God Save the Child

By Robert B. Parker

God Save the Child is Parker’s second published novel and also the second featuring Spenser, his famous, wise-cracking private gumshoe.  This novel is just as good as any other Spenser book I’ve read (or heard).  In this novel, Spenser is hired by a couple whose teenage son appears to have been kidnapped.  Though no violence is present at first, as with any Spenser novel, eventually someone ends up murdered.  In this case, not all the victims are even human.

Spenser is hired by a couple worried about their son who has disappeared from the home sometime after school one day.  No foul play is evident, but they’re certain he was kidnapped.  Spenser does some nosing around, but isn’t so sure.  Eventually a ransom note appears, so it seems he was kidnapped after all.  From here, a lot of things happen and once again, the more clues Spenser collects, the less he seems to know.  It all comes together in the end, with an unexpected ending, especially in the mid-1970s era in which it is set.  If I didn’t know better, I would’ve expected it be written today, since the subject matter is so contemporary.

Besides being a great little mystery, this book introduces Spenser’s longtime love interest, Susan Silverman.  She’s the counselor at the school the boy attended before being snatched.  Silverman and Spenser seem a perfect match, even in this early novel of their relationship.

One thing I notice about the Spenser novels is their similarity to two other series my brother introduced me to, The Destroyer and The Executioner.  I only read a few books from both of these series, but something bugged me about both of them.  In both series, the main characters, Remo Williams (The Destroyer) and Mack Bolan (The Executioner) are superhuman: nothing can beat them.  They win in every situation simply because they have superior abilities (Williams), superior firepower (Bolan) or super-human intelligence (both).  This isn’t the case with Spenser: he’s human.  He’s a very good P.I., but he’s not omnipotent like Williams or Bolan, which is pretty much why I got bored with the series.  From the beginning, I knew they wouldn’t lose.  Spenser never loses either, but he does get beat up and can come very close to death on several occasions.  So, good for Parker, for creating a believable and sympathetic character in Spenser.</gush>

A satisfying read, full of Parker’s trademark sparse prose and Spenser dry wit.  As with all the other books, this one made me look forward to the next.

External links

• Parker's page on God Save the Child.
• God Save the Child on Wikipedia