Louisville Mojo: Of Gumshoes, Mice & Men; Parker's 'The Professional' Reviewed

In a deceptively daring and layered new novel, Spenser the private eye meets "Of Mice and Men" on the mean streets of Boston.

In "The Professional," the 38th book in the Spenser series by Robert B. Parker, the surprisingly literate detective with no first name dives headlong into a case that explores the nature of love, commitment and guardianship, in ways surprising and not always readily apparent.

There are several layers to the story, which on the surface is a simple case of young wives with older, wealthier husbands being blackmailed after adulterous affairs, all with the same man. Beneath it all though is something of an exploration of the psychological relationship between sex and love...

...And then there's the "Mice and Men" subplot, one so obvious Parker even foreshadows by having Spenser point out the two pertinent characters' similarities to George and Lenny, the protagonists of the famous Steinbeck novella.

"Lemme Guess," Spenser says at one point. "You're George, and you're Lenny."

I can't go into it too much more without ruining the ending, but it's not an ending any alert reader will be too surprised by -- but the Spenser novels aren't about their surprises; they're about the exploration of the human heart and the heart of the namesake character (and, one suspects, the author) himself.

Suffice it to say, the new novel echoes the classic in interesting ways but doesn't lose its worth as a good detective story on its own merits.

Since his inception in The Godwulf Manuscript in 1973, The prose in the Spenser novels has grown more sparse, in both good and bad ways, and the banter has slipped a bit and grown slightly dated...but the books are still worthwhile reads if only for how much they stand apart from most detective fiction.

The Spenser series gave rise to both the short-lived "Spenser: for Hire" and shorter-lived "Hawk" television series; Parker's Jesse Stone novels have been adapted as primetime move specials starring Tom Selleck on network TV; and his foray into westerns, "Appaloosa," was adapted into the 2008 movie of the same name starring Ed Harris, Viggo Mortensen and Jeremy Irons, so his cultural relevance is widespread -- and it seems like his attention on Spenser may have wandered somewhat.

But even though he may not reach his earlier heights, Spenser remains in many ways the standard-bearer for smart, witty, literate detective fiction, and for longtime readers the later novels have perhaps become more ritual and reflection, as well as a chance to check in with old friends to see how they're getting along these days.

As someone who's read every single one of the Spenser novels, it was nice to visit with the old guy and see that he's still got it.

-ch

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