Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Spenser takes another ill-fated attempt at being a bodyguard, 15 Jul 2004
"A Savage Place," the eighth Spenser novel from Robert B. Parker, is very reminiscent of "Looking for Rachel Wallace." This is not only because Rachel calls up our hero to inform him she is sending him a client, but Spenser is again being hired to be a body guard for a feminist character. However, if you thought things went wrong went Spenser tried to protect Rachel Wallace, wait until you read what happens with Candy Sloan, a television reporter in Hollywood investigating corruption and racketeering in the movie industry. This is also another Spenser novel where he is away from Boston, this time dealing with the tawdry glory of Tinsletown (the author must have been out for an extended visit at some point), so do not expect to see Susan and Hawk, or for Spenser to spend a lot of time cooking. As a matter of fact, our hero does not spend a lot of time doing much for most of this book, mainly giving advice to the woman he is supposed to be protecting. Of course Candy is aggressive and ambitious, insisting that she has to break the case even if the smarter and safer thing to do would be to let the police do it. She is also very sexy, which leads to an interesting distinction from Spenser on various definitions of "cheating." The bad guys are your traditional stereotypical assortment of blustering idiots but Lieutenant Samuelson for LAPD is one of the better kindred spirits Spenser has run across outside of the environs of Boston and I enjoyed their discussions of the case much more than Spenser and Candy going head to head on feminist issues. This is an average Spenser novel, although I do appreciate the fact that Parker always makes a concerted effort not to double-back on what he has done previously. As always, the Spenser novels are easy brain candy for those of us living the commuter lifestyle or who have a couple of hours to kill on a lazy afternoon.
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1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Culture Candy? Canines Cut Rap. Creme Brulee & an Apple a Day., 28 April 2007
Who could wash clean in a savage place. Who decided Spenser was too perfect. Parker? A reader? An editor? Who would have the John Galt clarity to dictate Spenser's path through literary annals and genre pitfalls. Galt would have the clarity but, by character, couldn't dictate.
Whatever the concept or motivation, the result was another good story; I can go with perfect or imperfect. This one was a soul wash, and left me pensive long past the last lines.
Paul Giacomin's EARLY AUTUMN (# 7 in series) had blown away with crisp golden leaves. He wass off-stage developing his dance; the Shrug had Shuffled. New York was yesterday; today it was L. A., in THE SAVAGE PLACE, # 8 in series. Spenser's views of cultural geographics were, of course, always a gas. A kick. A fun farce of the first fizz water. Until the heavy rain drained the fizz, the fuzz did the dilemma, and Spenser flew. Yeah, there was symbolism in that, which came quietly when the read was done.
Candy Sloan was a good name for a California blond "bimbo" who slid out of the stereotype by not being broke in the brawny brains bailiwick. Would she escape her feminine fate? Since Spenser was again playing the bodyguard, this time to a News Anchor, SAVAGE gave an interesting contrast to LOOKING FOR RACHEL WALLACE (# 6 in series), especially since Rachel referred Spenser to the case (giving a small, scrumptious sample of their past repartee ripping along phone lines). How many different angles can the X Chromosome carry? Only Spenser knows? His Shadow is still sleuthing.
The relationship between Candy and Spenser developed with sensual starts, spurts, and a few "slim pickings," providing contrasts to his so far female connections, and expanding the underpinnings of his soul-mate code. I was intrigued by the way Parker played the Spenser ethics off "his and hers" choices, actions, and justifications. Candy was as different as "day-and-night," blond and brunette, etc., compared to Suze, and who could help comparing? Observing the differences I flashed to Brenda Loring and the previous novel's mention of Spenser's receipt of an invitation to her wedding, which he noted studying for a long time. Of course all that caused a care to contrast the three characters.
Given Parker's established subtle complexities of composition, I continued to wonder how much the name Candy would relate to cultural implications of the term. Was she a contrast to the salt developing with Susan? Was she a sweet to balance the sour of losing Brenda, even though Spenser realized that his life partnerships were evolving as they should and must?
And, of course you had the social-situational-tragicomedies, the thematic surety. Here was an ambitious news anchor lady working beyond her name to get a name. When she bagged her serious "mob bought" story would she change her name to Caramel? To Creme Brulee?
One of my favorite scenes which was worked toward a chapter's closing line, occurred in SAVAGE, about individuals with great differences in DNA, experiential dance, and dogma being able or not to comprehend each other's angst. You won't want to miss this (mid-book) chapter end, which Spenser wraps with, "You wouldn't understand." Having that line ahead won't spoil it. The prescience should enhance the pithy punch, and it's a punch which deserves this preface. Spenser has mastered his timing for slipping in zingers which rarely fail to get the out loud guffaw. The zap is best when he takes a few pages to work and tweak the preparation.
This plot seems more complicated than those which precede it, though the course of convolutions doesn't quite surface until the end, washing to a miasmatic surface with a heavy, hard rain.
Another contrast from a Master.
Linda Shelnutt
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by Robert B. Parker
by Robert B. Parker
by Robert B. Parker
by Robert B. Parker
by Robert B. Parker
