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Spenser #19
Double Deuce
When a teenage girl and her baby are gunned down by feuding street gangs, tenants of a Boston housing project hire Hawk and Spenser to protect them and bring the killers to justice. 150,000 first printing. $130,000 ad/promo. Mystery Guild Main. Doubleday & Lit Guild Alt.
224 pages, Hardcover
First published June 8, 1992
About the author
Robert B. Parker
360 books2,160 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 - 29 of 247 reviews
October 11, 2018
Double Deuce is perhaps the biggest missed opportunity of the entire Parker series, in my opinion. Coming on the heels of Pastime, and though a good read overall, it suffers from the same malady as that book — too much Spenser and Susan Silverman, too much psychobabble. Pastime should have had more Vinnie, and Double Deuce should have had far more of Hawk and his connection to the ghetto from which he’d made his way out, at great cost. I’m aware that people point to this as Hawk’s book because of the overall story-line, but having read this several times over the years, and now re-reading it, my disappointment is palpable. By shifting the focus of the series to Spenser and Susan, which really began in Valediction with another missed opportunity, it’s as if Parker could not allow Hawk to have the depth and backstory he deserved, placing him on equal footing with Spenser and Susan. So Parker kept the story-line to a formula of dialog and psychobabble, and Susan. Lots of Susan.
While this entry seemed like a cool one when I first read it all those years ago, reading it now I can see what might have been — not just for Hawk, but the entire series. Spenser gives us a wonderful opening, as young Devona Jefferson clings to her baby in the projects and is brutally gunned down. By having this sort of prolog, Parker could easily have interspersed the story of gangs, and the similarity between Hawk and young Major, with chapters where Hawk is alone with his thoughts, remembering his own youth, before he became the Hawk we know. It would have given Hawk the depth he deserved. Instead we get the Spenser and Susan stuff, moving in together and then analyzing it all to death, when what it really came down to is that they didn’t belong together — mainly because of her vanity and pretension, not Spenser’s work.
The promise of the poignant opening — one of the best in the series — continues for a bit, as Hawk corrals Spenser into helping him clean up Double Deuce, and find out who murdered Devona and her baby. The people he’s doing it for have suspect motives, one of them seeking the limelight as a platform. Hawk is also involved with a woman — the real reason he’s doing this — who works for a popular television journalist looking to exploit the situation for ratings. Then there’s a woman named Erin Macklin who is genuinely doing some good with the kids. Naturally, we get a healthy dose of Parker’s Boston-liberal viewpoint because he writes her — of course — as an EX-nun. She does whisky shots with Spenser at one point in the narrative. By writing her in this way, it gives Parker an opportunity to use Freud student, Theodor Reik’s quote — “The ways of the Lord are often dark, but never pleasant.” It was not the first time Parker had used this quote, as I recall. Un-huh.
Another issue lies with the plot — there isn’t one. Okay, maybe there is one, but it’s barely there. This is mostly just Spenser and Hawk sitting around waiting, in a chess game between Hawk and the young kid in whom he sees himself. It begs for Hawk’s real story, some flashbacks, or even some intimate scenes between Hawk and Jackie, but hey, then the series wouldn’t have been ALL about Spenser and Susan, ad nauseam. So Hawk gets shortchanged here, just as Vinnie got shortchanged in Pastime. Yes, it’s their moment to either shine (Hawk) or break out (Vinnie), but because of what Parker had done with Linda in Valediction, it could only be a spotlight, not a floodlight. We get some stuff with Tony Marcus before Double Deuce is over, but it all just falls into Spenser and Hawk’s lap. By this point in the series Parker had already made plot secondary to that elephant in the room which was Spenser and Susan. It’s a real shame. At one point, I just wished Vinnie would show up and pop everybody.
I’m still giving this three solid stars, because there are flashes of great stuff here. In it’s favor it is a quick, easy read which will entertain if you haven’t read it before. But for those who’ve read the series time and again over the years, it’s obvious that Double Deuce doesn’t go as deep as it could — or should have — into Hawk. I really think if Parker had written Double Deuce differently, he would never have allowed Hawk to become Tonto to Spenser’s Lone Ranger, which was already happening. The same could be said of Vinnie. Maybe that’s why Parker didn’t, because if he had, the series could no longer have been just about Spenser and the annoying Silverman. Perhaps that’s another reason why the next book in the series, Paper Doll, was so much better. He knew he’d blown this one…
While this entry seemed like a cool one when I first read it all those years ago, reading it now I can see what might have been — not just for Hawk, but the entire series. Spenser gives us a wonderful opening, as young Devona Jefferson clings to her baby in the projects and is brutally gunned down. By having this sort of prolog, Parker could easily have interspersed the story of gangs, and the similarity between Hawk and young Major, with chapters where Hawk is alone with his thoughts, remembering his own youth, before he became the Hawk we know. It would have given Hawk the depth he deserved. Instead we get the Spenser and Susan stuff, moving in together and then analyzing it all to death, when what it really came down to is that they didn’t belong together — mainly because of her vanity and pretension, not Spenser’s work.
The promise of the poignant opening — one of the best in the series — continues for a bit, as Hawk corrals Spenser into helping him clean up Double Deuce, and find out who murdered Devona and her baby. The people he’s doing it for have suspect motives, one of them seeking the limelight as a platform. Hawk is also involved with a woman — the real reason he’s doing this — who works for a popular television journalist looking to exploit the situation for ratings. Then there’s a woman named Erin Macklin who is genuinely doing some good with the kids. Naturally, we get a healthy dose of Parker’s Boston-liberal viewpoint because he writes her — of course — as an EX-nun. She does whisky shots with Spenser at one point in the narrative. By writing her in this way, it gives Parker an opportunity to use Freud student, Theodor Reik’s quote — “The ways of the Lord are often dark, but never pleasant.” It was not the first time Parker had used this quote, as I recall. Un-huh.
Another issue lies with the plot — there isn’t one. Okay, maybe there is one, but it’s barely there. This is mostly just Spenser and Hawk sitting around waiting, in a chess game between Hawk and the young kid in whom he sees himself. It begs for Hawk’s real story, some flashbacks, or even some intimate scenes between Hawk and Jackie, but hey, then the series wouldn’t have been ALL about Spenser and Susan, ad nauseam. So Hawk gets shortchanged here, just as Vinnie got shortchanged in Pastime. Yes, it’s their moment to either shine (Hawk) or break out (Vinnie), but because of what Parker had done with Linda in Valediction, it could only be a spotlight, not a floodlight. We get some stuff with Tony Marcus before Double Deuce is over, but it all just falls into Spenser and Hawk’s lap. By this point in the series Parker had already made plot secondary to that elephant in the room which was Spenser and Susan. It’s a real shame. At one point, I just wished Vinnie would show up and pop everybody.
I’m still giving this three solid stars, because there are flashes of great stuff here. In it’s favor it is a quick, easy read which will entertain if you haven’t read it before. But for those who’ve read the series time and again over the years, it’s obvious that Double Deuce doesn’t go as deep as it could — or should have — into Hawk. I really think if Parker had written Double Deuce differently, he would never have allowed Hawk to become Tonto to Spenser’s Lone Ranger, which was already happening. The same could be said of Vinnie. Maybe that’s why Parker didn’t, because if he had, the series could no longer have been just about Spenser and the annoying Silverman. Perhaps that’s another reason why the next book in the series, Paper Doll, was so much better. He knew he’d blown this one…
January 13, 2020
It's not a bad book, not really. Nothing Parker writes is bad. But not only does it seem formulaic—many of the later Spensers seem formulaic—but it also seems inauthentic and tentative, two qualities Parker is seldom guilty of.
The story is simple. Hawk has decided to help out his new lady friend, an investigative journalist, by cleaning out the gang in the local housing project “Double Deuce” (it has the number “22” in its street address). Seems the gang is responsible for a particularly egregious shooting, the murder of a fourteen year old mother Devona and her three month old daughter Crystal. Of course he asks his old friend Spenser to help him, and of course Spenser accepts.
Double Deuce (1992) came out the same year as Richard Price’s Clockers, but Parker's book has nowhere near the command of the dialogue, atmosphere and practical psychology of the projects which Price demonstrates in his memorable novel. Double Deuce seems somewhat inauthentic. I think that Parker—to his credit—knows this. And that’s where the tentativeness comes in.
He even creates a whole new character to speak to us about these poor, disadvantaged young men. And she’s a pretty good character too: “Lady Beige,” an ex-nun who works with the gangs and has a taste for good Irish whiskey. But when your character—however well-drawn—must to deliver a speech on “Maslow’s hierarchy of needs”, you should know that something somewhere has gone wrong.
Another problem is that Hawk briefly takes center-stage, in a situation that would naturally cause emotional turmoil. Theoretically this is a fine idea, but in practice it doesn’t work, because—well—because he’s Hawk. Hawk—the character created by Hawk—is beyond emotional turmoil.
I actually enjoyed the Spenser/Susan stuff in this novel. The perfect duo finally move in together, and this goes—no spoiler here, for fans of the series—not well. But it was nice to see them slightly unbalanced, not quite so perfect for a change.
You know, I’m beginning to think I don’t really hate Susan after all. The character I really want to kill off is the stupid dog of theirs, Pearl.
August 5, 2020
A subtly different Spenser novel from Robert Parker. In Double Deuce, Spenser agrees to help Hawk drive the gangs out of a slum project called The Double Deuce. Three is very little investigating, as the gang that runs the place confronts our heroes from day one. More action, more shooting, more of the Parker-signature manliness as they intimidate the gangbangers with their cool, mature toughness. As Parker makes abundantly clear, real men stand up for themselves, women, the oppressed, and they do it without showing any emotion. They don't explain or justify, and they use just the right amount of force.
It turns out silence is big part of these super men. Susan, Spenser's love, can't get him to explain why he is the way he is. It turns out only true men would understand; it turns out Spenser just KNOWS, and can't explain.
But, surprise, Hawk had a tough start in life, and his superman status is conditioned on NOT connecting emotionally with anyone. He can, fortunately, relate to other manly men like Spenser.
Lots of action and a reasonably satisfying surprise ending.
It turns out silence is big part of these super men. Susan, Spenser's love, can't get him to explain why he is the way he is. It turns out only true men would understand; it turns out Spenser just KNOWS, and can't explain.
But, surprise, Hawk had a tough start in life, and his superman status is conditioned on NOT connecting emotionally with anyone. He can, fortunately, relate to other manly men like Spenser.
Lots of action and a reasonably satisfying surprise ending.
July 16, 2018
Fueled by an explosive opening which sees a teenage mother gunned down in a ghetto along with her newborn child, 'Double Deuce' throws Spencer and Hawk into a highly dangerous and volatile situation. Given the task to do what the authorities cant, the duo situate themselves right in the middle of Hobart (the ghetto) amongst drug dealers, murderers, and childhood thugs. Initially as a show of strength and stubbornness to deter the waring gangs from further activity, their role encompasses added prominence when a local reporter joins their stake-outs to chronicle on gang violence and the affects on the community.
Robert B Parker holds no punches with this one - despite being somewhat formulaic, there is one noticeable difference from other Spencer PI novels I've read, that being sidekick Hawk. In 'Double Deuce' it's Hawk who takes the primary role. We get a glimpse into the checkered past and hard knock life of the bad-guy-turned-good but also gain an appreciation for the man he wants to be. It was interesting to watch Hawk's love interest play out, first from a spectator to almost feeling the same emotions as Hawk by novels end. The scenes between Major (the gang leader) and Hawk are brimming with tension and suspense with gun play bubbling ever so close to the surface. I particularly enjoyed the sense of comradely between Major and Hawk while sitting on opposite sides of the law. The surface plot goes much deeper and the gang itself are just one of many problems the PI's are forced to face.
'Double Deuce' is a highly enjoyable read. More than the plot suggests, Hawk and Spencer are given adequate time to grow themselves while also maintaining the harden PI facade that's made them such entertaining and identifiable characters. The fast pace ending is film worthy, a showdown not dissimilar to a classic western - I guarantee you'll hold your breath until that fatal bullet reaches its destination. 4 stars.
Robert B Parker holds no punches with this one - despite being somewhat formulaic, there is one noticeable difference from other Spencer PI novels I've read, that being sidekick Hawk. In 'Double Deuce' it's Hawk who takes the primary role. We get a glimpse into the checkered past and hard knock life of the bad-guy-turned-good but also gain an appreciation for the man he wants to be. It was interesting to watch Hawk's love interest play out, first from a spectator to almost feeling the same emotions as Hawk by novels end. The scenes between Major (the gang leader) and Hawk are brimming with tension and suspense with gun play bubbling ever so close to the surface. I particularly enjoyed the sense of comradely between Major and Hawk while sitting on opposite sides of the law. The surface plot goes much deeper and the gang itself are just one of many problems the PI's are forced to face.
'Double Deuce' is a highly enjoyable read. More than the plot suggests, Hawk and Spencer are given adequate time to grow themselves while also maintaining the harden PI facade that's made them such entertaining and identifiable characters. The fast pace ending is film worthy, a showdown not dissimilar to a classic western - I guarantee you'll hold your breath until that fatal bullet reaches its destination. 4 stars.
January 3, 2019
“You working on anything?” Hawk asked.
“I was thinking about breakfast,” I said.
“I might need some support,” Hawk said.
“You might?”
“Yeah. Pay’s lousy.”
“How much?” I said.
“I’m getting nothing.”
“I’ll take half,” I said.
“You ain’t worth half,” Hawk said. “Besides, I got the job and already put in a lot of time on it. Give you a third.”
“Cheap bastard,” I said.
“Take it or leave it,” Hawk said.
“Okay,” I said, “you got me over a barrel. I’m in for a third.”
A teen-age mother and her baby daughter get gunned down at a housing project known as the Double Deuce. Some local residents and community activists get Hawk to agree to run off the gang bangers and try to find the killers. Hawk asks Spenser to help, and they quickly clash with the gang leader, a young thug named Major. Spenser has other issues, too. He moves in with Susan and cohabitation is causing trouble for the two lovebirds that makes cleaning up Boston’s gang problem look easy by comparison.
Robert B. Parker was often asked if he’d ever do a novel just about Hawk, and his standard reply was that he didn’t think he’d be able to do justice to Hawk because he’d never truly know what it was like to be a black man in America. He felt like he could only portray Hawk as Spenser saw him.* In this book, with Hawk running the show and Spenser providing back-up, we do get a better sense of Hawk. There’s no secret origin story revealed, but Spenser realizes that Hawk sees a lot of himself in Major and that whatever his background is, Hawk had to do some serious amputation to his emotions to survive.
*Oddly, RBP would go on to write several first person novels from the point of view of a female detective.
This is a pretty solid entry in the series with an interesting twist of Hawk taking the lead in the case. The bickering between Spenser and Susan as they try to live together is also a nice change of pace from the usually sickly-sweet googly-eyed love affair. I liked Hawk and Spenser’s pragmatic approach to getting the gang out of the Double Deuce. They know the gang will just set up shop elsewhere, and they flatly refuse to worry about it. They’re just trying to clean up one small area, and they know better than to think they’ll be able to make real and lasting change. They’re just doing what they can.
Unfortunately, this is the last book of the phase I call Pretty-Good-But-Past-His-Prime-Spenser. The dreaded Sad-Decline-of-Spenser quickly follows.
Next up: Spenser gets some kiddy scissors and makes a Paper Doll.
“I was thinking about breakfast,” I said.
“I might need some support,” Hawk said.
“You might?”
“Yeah. Pay’s lousy.”
“How much?” I said.
“I’m getting nothing.”
“I’ll take half,” I said.
“You ain’t worth half,” Hawk said. “Besides, I got the job and already put in a lot of time on it. Give you a third.”
“Cheap bastard,” I said.
“Take it or leave it,” Hawk said.
“Okay,” I said, “you got me over a barrel. I’m in for a third.”
A teen-age mother and her baby daughter get gunned down at a housing project known as the Double Deuce. Some local residents and community activists get Hawk to agree to run off the gang bangers and try to find the killers. Hawk asks Spenser to help, and they quickly clash with the gang leader, a young thug named Major. Spenser has other issues, too. He moves in with Susan and cohabitation is causing trouble for the two lovebirds that makes cleaning up Boston’s gang problem look easy by comparison.
Robert B. Parker was often asked if he’d ever do a novel just about Hawk, and his standard reply was that he didn’t think he’d be able to do justice to Hawk because he’d never truly know what it was like to be a black man in America. He felt like he could only portray Hawk as Spenser saw him.* In this book, with Hawk running the show and Spenser providing back-up, we do get a better sense of Hawk. There’s no secret origin story revealed, but Spenser realizes that Hawk sees a lot of himself in Major and that whatever his background is, Hawk had to do some serious amputation to his emotions to survive.
*Oddly, RBP would go on to write several first person novels from the point of view of a female detective.
This is a pretty solid entry in the series with an interesting twist of Hawk taking the lead in the case. The bickering between Spenser and Susan as they try to live together is also a nice change of pace from the usually sickly-sweet googly-eyed love affair. I liked Hawk and Spenser’s pragmatic approach to getting the gang out of the Double Deuce. They know the gang will just set up shop elsewhere, and they flatly refuse to worry about it. They’re just trying to clean up one small area, and they know better than to think they’ll be able to make real and lasting change. They’re just doing what they can.
Unfortunately, this is the last book of the phase I call Pretty-Good-But-Past-His-Prime-Spenser. The dreaded Sad-Decline-of-Spenser quickly follows.
Next up: Spenser gets some kiddy scissors and makes a Paper Doll.
May 23, 2017
(The word "maroon" appears once in this novel)
Certainly the weakest of the Spenser so far. Too many dull and repetitive pages. And sadly, no sympathetic characters, no heroes.
The thing is, you can tell in this book that the reconciliation between Parker and his wife in RL is not working yet. There is no real heart in the story, the prose is a bit strained and dull. Parker is just putting one foot in front of the other while he and Joan find a way to live in the same house in RL again.
Their intoxication with the dog-as-offspring is pretty irritating, as well. "Lets have a baby to fix our marriage", it seems. This rarely works, as babies turn the stress levels way up. Sometimes the increased stress forces the parents to grow, and save the marriage. Usually, the children only glue together the parents for a few more years, sadly.
The failure of Parker and Joan to find a formula for living together, so far, weighs heavily on Parker's prose and plotting.
Also, at this point Parker and Spenser are almost 60 years old (remember, Spenser was a soldier in the Korean War). Not so much wind in those sails anymore.
Some nice quotes down below this one...
“It’s not working,” she said. Her voice was very tight and very shaky. She got up and left the kitchen and went in the bedroom and closed the door.
I stood for a while holding the stew and looking after her. Then I looked at Pearl. She was focused on the plate of stew.
“The thing is,” I said to Pearl, “she’s right.”
Certainly the weakest of the Spenser so far. Too many dull and repetitive pages. And sadly, no sympathetic characters, no heroes.
The thing is, you can tell in this book that the reconciliation between Parker and his wife in RL is not working yet. There is no real heart in the story, the prose is a bit strained and dull. Parker is just putting one foot in front of the other while he and Joan find a way to live in the same house in RL again.
Their intoxication with the dog-as-offspring is pretty irritating, as well. "Lets have a baby to fix our marriage", it seems. This rarely works, as babies turn the stress levels way up. Sometimes the increased stress forces the parents to grow, and save the marriage. Usually, the children only glue together the parents for a few more years, sadly.
The failure of Parker and Joan to find a formula for living together, so far, weighs heavily on Parker's prose and plotting.
Also, at this point Parker and Spenser are almost 60 years old (remember, Spenser was a soldier in the Korean War). Not so much wind in those sails anymore.
Some nice quotes down below this one...
“It’s not working,” she said. Her voice was very tight and very shaky. She got up and left the kitchen and went in the bedroom and closed the door.
I stood for a while holding the stew and looking after her. Then I looked at Pearl. She was focused on the plate of stew.
“The thing is,” I said to Pearl, “she’s right.”
February 14, 2021
Strangely, this quick bit of detective fiction written by an old white dude proved to be a decent Black History month read. Book #19 in Parker's Spenser series focuses on Hawk, a tough-as-titanium-nails Black guy who deals out his own brand of justice. Hawk's a regular in these books, often helping out when Spenser's in a bind. This time Hawk needs Spenser's assistance in a gang-related issue. Mind you, it is a short book in a series devoted to macho action, so the psychological delving into black, gang and ghetto topics is cursory. No race relation issues are going to be solved by reading Double Deuce, but the effort of understanding underlying issues is at least made.
November 24, 2013
Read out of order and probably the third Spenser read for me, I just discovered with this book that Spenser was a series.
It was fine, the book, but read during the period when I was just rediscovering my passion for reading and at the same time attempting to define for myself, exactly what genre and authors, I enjoyed. I found myself becoming particular about what books I read, what subjects I enjoyed.
This was pre-Goodreads for me. Before I found that other readers had questions, thoughts and opinions about books the same as I had. Soon afterward the sun broke through the clouds and I discovered you...friends with similar interests on Goodreads.com.
Jeff Yoak was my first friend and what a great introduction to Goodreads, through Jeff's friendship. He was (and still is) friendly, down to earth, smart as a whip (i.e. intellectual) and welcoming. My good fortune, Jeff Yoak, as my first GR friend and because of our mutual interest in Robert B. Parker and the Spenser series. Count yourself lucky if Jeff Yoak is your friend.
It was fine, the book, but read during the period when I was just rediscovering my passion for reading and at the same time attempting to define for myself, exactly what genre and authors, I enjoyed. I found myself becoming particular about what books I read, what subjects I enjoyed.
This was pre-Goodreads for me. Before I found that other readers had questions, thoughts and opinions about books the same as I had. Soon afterward the sun broke through the clouds and I discovered you...friends with similar interests on Goodreads.com.
Jeff Yoak was my first friend and what a great introduction to Goodreads, through Jeff's friendship. He was (and still is) friendly, down to earth, smart as a whip (i.e. intellectual) and welcoming. My good fortune, Jeff Yoak, as my first GR friend and because of our mutual interest in Robert B. Parker and the Spenser series. Count yourself lucky if Jeff Yoak is your friend.
June 11, 2018
It’s been way too long since I read a Spenser book. This book immediately got my attention with the way it started. A murder.
The theme of this book is African American Gangs in Boston. RBP did his research. I learned a lot. Not only about this subject but about the characters, Spenser, Hawk and Susan.
A young girl and her baby are murdered. The neighborhood reaches out to Hawk and asks him to get the gang out of the Double Deuce. He asks Spenser to help him.
Spenser and Susan are living together. Hawk has a new girlfriend.
I live in Charlotte, NC. There are shootings every day. Some of them fatal. I have never been able to understand why a person could just shoot a person and not think about the consequences. After reading this book. I may understand a little. It still doesn’t make sense. It will never make sense.
I love this series and I have missed it. I love the characters but I love the lessons RBP teaches us. They are unforgettable. It’s why I live for this series.
The theme of this book is African American Gangs in Boston. RBP did his research. I learned a lot. Not only about this subject but about the characters, Spenser, Hawk and Susan.
A young girl and her baby are murdered. The neighborhood reaches out to Hawk and asks him to get the gang out of the Double Deuce. He asks Spenser to help him.
Spenser and Susan are living together. Hawk has a new girlfriend.
I live in Charlotte, NC. There are shootings every day. Some of them fatal. I have never been able to understand why a person could just shoot a person and not think about the consequences. After reading this book. I may understand a little. It still doesn’t make sense. It will never make sense.
I love this series and I have missed it. I love the characters but I love the lessons RBP teaches us. They are unforgettable. It’s why I live for this series.
June 1, 2024
In this installment, we learn more about Hawk than ever before. Hawk enlists Spenser’s help in a shooting that kills a young girl and her baby. It was a gang killing but everything is not as it seems.
Hawk has a steady woman in this one but you know it can’t last. Hawk is how he is and he’s not changing.
Spenser moves in with Susan and much like Hawk you know this cohabitation can’t last. They are better separate but together.
In the end, everything works out but not how you think it will but probably as it should be.
Hawk has a steady woman in this one but you know it can’t last. Hawk is how he is and he’s not changing.
Spenser moves in with Susan and much like Hawk you know this cohabitation can’t last. They are better separate but together.
In the end, everything works out but not how you think it will but probably as it should be.
April 21, 2010
Wow, I'm floored that so many people liked this book. It was exactly "okay" for me. I could have watched an episode of NYPD Blue and had exactly the same affect, but with better regional dialogue. The idea that Robert Parker knew gang/street lingo is ridiculous and/or that he knew how to speak like a black person from the ghetto because he improperly conjugated his verbs was preposterous. Not quite as preposterous as the idea that two middle-aged cops would bring down an entire street gang, but preposterous, nonetheless.
Once I got past all of that, the story was fine. Entertaining. Okay. It was worth a beach read, a Sunday afternoon fix, a bench in the park, a doctor's office read...which is exactly what it was for me, so it was exactly - okay.
I found myself turning back to the cover and saying, "Really, this was a New York Times Best Seller?"
Still, I had a few chuckles, and I did relate on a few occasions.
I feel bad giving it a less-than-great review, since Robert Parker died in January, but it is what it is.
Once I got past all of that, the story was fine. Entertaining. Okay. It was worth a beach read, a Sunday afternoon fix, a bench in the park, a doctor's office read...which is exactly what it was for me, so it was exactly - okay.
I found myself turning back to the cover and saying, "Really, this was a New York Times Best Seller?"
Still, I had a few chuckles, and I did relate on a few occasions.
I feel bad giving it a less-than-great review, since Robert Parker died in January, but it is what it is.
October 30, 2019
I have never read a Robert B. Parker story that seemed dated. This one seemed a story stuck in the 1990s. Spenser and Hawk are asked to get a youth drug dealing gang to leave a public housing project alone. The title, Double Deuce, is for the street number of the project 22 Hobart Street in Boston. The story begins when 14 year old girlfriend of a rival gang member is killed in a drive-by shooting. The girls three month old child is found also dead under the young victim's body. Who killed Devona Jefferson and how will Hawk and Spenser get the Double Deuce gang to leave the housing project? Will Devona's killer or killers be brought to justice? Maybe not the best Spenser novel but still an enjoyable read.
August 20, 2015
Not, in my opinion, one of the better Spenser reads. Low on the humor, low on the story side. Quick read, two nights before sleep. Would have hated to have paid the suggested retail value on this book.
November 15, 2023
Hawk promises to clear a gang out of a group of buildings known as the Double Deuce. He enlists Spenser's help.
At the same time, Hawk seems to be in a serious relationship... in his way. And Spenser and Susan try living together.
Nothing's ever easy.
At the same time, Hawk seems to be in a serious relationship... in his way. And Spenser and Susan try living together.
Nothing's ever easy.
March 12, 2018
I really like these.
July 19, 2022
I found myself asking in this one does Spenser actually ever get paid for any of his cases??
After 19 books there is really nothing new to report. Spenser doing what Spenser does. Hawk played a much bigger role in this novel than past ones and the novel was better for it. It is not secret that I love these books and I plan on reading them all.
After 19 books there is really nothing new to report. Spenser doing what Spenser does. Hawk played a much bigger role in this novel than past ones and the novel was better for it. It is not secret that I love these books and I plan on reading them all.
August 20, 2011
Read in grad school and reread today (2009). I read Spenser novels for Hawk. I had remembered Double Deuce having the best Hawk. I revise that to say Double Deuce has the most Hawk, but not necessarily the best. It has a lot of great Hawk moments, but the great thing about how Parker usually writes Hawk is that he leaves you wanting more. You don't want to actually get more though because that kills the mystery. Double Deuce doesn't kill the mystery, but it dampens it a bit. Nevertheless, a very enjoyable read with the standard warnings for language and violence.
Update: Reread again today (2011). It's rare for me to ever reread a book, and given that I've read this three times and enjoyed it enjoyed it three times, I'd feel dishonest for giving it anything less than five stars.
Update: Reread again today (2011). It's rare for me to ever reread a book, and given that I've read this three times and enjoyed it enjoyed it three times, I'd feel dishonest for giving it anything less than five stars.
November 5, 2016
In Parker's 19th Spenser novel he addresses the ghetto, poverty, gangs and drugs. The story revolves around 22 (Double Deuce) Hobart which is a ghetto area in Boston. A 14 year old mother is gunned down along with her baby girl. The area residents hire(for free) Hawk to rid the neighborhood of a gang, the Hobart Raiders, who are terrorizing the area. Hawk gives Spenser a third of his fee (zero) to help him out. Lots of Hawk dealing with the young gang members featuring Major Johnson. Hawk also had a lady friend, Valerie, in this book.
Meanwhile in Spenser's life he and Susan have agreed to move into to Susan's place together and see how it works out. Meshing two lives isn't easy and it certainly tests the patience of both Susan and Spenser.
Meanwhile in Spenser's life he and Susan have agreed to move into to Susan's place together and see how it works out. Meshing two lives isn't easy and it certainly tests the patience of both Susan and Spenser.
March 23, 2014
Once in a while I miss Spenser and Hawk. "Double Deuce" isn't one of the better books in the series, but it has some nice patches of writing, and occasional moments of action. Parker on race relations wasn't always what I'd choose (I'd choose Kenneth Abel's "The Burying Field" for better insights on the topic), especially the painful shuck and jive exchanges between Spenser and Hawk, but some Spenser is better than no Spenser on a cold (10 degrees F) prairie afternoon.
November 11, 2020
I have to agree with other reviewers on this one. It could have been so much better - Spenser & Hawk clearing a gang out of a housing complex, yes. Susan trying to make her mind up on whether her and Spenser should live together, no.
June 5, 2017
Quick read - some fun dialog. Nothing particularly interesting.
July 25, 2018
It was okay...
March 23, 2019
In this, the nineteenth book in the series, Hawk and Spenser tackle a double murder in an inner city black ghetto known as The Double Deuce. The turf is controlled by the Hobarts, a gang of young drug dealing kids led by a twenty year old named Major Johnson. It was here that Devona Jefferson, a black girl not yet fifteen and Crystal her three month old baby were sprayed with bullets from a semi-automatic weapon fired from the open door of a passing van.
Spenser and Hawk have signed on to bring justice to this senseless murder. While Spenser is initially uncomfortable, feeling very white among all these black people, Hawk is in his element, a tour guide in the black ghetto. It is a world he knows how to navigate.
Quirk and Belson are in charge of the investigation and are glad to have help. Belson believes the shooting is probably a revenge killing, a punishment for some perceived wrong and probably drug related. Quirk just wants someone to go down for the killing and secretly hopes that when the two find who is responsible, Hawk simply kills him.
Hawk knows how to begin the work. He and Spenser sit in the car in the empty courtyard for hours, just waiting. The gang won’t tolerate their presence on Hobart turf for long, seeing it as an affront to their dignity. They’ll do something and that will get things started.
The gang responds by setting fires in every available trash gang in the project and wait to see what Hawk and Spenser will do. They do nothing, Hawk telling Spenser they would look like fools to respond to something so trivial. He explains to Spenser how the gang will keep doing things, gradually escalating the violence until they get to the part where the shooting begins. Meanwhile the black kids are still trying to figure out what Hawk is doing there with the white guy.
Jackie Raines, a producer for a well-known TV show, joins them. She is doing research for a series on gangs in Boston and is trying to do some preproduction work but her presence doesn’t last long.
Susan helps out when she puts Spenser in touch with Erin Macklin, a former nun and now a teacher dedicated to helping black youth. She spends her evenings in the streets with the kids, trying to guide them without any set agenda. It is dangerous work but they know and trust her. She helps Spenser understand the tough and hopeless lives these kids lead and why inconsequential disagreements among them often lead to gunfire. Arguments don’t end with a punch, they end with shots from a gun.
Macklin’s words provide a wide ranging sociological study on the rough life these kids struggle every day to survive. It is a life that creates such stress they are driven further into the arms of the local gangs, where they find what they need: a sense of identity, a place of comfort among others like themselves and most importantly a feeling of security and safety. As Spenser listens to Macklin and watches what unfolds before him, he begins to get a better sense of Hawk’s early life, of the sacrifices he made and the parts of himself he had to close off to escape this kind of violence and poverty.
It is interesting to see John Major, the young, black gang leader interact with Hawk. He has never had a role model outside the ghetto, so he watches and tries to learn from this tall confident man. Hawk's self assurance impresses him, a man who has made it away from the mean streets of the inner city and has a top of the line Jag, dresses smartly and has a beautiful girlfriend. Hawk realizing this, treats Major like an equal during their interactions, but makes it clear he will kill him if he needs to.
Back on the home front Susan suggests it is time that she and Spenser move in together. She is not proposing marriage, just another living arrangement. Spenser is silently uncomfortable with the idea, but agrees and moves to the upstairs floor of Susan’s Cambridge house. However, both find it difficult to adjust. Spenser has lived alone all his adult life and Susan, who has been divorced for twenty years has settled into her own ways as well. They quickly discover it wasn’t the fun they thought it would be and revert back to their former arrangement. Things were better that way.
Parker has acknowledged those who helped him describe gang life and create the scenes in the ghetto. It is that sense of authenticity complemented by Macklin’s dialogue that I think makes this novel one of the better ones in the series.
Spenser and Hawk have signed on to bring justice to this senseless murder. While Spenser is initially uncomfortable, feeling very white among all these black people, Hawk is in his element, a tour guide in the black ghetto. It is a world he knows how to navigate.
Quirk and Belson are in charge of the investigation and are glad to have help. Belson believes the shooting is probably a revenge killing, a punishment for some perceived wrong and probably drug related. Quirk just wants someone to go down for the killing and secretly hopes that when the two find who is responsible, Hawk simply kills him.
Hawk knows how to begin the work. He and Spenser sit in the car in the empty courtyard for hours, just waiting. The gang won’t tolerate their presence on Hobart turf for long, seeing it as an affront to their dignity. They’ll do something and that will get things started.
The gang responds by setting fires in every available trash gang in the project and wait to see what Hawk and Spenser will do. They do nothing, Hawk telling Spenser they would look like fools to respond to something so trivial. He explains to Spenser how the gang will keep doing things, gradually escalating the violence until they get to the part where the shooting begins. Meanwhile the black kids are still trying to figure out what Hawk is doing there with the white guy.
Jackie Raines, a producer for a well-known TV show, joins them. She is doing research for a series on gangs in Boston and is trying to do some preproduction work but her presence doesn’t last long.
Susan helps out when she puts Spenser in touch with Erin Macklin, a former nun and now a teacher dedicated to helping black youth. She spends her evenings in the streets with the kids, trying to guide them without any set agenda. It is dangerous work but they know and trust her. She helps Spenser understand the tough and hopeless lives these kids lead and why inconsequential disagreements among them often lead to gunfire. Arguments don’t end with a punch, they end with shots from a gun.
Macklin’s words provide a wide ranging sociological study on the rough life these kids struggle every day to survive. It is a life that creates such stress they are driven further into the arms of the local gangs, where they find what they need: a sense of identity, a place of comfort among others like themselves and most importantly a feeling of security and safety. As Spenser listens to Macklin and watches what unfolds before him, he begins to get a better sense of Hawk’s early life, of the sacrifices he made and the parts of himself he had to close off to escape this kind of violence and poverty.
It is interesting to see John Major, the young, black gang leader interact with Hawk. He has never had a role model outside the ghetto, so he watches and tries to learn from this tall confident man. Hawk's self assurance impresses him, a man who has made it away from the mean streets of the inner city and has a top of the line Jag, dresses smartly and has a beautiful girlfriend. Hawk realizing this, treats Major like an equal during their interactions, but makes it clear he will kill him if he needs to.
Back on the home front Susan suggests it is time that she and Spenser move in together. She is not proposing marriage, just another living arrangement. Spenser is silently uncomfortable with the idea, but agrees and moves to the upstairs floor of Susan’s Cambridge house. However, both find it difficult to adjust. Spenser has lived alone all his adult life and Susan, who has been divorced for twenty years has settled into her own ways as well. They quickly discover it wasn’t the fun they thought it would be and revert back to their former arrangement. Things were better that way.
Parker has acknowledged those who helped him describe gang life and create the scenes in the ghetto. It is that sense of authenticity complemented by Macklin’s dialogue that I think makes this novel one of the better ones in the series.
August 1, 2022
DARK opening … so dark. Heart-wrenching, despite being fiction, which is a testament to Parker’s writing.
Hawk actually comes to Spenser for help with this case, a first.
It only gets darker from the start … it also shines a light on certain racial issues this country faces today. This book was released in 1991 but things clearly haven’t changed in that aspect.
On a personal front: Susan and Spenser move in together on a trial basis, into her house in Cambridge.
This one was super fun, as they all are, but specifically I liked the way it ended up. I won’t spoil it here—read if for yourself!
5 stars.
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Audio:
This isn’t a performance at all, just an absolute garbage reading with ill-fitting accents and other nonsense. 0-star “performance”.
Also a very poor-quality production overall. Lots of static and skipping, etc. Lots of extra noise. Awful.
First edition cover:
Spenser Reading Order:
1. The Godwulf Manuscript (1973)
2. God Save the Child (1974)
3. Mortal Stakes (1975)
4. Promised Land (1976)
5. The Judas Goat (1978)
6. Looking for Rachel Wallace (1980)
7. Early Autumn (1980)
8. A Savage Place (1981)
9. Ceremony (1982)
10. The Widening Gyre (1983)
11. Valediction (1984)
12. A Catskill Eagle (1985)
13. Taming a Seahorse (1986)
14. Pale Kings and Princes (1987)
15. Crimson Joy (1988)
16. Playmates (1989)
17. Stardust (1990)
18. Pastime (1991)
19. Double Deuce (1991)
20. Paper Doll (1993)
21. Walking Shadow (1994)
22. Thin Air (1995)
23. Chance (1996)
24. Small Vices (1997)
25. Sudden Mischief (1998)
26. Hush Money (1999)
27. Hugger Mugger (2000)
28. Potshot (2001)
29. Widow's Walk (2002)
30. Back Story (2003)
31. Bad Business (2004)
32. Cold Service (2005)
33. School Days (2005)
34. Dream Girl (2006)
35. Now and Then (2007)
36. Rough Weather (2008)
36.5 Chasing the Bear (2009)
37. The Professional (2009)
38. Painted Ladies (2010)
39. Sixkill (2011)
39.5 Silent Night (2013)
Spenser: A Mysterious Profile (2022)
continued in the series by Ace Atkins
Hawk actually comes to Spenser for help with this case, a first.
It only gets darker from the start … it also shines a light on certain racial issues this country faces today. This book was released in 1991 but things clearly haven’t changed in that aspect.
On a personal front: Susan and Spenser move in together on a trial basis, into her house in Cambridge.
This one was super fun, as they all are, but specifically I liked the way it ended up. I won’t spoil it here—read if for yourself!
5 stars.
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Audio:
This isn’t a performance at all, just an absolute garbage reading with ill-fitting accents and other nonsense. 0-star “performance”.
Also a very poor-quality production overall. Lots of static and skipping, etc. Lots of extra noise. Awful.
First edition cover:
Spenser Reading Order:
1. The Godwulf Manuscript (1973)
2. God Save the Child (1974)
3. Mortal Stakes (1975)
4. Promised Land (1976)
5. The Judas Goat (1978)
6. Looking for Rachel Wallace (1980)
7. Early Autumn (1980)
8. A Savage Place (1981)
9. Ceremony (1982)
10. The Widening Gyre (1983)
11. Valediction (1984)
12. A Catskill Eagle (1985)
13. Taming a Seahorse (1986)
14. Pale Kings and Princes (1987)
15. Crimson Joy (1988)
16. Playmates (1989)
17. Stardust (1990)
18. Pastime (1991)
19. Double Deuce (1991)
20. Paper Doll (1993)
21. Walking Shadow (1994)
22. Thin Air (1995)
23. Chance (1996)
24. Small Vices (1997)
25. Sudden Mischief (1998)
26. Hush Money (1999)
27. Hugger Mugger (2000)
28. Potshot (2001)
29. Widow's Walk (2002)
30. Back Story (2003)
31. Bad Business (2004)
32. Cold Service (2005)
33. School Days (2005)
34. Dream Girl (2006)
35. Now and Then (2007)
36. Rough Weather (2008)
36.5 Chasing the Bear (2009)
37. The Professional (2009)
38. Painted Ladies (2010)
39. Sixkill (2011)
39.5 Silent Night (2013)
Spenser: A Mysterious Profile (2022)
continued in the series by Ace Atkins
September 12, 2021
Mostly, I am amused. By the stories, and their tangential relevance to the real world and the familiar Boston terrain, and by my own enjoyment of these empty verbal calories. Like Parker's other books, this one's the literary equivalent of an amuse bouche, to be read before something more nutritious. I have to admire Parker's hustle -- while entertaining me, getting me to read his (and this word may be too heavyweight) oeuvre in order, this being book 19 by my count, formulaic without being entirely predictable, engagingly seasoned with wise-guy dialogue (short lines, very low words per page) and acute human insights (continuing devotion to Susan, a possibly more than superficial insight into Hawk) -- he markets 224 loosely typeset pages on the thickest paper I have ever seen in a book, presumably with reasonably little effort and unreasonably remunerative success.
The insight here, for what it's worth, is that urban gang culture provides a sort of parallel success path for disenfranchised youth, fleetingly satisfying the Maslow hierarchy of needs (it's in this book) before its inevitable dead end, lending itself to manipulation by underworld forces that are themselves parallel to the real problem: inequitable distribution of wealth. For 200 pages I wondered how Robert B. was gonna work his way out of this quagmire; he does so with a sort of deus ex machina, cops taking the really bad guy down. We're gonna need another really bad guy for book #20.
The insight here, for what it's worth, is that urban gang culture provides a sort of parallel success path for disenfranchised youth, fleetingly satisfying the Maslow hierarchy of needs (it's in this book) before its inevitable dead end, lending itself to manipulation by underworld forces that are themselves parallel to the real problem: inequitable distribution of wealth. For 200 pages I wondered how Robert B. was gonna work his way out of this quagmire; he does so with a sort of deus ex machina, cops taking the really bad guy down. We're gonna need another really bad guy for book #20.
November 23, 2020
After finally exploring Spenser's formative years (at least to an extent) last time round, Parker seemed to have been thinking that it was maybe time to shed some light on what makes Hawk who he is. Unfortunately, it seems that about halfway through, he changed his mind, which makes for a slightly confused and unsatisfying conclusion to a story that really seemed to be going places. Hawk and Spenser taking on a gang from the projects? Sign me up please. And initially, we get a few enjoyably tense moments, and some fun stuff with Spenser being the fish out of water and being called 'Mick' a lot. But it all goes flat towards the end; it feels like Parker couldn't figure out what to do with the 'Hawk versus a younger version of himself' story, and didn't really go anywhere with it.
December 12, 2019
This was a good one in that the characters evolved a little too much and realized that they needed to step back to the place they were comfortable and really belonged. Parker did a good job with that and the sad subject matter. What a great series.
October 31, 2019
A different type of story than most Spenser novels. Mostly Hawk centered. Hawk hires Spenser to clean up a housing project when a girl and her baby are murdered. A very introspective look at urban crime. Not as interesting as most Spenser novels for me. The subplot of Spenser and Susan moving in felt forced. Plus the whole talk show angle seems to disappear with any word on why.
September 1, 2023
Not a terrible read but not up to Parker's earlier book. I found the amount of dialog between Spencer and Susan to slow down the story.
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