31 of 36 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Review of School Days by Robert B. Parker (Spenser Novel), October 7, 2005
Parker has churned out another fine effort in this latest Spenser novel. Here our intrepid private investigator is kicking back in his office when in pops a rich grandmother whose grandson was involved in a school shooting in a ritzy white suburb of Boston. She refuses to believe he's guilty and engages Spenser's services to prove his innocence. The untangling of this mess unravels other sordid goings on in the area. Spenser finds himself in some grey moral areas as he tries to uncover the truth.
This is a solid effort by Parker and one of the more interesting and well laid out offerings in the series. It is in most ways typical of Spenser novels, with the sparse prose and fast moving plot, that fans of Parker have come to expect. Unlike most Spenser novels there's no Hawk and Susan only makes a cameo appearance at the end, as she was out of town while this case went on.
Overall, this is a fine addition to the series. And a note of interest, Spenser is clearly doing every well financially as he can afford to drink Johnny Walker Blue, a very expensive scotch, like it's water.
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Ciao bella -- Could we be so lucky?, March 24, 2006
As so many reviewers here have said, it's quite remarkable how much more taut, crisp, bright, and engaging a Spenser book can be with Susan Silverman neatly removed, compared to the staleness and heaviness of the other Parker books which she permeates. For a long time, I had trouble admitting to myself that I found her ungenerous, controlling, compulsive, self-centered and tedious. For, in every new book, Parker continued to show Spenser besotted by her, and it wasn't easy to look past how he saw her, and judge her by what she actually did and said. The first book in a long time that is free of her is a real delight in many ways. But this book might turn out to be considerably more than that. It could be the turning point of the Spenser series. What stands out most about School Days -- and what might possibly mean that something wonderful is going to happen -- is that Spenser himself complains about her more than he has ever done. And he is right on target every time he does it. Could Parker be preparing a massive rejuvenation of the whole series and actually be thinking of getting rid of Susan? Could it be even better than that and mean that Spenser will see through her and let go of her himself? Just the thought makes hope rise and the heavens open. And how true it would be to Spenser's character. How much it would show Parker's profound understanding of him. It would be the truth that would win Spenser's ultimate loyalty, not his fantasy of a true love, who may never have been what he believed her to be. Is it possible that all of us who write reviews about how much better he is without her could have seen that so clearly, if Spenser himself is not, on some level, seeing it, too? It might be messy on the home front for Parker to do it, but he seems to be giving us delicious hints in School Days, that he might be willing to bite the bullet and let Spenser have the insight of his life.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Vintage Spenser again, November 27, 2005
It's been awhile but we finally get a Spenser novel that's hard to put down. I read it straight through at one sitting, which I rarely do these days with any book.
Like most Spenser novels, School Days opens with action. A wealthy matron asks Spenser to investigate a prep school shooting, hoping to clear her grandson. Spenser dives in with his ususal irreverent gusto, refusing to believe what everyone else insists is obvious: the young man has confessed to the crime and appears very, very guilty.
Doggedly (!) Spenser digs in. If there's a flaw here, it's the ease with which he finds witnesses. Choosing to follow someone makes sense: he has a reason for suspetng this person will lead him to the good stuff. But one foray into a school hangout and he's led right to the people he most needs to find? Coincidence.
Unfortunately the plot twists make it difficult to review the story without revealing the outcome. And while Parker keeps the suspense high, I must admit I expected an even more devious story.
Fans of Spenser will recognize his usual themes, including disdain for the surburbs and for formal education. And for some reason, author Parker has focused often on "lost" adolescents -- kids who were led astray by parental neglect. In his earlier novels, Spenser found ways to help -- an improbable social worker with unconventional but wise solutions. Here, we're more distant from the kids and even farther from any kind of help for them.
As other reviewers pointed out, Spenser's sidekicks have deserted him. Hawk rates a brief mention. Spenser's cop friends lend their support and Rita Fiore moves center stage. Susan, Spenser's beloved, has been banished to Duke University for a conference. But we still feel her presence as Spenser remembers how she dresses, eats and lives. I see her as edgy, not perfect. And I'd like to know how she manages to avoid fueling her own car. Maybe there are more full-service stations in Massachusetts than in any state I've lived.
Replacing these characters is Pearl, the dog, who's a good listener with lots of realistic canine quirks. Not a bad exchange.
But what makes School Days a success isn't the specific quality of the plot or the characters. Parker's lean-and-mean writing hold the book together and keep the pages turning. And somehow his writing style works best when he writes about Spenser.
Let's hope we see more of the same.
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