Mortal Stakes by Robert B. Parker
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

"'You gonna cry again, Frankie? What is it? Did your Momma toilet-train you funny? Is that why you're such a goddamned freak-o?'"

When I read dialogue like this, the images of Humphrey Bogart taunting Edward G. Robinson in a 1940s black-and-white movie come to mind. But the words come from a 1975 Spenser story by Robert B. Parker, Mortal Stakes, so the author seems to be back to parodying the dated hard-boiled genre. Luckily, the dated feeling is not as strong as in The Godwulf Manuscript , so hopefully Mr. Parker is on his way to outgrow the pastiche mode, as I keep reading Spenser mysteries in chronological order.

A baseball manager hires Spenser to check whether the best pitcher in their organization has gambling connections:

"'[...] I heard something peculiar about him. The odds seem to shift a little when he pitches. I mean, there is some funny money placed when he's scheduled to go.'"

Spenser begins his investigation, meets with the pitcher and his wife, and realizes that something that the wife has said bothers him. Then, a couple of low-life hoods visit Spenser: they tell him, "you're only a goddamned egg-sucking snoop, a nickel-and-dime cheapie," and suggest that he should cease the investigation.

Making numerous phone calls and using help from his police contacts, Spenser quickly manages to get to the bottom of the case. The plot is implausible, particularly as to how easily Spenser gets all the needed information. But who cares about the plot if we can enjoy wise-cracking hard-boiled detective in his full glory. Oh, and the romantic Spenser! Both Brenda Loring and Susan Silverman return in this novel. Which one will Spenser choose? Stay tuned.

I am usually able to find a nice fragment of prose, even in weaker Spenser novels. No such luck here.

One-and-three-quarter stars.


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