
Parker's recent death left those of us who have read almost all of his stuff feeling bereft.
I found it encouraging to discover that I could return to this book and enjoy gobbling it down in one evening...
Reviewed by David Nale
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