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A review by koshpeli
Bad Business by Robert B. Parker
4.0
Good mystery. I do think that there might have been some more intrigue shown, rather than told. The beginning had an interesting situation involving multiple private eyes, but that kind of disappeared and before we could have much fun with the first suspect . Still good stuff, lots of witty remarks and people at various levels of guilt, complicity, and self-awareness or denial of how terrible they are.
I do see we are in the period of the MAN CODE DIALOGUES. Every book, sometimes multiple times per book, someone says "Oh my, you have a man code" and Spenser/Susan/Hawk says, "Yes, but it's ineffable." then there is some discussion of how this code of honor is so unique and how weird it is that he has it and Hawk has it, then we list the cast of characters who have it, sometimes with their little ethnic epithets because people often think of people they are close to that way (Hey the Hispanic vice-president wants to talk to you, Bob!). Spenser Friends Role Call!
The annoying thing is, yes, the man of honor/code thing is what makes Spenser a great hero and it's part of the noir tradition and I like how Spenser has always played with it, sometimes subverted it, but it's not actually all that bizarre. "You're not going to kill the bad guy, chop him into pieces and feed him to his family? How odd. I can't understand people who have a sense of morals. I live in the suburbs/work out but not to be a professional boxer/have a white collar job/like modern music/eat McDonalds and thus am inferior to you in every way, a total hypocrite and have no moral center. I wish I were a professional thug who has probably killed 20 people. Then I'd be as good as you!"
Also, man does Parker have to work on his issues with homosexuals.
Spoiler
, he died and was quickly revealed to be a good guy. The mysterious guru whom we all knew would be evil, could have been more conniving and I think it might have been more interesting if he had been the classic connected-but-over-his-head-Spenser adversary, pushing Spenser around until his Mafia connections decided to turn him loose and let Hawk and Spenser have at himI do see we are in the period of the MAN CODE DIALOGUES. Every book, sometimes multiple times per book, someone says "Oh my, you have a man code" and Spenser/Susan/Hawk says, "Yes, but it's ineffable." then there is some discussion of how this code of honor is so unique and how weird it is that he has it and Hawk has it, then we list the cast of characters who have it, sometimes with their little ethnic epithets because people often think of people they are close to that way (Hey the Hispanic vice-president wants to talk to you, Bob!). Spenser Friends Role Call!
The annoying thing is, yes, the man of honor/code thing is what makes Spenser a great hero and it's part of the noir tradition and I like how Spenser has always played with it, sometimes subverted it, but it's not actually all that bizarre. "You're not going to kill the bad guy, chop him into pieces and feed him to his family? How odd. I can't understand people who have a sense of morals. I live in the suburbs/work out but not to be a professional boxer/have a white collar job/like modern music/eat McDonalds and thus am inferior to you in every way, a total hypocrite and have no moral center. I wish I were a professional thug who has probably killed 20 people. Then I'd be as good as you!"
Also, man does Parker have to work on his issues with homosexuals.