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Spenser #35
Now & Then
Investigating a case of infidelity sounds simple—until it plunges Spenser and his beloved Susan into a politically charged murder plot that’s already left three people dead.
322 pages, Paperback
First published October 23, 2007
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1563 people want to read
About the author
Robert B. Parker
492 books2,304 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database named Robert B. Parker.
Robert Brown Parker was an American writer, primarily of fiction within the mystery/detective genre. His most famous works were the 40 novels written about the fictional private detective Spenser. ABC television network developed the television series Spenser: For Hire based on the character in the mid-1980s; a series of TV movies was also produced based on the character. His works incorporate encyclopedic knowledge of the Boston metropolitan area. The Spenser novels have been cited as reviving and changing the detective genre by critics and bestselling authors including Robert Crais, Harlan Coben, and Dennis Lehane.
Parker also wrote nine novels featuring the fictional character Jesse Stone, a Los Angeles police officer who moves to a small New England town; six novels with the fictional character Sunny Randall, a female private investigator; and four Westerns starring the duo Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch. The first was Appaloosa, made into a film starring Ed Harris and Viggo Mortensen.
Robert Brown Parker was an American writer, primarily of fiction within the mystery/detective genre. His most famous works were the 40 novels written about the fictional private detective Spenser. ABC television network developed the television series Spenser: For Hire based on the character in the mid-1980s; a series of TV movies was also produced based on the character. His works incorporate encyclopedic knowledge of the Boston metropolitan area. The Spenser novels have been cited as reviving and changing the detective genre by critics and bestselling authors including Robert Crais, Harlan Coben, and Dennis Lehane.
Parker also wrote nine novels featuring the fictional character Jesse Stone, a Los Angeles police officer who moves to a small New England town; six novels with the fictional character Sunny Randall, a female private investigator; and four Westerns starring the duo Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch. The first was Appaloosa, made into a film starring Ed Harris and Viggo Mortensen.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 515 reviews
September 18, 2019
A typical later Spenser novel. A "simple" infidelity case turns out to involve the FBI, the CIA, and terrorists (or terrorist wannabes, at least). Susan of course in soon in danger, the reinforcements are summoned (Hawk, Vinnie, Chollo), and Spenser and Susan discuss their relationship ad nauseum.They even flirt (sigh) with the possibility of marriage. The actual mystery--which Spenser solves in a road trip to Cleveland, is actually somewhat interesting, but it is not even to tip the balance. This is a ho-hum book.
The tough talk is as good as always (although I grow weary of the tough guy ethnic humor), but the later books in this series often seem tired and repetitive. The relationship between Spenser and Susan, always formulaic, has now lost most of its credibility. Less believable than the epic battles or the snappy, extempore literary allusions, it is a frozen fantasy of mature love that exhausts our willing suspension of disbelief and damages the total effect of many of the later books of this otherwise exemplary series.
June 7, 2013
Over the years, several bad guys have tried to stop Spenser by going after his girlfriend, Susan. Somehow not one of them managed to even seriously injure her. It makes one wish that Boston had more competent criminals.
Spenser gets hired by Dennis Doherty to find out if his wife is cheating on him. Following adulterous spouses isn’t Spenser’s favorite part of the detective business, but he takes the job and quickly finds out that the missus is indeed stepping out on Dennis. What should be a routine gig takes a violent turn with people getting dead, and Spenser is likely the next target. Fearing for Susan’s safety, Spenser whistles up some of his favorite thugs to protect her while he tries to put a stop to it.
Spenser’s experience with Susan cheating on him before their temporary separation way back when has him relating to Dennis to an extreme degree so that he seems to go above and beyond to stand up for the guy. Because the threat to Susan is a part of this, she’s in the book even more than usual, and that ain’t a good thing. Although Spenser does get fed up with her at one point and yells at her a little. Which was fun, but I wanted more. At this point, anything less than Spenser giving her a brutal pistol whipping wouldn’t be enough to make me happy.
This one again shows that RBP had run out of gas with the repeating of the same observations, themes and dialogue. The jokes about Susan being a Harvard graduate were tired many books ago, but it’s still used at least four times in this one. The rest of it is all too familiar to any long time Spenser reader. It’s not bad. It’s just been done before.
Next up: Spenser tries to stop some wedding crashers in Rough Weather.
Spenser gets hired by Dennis Doherty to find out if his wife is cheating on him. Following adulterous spouses isn’t Spenser’s favorite part of the detective business, but he takes the job and quickly finds out that the missus is indeed stepping out on Dennis. What should be a routine gig takes a violent turn with people getting dead, and Spenser is likely the next target. Fearing for Susan’s safety, Spenser whistles up some of his favorite thugs to protect her while he tries to put a stop to it.
Spenser’s experience with Susan cheating on him before their temporary separation way back when has him relating to Dennis to an extreme degree so that he seems to go above and beyond to stand up for the guy. Because the threat to Susan is a part of this, she’s in the book even more than usual, and that ain’t a good thing. Although Spenser does get fed up with her at one point and yells at her a little. Which was fun, but I wanted more. At this point, anything less than Spenser giving her a brutal pistol whipping wouldn’t be enough to make me happy.
This one again shows that RBP had run out of gas with the repeating of the same observations, themes and dialogue. The jokes about Susan being a Harvard graduate were tired many books ago, but it’s still used at least four times in this one. The rest of it is all too familiar to any long time Spenser reader. It’s not bad. It’s just been done before.
Next up: Spenser tries to stop some wedding crashers in Rough Weather.
January 19, 2022
Most of what I have read by Robert Parker is the Jesse Stone series, but this fit a category for a challenge so thought I would try a Spencer book. The book had witty dialogue, a tough-as-nails protagonist, three quirky sidekicks (Hawk, Vinnie, Chollo), and a rather unpleasant character in Susan. It's a formula that obviously worked through many years and more than 50 books featuring these characters. Now and Then certainly holds its own among novels of the suspense genre. It was a well-paced, realistic detective thriller...but I still like Jesse Stone more.
April 9, 2021
I love Robert B. Parker’s Spenser series, and I’m committed to reading the entire series in order. Parker wrote 39 titles; Now & Then is #35, so I’m getting close. But I am really sick of the Spenser-Susan relationship. I know Spenser is in love with Susan (he’s been telling us for years), and I know that the relationship supposedly reflects Parker’s relationship with his wife, Joan. But enough already! Enough for me to reduce this one from four stars to three.
The plot of Now & Then is actually pretty interesting. Spenser takes on some surveillance work for a man, Dennis Doherty, who suspects that his wife Jordan is cheating on him. Spenser soon confirms it and tells Doherty, but shortly afterward, three people have been murdered. It’s pretty clear that the murders are related to the work Spenser did for Doherty, and Spenser suspects that Jordan’s lover, fellow college professor Perry Alderson, is behind them. Spenser has also learned that Alderson is involved with radical political groups and that he may not be who he seems to be. Spenser is determined to investigate Alderson and see that justice is done.
Now & Then features some pretty interesting detective work by Spenser. I like the fact that he travels to Cleveland and Erie, Pennsylvania, in search of clues to Alderson’s background. And I enjoyed the scenes with FBI agent Epstein, which include some good Spenserian banter. Epstein is a worthy member of the roster of Spenser’s law-enforcement pals, so it’s nice to see him get more of a role here than he has had in previous appearances. It’s also fun that Spenser has once again gotten some of his free-lance gang together to help him: Hawk, of course, along with Vinnie Morris and Chollo. (Spenser also tried for Tedy Sapp and Bernard J. Fortunato, but Sapp was out of the country and he couldn’t locate Fortunato.) Chollo, especially, provides some entertaining moments.
But Susan! Give me a break—please! I know by now that Spenser is nothing if not dogged in his determination to get justice, even if it’s flawed. Often there is a personal element in that quest. But here, that personal element is spelled out repeatedly: it’s all about Susan.
Spenser could easily—not to mention appropriately—leave it to Epstein and the FBI to bring Alderson to justice, but no. He has to pursue Alderson himself because the situation reminds him of the time twenty years earlier (in A Catskill Eagle) when Susan left him for another man, Russell Costigan. Spenser had wanted to kill Costigan, but he couldn’t. Now he persuades himself that if he can destroy Alderson on Doherty’s behalf, he will somehow make up for not killing Costigan. Hawk is the one who first articulates this theory of Spenser’s motivation, but Susan the all-knowing shrink agrees. Alderson adds fuel to the fire by trying to seduce Susan (because who wouldn’t?) in order to get to Spenser. Spenser says that that was then, and this is now (hence the title), but he knows Hawk’s theory is accurate.
To me, it may be accurate, but it’s not all that believable, and it’s yet another example of Spenser’s Susan-worship. Couple that with the unending, nauseating discussion between Spenser and Susan of their unique love—as usual, some of the phone conversations they have when Spenser is away are the worst examples—and this book is just too Susan-centric for my liking. I still enjoyed the book for its plot, other characters, and non-Susan dialogue, but really, enough already with Susan!
The plot of Now & Then is actually pretty interesting. Spenser takes on some surveillance work for a man, Dennis Doherty, who suspects that his wife Jordan is cheating on him. Spenser soon confirms it and tells Doherty, but shortly afterward, three people have been murdered. It’s pretty clear that the murders are related to the work Spenser did for Doherty, and Spenser suspects that Jordan’s lover, fellow college professor Perry Alderson, is behind them. Spenser has also learned that Alderson is involved with radical political groups and that he may not be who he seems to be. Spenser is determined to investigate Alderson and see that justice is done.
Now & Then features some pretty interesting detective work by Spenser. I like the fact that he travels to Cleveland and Erie, Pennsylvania, in search of clues to Alderson’s background. And I enjoyed the scenes with FBI agent Epstein, which include some good Spenserian banter. Epstein is a worthy member of the roster of Spenser’s law-enforcement pals, so it’s nice to see him get more of a role here than he has had in previous appearances. It’s also fun that Spenser has once again gotten some of his free-lance gang together to help him: Hawk, of course, along with Vinnie Morris and Chollo. (Spenser also tried for Tedy Sapp and Bernard J. Fortunato, but Sapp was out of the country and he couldn’t locate Fortunato.) Chollo, especially, provides some entertaining moments.
But Susan! Give me a break—please! I know by now that Spenser is nothing if not dogged in his determination to get justice, even if it’s flawed. Often there is a personal element in that quest. But here, that personal element is spelled out repeatedly: it’s all about Susan.
Spenser could easily—not to mention appropriately—leave it to Epstein and the FBI to bring Alderson to justice, but no. He has to pursue Alderson himself because the situation reminds him of the time twenty years earlier (in A Catskill Eagle) when Susan left him for another man, Russell Costigan. Spenser had wanted to kill Costigan, but he couldn’t. Now he persuades himself that if he can destroy Alderson on Doherty’s behalf, he will somehow make up for not killing Costigan. Hawk is the one who first articulates this theory of Spenser’s motivation, but Susan the all-knowing shrink agrees. Alderson adds fuel to the fire by trying to seduce Susan (because who wouldn’t?) in order to get to Spenser. Spenser says that that was then, and this is now (hence the title), but he knows Hawk’s theory is accurate.
To me, it may be accurate, but it’s not all that believable, and it’s yet another example of Spenser’s Susan-worship. Couple that with the unending, nauseating discussion between Spenser and Susan of their unique love—as usual, some of the phone conversations they have when Spenser is away are the worst examples—and this book is just too Susan-centric for my liking. I still enjoyed the book for its plot, other characters, and non-Susan dialogue, but really, enough already with Susan!
March 12, 2020
Spenser the P.I. is hired by an unlikable guy who thinks his wife is up to funny business, maybe even hanky panky.
Throw in the usual thugs who try to dissuade our hero, and he turns to Hawk, Vinnie and Chollo for some muscle and guns to even the odds. Lil too much Spenser/Susan ruminating on the domestic front.
Throw in the usual thugs who try to dissuade our hero, and he turns to Hawk, Vinnie and Chollo for some muscle and guns to even the odds. Lil too much Spenser/Susan ruminating on the domestic front.
September 25, 2018
I've read better Spenser tales, but any Spenser is pretty good. Still, as time (and the novels) went on, he became more...cute--and I prefer him more hard-boiled. And even though I am a Harvard Ph.D. myself, I get tired of the running "well, after all, you have a Ph.D. from Harvard" joke.
March 29, 2020
I’m kind of thinking how close to the end of Parker’s books that I am. This was another really, really good one. Spenser and Susan took the lead but much of the gang was still there. Spenser tied this one up perfectly in the end.
March 19, 2011
Spenser NOW & THEN (2007) set me on a mission of detection--to compare and contrast Robert B. Parker's 1st Spenser novel with this one, his last, before he died at his desk writing still more Spenser tales (subsequently published.) It is my contention that the 1st novel is often the best an author has to offer, maybe not in writing, but in the having of something to say--the big idea rattling 'round his or her brain that is. Parker's 1st, THE GODWULF MANUSCRIPT, was published in 1973 and so there is a record of thirty-four years (he wrote 34 Spenser novels.) from first to last. Parker is an author/writer worthy of envy. He did what many writers aspire to but few accomplish--he created a character and a career and a good living for the rest of his life. Looking at Parker's book's author photos on the jackets of the books gives me the impression Spenser was a man Parker wished he was (not at all unusual for authors). He-Spencer- was fearless (on the outside). This line is uttered, in code, in both the 1st and last book. Indeed, the stories are very similar as are the hero and the villains. Spenser has calmed down some in the 2007 version and become a little less antisocial, but not much. I wrote down the characteristics of Spenser as I read NOW & THEN. I wrote: Clever, Strong, Quite, Smart, Healthy, Tough, Protective, Honest, Sentimental, Sensual, Sexual, Competitive, Confident. When the GODWULF MANUSCRIPT (a terrible title btw) took place (The early 70s and in Boston) Spenser was 37 years old (Parker was 41), a Korean War veteran, single, former cop turned PI, former heavyweight boxer, and a very violent, hard-drinking, junk food eating, apolitical, hyper-sexual, wise cracking, large athletic, observant, smart, well-read always-gets-the-girl, always-gets-his-man man. A man's man. A Clint Eastwood 'Man With No Name' type. For example: Spenser, in the span of 24hrs, screws both his employer (a 43 yr.old married socialite) & her daughter (a 20yr.old victim of all sorts of 'Things'); and insults just about everyone else, wolf's down 9 Big Macs, eats a dozen donuts, drinks gallons of coffee and several pints of bourbon, beats up boys and men, breaks laws right & left, cracks wise, sleeps little and cooks up some great meals. But there is this - if not for the heroic action of the large, unattractive, dull, wife of a weak university professor, Spencer would have been killed by a skilled hired outlaw, hired enforcer thug. But in the end, Spenser survives a bullet wound, the case, the law, and gets still another girl who fell for his charms. Now, in NOW & THEN, it is 2005 and there are still more radical, weak, anti-government, murderous, radical professors to be dealt with. Spenser has a girlfriend, a 'shrink,' and is still in Boston. He's now (doing the math) at least 69 years old and horny as he ever was, but he keeps his lasciviousness confined to 'his' girl. He's made some friends, anti-social professional killers, who he has do most of his work. Spencer now is mostly a thinker, but still packs a mean & powerful punch in and out of bed.) Parker, now, as writer & author, doesn't bother with much of anything other than clipped and snappy dialogue between Spenser and his pals, girlfriend, bad guys, and the cops. I recommend the early Parker, if you like "Manly-men" fantasy tales. Here's to Robert B. Parker, cheers.
September 3, 2025
Boston PI Spenser is hired by a man to trail his adulterating wife. Spenser finds that the woman and her new guy are involved in something even more unseemly than just the affair and he stumbles upon an FBI counterterrorism investigation into a group of radicals at the college.
Spenser's investigation into this woman-chasing professor also passes as a kind of examination into his own relationship with his longtime girlfriend Susan; he's taken it upon himself to make things right for the man who hired him because he feels bad for him.
Verdict: An interesting detective mystery.
Jeff's Rating: 3 / 5 (Good)
movie rating if made into a movie: R
Spenser's investigation into this woman-chasing professor also passes as a kind of examination into his own relationship with his longtime girlfriend Susan; he's taken it upon himself to make things right for the man who hired him because he feels bad for him.
Verdict: An interesting detective mystery.
Jeff's Rating: 3 / 5 (Good)
movie rating if made into a movie: R
September 5, 2009
Okay so it ain't literature and it's definitely formula fiction but I LOVE the formula. Tough non-flappable Spenser (with a heart). Tough Hawk (without a heart). Susan (best beloved). Vinnie Morris (i-Pod listening shooter without either heart or soul). Pearl, Spenser and Susan's second dog. Also I loved the big print version I read because that meant I could read it while on the elliptical exerciser. In this book a man asks Spenser to follow his wife whom he thinks is cheating on him. She is. The situation recalls a similar experience Spenser had with Susan many years earlier and he become personally involved and pursues the case beyond the point where he could have turned it over to the authorities. The only real shocker in this book is the dedication. It's dedicated to Rose. What happened to Joan? All Parker's previous books (or the ones I've read) have been dedicated to Joan.
Just re-read this (September 2009)
"So it goes." (Kurt Vonnegut)
Just re-read this (September 2009)
"So it goes." (Kurt Vonnegut)
May 20, 2008
(i'd actually rate this book 2 1/2 stars but i don't know how to do the half-star thing.)
i went to the library looking for a mystery to reward myself for finishing my article and i found this. spenser is always (well, almost always) enjoyable, so i picked it up. it was indeed a fun read. in this book you not only get the expected character ticks -- with lots of manly badinage -- and some shooting, but as an extra bonus, spenser actually does some detecting. in cleveland, no less. parker has such a smooth style. the characters and narrative go down as slick as a raw oyster. without the hepatitis. (his jesse stone novels are even smoother, but i've resolved not to read any more of them until he modulates the obsessive theme. it's boring, bob! keep your personal life out of your stories. you're not hemingway.)
in addition to the characters and plot, every now and then parker slips in a nice writerly touch. like when he says of a character who killed a lake erie charter boat captain and then assumed his identity that he "had undergone a lake change." or when he says of the dissembling and manipulative villain whom he has just taken down with a hard left hook: "He stared at me. And in his stare I saw for the first time the furtive reptilian glitter of his soul." nice rhythm. or when he speaks of his mythic black sidekick hawk's "barely contained kinesis."
i found this short graf strangely moving:
"Behind Captain Quirk's desk was a picture of a very young Ted Williams, in a Minneapolis Millers uniform. He was beautiful. Nineteen years old then, and it was all ahead of him."
and how could you not like a book about a character named spenser who says:
"the medieval courtly love tradition holds that love is impossible in marriage because it is coerced."
but it sounds like he is going to marry susan anyway. who says series characters never change?
i went to the library looking for a mystery to reward myself for finishing my article and i found this. spenser is always (well, almost always) enjoyable, so i picked it up. it was indeed a fun read. in this book you not only get the expected character ticks -- with lots of manly badinage -- and some shooting, but as an extra bonus, spenser actually does some detecting. in cleveland, no less. parker has such a smooth style. the characters and narrative go down as slick as a raw oyster. without the hepatitis. (his jesse stone novels are even smoother, but i've resolved not to read any more of them until he modulates the obsessive theme. it's boring, bob! keep your personal life out of your stories. you're not hemingway.)
in addition to the characters and plot, every now and then parker slips in a nice writerly touch. like when he says of a character who killed a lake erie charter boat captain and then assumed his identity that he "had undergone a lake change." or when he says of the dissembling and manipulative villain whom he has just taken down with a hard left hook: "He stared at me. And in his stare I saw for the first time the furtive reptilian glitter of his soul." nice rhythm. or when he speaks of his mythic black sidekick hawk's "barely contained kinesis."
i found this short graf strangely moving:
"Behind Captain Quirk's desk was a picture of a very young Ted Williams, in a Minneapolis Millers uniform. He was beautiful. Nineteen years old then, and it was all ahead of him."
and how could you not like a book about a character named spenser who says:
"the medieval courtly love tradition holds that love is impossible in marriage because it is coerced."
but it sounds like he is going to marry susan anyway. who says series characters never change?
February 26, 2011
Once upon a time, in a college far, far away, I had a Creative Writing Professor declare "Write what you know."
If this is the case, there are two things Robert B. Parker knows.
First, how to find food just about anywhere, how to eat in nearly every chapter, even if it is just a cinammon bun. Seriously, the references to food, to coffee, and other edible things just get annoying. It is almost as if he has to insert something to fill in the spaces between his witty dialogue. Judging by Parker's references to food (and the picture on the back of his books) Parker must know something about eating. and eating.. and eating.
Second, the pain of being cheated on must have been very real for Mr. Parker. Since both Jesse Stone and Spenser have relationship problems, severe hurt, because of being cheated on by their ex-wifes or significant other. This hurt plays such a significant part in the dialogue and characterization of Spenser (and Stone in the Jesse Stone novels) that the reader has to believe that Parker was really an emotional mess.
This time, Parker does a good job of throwing up a mystery, this time sort of interesting. A cheating wife of an F.B.I. agent and a revolutionary with a mysterious past. Spenser does a good job of investigating and resolving the mystery, but once again, Spenser sets up the bad guys, gets into a huge shootout and that's just about the extent of the novel. A modern-day western novel.. with a big shootout climax... And once again, Spenser manages to skate away without any legal consequences, because in Parker's fantasy world that's what happens to the good guys.. the law ignores their illegal activity.
Parker is fun to read.. but his novels all seem the same to me. I won't go out of my way to get ahold of anymore of them, but if they fall into my lap that's okay. They read quickly and are usually a little fun. However, the food references really get annoying..
If this is the case, there are two things Robert B. Parker knows.
First, how to find food just about anywhere, how to eat in nearly every chapter, even if it is just a cinammon bun. Seriously, the references to food, to coffee, and other edible things just get annoying. It is almost as if he has to insert something to fill in the spaces between his witty dialogue. Judging by Parker's references to food (and the picture on the back of his books) Parker must know something about eating. and eating.. and eating.
Second, the pain of being cheated on must have been very real for Mr. Parker. Since both Jesse Stone and Spenser have relationship problems, severe hurt, because of being cheated on by their ex-wifes or significant other. This hurt plays such a significant part in the dialogue and characterization of Spenser (and Stone in the Jesse Stone novels) that the reader has to believe that Parker was really an emotional mess.
This time, Parker does a good job of throwing up a mystery, this time sort of interesting. A cheating wife of an F.B.I. agent and a revolutionary with a mysterious past. Spenser does a good job of investigating and resolving the mystery, but once again, Spenser sets up the bad guys, gets into a huge shootout and that's just about the extent of the novel. A modern-day western novel.. with a big shootout climax... And once again, Spenser manages to skate away without any legal consequences, because in Parker's fantasy world that's what happens to the good guys.. the law ignores their illegal activity.
Parker is fun to read.. but his novels all seem the same to me. I won't go out of my way to get ahold of anymore of them, but if they fall into my lap that's okay. They read quickly and are usually a little fun. However, the food references really get annoying..
December 31, 2007
I have been a big fan of the Spenser series for a long time, but I've definitely noticed a decrease in quality with the ones written in the last ten or so years. I'm not sure what's more at fault - the frequency with which Parker churns out the Spenser titles, the fact that he's got two new characters with their own book series now (Jesse Stone and Sunny Randall), or the fact that he's been writing Spenser for so long?
Parker put the first Spenser title out in 1974, and he's written thirty-five of them now. It's not fair to expect them all to be winners, but it certainly seems like there have been a lot of losers lately. Last year's School Days was rather good, but that's been the rare case. Normally I don't complain too loudly - I don't expect these books to change my life. I read them because I look forward to visiting characters I'm very fond of. This one could have worked just fine - the primary plot is less of a whodunit than a whydunit, which is alright, but man alive, could the subplot have been any more forced?
Parker tries to put a twist on the pedestrian plot bysuggesting telling us there's some emotional resonance with this case for Spenser. Parker tells us - repeatedly - that this case reminds Spenser of the events of A Catskill Eagle, and as a result, our hero feels obligated to see this case through, and secure a particular result. The problem is, the circumstances of this case really aren't all that like Spenser and Susan's situation in A Catskill Eagle at all. It's a transparent attempt to ape character development, if you ask me. As a fan, I found it frustrating; it's just really lazy writing, and the characters deserve better.
Certainly one of the weakest of the Spenser books (down there with Widow's Walk).
Parker put the first Spenser title out in 1974, and he's written thirty-five of them now. It's not fair to expect them all to be winners, but it certainly seems like there have been a lot of losers lately. Last year's School Days was rather good, but that's been the rare case. Normally I don't complain too loudly - I don't expect these books to change my life. I read them because I look forward to visiting characters I'm very fond of. This one could have worked just fine - the primary plot is less of a whodunit than a whydunit, which is alright, but man alive, could the subplot have been any more forced?
Parker tries to put a twist on the pedestrian plot by
Certainly one of the weakest of the Spenser books (down there with Widow's Walk).
September 10, 2008
I was actually quite pleased by this novel. I mean, most Spenser novels please me, in a generic Spenser novel sort of way, but for some time there's been a hint of the cruise control about them. And why not? He's getting unnervingly close to 40 of them by now (and is anyone else having trouble ignoring the fact that Spenser was in Korea, and consequently is... kinda old now?)
This time out, however, things connect back on an emotional level to the pivotal events of Valediction and a Catskill Eagle, and it's good to be reminded that Spenser doesn't live a life of unconnected episodes without impact, but that the events do matter in the long run, even when they might seem long forgotten.
The mystery itself of this novel? It's fine; again, after this many Spenser books the mysteries run together a bit. The protecting-Susan scenario is something of a rerun, although I do always enjoy the bad-guys-turned-buddies that feature in Spenser. As always with such books, it's the characters that matter.
This time out, however, things connect back on an emotional level to the pivotal events of Valediction and a Catskill Eagle, and it's good to be reminded that Spenser doesn't live a life of unconnected episodes without impact, but that the events do matter in the long run, even when they might seem long forgotten.
The mystery itself of this novel? It's fine; again, after this many Spenser books the mysteries run together a bit. The protecting-Susan scenario is something of a rerun, although I do always enjoy the bad-guys-turned-buddies that feature in Spenser. As always with such books, it's the characters that matter.
April 19, 2008
I was well aware of the whole Parker-Spencer series, so I read this one, (my first one) and I finished it.
It's an easy read--sparse, to the the point, and not over the top with gratutious violence, the latter has become a big turn off in my reading novels of this pop suspense/mystery genre. Thus, in that aspect Now and Then has a positive.
After about 2/3rds of the book, however, I found myself losing interest. I can't even remember the cast of characters except for Spencer and his sidekick, Hawk. There's some past baggage with Spencer and his main gal, a shrink, who seems to be in trouble with the antagontist.
I have two more Spencer novels awaiting a future read; I'm glad I didn't pay for any of them.
Anyway, ho-hum.
It's an easy read--sparse, to the the point, and not over the top with gratutious violence, the latter has become a big turn off in my reading novels of this pop suspense/mystery genre. Thus, in that aspect Now and Then has a positive.
After about 2/3rds of the book, however, I found myself losing interest. I can't even remember the cast of characters except for Spencer and his sidekick, Hawk. There's some past baggage with Spencer and his main gal, a shrink, who seems to be in trouble with the antagontist.
I have two more Spencer novels awaiting a future read; I'm glad I didn't pay for any of them.
Anyway, ho-hum.
March 9, 2020
I’m getting close to the end of the Robert B. Parker Spenser series and it’s kind of sad. This book reflected back on a time when Susan and Spenser were apart. I used to not like the relationship ups and downs included in many of Parker’s books, but I have come to appreciate them. This book contained some closure for Spenser’s character which should be interesting to see how this carries forward.
December 20, 2019
Spenser’s new case resonates with thoughts of his past relationship with Susan Silverman, when she briefly left him for another man named Russell Costigan. It was a difficult time for both of them until Susan called asking for his help in extracting herself from the relationship. Spenser and Hawk rescued her in “A Catskill Eagle” one of the finest installments in the Spenser series. That past and this new case hold the key to the title of this book. It is all about what was “then” and what is “now”.
Dennis Doherty asks Spenser to find out if his wife Jordan Richmond, an English professor at the university, is cheating on him. He believes she may be having an affair with a man named Perry Alderson who lectures at the same school. Spenser has never liked this kind of work. Checking out cheating spouses has always made him feel like a “peeping tom”, but memories of his past with Susan when she left him for another man, push him to accept the assignment.
Spenser easily obtains the evidence that Jordan is cheating on her husband but what he discovers at the same time is worrisome. She is passing information she gets from her husband, an FBI agent, on to her lover. The information relates to terrorist groups and an organization called Lost Hope a brokerage firm for terrorists that collects information and sells it. They put bombers in touch with bomb makers and assassins in touch with those looking for assassins. And Lost Hope has many connections with foreign powers in the Middle East, Central Asia and even South America and Africa as potential buyers of their product.
Spenser connects with Epstein, his contact at the FBI and tells him what he has learned. He then turns over the tape to Dennis, his assignment now completed. But shortly afterwards, Jordan is dead, shot in the back in the parking lot at the college. And then the body of her husband is found floating in the river. But the tape is missing and nowhere to be found, not anywhere in Doherty's home or on his body. Spenser knows the timeline of events makes this all look like a murder suicide. A jealous husband discovered his wife was unfaithful, so he killed her and then himself.
Essentially Spenser’s case has come to a close, but his moral code kicks in and won’t let him leave it alone. His former client has been murdered and he must do something about it. Spenser believes Perry Alderson is the killer but has no proof so he sets a trap using himself as bait.
This installment is less about the crime than what it resonates for both Susan and Spenser about the past. Is Spenser's hunt for Perry Alderson really a reflection of his moral code or more about Spenser growing older and ruminating about the past, about the time Susan left him for another man.
The case is light on plot with little of the usual violence and gunplay. It moves at a pretty relaxed easy pace, but is heavy in its meaning for this couple. They have been through difficult times, but have come out the other side with their relationship intact and with more depth than before.
Ah yes Parker, always a good read.
Dennis Doherty asks Spenser to find out if his wife Jordan Richmond, an English professor at the university, is cheating on him. He believes she may be having an affair with a man named Perry Alderson who lectures at the same school. Spenser has never liked this kind of work. Checking out cheating spouses has always made him feel like a “peeping tom”, but memories of his past with Susan when she left him for another man, push him to accept the assignment.
Spenser easily obtains the evidence that Jordan is cheating on her husband but what he discovers at the same time is worrisome. She is passing information she gets from her husband, an FBI agent, on to her lover. The information relates to terrorist groups and an organization called Lost Hope a brokerage firm for terrorists that collects information and sells it. They put bombers in touch with bomb makers and assassins in touch with those looking for assassins. And Lost Hope has many connections with foreign powers in the Middle East, Central Asia and even South America and Africa as potential buyers of their product.
Spenser connects with Epstein, his contact at the FBI and tells him what he has learned. He then turns over the tape to Dennis, his assignment now completed. But shortly afterwards, Jordan is dead, shot in the back in the parking lot at the college. And then the body of her husband is found floating in the river. But the tape is missing and nowhere to be found, not anywhere in Doherty's home or on his body. Spenser knows the timeline of events makes this all look like a murder suicide. A jealous husband discovered his wife was unfaithful, so he killed her and then himself.
Essentially Spenser’s case has come to a close, but his moral code kicks in and won’t let him leave it alone. His former client has been murdered and he must do something about it. Spenser believes Perry Alderson is the killer but has no proof so he sets a trap using himself as bait.
This installment is less about the crime than what it resonates for both Susan and Spenser about the past. Is Spenser's hunt for Perry Alderson really a reflection of his moral code or more about Spenser growing older and ruminating about the past, about the time Susan left him for another man.
The case is light on plot with little of the usual violence and gunplay. It moves at a pretty relaxed easy pace, but is heavy in its meaning for this couple. They have been through difficult times, but have come out the other side with their relationship intact and with more depth than before.
Ah yes Parker, always a good read.
May 13, 2018
No seriously, 5 stars because these books are so good! And this one was actually about a narcissistic psychopath something like Stevie's husband. They are out there so don't believe everything that comes out of their mouths and if in doubt, check them out for God's sake !!!!
Page 167 . . . good men do nothing." . . .
Page 178 . . . get married," Susan said.
After a moment I said, "Didn't we already try that?"
"No," she said. "We tried living together. Which was something of a disappointment."
"True," I said.
Page 179 "But we didn't try marriage."
"I gather you don't see marriage as requiring cohabitation?" I said.
"No."
"It is often the case," I said.
"Yes." . . .
Page 194 . . . "What could be more fun than you and me?" Hawk said.
"Swapping jokes with Don Trump?" I said.
Page 206 . . . "Have you been thinking about marriage?"
"Yes."
"And?"
"We are the kind of people who marry," I said.
Page 207 "Yes."
"on the other hand there's nothing broken."
"So why fix it?" Susan said.
Page 282 . . . He turned back toward me and I hit him with a left
Page 283 hook. It was the left hook I'd been working on with Hawk for years. The left hook that if I'd had it as a kid Joe Walcott would never have beaten me. The left hook I'd been saving for a special occasion. It was a lollapalooza. I felt all of me go into the hook. I felt it up my arm and into my chest and shoulder and back. I felt it in my soul. It was almost like ejaculation.
Alderson staggered back againt ehw all to the right of the door and sank to a sitting position. . . .
Page 298 . . . I nodded.
"In a while," Epstein went on, "four bodies will turn up somewhere with nothing to tie them to you but the word of two whack job terrorists, who will probably find it in their best interests not to talk about it anyway."
I nodded. Epstein poured himself some more coffee and added some milk and a lot of sugar.
"In doing so," Epstein said, "you have behaved like a reckless sigilante."
Page 299 I nodded.
"Which has resulted in a great saving in time and effort on behalf of the bureau, and may have been of service to your country."
"Gee," I said.
"So think I will just say fuck it on the question of who else was here and who was killed, and concentrate on arresting and prosecuting Alderson, and the FFL."
Page 303 "Is it a good time to talk about marriage?" Susan said.
"The medieval courtly love tradition holds that love is impossible in marriage because it is coerced," I said.
"And what do you think of the courtly love tradition?" Susan said. . . . (must read book to finish the end of the book, roflmao)
Page 167 . . . good men do nothing." . . .
Page 178 . . . get married," Susan said.
After a moment I said, "Didn't we already try that?"
"No," she said. "We tried living together. Which was something of a disappointment."
"True," I said.
Page 179 "But we didn't try marriage."
"I gather you don't see marriage as requiring cohabitation?" I said.
"No."
"It is often the case," I said.
"Yes." . . .
Page 194 . . . "What could be more fun than you and me?" Hawk said.
"Swapping jokes with Don Trump?" I said.
Page 206 . . . "Have you been thinking about marriage?"
"Yes."
"And?"
"We are the kind of people who marry," I said.
Page 207 "Yes."
"on the other hand there's nothing broken."
"So why fix it?" Susan said.
Page 282 . . . He turned back toward me and I hit him with a left
Page 283 hook. It was the left hook I'd been working on with Hawk for years. The left hook that if I'd had it as a kid Joe Walcott would never have beaten me. The left hook I'd been saving for a special occasion. It was a lollapalooza. I felt all of me go into the hook. I felt it up my arm and into my chest and shoulder and back. I felt it in my soul. It was almost like ejaculation.
Alderson staggered back againt ehw all to the right of the door and sank to a sitting position. . . .
Page 298 . . . I nodded.
"In a while," Epstein went on, "four bodies will turn up somewhere with nothing to tie them to you but the word of two whack job terrorists, who will probably find it in their best interests not to talk about it anyway."
I nodded. Epstein poured himself some more coffee and added some milk and a lot of sugar.
"In doing so," Epstein said, "you have behaved like a reckless sigilante."
Page 299 I nodded.
"Which has resulted in a great saving in time and effort on behalf of the bureau, and may have been of service to your country."
"Gee," I said.
"So think I will just say fuck it on the question of who else was here and who was killed, and concentrate on arresting and prosecuting Alderson, and the FFL."
Page 303 "Is it a good time to talk about marriage?" Susan said.
"The medieval courtly love tradition holds that love is impossible in marriage because it is coerced," I said.
"And what do you think of the courtly love tradition?" Susan said. . . . (must read book to finish the end of the book, roflmao)
September 12, 2021
“You don’t kill someone you love.”
“You have behaved like a reckless vigilante.”
“That was then…this is now.”
I’ve been lucky this year with Spenser novels. The three I have read, including this one, have all been excellent. In “Now & Then”, Spenser becomes involved in a seemingly ordinary case of a cheating spouse that soon blows up into a much bigger case where the body count starts to add up. And in doing so, the case brings up memories of an older book where Spenser’s longtime girlfriend strayed and almost ruined their relationship. I found it very captivating how Spenser uses those memories as extra motivation to get to the bottom of the case. While this one wasn’t a whodunnit, but more of the journey of the how and why, it was still a great story. Even Susan is a great character in this one. And I really liked how you weren’t sure if Spenser was going to act like a vigilante or show restraint. That emotional vulnerability made this a great read.
“You have behaved like a reckless vigilante.”
“That was then…this is now.”
I’ve been lucky this year with Spenser novels. The three I have read, including this one, have all been excellent. In “Now & Then”, Spenser becomes involved in a seemingly ordinary case of a cheating spouse that soon blows up into a much bigger case where the body count starts to add up. And in doing so, the case brings up memories of an older book where Spenser’s longtime girlfriend strayed and almost ruined their relationship. I found it very captivating how Spenser uses those memories as extra motivation to get to the bottom of the case. While this one wasn’t a whodunnit, but more of the journey of the how and why, it was still a great story. Even Susan is a great character in this one. And I really liked how you weren’t sure if Spenser was going to act like a vigilante or show restraint. That emotional vulnerability made this a great read.
December 1, 2017
When Spenser is asked to follow a man's wife because he suspects her of cheating on him, the case is easily proved. But then two murders ensue, and one of the victims is an FBI agent. A philandering professor with a questionable past and possible ties to several terrorist organizations is the principal suspect. But is Spenser just out for justice, or are his actions in part dictated by a case of infidelity in his own past?
Another entertaining novel from Robert B Parker has all the usual elements: clever dialogue, action, Hawk, Susan, Chollo, Pearl, and even the occasional cooking tip. Parker's novels manage to be original while providing a familiar and likable cast of characters. Comfort food for the mind.
Another entertaining novel from Robert B Parker has all the usual elements: clever dialogue, action, Hawk, Susan, Chollo, Pearl, and even the occasional cooking tip. Parker's novels manage to be original while providing a familiar and likable cast of characters. Comfort food for the mind.
September 28, 2024
Meh.
This was very belabored. After 20 years, is Spenser over Joan.. I mean Susan’s infidelity?
Apparently not. Ho hum. This started out ok and somewhat interesting but devolved into something else. Book 35 and still Susan is way to involved in Spenser’s cases. Hawk, Vinnie and even Chollo added comic relief from this arduous journey of a crime “mystery”.
This was very belabored. After 20 years, is Spenser over Joan.. I mean Susan’s infidelity?
Apparently not. Ho hum. This started out ok and somewhat interesting but devolved into something else. Book 35 and still Susan is way to involved in Spenser’s cases. Hawk, Vinnie and even Chollo added comic relief from this arduous journey of a crime “mystery”.
March 13, 2020
Joe Mantegna (Narrator)
Laconic verbal exchanges, a lot of “he said, she said, somebody else said” breaking up the narration, might be better to read a print version where those don’t intrude as much. But it somehow works all the same.
Laconic verbal exchanges, a lot of “he said, she said, somebody else said” breaking up the narration, might be better to read a print version where those don’t intrude as much. But it somehow works all the same.
October 20, 2019
Parker at his worst. A re-hash of many of his earlier books with an incredibly flat, stupid ending.
October 28, 2021
Enjoyable and lots of intrigue, but I read better Spenser.
January 17, 2024
Anti-government agitators/terrorists. False identities. Attempts to kidnap Susan. And Vinnie and Chollo turn up, to help.
More fun and investigation, with Spenser and the rest.
More fun and investigation, with Spenser and the rest.
February 4, 2024
Thirty-five down, and fifteen to go!
May 1, 2019
(Lady) Killer of a Story
This story rewards loyal readers who suffered through the Susan/Spenser troubles of long ago. Payback is a ...rich! (and rewarding yarn).
This story rewards loyal readers who suffered through the Susan/Spenser troubles of long ago. Payback is a ...rich! (and rewarding yarn).
October 9, 2017
The original series is quickly sliding into home plate. It's always tough for me to finish out a series knowing that's it, there's no more. I'm not good with good-byes. But at this point, it was clearly time. It was a very passive book. The things that happened around the plot were mostly observed by Spenser. And you can practically hear RBP spewing from the grave against the "effing hippies" and the counter culture. It's a tired trope. Similarly, his disdain for higher ed. I liked the concept of revisiting the affair Susan had many years ago and its ramifications on the current relationship, even decades later. But it's Susan. Just because I don't like a character doesn't mean it's a bad book. But still, it's Susan.
May 11, 2011
In Now and Then, you will be more than a little delighted with Robert B. Parker’s motley coterie of characters, including Spencer (the detective), Hawk (Spencer’s sidekick) Susan Silverman (his fiancée and a psychiatrist), Cholla (Mr. Del Rio’s strong man from Los Angeles), and Vinnie Morris (the shooter).
Although it starts out as a typical detective story – a man walks into the office and wants the detective to follow his wife because he thinks she is cheating on him – or visa versa – that is where the similarities end. Here, in Parker’s narrative, Dennis Doherty, an F.B.I. agent, wants to know if his wife is having an affair with another man. With the assistance of his sidekick, Spencer and Hawk follow Jordan Richmond, a professor at Concord College, slip a microphone into her purse, and record her conversation with Perry Alderson.
Needless to say, aside from her physical attraction and encounter with Alderson, Spencer and Hawk discover that something more sinister is taking place. They discover that Alderson is working for a group of revolutionaries that call themselves: Freedom Front Line (FFL). Alderson collects and sells information like a broker. However, when an assassin kills Jordan and Dennis is found death, floating in the river, Spencer takes it personal. He is reminded how he almost lost Susan to another man. The similarities plague his mind. He contacts the FBI, and then pursues his own investigation. He learns that Alderson uses woman to get information, and when he turns his attention to Susan (in order to get to Spencer), Spencer call on Hawk, Cholla, and Vinnie to protect her.
Parker’s writing is concise and the dialogue is crisp and amusing, offering comic relief at critical moments in the narrative. You will enjoy the slow, but steady unraveling of the plot, as Spencer travels to Cleveland to dig up background information on Perry Alderson, also known as Brad Turner. Like a boxing match, Parker ends the story with a solid one-two punch. You will not be disappointed, and thus, I highly recommend this book.
Although it starts out as a typical detective story – a man walks into the office and wants the detective to follow his wife because he thinks she is cheating on him – or visa versa – that is where the similarities end. Here, in Parker’s narrative, Dennis Doherty, an F.B.I. agent, wants to know if his wife is having an affair with another man. With the assistance of his sidekick, Spencer and Hawk follow Jordan Richmond, a professor at Concord College, slip a microphone into her purse, and record her conversation with Perry Alderson.
Needless to say, aside from her physical attraction and encounter with Alderson, Spencer and Hawk discover that something more sinister is taking place. They discover that Alderson is working for a group of revolutionaries that call themselves: Freedom Front Line (FFL). Alderson collects and sells information like a broker. However, when an assassin kills Jordan and Dennis is found death, floating in the river, Spencer takes it personal. He is reminded how he almost lost Susan to another man. The similarities plague his mind. He contacts the FBI, and then pursues his own investigation. He learns that Alderson uses woman to get information, and when he turns his attention to Susan (in order to get to Spencer), Spencer call on Hawk, Cholla, and Vinnie to protect her.
Parker’s writing is concise and the dialogue is crisp and amusing, offering comic relief at critical moments in the narrative. You will enjoy the slow, but steady unraveling of the plot, as Spencer travels to Cleveland to dig up background information on Perry Alderson, also known as Brad Turner. Like a boxing match, Parker ends the story with a solid one-two punch. You will not be disappointed, and thus, I highly recommend this book.
June 7, 2011
The only Robert B. Parker I’d previously read was ‘Poodle Springs’, his polishing-off an unfinished Raymond Chandler manuscript. It was a long time ago, but I remember it as being fairly flat and nothing to write home about. As such I’d never picked up anything in his, apparently Phillip Marlowe influenced, ‘Spenser’ series before – and I’m quite happy to agree that maybe volume 35 was not the best place to start.
‘Now and Then’ is a curious concoction of taut prose and dialogue married to a distinctly flabby plot. There is an odd lack of red herrings, or indeed any dramatic moments. The whole thing just seems to plod along to its own merry pace, seemingly without the need for danger or tension. What’s more, it feels a book very much out of time, with its vision of terrorists seeming almost quaint in its post 9/11 setting.
The likes of a Richard Stark or a P.G. Wodehouse are superb at carrying along any neophyte who’s picked up their latest volume as his first excursion into their world. Those writers do take time to set the backdrop and clear up anything we might need to know about the supporting cast. Robert B. Parker clearly doesn’t worry about stuff like that. But without any prior knowledge, most of the characters just seemed like caricatures or even ciphers, and I had very little emotional investment in what happened to them (not that any of them got into significant trouble anyway).
Certainly there is more actual detective work going on here than it’s normal to have in a P.I. novel, and if I do still remember it in three weeks time then that will be the reason why. This book then was a disappointment, but I am still open to trying other – better – Spenser novels. Does anyone have any recommendations?
‘Now and Then’ is a curious concoction of taut prose and dialogue married to a distinctly flabby plot. There is an odd lack of red herrings, or indeed any dramatic moments. The whole thing just seems to plod along to its own merry pace, seemingly without the need for danger or tension. What’s more, it feels a book very much out of time, with its vision of terrorists seeming almost quaint in its post 9/11 setting.
The likes of a Richard Stark or a P.G. Wodehouse are superb at carrying along any neophyte who’s picked up their latest volume as his first excursion into their world. Those writers do take time to set the backdrop and clear up anything we might need to know about the supporting cast. Robert B. Parker clearly doesn’t worry about stuff like that. But without any prior knowledge, most of the characters just seemed like caricatures or even ciphers, and I had very little emotional investment in what happened to them (not that any of them got into significant trouble anyway).
Certainly there is more actual detective work going on here than it’s normal to have in a P.I. novel, and if I do still remember it in three weeks time then that will be the reason why. This book then was a disappointment, but I am still open to trying other – better – Spenser novels. Does anyone have any recommendations?
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