The Judas Goat: A Spencer Novel, by Robert B. Parker

There are people who say that they’ve been reading the late Robert B. Parker’s Spencer novels for thirty years or more. Wow, he had some loyal fans. I can’t say that I’ve ever read the same author like that for that many years. Usually after the first three or four books in a series, I bail.

Spencer is a former cop turned private detective who was first introduced in 1973 in The Godwulf Manuscript. My first introduction to his work was actually with Mortal Stakes (1975), a baseball book. I knew after finishing that I wanted to read more in this series.

As of today, there are 40 novels featuring the wise-cracking private detective from Boston. Sixkill was released posthumously this year to decent reviews. The one thing I notice fans remark on repeatedly is how ageless the characters seem to be in the novels. It’s as if time never passes in the Spencer universe. Characters never seem to grow old (do we want them to?) and everything seems to stay the same and formulaic. But anyway I picked up book #5, The Judas Goat (1978) and enjoyed reading it for the most part.

The plot could be ripped right from the headlines of today which is about random violence and terrorism in London. Spencer is hired to track down the members of a radical group called Liberty. They are anti-communists with a mission to keep “Africa white.” They bombed a restaurant that killed an entire family and left one survivor paralyzed. When Spencer is asked by the leader of the terrorist group why he’s in London staking out and following one of their members, Spencer replies succinctly:

“She and a number of her associates blew up the family of a rich and vengeful American,” I said. “He hired me to get even.”

This guy is indeed super rich and offers to pay Spencer a large sum of money for every member that is found, dead or alive. Conveniently, his new client pays for all of Spencer’s expenses and sets him up in a really nice London hotel. The police are cooperative even though they have no leads. I had to laugh at this part – to get things rolling, Spencer puts out flyers all over the place, offering a reward for info on the terrorist group. Sure enough the next day, they find him and try to kill him as if that comes as a surprise result. Eventually Hawk, Spencer’s dangerous side-kick, comes to London to help out since this assignment has turned into a two man job. The rest of the book has Spencer and Hawk searching for these revolutionaries in London, Denmark, Amsterdam and Montreal. During their down time they manage to find a safe spot to drink their Amstel beer and indulge themselves in fine food.

The Spencer novels so far seem to be just fun, light, quick reads. Spencer is an interesting character I must say. He’s a former cop and an ex-boxer so he’s a big guy with some flex. He’s also ego-centric and very good with a comeback. The one-liners in here are funny. He is sensitive and cares too much about what people think of him. He always remarks on what he’s wearing and loves good food and beer. Spencer is also a softy and a romantic. While in London, he remarks often on how much he misses his girlfriend, Susan Silverman, a psychology grad from Harvard.

While all novels in a series are not created equal, sometimes they surprise me and get a little deep and show a different, serious side to Spencer. I like that. Originally my expectations were a bit low for this series because you know, I feared the worst, that they would be dated and not very good. I can say that there is some substance to them and I can see why the series is regarded as one of the best. I am often surprised at the psychology or philosophy discussions in here. Thought-provoking stuff. Verdict: I actually like Spencer and his partner, Hawk, a black guy who is a hit man who always has his back. The bantering between them makes for some good reading as well. The Judas Goat gets a B from this reader. While I can’t see myself reaching for another now, I will later.