We’re still in the WWF days… I keep thinking we’re flipping over to WWE pretty soon.  Good intro here that’s just starting to talk about the “Attitude Era”.  Goes into the lineage of the WWF title, introduces Austin, [...]]]> Event: WrestleMania XIV
Date: March 29, 1998
Venue: Fleet Center (Boston, Massachusetts)
Attendance: 19,028

We’re still in the WWF days… I keep thinking we’re flipping over to WWE pretty soon.  Good intro here that’s just starting to talk about the “Attitude Era”.  Goes into the lineage of the WWF title, introduces Austin, DX, Mike Tyson, etc.  We get the announcing duo of Jerry “The King” Lawler and Michael Cole on the mic and we go right into the first match of the night with no anthem, America The Beautiful, etc.

15 – Team Battle Royal
L.O.D. 2000 (Hawk and Animal) (with Sunny) won by last eliminating The New Midnight Express (Bombastic Bob and Bodacious Bart) (with Jim Cornette)
The last team is a “mystery team” and it’s the returning L.O.D. accompanied by Sunny.  That right there makes it all worth it… damn is she hot.  They’ve got a new (silly) look which includes helmets.  Um… OK.  This is a no DQ battle royal where when one member of a team is thrown out the partner needs to go as well.  A good way for WWF to get quite a few guys on the WrestleMania card.  This is a pretty typical match with L.O.D. and the Midnight Express (Bob Holly and Bart Gunn) being the last two teams.  L.O.D. gets the win in a decent if predictable opener.  Oh yeah, did I mention that Sunny is hot?

WWF Light Heavyweight Championship
Taka Michinoku (c) defeated Aguila
Quick match for these guys.  I’m not a huge fan of this type of wrestling but I can totally appreciate how talented these guys are.  Nice looking moonsault to the outside by Aguila.  Good lord would that be difficult to do and not kill yourself.  This is definitely not a typical match but very entertaining.  I wonder if it was so short cause that’s the way it was booked or so the guys don’t kill one another by going longer?  Can’t blame the talent for getting gassed going at this pace.  Taka hits his finisher to retain after a quick yet completely entertaining match.

WWF European Championship
Triple H (c) (with Chyna) defeated Owen Hart
The DX band is in the house playing intro music all night.  Seems silly to me, but at least they get to play it a couple of times.  Commissioner Sgt. Slaughter is handcuffed to Chyna during this match to prevent any shenanigans.  Own starts off with an injured ankle but is out quick and gets the upper hand.  He then lowers his head too early for a backdrop and Hunter takes over.  Chyna is trying to get involved but Slaughter is keeping her at bay.  HHH works over Owen for a couple of minutes and then turns to the injured ankle.  Owen gets cut on the nose (probably hardway) and then makes a nice comeback to get a series of close falls for the title.  This section of the match is tremendous with some great back and forth action.  Nice spot where Owen gets into a corner and falls down and headbutts HHH in the balls.  Owen gets the Sharpshooter on HHH but Chyna helps HHH to the ropes (good job Slaughter).  Chyna then proceeds to throw salt in Slaughter’s eyes and then low blows Owen.  HHH follows up with a Pedigree for the win.  Good match for something early on the card.

Marc Mero and Sable defeated The Artist Formerly Known as Goldust and Luna
Nice recap of what’s led to this match and I’m glad cause I completely don’t remember this feud.  Goldust is in a super gay uniform and is introduced as “formerly known as”.  Mero and Goldy start out with Mero getting the upper hand.  Goldy tags in Luna which means Sable needs to come in (I’ve always hated this type of stipulation… just let them wrestle).  Luna runs from Sable and tags back in Goldust.  Good job playing the heel by Luna as there is no way in hell she’d ever run from Sable.  These inter-gender matches with that stip totally take way the concept of a “hot tag”.  Finally we get to Sable entering the ring and she clears house.  The guys are back in and Mero hits a low blow and tries for his finisher which Goldust counters.  Good stuff from the fellas during this portion of the match.  Mero hits a weak looking TKO and Luna breaks the count.  Sable in and hits the Sable Bomb on Luna and SHE kicks out.  Sable then hits a TKO on Luna (much better than Mero’s version) for the win.  Decent match at best.  Feel free to skip unless you’re a big fan of one of these participants.

WWF Intercontinental Championship
The Rock (c) (with Kama Mustafa, Mark Henry and D’Lo Brown) defeated Ken Shamrock by disqualification

Tennessee Lee in the ring announces Jennifer Flowers and Double J.  She then announces the participants.  Rock is with the Nation of Domination and gets a huge “Rocky sucks” chant from the crowd.  Even back then Rock is a heat machine.  Shamrock out and on fire quickly.  Apparently if Rock is DQd he’ll lose the match and the title.  I can’t decide if I prefer Rock as a heel or a face better… either way he’s damned awesome.  The “Rocky sucks” chant continues throughout the match.  Shamrock in charge completely until Rock uses the tights to pull him to the outside.  Rock hits what will become The People’s Elbow for a two count.  Apparently Rock is at odds with the Nation at this point (I don’t remember the storyline).  Shamrock brings a chair into the ring and pushes the ref down.  Rock picks it up and WAILS on Shamrock’s head.  Wow… talk about a stiff chair shot.  Shamrock kicks out, no sells the shot and takes over.  WTF.  Shamrock “snaps” and hits a power slam and hooks in the ankle lock for the win.  Weak ending.  The Nation comes in and Shamrock takes them out.  Shamrock keeps going back to the ankle lock.  Farooq out to help Rock and then turns his back on him.  Officials into the ring and Shamrock “snaps” again suplexing all of them.  Stretcher out to help Rock to the back and the “Rocky sucks” chants continue.  Damn… this was a bad beating for the Rock.  The referee reverses the decision because Shamrock wouldn’t release the ankle lock.  Shamrock snaps again and goes after Rock knocking him off the stretcher.  They’re totally playing up the Crazy Ken / World’s Most Dangerous Man angle.  Question here… why in the FUCK would they reverse the decision for something that happened after the match?  Lame.

Dumpster Match For The WWF Tag Team Championship
Cactus Jack and Chainsaw Charlie defeated The New Age Outlaws (c) (Billy Gunn and Road Dogg)
Oh you didn’t know?  Your ass better CALLLLLL somebody!  Out comes the Outlaws to one of my favorite themes of all time.  No DQ, no pins, no count outs.  To win you’ve got to put your opponents in the dumpster and close the top.  Think casket match with a garbage can.  This is a tough match to follow as there’s a ton going on both inside and out of the ring.  Mick Foley (Cactus Jack) goes for a dive on Road Dog and misses and hits the dumpster… ouch.  Terry Funk  (for those of you that don’t know that’s Chainsaw Charlie) back body dropped into the dumpster.  Good spot with Cactus and Charlie getting their heads slammed in the dumpster.  Cactus in the dumpster and works out with a double Mandible Claw spot.  Funk is amazing here and it’s even more obvious when Ross points out that he was a WrestleMania 2.  Finally we get in the ring and Cactus/Funk are in charge.  Cactus off the apron with an elbow drop on Billy.  Out comes a ladder and the ECW chants start.  Cactus and Gunn up on the ladder.  James whacks Funk in the head who proceeds to fall into the ladder and Jack/Gunn fall off the ladder into the dumpster.  Nice spot for sure.  Gunn then power bombs Funk into the dumpster off the apron.  The Outlaws take Cactus backstage and beat the hell out of him.  Mick makes a comeback with a chair and some DDTs.  Both Outlaws on a fork lift and they are deposited into another dumpster.  Cactus/Charlie close the lid for the win and the titles.  A clusterfuck to watch but rather entertaining.

The Undertaker defeated Kane (with Paul Bearer)
Good recap of Kane/Taker to this point.  Totally shows how “supernatural”‘ the WWF was back then (lightning, etc.)  Pete Rose out in a tux to be the guest ring announcer.  He’s playing the heel and says something to the effect of, “Last time I was here, we kicked your ass.”  Gay.  Here comes “hell fire and brimstone” (IE Kane) to give Pete a Tombstone.  Stretcher ride for Pete and Undertaker makes his way to the ring.  God DAMN does the man take forever to get to the ring.  Kane plays the bad ass early totally no selling everything Taker throws at him.  Remember that Kane at this point has been built into a MONSTER heel.  I do have to say that it does get a tad bit repetitive to be told their brothers again… and again… and again.  We go outside and Kane is really working over Taker with the ring steps.  Back in and Kane still in charge.  Choke slam and Kane picks him up rather than trying for the win (never a good idea).  Goes into a rest hold and Taker tries to fight back only to have Kane continually beat him down.  Taker knocks Kane outside and then proceeds to leap over the top rope onto Kane but goes right through the Spanish announce table.  Apparently (according to the announcers) Kane sidestepped him.  Looked to me like Taker fucked up.  Back in the ring, Taker goes into his Rope-a-dope cover up.  Taker manages to try for a Tombstone but Kane reverses it and hits it.  Undertaker kicks out and Kane is finally weakening a bit.  Taker hits a choke slam and calls for a Tombstone.  He hits it, crosses Kane’s hands over his chest and goes for a cover which Kane kicks out of.  WOW.  He hits a second Tombstone, crosses the hands and Kane kicks out again!  Awesome.  I totally don’t remember this.  Taker hits a HUGE clothesline and Kane no sells it and sits up.  Taker hits a 3rd Tombstone, hooks the leg and gets the win.  Paul Bearer in with a chair and beats on Taker.  Kane grabs the chair and wails on Taker.  Tombstone on the chair and Taker is left laying in the middle of the ring.  Good stuff here in the original “Brothers of Destruction” Mania match.

WWF Championship
Steve Austin defeated Shawn Michaels (c) (with Triple H and Chyna)
HUGE pop for the glass breaking on Austin’s entrance (which is my cell phone ring tone in case you care).  Love me some Rattlesnake.  Ross refers to HBK as “the greatest champion of all time”.  That may be a stretch, but you could probably put him in the conversation.  The DX band has been playing all night and this is one more chance for them to rock it out.  Early in the match, Michaels is doing the “jab and run” tactic which is clearly pissing Austin off.  When Austin finally catches him, we get the obligatory Michaels “moon the crowd” shot.  DX beats the hell out of Austin and eventually they’re barred from ringside.  HBK/Austin start battling outside the ring, on the band stage, the dumpster, etc.  Back in the ring and Austin takes over.  Good spot where Austin punches off the apron into the announce table.  Back outside and into the crowd.  Tyson to this point is remaining impartial.  Shawn nails Austin with the title belt and he flies into the first row.  Michaels really favoring his back at this point in his career (which is astounding as he kept wrestling YEARS after this).  HBK slows it down for a change and is in control.  He flicks off the crowd and Austin greets him with a Lou Thez press.  HBK regains the upper hand and works the knee of Austin.  Ross/King talk about Tyson and the officiating.  Ironically, Tyson has done nothing to this point other than throw Austin back in the ring one time.  Figure Four in the middle of the ring which is reversed (why does the reversal hurt?)  Austin catapults HBK into the corner and gets a near fall.  HBK follows up with a sleeper and we get a ref bump setting up Tyson’s involvement.  Austin back in charge and stomps a mud hole in Shawn.  HBK with a flying forearm and does his flip up.  He “tunes up the band” for the super kick but misses.  Austin tries for the Stunner but it’s blocked.  HBK goes for the kick again but Austin grabs his foot and hits the Stunner for the 1-2-3 by Tyson for the win.  Post match, HBK gets in Tyson’s face and slaps him.  Tyson levels him with one punch to send the crowd home happy.

General Thoughts

• WWF debuted one of the best promos I’ve ever seen at this show which I’ll refer to here as the “I’m not a real athlete” spot.  These were absolutely AWESOME and give me chills to this day.  If you’ve never seen it please check it out.
• Ross/King then mention the gross take of the event at one point.  I can’t ever remember hearing this before or since.  Weird.
• Whatever happened to Kane’s disfigurement?
• In addition to the “I’m not real” promo, the WWF busted out the “Oldtimers” promo as well.  Phenomenal.
• How the hell does HBK chew gum while he wrestles?
• Mike Tyson has the worst “DX chop” in history.

Brief introduction package on what we’re going to see this evening. Vince, Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler on the call which is a great announcing lineup. We get right into the first match.

Four-way Tag Team Elimination Match
Event: WrestleMania 13
Date: March 23, 1997
Venue: Rosemont Horizon (Rosemont, Illinois)
Attendance: 18,197

Brief introduction package on what we’re going to see this evening. Vince, Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler on the call which is a great announcing lineup. We get right into the first match.

Four-way Tag Team Elimination Match
The Headbangers (Mosh and Thrasher) defeated The New Blackjacks (Blackjack Windham and Blackjack Bradshaw), The Godwinns (Henry and Phineas) (with Hillbilly Jim), and Doug Furnas and Phil LaFon
I’m not a big fan of tag team wrestling to begin with so I’m certainly not a fan of 4 bad teams wrestling in a tag team elimination match. The Blackjacks quickly get DQ’d and Furnas and LaFon get counted out. Pretty lame way to get down to 2 teams if you ask me. From there, we get a decent tag match between the Headbangers and the Godwinns. In the end the Headbangers get the win. OK match at best obviously on the card to get a lot of talent a spot on the show.

WWF Intercontinental Championship
Rocky Maivia (c) defeated The Sultan (with Bob Backlund and The Iron Sheik)
The first WrestleMania appearance of the man that will eventually be known only as The Rock. Rocky looks good early until he goes for a clothesline on the outside and misses and hits the post instead. (Damn did that look painful). Sultan takes over and we get a rest hold. Sultan has terrible pin attempts throughout the match with a ton of rest holds thrown in. Rocky fights back to a double clothesline spot. Rocky hits a huge belly to belly for a close pin and then follows up with a HUGE cross body off the top. Match would have been over but Sheik is on the apron and breaks the count. Crescent kick by the Sultan followed by a big pile driver. Rocky gets a pin to retain the title out of nowhere. Sultan beats down Rocky post match and Iron Sheik slaps on the Camel Clutch. Out of the crowd comes Rocky’s dad Rocky Johnson to make the save. Super lame finish.  Rock and Rocky look like chicken flapping their wings in the middle of the ring.

Hunter Hearst Helmsley (with Chyna) defeated Goldust (with Marlena)
HHH in full blue blood mode here. Goldust in charge from the get go with a nice spot where HHH gets tied up in the ropes OUTSIDE the ring. I can’t remember seeing that particular spot before. After that spot, HHH takes over and lays a beating on Goldust.  Chyna standing stoic on the outside, but announcers are referencing and showing her constantly pretty much guaranteeing that she’s getting involved. Marlena is SMOKING hot here (pun completely intended) as this was her “smoke a cigar ringside” phase. Good back and forth action here but the pace of the match feels like we’re waiting for something. Goldust in charge and Chyna finally makes a move toward Marlena. Goldust has his finisher locked in but releases it to go to Marlena’s aide. HHH hits Goldust and he inadvertently throws Marlena into Chyna who throws her around like a rag doll. This allows HHH to hit the Pedigree for the win. Decent match, but obviously the start of a program between these two rather than a resolution.

WWF Tag Team Championship
Owen Hart and The British Bulldog (c) fought Mankind and Vader (with Paul Bearer) to a double countout
Owen and Vader in to get us started. Vader in charge as you’d imagine and hits a Vader bomb relatively early in the match. He goes for his corner drop and Bulldog over to break it up. Bulldog manages to take over and hits a huge suplex on Vader which is damned impressive.  Vader’s a HUGE dude.  Good teamwork from Mankind/Vader and they take over control of the match. Pretty typical back and forth tag match here with Mankind/Vader generally working to keep Owen on the ring and isolated. Hot tag to Bulldog and Mankind manages to work in the Mandible Claw. They dump out of the ring and Mankind refuses to release the hold. Bulldog selling hit like he’s dead but they both get counted out. Could have been a decent match but had a terrible ending.

Submission Match
Bret Hart defeated Steve Austin
This is the match the made Austin a household name. Not only that, but it started Bret Hart down the path of a heel which was some of the best work in his career in my humble opinion. Forgetting how great the match itself was, these two momentous things alone easily put it in my Top 10 WrestleMania Matches of all time. We start out quick with Austin pouncing on Bret. In quick order, they’re outside of the ring and into the crowd. They’re battling up the stairs of the arena and we get a nice back body drop on the stairs spot. Back in the ring after a few minutes of crowd battling we get an awesome looking swinging neck breaker by Bret. He then starts to work on Austin’s knee obviously setting him up for the Sharpshooter later in the match. Austin manages to hit the Stunner to turn the tide a bit, but there’s no pin falls in the match so it’s irrelevant. A while later, Hart debuts (I believe this was the first time we saw it) the “around the post figure four” which I always liked. Not sure how bad it would hurt, but it looked fucking sweet and Austin sold it like a champ. Hart goes for the “break the ankle in the chair” spot which had been featured on Raw in recent weeks and Austin pops up and WAILS on Bret. Wow. Austin starts in on some submission stuff including a neck crimp and a Boston crab. He goes for the Sharpshooter but Hart gets a thumb in the eye to break it.  Back outside and Austin gets whipped into the guardrail and gets busted open.  Not sure if this was a legit cut or not but DAMN is he bleeding.  This is of course what leads to the most iconic bloodied Austin ever.  Blood just POURING out of Austin’s head.  He manages to hit a low blow to mount a comeback.  Vince makes a reference to the fact that blood doesn’t happen often in the WWF.  Austin has Hart wrapped with a mic cord and Hart uses the ring bell to “ring Austin’s bell”.  He then locks on the Sharpshooter.  This is where you get the shot that’s been in so many montages where Austin’s got blood pouring down his face.  Austin almost breaks out but Bret hangs on and reapplies it.  Austin “passes out” from the pain/blood loss and special ref Ken Shamrock stops the match.  Bret goes after Austin again post match and Shamrock throws him off and squares off against Bret in the ring to a chorus of boos – double turn complete.  Austin to face, Hart to heel.  Announcers totally talking up Austin and what a bad ass he is.  Outstanding match.

Chicago Street Fight
The Legion of Doom (Hawk and Animal) and Ahmed Johnson defeated The Nation of Domination (Crush, Faarooq and Savio Vega) (with Wolfie D, J.C. Ice and Clarence Mason)
This has crap written all over it from the get go.  The Nation is in total “blaxploitation” mode.  LOD and Ahmed coming out looking awesome in their shoulder pads.  No rules, no tags… just a fight.  There are all kinds of weapons in the ring and the action is everywhere.  Kind of difficult to follow cause there’s so much going on (similar to early in a battle royal or when the Royal Rumble gets busy).  Animal goes for a pile driver on the Spanish announce table on Faarooq which was fucking lame.  He just kind of knelt down.  These street fights are typically nothing more than a cluster fuck and this one is no different.  Fire extinguishers, rope, garbage cans, etc.  Naturally they eventually introduce the kitchen sink.  Eventually, LOD hits their finisher on Crush and follow with a clothesline with a 2×4 for the win.  Double Doomsday after the match on Wolfie and J.C. Ice which was pretty cool.  In the end I found myself enjoying it more than I thought I would.  Good work rate from these guys and they put on a decent match.

No DQ Match For The WWF Championship
The Undertaker defeated Sycho Sid (c)
Shawn Michaels is announced and comes to ring area in street clothes to do commentary for the match.  Hi fives around the ring and hamming to the crowd.  Give the “Cliq/ NWO/WolfPac” hand signals all around.  We get a weak ass promo with Sid before the match doing his “master and the ruler of the world” crap.  God is he terrible on the mic.  Taker is out first as the challenger in the old school gray outfit from back in the day.  They go nose to nose in the middle of the ring and before we really get into it Bret Hart makes his way to ringside.  He grabs the mic and starts to bitch at Shawn.  He then tells Taker that they’re no longer friends and tells Sid that he’s a fraud.  Punch and power bomb from Sid for his troubles and the crowd pops further cementing Hart’s heel turn from earlier.  Typical Undertaker to start with some old school moves.  Taker comes out of the corner right into a bear hug from Sid.  Really?  Do we need a rest hold this early?  Sid works on the back and is in charge of the match.  He throws Undertaker out and through the French announce table.  Vince chimes in that this is now a no holds barred match.  I’m thinking they realized that Sid fucked up by bouncing Taker through the table so they had to make the switch on the fly.  Sid locks in a Camel Clutch and keeps working on the back.  Taker has NO offense at all.  Side with a super weak “power slam” and tries to go for 3 pins in a row.  Taker comes back with a crappy looking “jump high and hit a clothesline” move.  Sid back up quickly and they take it outside with Sid into the first row of fans.  They’re outside for like a minute with no count out so apparently it’s no holds barred and no count outs now.  Sid in charge for quite a while until Taker hits a small offensive burst, a power slam and into a rest hold.  Nice spot with a double boot to the face and both guys down.  A few minutes later, Taker manages to make an attempt at the Tombstone but Sid reverses is and hits a Tombstone of his own.  Sid crosses Taker’s arms over his chest and Taker kicks out.  At this point Taker’s “streak” wasn’t what it is today, so this before he kicked out it was looking pretty dicey.  Sid throws Taker outside and goes to work.  Bret Hart shows up yet again (Jesus Bret… go away) and hits Sid with a chair (huh?).  Back in, Taker hits a choke slam but Sid kicks out.  Sid fights back and has Taker set up for the power bomb but fucking Bret is back.  Sid releases Undertaker and goes after Hart on the apron.  Hart give him a “stunner” which sends Sid right into Taker for the Tombstone and the win.  I didn’t remember all of the outside interference in this match.  I wish The Undertaker could have gotten a clean win but I’m happy to see him get the title.  Vince talks about hos Taker is “finally” the champion.  Um… hey Vince.  Did you forget about Tuesday In Texas?  Overall a good title match that sends the fans home happy with Taker getting the belt while forwarding the Bret Hart heel turn.

General Thoughts

• Before the event, there was a Free For All match where Billy Gunn defeated Flash Funk.  I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again… there’s a reason these Free For All matches are NOT on the PPV.
• It’s amazing how much bigger HHH is currently than he was during this event. I’m not saying he’s roided up, but he might be using steroids.
• Funny to hear Jim Ross pimp the AOL chat room during the event. Oh how the times have changed.
• There should be a rule that no match on a PPV can end via count out or via outside interference. It’s just fucking stupid and does nothing put piss off the paying customer both at the arena and at home.
• The “thumb to the eye” move. It’s been around wrestling for years and everyone just takes it with a grain of salt. Have you ever actually stuck your thumb in your eye? This hurts like a son of a bitch.

This is the thirty-eighth (38) Spenser novel written by Robert B. Parker. It was originally published in 2009.  Recurring characters include Susan Silverman, Vinnie Morris, Hawk, Tony Marcus, & Ty Bop.

NOTE: This review will contain spoilers.

Preceded By: Rough Weather

PLOT SUMMARY:

Spenser is hired by a [...]]]> BOOK DETAILS/INFORMATION:

This is the thirty-eighth (38) Spenser novel written by Robert B. Parker. It was originally published in 2009.  Recurring characters include Susan Silverman, Vinnie Morris, Hawk, Tony Marcus, & Ty Bop.

NOTE: This review will contain spoilers.

Preceded By: Rough Weather

PLOT SUMMARY:

Spenser is hired by a lawyer named Elizabeth Shaw to get to the bottom of her client’s problem – blackmail.  Shaw’s clients, wives of rich older men, have a mutual connection: they’ve all had an affair with a man named Gary Eisenhower— and now that he’s done doing the dirty with them, he’s getting dirtier… he’s going after the cash.   Spenser is hired to make Eisenhower “cease and desist,” but as many of Parker’s novels nothing is as it seems.  As bodies start turning up, Spenser’s call to action turns from blackmail to murder.  Susan Silverman offers her take on the situation and Spenser calls on old friends Hawk and Vinnie Morris to help him get to the bottom of things.

COMMENTARY:

I’ve had this post in my drafts for a while now and I felt compelled to finish it based on the untimely passing of Robert B. Parker.  As with all of Parker’s novels it’s all about dialogue.  The back and forth between Spenser and his clients makes for a very quick read though it does seem like we’ve been down these paths before.  I’ve never been a Susan hater but I don’t necessarily need to hear (from her) how good she and Spenser are in bed or that she went to Harvard yet again.

As he did in Rough Weather, Spenser ends up letting a murderer walk in the end of the book.  I’m sure this is all about “The Code” but I just don’t get it.  I could almost forgive it in the last novel based on the fact that it was with Rugar but this was a brand new character that Spenser had no history with.  This one left me scratching my head.

I’ve read every Spenser novel that Parker has ever written so I won’t bother with an objective recommendation.  I’m so so sad that this is the last Spenser novel (unless there’s something sitting on the shelf that we don’t know about).  On a purely selfish level I’m glad that we’ve got one more Jesse Stone novel to look forward to.  It’s been a great ride Spenser…thanks for everything.

This is fourth Spenser novel written by Robert B. Parker.  It was originally published in 1977.  Of particular note here is the first appearance of Hawk.

Preceded By: Mortal Stakes
Followed By: The Judas Goat

NOTE: This review will contain spoilers.

PLOT SUMMARY:

Real estate magnate [...]]]> BOOK DETAILS/INFORMATION:

This is fourth Spenser novel written by Robert B. Parker.  It was originally published in 1977.  Of particular note here is the first appearance of Hawk.

Preceded By: Mortal Stakes
Followed By: The Judas Goat

NOTE: This review will contain spoilers.

PLOT SUMMARY:

Real estate magnate Harvey Shepard hires Spenser to find his wife Pam who’s gone missing.  He quickly locates her and determines that for a variety of reasons she does not want to be back home.  During one discussion at Harvey’s house Spenser crosses paths with his longtime friend (and current leg breaker) Hawk.  The fact that Hawk is calling on Harvey means that Shepard is mixed up with some very bad people.

As is often the case, Spenser finds out that his intuition was right on: Hawk is currently employed by King Powers a Boston loan shark.  Spenser tries to explain to Harvey the gravity of his situation but he will hear none of it.  Before we know it, Harvey turns up with a couple of bumps and bruises courtesy of Hawk.

Meanwhile, Spenser determines that Pam Shepard wants nothing to do with Harvey and decides to leave her where she is.  Harvey (having hired Spenser to find and return her) gets very angry and fires Spenser.  Being fired has its advantages for our super sleuth and he is available to help with Pam calls with a problem.  She’s become involved (unwillingly) in a murder.  Spenser manages to solve the “case” in a tidy way that not only gets Pam & Harvey out of harms way but also manages to put away the bad guy in the process.

COMMENTARY:

It had been years since I read this novel and now that I think about it it’s probably the only Spenser novel that I’d not read multiple times.  For some reason I’d misplaced my copy and had to purchase a new copy.  In fact, as I was reading it it took me a good 100 pages or so to remember the story.  That said I REALLY enjoyed this one.  Hawk has become an essential part of the Spenser Universe and to see how he came into being is a real treat for any fan.  Parker doesn’t go into a ton of detail here about how Spenser and Hawk know one another except to say that they’d known one another for quite a while from back when they were both fighters.  Its obvious during the book that Hawk and Spenser have a relationship that is more than mere acquaintances.  When Spenser essentially lets Hawk escape near the end of the book you get a sense that this is a real friendship with a ton of mutual respect.

The other relationship that’s talked about quite a bit here is between Spenser and Susan.  By this point they are obviously in love, committed to one another and in for the long run.  In fact this is the novel where Spenser asks Susan to marry him.  She obviously (since they’re not married) says no and in true Susan/Spenser fashion says something to the affect of, “It’s enough knowing that you’ve asked” or some such nonsense.

If you’re a Spenser fan this is definitely one of the good ones to go back and pick up.  If you’re a fan of Susan/Spenser together then this one will make quite a bit of their story make more sense to you.  If you’re a fan of Hawk then this is required reading and shame on you for never reading it

This is the thirty-sixth (36) Spenser novel written by Robert B. Parker.  It was originally published in 2008.  Returning once again (for his third appearance) is Rugar (The Gray Man).

NOTE: This review will contain spoilers.

Preceded By: Now And Then

PLOT SUMMARY:

Spenser is hired to accompany professional gold [...]]]> BOOK DETAILS/INFORMATION:

This is the thirty-sixth (36) Spenser novel written by Robert B. Parker.  It was originally published in 2008.  Returning once again (for his third appearance) is Rugar (The Gray Man).

NOTE: This review will contain spoilers.

Preceded By: Now And Then

PLOT SUMMARY:

Spenser is hired to accompany professional gold digger Heidi Bradshaw to the wedding of her daughter.  The wedding takes place at the incredibly posh (and secluded – wink wink nudge nudge) Tashtego Island which is only accessible via boat or helicopter.  This is obviously a plot point that is flushed out rather quickly.  Spenser decides to bring Susan along for the ride to this event and things take an almost immediate turn for the worse when they run into The Gray Man (Rugar).

As they tend to do when Rugar is around things turn toward death.  Rugar kills the groom and kidnaps the bride.  Spenser’s quest now turns to finding the bride and determining why Rugar is so interested in the girl.

COMMENTARY:

As with all of Parker’s novels the dialogue is what leads the way.  Spenser’s long time love interest Susan Silverman is here but not in overwhelming fashion.  Hawk makes an appearance which is always a plus in my book though I did find it interesting that the relationship between Hawk, Spenser and Susan has REALLY taken on a “family” feel.  I noticed it in part because the three share a Thanksgiving dinner together… something that Spenser specifically said would never happen way back in Looking for Rachel Wallace. As a side note, my memory isn’t nearly that good… I just happened to be re-reading all of my Spenser novels and I have recently finished up that one.  It almost feels like we’re working toward the “end” of Spenser, Hawk & Susan.

The inclusion of Rugar here is great.  I have always enjoyed the interaction between he and Spenser.  The thing that seems odd here is Spenser’s reaction to him.  They obviously both live by “The Code” which Spenser references so often but you’d just think that someone who tried to kill you all those years back wouldn’t be a “buddy”.  There’s also a general sense of not-caring when it comes to murder in this book.  I’m sure its a desensitization for Spenser, Hawk and Rugar but it seems to be for all the characters in this book.

There’s one thing that I just can’t get past in this one… why would Spenser let Rugar walk at the end?  Sure the bride is his daughter but come on!  The guy killed a bunch of people… has Spenser really come so far on the “what’s right is right” meter to just let killing go without being punished?  Spenser obviously has his own sense of “justice” but for the first time in a long time (possibly ever) I just didn’t agree with what Spenser was doing.

I’m far too invested in Parker’s novels to give an objective recommendation so I won’t bother.  As always the dialogue is top notch, there’s not too much Susan in here for my liking and what action there is keeps you on the edge of your seat.  The only complaint that I have with Parker’s writing these days is that there’s not enough of it

This is the fifth Spenser novel written by Robert B. Parker.  It was originally published in 1978.

Preceded By: Promised Land
Followed By: Looking For Rachel Wallace

PLOT SUMMARY:

A recluse millionaire in a wheelchair (think Mason Verger from Hannibal without the facial deformity), Hugh Dixon, hires Spenser [...]]]> BOOK DETAILS/INFORMATION:

This is the fifth Spenser novel written by Robert B. Parker.  It was originally published in 1978.

Preceded By: Promised Land
Followed By: Looking For Rachel Wallace

PLOT SUMMARY:

A recluse millionaire in a wheelchair (think Mason Verger from Hannibal without the facial deformity), Hugh Dixon, hires Spenser to find the members of a terrorist group (Liberty) that killed his family.  Spenser does what he does and stirs the pot to the point where he needs to call in backup in the form of Hawk.

Spenser finds a member of the group known as “Katherine”  and tracks her to Copenhagen, he meets the leader of the group, Paul.  The group turns out to be a white-supremacist group which leads to some snappy dialogue between Spenser & Hawk. Tired of dealing with Spenser (as he proves very difficult to kill) Paul leaves the last two members responsible for the bombing shot dead in Spenser and Hawk’s hotel room.  With his “contract” completed Spenser must determine if he should go home or “finish the job”.  As we all knew he would he decides to stay on till the end.

They follow Paul and crew to Montreal where the Olympics are going on.  They there learn of a plot to assassinate a gold medal winner and Spenser and Hawk must stop them.  Paul is now being guarded by a huge bodybuilder named Zachary.  In a great sequence Spenser and Hawk take on Zachary where they all are worse off than when the confrontation began.

COMMENTARY:

Spenser is synonymous with Boston.  When he travels it’s normally for a short time and he returns home relatively quickly.  For the majority of this novel he’s not only out of the Boston area, but he’s out of the United States.  This is one of the only Parker novels that I can remember that has one of his characters travel for such an extended period of time so far from home.  It certainly doesn’t detract from the book, but it’s very noticeable.

One of the things that has always drawn me to Parker’s work is the dialogue.  Read any one of his books and you’ll get a pretty good sense of who he is as a writer.  There were a couple of lines here that really stood out to me.

Spenser: “I miss Susan.”
Hawk: “Can’t blame you for that , man, she got one of the finest ass…”
I looked up.
Hawk said, “Cancel that, man.  I sorry.  That ain’t your kinda talk about Susan.  It ain’t mine either.  I forgot myself.”
I nodded.

Hawk was first introduced in the previous Spenser novel Promised Land but dialogue like this shows the depth of friendship that they have.  It also speaks to the “Code” that we’ve come to know and love.

We were quiet on the ride to the airport.  Susan was a terrible driver and I spent a lot of time stomping my right foot on the floorboards.

Any man out there who’s ever driven with his significant other (who isn’t all that great behind the wheel) knows exactly how this feels.

As I stated previously this one is almost entirely out of the Boston area.  It’s a great story of Spenser & Hawk working together and for those that don’t like Susan all that much her involvement here is pretty limited.  I always say that I cannot be very objective when it comes to Parker’s works but this one is top notch all the way.