Playmates [Hardcover]

Robert B. Parker (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 1989

Spenser goes back to school--to investigate corruption in college town. Taft University's hottest basketball star is shaving points for quick cash. And if Spenser doesn't watch his own footwork, the guilty parties will shave a few years off his life...

--This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Boston private eye Spenser returns to investigate rumored cheating by Taft University's star basketball team in Parker's 19th novel. The challenges of the case at first seem straightforward: when Bobby Deegan, representing mob gangsters, strongly advises the detective to stop snooping, Spenser and his equally intrepid sidekick, Hawk, simply do in Deegan's hired guns. But a trickier moral dilemma then presents itself, and Spenser asks his lover, psychiatrist Susan Silverman, to help him resolve it. Evidence of point-shaving by Dwayne Woodcock, Taft's power forward, threatens the fragile future of this talented black student trying to rise from the slums. Finding that Woodcock has been passed all the way to senior grade, without ever learning to read, Spenser redoubles his efforts to serve justice and mercy both. 150,000 first printing; $150,000 ad/promo; Literary Guild, Mystery Guild and Doubleday Book Club.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

With characteristic acerbic wit and impudent independence, Spenser tackles a case of alleged point shaving by Dwayne Woodcock, a famed black forward on the Taft University basketball team. Spenser discovers the truth of the allegation and ties to a New York mobster, but, because of Woodcock's illiteracy and sensible girlfriend, decides to save Woodcock's career if he can. The solution works itself out all too easily, even for Spenser; however, Parker's compressed prose, recognizable regulars, and no-nonsense action will satisfy his followers.-- REK
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 222 pages
• Publisher: Putnam Adult; 1st edition (May 1, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399134255
• ISBN-13: 978-0399134258
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #817,270 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Robert B. Parker (1932-2010) has long been acknowledged as the dean of American crime fiction. His novel featuring the wise-cracking, street-smart Boston private-eye Spenser earned him a devoted following and reams of critical acclaim, typified by R.W.B. Lewis' comment, "We are witnessing one of the great series in the history of the American detective story" (The New York Times Book Review). In June and October of 2005, Parker had national bestsellers with APPALOOSA and SCHOOL DAYS, and continued his winning streak in February of 2006 with his latest Jesse Stone novel, SEA CHANGE.

Born and raised in Massachusetts, Parker attended Colby College in Maine, served with the Army in Korea, and then completed a Ph.D. in English at Boston University. He married his wife Joan in 1956; they raised two sons, David and Daniel. Together the Parkers founded Pearl Productions, a Boston-based independent film company named after their short-haired pointer, Pearl, who has also been featured in many of Parker's novels.

Parker began writing his Spenser novels in 1971 while teaching at Boston's Northeastern University. Little did he suspect then that his witty, literate prose and psychological insights would make him keeper-of-the-flame of America's rich tradition of detective fiction. Parker's fictional Spenser inspired the ABC-TV series Spenser: For Hire. In February 2005, CBS-TV broadcast its highly-rated adaptation of the Jesse Stone novel Stone Cold, which featured Tom Selleck in the lead role as Parker's small-town police chief. The second CBS movie, Night Passage, also scored high ratings, and the third, Death in Paradise, aired on April 30, 2006.

Parker was named Grand Master of the 2002 Edgar Awards by the Mystery Writers of America, an honor shared with earlier masters such as Alfred Hitchcock and Ellery Queen.

Parker died on January 19, 2010, at the age of 77.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A better title: Dwayne Should Have Gone to Jail, May 28, 2000

By 

Christopher Fama (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Playmates (Spenser, No 16) (Mass Market Paperback)

In Playmates, Spenser investigates a point shaving scheme involving Taft University basketball players. Spenser quickly deduces that Taft star player Dwayne Woodcock is involved, and sets out to undo the illiterate young man's predicament, primarily out of respect for Dwayne's girlfriend Chantel.

Much like Parker's Double Deuce, Playmates delves into African American issues of self esteem and poverty. And much like Double Deuce, Parker stumbles by relying too much on trite popular press rationales for criminal conduct - all in defense of his own unsympathetic hoods. Spenser's affection for Chantel is intended to resolve this dilemma, but her character is so underdeveloped that there's no compelling motivation for Spenser's heroics.

But it's easy to overlook a thin plot, because the joy of a Parker novel is really Spenser's sassy wit and his violent outings with the devastating and equally humorous Hawk. Particularly enjoyable is a scene in which Hawk chides Spenser about the low street value currently offered to have him "aced." One wonders how Parker can write Hawk so unapologetically while offering up sociologic platitudes for any other African American character involved in questionable circumstances.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A welcome breather after CRIMSON JOY, January 30, 2003

By 

Neal C. Reynolds (Indianapolis, Indiana) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Playmates (Spenser, No 16) (Mass Market Paperback)

This is a bit of a relief after the very intense predecesser. Here, you're dealing primarily with point shaving in college basketball, not with serial murderers.

However, as usual in a Spenser novel, there's more here than just the primary plot. There's insight into racial relations, a theme that Parker explores deeper in the later PASTIME. There's also the very human theme concerning dealing with a person who's abilities you admire, but who is an insufferable so-and-so.

It's a typical fast read and yet leaves you with a feeling that you've picked up something of value from the reading.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Spenser 4 Hire, August 15, 2000

By 

Mark S. Winger (Wood Dale, IL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Playmates (Spenser, No 16) (Mass Market Paperback)

This is the first Spenser novel I have read, and I think I am off to a good start. I never really watched the tv show and I don't know if it was indicative of the books. I am a big fan of both Harlan Coben and Robert Crais and I feel that their characters and sidekicks are very similar to Spenser and Hawk. Obviously Parker's novels precede those two authors, so I have to say he originated a good trend of the witty private detective and his cool but dangerous partner. I am also a big sports fan, so this book was all the more appealing. It's a quick read, so pick it up.