Valediction

Not surprisingly the case comes from Paul. His dance instructor claims that his girlfriend was kidnapped by the "Bullies," a fanatic religious sect. Spenser does not care about Tommy Banks or Sherry Spellman (that will come later), but he takes the case for Paul's sake. Even though he is barely going through the motions he will find out where Sherry is staying and will take more than a passing interest in the rather odd practices of the Reorganized Church of the Redemption. The problem is that our hero is nowhere near being at the top of his game and for once he is more than a step behind for most of the game with very costly results. Meanwhile things continue to go from bad to worse with Susan, and when Spenser connects with Linda, the woman he has been waving at across the street from his office window for several months, he is pretty much going through the motions there as well. Still, Spenser going through the motions is still above average, whether we are talking detective skills or affairs of the heart.

In retrospect we can see the groundwork laid for this cataclysmic split in the previous novels, but the foreshadowing was subtle enough that Susan's sudden actions sure come as a shock. But the hallmarks of this series, in addition to Spenser's caustic wit and pugilistic skills, have always been our hero's introspective and progressive character set against plots that over something different each time around, which does necessitate to my mind reading the books in order. "Valediction" is far and away the most painful Spenser novel and it certainly speaks to the very real possibility that worst things can happen down the road if that was not already clear to us. What this really underscores is that Parker is successfully fighting against the forces that compel many writers to repeat their best work, mainly because there is a history to this character and his relationships with the people in his life without slipping into the demeaning level of being a soap opera. That does not mean that Spenser is played on the operatic level, but it is certainly pointed in the right direction


Hawk Takes The Lead   March 27, 2003
Peter Kenney (Birmingham, Alabama, USA)
8 out of 8 found this review helpful

VALEDICTION is another Spenser and Hawk story set in Boston with much of it concentrated in the Back Bay section. It was written during a period when Spenser was heavily involved with Susan Silverman and, in this book, distracted by her absence. Spenser seems to stagger through the story while Hawk is always there to save him. Hawk is mentally and physically one step ahead of Spenser on this case. Judged as a whole, I found this to be one of Parker's best novels.


Spenser out on his own in a Bostonian High Noon   May 3, 2001
7 out of 7 found this review helpful

A crisp and elegant episode in the Spenser series with the wise weight-heaving gumshoe up against private despair, a crooked construction company, and a suspicious religious sect led by a Stewart Granger clone. Action highlight is a tense showdown on rain-lashed industrial wasteland between Spensr, low on bullets and in spirits, and five heavily armed thugs out for his blood. His longstanding lady-love meanwhile is elsewhere, dallying with another man, and occasionally phoning our hero up to salt his psychlogical wounds with some of her typical psychiatric simpering. Spenser wants her back, readers just want to see the back of her, but the awful self-questioning Susan is the only weak link in this fine thriller series, coasting along on careful wit and coolly-depicted violence. "Valediction" even throws in a little plot tweak towards the end, not so common in Parker, and a nice surprise.