Posted by henryct on October 18, 2009
While Looking for Rachel Wallace was enjoyable, I really don’t understand people’s fascination in Robert B. Parker’s Spencer series. His books always leave me wanting. There’s never much of a plot. Little, if any thing, takes place in the novel because it’s never developed enough.
Some critics think that Early Autumn marks Parker’s best Spencer novel, but after finally reading it, I completely disagree. Spencer basically adopts a teenaged boy, whose father and mother are divorced and don’t want him. Instead the boy is used as a pawn so that each parent can hurt the other. So Spenser decides to take him away from his parents and makes him eat the same food he does, do the same workout he does, and have the same philosophy that he does. It’s about Spencer teaching a young boy how to be just like him. Boring!
Parker has a reputation as Boston’s crime master, but he can’t hold a candle to the superb writing of Dennis Lehane.
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Posted by henryct on October 13, 2009
You can always count on Swierczynski to deliver a good adrenaline rush. This frenetically paced thriller follows the exploits of Lennon, a professional getaway driver. After the three-man team successfully robs 650 grand from a bank in Philly, they place the money in a car safely stowed away in a long-term parking garage. That’s when everything goes wrong.
The Wheelman isn’t a comic caper like Donald Westlake’s Dortmunder series. Instead, Swierczynski writes biting prose. It’s sharp, it’s got an edge, and it’s fast, just like a getaway specialist would drive:
“They were still on track. As long as they could make the next couple of blocks, this might work out after all…Lennon stomped on the gas. The car rocketed forward, tires screaming on pavement, and Lennon didn’t see her until the last minute.
The woman, pushing a blue baby stroller…
Next Chapter:
The moment Lennon saw the woman and her baby stroller, he knew the Acura was going to hit them.
Impact was two or three seconds away. Lennon was faced with a choice: aim for the stroller, or aim for the woman…”
While the entire reading experience was certainly fun and pleasing, Swierczynski’s conclusion wasn’t as good as the rest of the book. Nevertheless, I wanted to pick up another Swerczynski thriller as soon as I finished the last page. I’ll have to get my hands on his latest thriller: Severance Package.
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