Double Deuce -- My Way

Spenser and Hawk are sitting drinking coffee at a a little table in front of the croissant shop at the International Place Cafe. Hawk is wearing his tough guy chic and Spenser is looking like the former boxer, ex-cop that he is. Both look tough. A steady stream of office workers wander through the cafe, stopping to order a coffee drink and a croissant or muffin.

Several women feel Spenser and Hawk's eyes on them as the two men check them out. Leah Linkletter, an auburn haired secretary from a law firm on the 32nd floor, notices their interest, likes the look of Hawk, so doubles her efforts to attract his attention. Hawk looks her over again.

Just about everyone takes note of the two men since they clearly do not work in any of the nearby offices. Even though they are deep in conversation, it is clear they don't miss a beat and see everything around them -- not just the women.

Spenser is trying to get the lowdown about Jackie. He knows Susan won't let it rest until he tells her something. And Hawk is a friend. Hawk is humoring Spenser -- throwing him a bone or two -- but not giving up too much about his relationship, or more accurately non-relationship, with Jackie. Neither of them is worried about what is about to happen and the plan they have already set in motion.

Two more men appear -- pretty tough and scary looking men. Billy is huge, bigger than big and as hard as a rock and not too bright a bulb. The other man, Tony Marcus, is in charge and is clearly used to being in charge. Somewhat middle-aged and soft. Billy and Tony stroll towards Hawk and Spenser. Marcus sits at the table with Spenser and Hawk while Billy obediently goes to the counter to get Marcus his coffee and croissants.

Marcus thinks he has everything covered and nothing can bring him down. Spenser and Hawk are hardly blips on his radar. Spenser and Hawk are ready to change all that. They just have to spring the trap. Billy doesn't have a clue what is going to happen next. His motto is to simply follow orders. That has always worked for him and kept him protected and well-fed. He has no plans to change anything at this point in his life. So what if he has to do some things he doesn't really like. (chapters 43-44)

Double Deuce

I like Double Deuce more for the characters of Spenser and Hawk than for the crime that they solve.

I have read this book several times now, so maybe the storyline is so familiar that I don't "see" it any more. To me, it is a pretty standard crime with pretty typical characters involved. Which might explain why Parker is so successful and proliferate. He's got the recipe down pretty well.

But I still enjoy the talk between Spenser and Hawk and their friendship/working relationship. I like the ease they have with each other. I like "listening" to them while they are in the car together. I enjoy Hawk explaining why Parker is with him to the people of Double Deuce. I don't really think there are people out there who talk like Spenser and Hawk do in this novel. I wish there were.

What I don't like are the female characters. Susan seems like a bossy know-it-all. Cool and distant. Other than being beautiful, I'm not sure what she brings to the relationship with Spenser. Is she meant to keep him in line? Tame him?

Jackie is more likable, but still feels too obvious in what she is after -- status career and a man.

The other woman are even more stereotypical -- give their lives to help others, etc. They are even less round than Jackie and Susan.

A couple of things could be happening with the women in the book. First it is written by a man, who maybe doesn't write strong, round female characters.

Second, the book was written at a time when women were just beginning to gain success outside the home and in professions other than nursing and teaching and other typical "female" jobs. Susan is a highly educated psychologist and Jackie is in the world of journalism. So maybe Parker was working off of new stereotypes of women professionals. I think I met some of those women when I was working in a law firm -- they really felt they had to prove themselves in a man's world.

Whatever the case, I don't think I would like either of them.

And I still like the novel.

Reading -- Yum

I love to read -- I know, no shock to my students.

I definitely think of books when I think of reading. Favorite authors depend on the moment -- John Irving, George Pelicanos, Isabel Allende, Toni Morrison. Oh far too many to list.

But I read everything -- Washington Post (addicted to the crossword puzzle and Carolyn Hax), BBC news; Huffington Post, the newest addition to my online reading. At the gym, all the junkie gossip magazines Us, People. I love novels and can spend a day reading a book (if I only had a day I could do that). I am somewhat picky about books; I find it hard to read things that aren't well written. Most books on bestseller lists are not well written. I wander around online, reading random stuff, clicking on links. Links my friends post on facebook or send me.

I recently started a book club with three friends. This month it was my turn to pick the book. I chose In Praise of Slowness about slowing down, not multitasking and not hurrying. I usually avoid anything labeled as self-help, which is what this book is, but I hear this is a fast read (hahaha). I started the club but am the one who never finishes the books in time and last month I accidentally read the wrong book -- long story -- but at least I finished the book before we met.

I read to my son every night -- we still read picture books and have added in Sonic and chapter books. The Magic Treehouse series is big at the moment.

There's nothing better than picking up a book, entering a new world, and reemerging hours later feeling as though I have been somewhere else.

I love to read.

Music Update

My son received a gen. 2 iPod shuffle for his birthday the other day. He now has more songs on his new shuffle than I have on my iPod nano. And who do you think loaded the songs on his iPod?

Folk Traditions

My family has a bunch of traditions that we follow and have followed for ages. But after reading everyone else's posts, I started to think about the traditions I have picked up and started following because of the places I've traveled/lived and the people I've met.

One of the earliest was starting to eat black-eyed peas for New Year's, which is an American tradition but not from where I grew up. I started doing that when I lived in Poland because one of my American friends from Ohio did it as part of her New Year's tradition.

While living in Spain, for New Year's I learned to eat 12 grapes as the clock strikes midnight. To have good luck, you have to finish eating all 12 before the clock chimes the 12th time -- the trick is to find the smallest grapes. My Spanish roommates clued me into that trick. (This little tradition was very challenging when I was traveling in Southeast Asia where there aren't a lot of grapes around. I do remember finding some grapes in Thailand on New Year's but not being anywhere near a clock that chimed -- we approximated).

From my brother-in-law, who is Dutch, and sister, I've learned to make Oliebollen (which translates to "oily balls" and in my mind that is absolutely the truth -- like oily ball-shaped donuts that have apple and raisins). For Sinta Klaas, which is Christmas in Holland, we also put chocolate letters in our shoes on Dec. 6th, which is another Dutch tradition. Of course, we only do this when my sister remembers to send the chocolate in time.

There are so many other traditions that I have picked up during my travels that have become part of my life. I don't even realize hat they are things I learned elsewhere; we just do them as part of our family tradition.