Sudden Mischief

I read so many of Parker's Spenser series back when they were new. I still remember sitting in the Knox County Public Library and devouring the entirety [Mortal Stakes], third in the series but the first I read, in one afternoon while playing hooky from high school. (Yes, that's the kind of juvenile delinquent I was: skip school to hang out at the library.) My love for the series has waxed and waned over the years and eventually I stopped reading, right around the time this one was published. So when Mamie and Roberta resumed their shared series read I thought I'd jump in.

It didn't take long for the familiar characters to make themselves at home in my head. Spenser is still a wiseass (might be why I like him), he still pals around with show more ambiguously bad guy Hawk (who steals the show whenever Parker lets him, which isn't often enough), and he's still (sigh) in love with psychologist Susan Silverman (who makes navel-gazing a four-letter word). She's especially prominent in this one, as she asks Spenser to help out her ex-husband who is being sued for sexual harassment.

Inevitably, we get a lot of Susan backstory and it's sort of interesting to fill in those blanks, but boy did this book make me realize why I drifted away from the series: Every move that Spenser makes has to be talked to death by him and Susan, as they vie to see who can be the most evolved spirit on the planet. I think Parker intends these conversations to be signposts for the reader but having moved on to more sophisticated, subtle mysteries I realize how overdone and anvilicious this dialogue is. Less shrinking, more sleuthing!

Also, given the current climate surrounding the issue of sexual harassment, it irks me that the case that is the jumping-off point for the plot is fake, a made-up story to cover up a consensual affair. As if women don't have enough problems being believed. show less

Not every guy would respond well to his girlfriend asking him to help out her ex-husband. But Spenser isn't every guy, so he and Hawk put on their shining armor and go a-questing.

As usual, the case Spenser ends up solving isn't exactly the case he thought he was solving. And as usual, Hawk is helping him out along the way.

There's never much to differentiate one Spenser novel from the other, but they are always an amusing read, and this one is about mid-pack.

In Sudden Mischief Susan Silverman asks Spenser to help her ex-husband Brad Sterling who was being sued for sexual harassment. The suit was bogus but Brad was guilty of plenty of other things. Spenser uncovers those things while he and Susan struggle with their relationship. Boston in the spring with travels all over the city that might make one want to see Boston again. Many of the usual characters reappear including Rita Fiore, Captain Quirk, Hawk, Henry and some tough guy gangsters.

Susan's absolute creep of an ex-husband is the catalyst for much inner soul searching and much use of psych terminology that I don't understand. The bits about her upbringing and choices of unsuitable men left me a bit cold but the final chapter made is all worthwhile.

Robert B. Parker is the author of at least 68 novels, about 15 of which I have read. Most of them, as does this one, feature a literate, funny, tough ex-boxer, ex-state cop, turned private detective named Spenser in Boston, Massachusetts. This book is the 25th in the Spenser series. All of them feature fast-paced action, witty repartee that makes fun of racial and ethnic stereotypes, a soupçon of violence, and a bit of mystery. Sudden Mischief is no exception to that formula. As an example of dialog, try this conversation Spenser has with hot-shot defense attorney Rita Fiore:

“Rita started to speak and stopped and started again and stopped without saying anything. She sat silently shaking her head.
“You told Hawk [Spenser’s show more uber-tough occasional partner] about this yet?” she said finally.
“Yeah.”
“He have any comment?”
“He said, ‘Umm.’”
“You got any idea what he meant by that?”
“I think he was implying that this enterprise is fraught with peril.”
“Umm,” Rita said.”

Nonetheless, I have to say that I enjoyed this novel less than the others because Parker expended a high proportion of total ink on Spenser discussing his relationship with Susan, his Harvard-educated psychologist girlfriend. Susan has asked Spenser to investigate a sexual harassment suit that has been filed against her ex-husband, Brad. As Spenser and his sidekick, Hawk, trace Brad's business dealings, people with connections to Brad start turning up dead, and Brad goes missing. In the end of course, Spenser and Hawk figure it all out, and Susan reaches a better understanding of her own feelings toward both Brad and Spenser.

Evaluation: Usually, Spenser’s conversations with Susan are high quality badinage, but in this book they are just TOO SERIOUS. I lost interest with all the relationship angst.

(JAB) show less

Robert B. Parker’s Sudden Mischief is a fast-paced dash through a case handled by Private Detective Spenser at the request of his girlfriend, psychologist Susan. It begins with her plea to look into a sexual harassment suit against her ex, Brad Sterling.
Soon into his investigation, Spenser is threatened by goons who warn him to back off.
The case widens into a larger, more dangerous situation involving many dangerous suspects.
The characters feel genuine and the snappy, terse dialogue rings with subtext. Brilliantly entertaining and visually clever.
An addictive series.

Spenser books are "cozy" mysteries that they take place in the Boston area and have gangsters. This one has more character revelation than most since it involves Susan Silverman's ex-husband and her thoughts about their marriage and the types of men that interest her. There is also some shady charity work, which, alas, sounds very true to life.

I reread this book recently and remembered the shady charity work, but not much else, including whodunit. It was still enjoyable. Again, Spenser's meddling may have lead to the death of people, not necessarily innocent, who would have survived if he hadn't been stirring up things just to see if anything would develop.