Crimson Joy |
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Crimson Joy |
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Latest Update 24 August 2006 by Bob Ames
| Hardcover Edition | |||||
| Published by: | Delacorte Press | ||||
| Publication Date: | 1988 | ||||
| ISBN: | 0-385-29651-7 | ||||
| Paperback Edition | |||||
| Published by:: | Dell Publishing | ||||
| ISBN | 0-440-20343-0 | ||||
| Large Print Edition | |||||
| Published by | Delacorte | ||||
| ISBN | 0-385-29672-X | ||||
| Audio Cassette Edition | |||||
| Published by: | Books on Tape | Simon and Schuster | |||
| Read By: | Michael Prichard | David Purdham | |||
| Length | 5 cassettes, 300 min. | 2 cassettes, 180 min. | |||
The above information is from the online catalog of the Minuteman Library Network and my own collection.---Bob
"For all of us"
Taken from the jacket flap of the hardcover edition
"Robert B. Parker's private eye, Spenser, is back on the turf he knows best, a Boston of sleaze and surprises, dangerous days and deadly nights. A serial killer is in the loose in Beantown and the cops can't catch him. Called the "Red Rose Killer" because he leaves a long-stemmed red rose on each woman he slays, he's paralyzing every female who has to walk the streets after dark.
But once Spenser joins the case, the murderer's trail turns toward home when a rose is left for Spenser's own Susan Silverman. It's either a threat or a warning, and Spenser in joined by the steel-fisted Hawk to keep Susan safe. Now Spenser's playing against time while he tracks the Red Rose Killer from Boston's "combat zone" to the suburbs...and finally lays a daring trap for a lady killer whose calling card is as crimson as his victim's blood.
Crimson Joy is both a fast-paced ride into a city's harsh underworld and a terrifying journey into the black alleys of a killer's twisted soul and the dark secret regions of a diabolical heart."
Taken from the back cover of the paperback edition
"Spenser is back on his home turf: a Boston of sleaze and surprises, dangerous days and deadly nights. A serial killer is on the loose in Beantown and the cops can't catch him. Called the "Red Rose Killer" because he leaves a long-stemmed red rose on each woman he slays, he's terrifying every female who has to go out after dark. But once Spenser joins the chase, the murderer's trail turns toward home when a rose is left for Spenser's own Susan Silverman."
"William Blake, The Sick Rose:
'O Rose, thou art sick.
The invisible worm
That flies in the night
In the howling storm
Has found out thy bed
Of crimson joy,
And his dark secret love
Does thy life destroy.'"
The above poem has relevance to the story in several different ways:
"Come, fill the Cup, and in the fire of Spring
Your Winter garment of Repentance fling:
The Bird of Time has but a little way
To flutter--and the Bird is on the Wing. "
"'The heartbeat of America' was the advertising slogan that kicked off Chevy's campaign in 1986."
"(This) sounds very much like Raymond Chandler writing as a non-mystery writer and knowing Robert Parker is a follower, here is what I think he is parodying:
'She was the music heard faintly at the edge of sound.' Part of a letter written by Chandler about his wife who had passed away in December, 1954. The letter was to the editor of the London Sunday Times and is found on page 32 in 'Raymond Chandler Speaking' edited by Gardner and Walker.'"
I found it so moving that I have included a longer excerpt here:
The measure of the love he felt for her can be
gauged from these words: "For 30 years, 10 months and
four days, she was the light of my life, my whole
ambition. Anything I did was just the fire for her to
warm her hands at. That is all there is to say. She was
the music heard faintly on the edge of sound."
Denis Tallett writes:
If this is Nichols and May, it comes from their sketch about two teenagers on their first date. He wants to go beyond necking as his father only lets him borrow the car once a week but she believes he wouldn't respect her. He replies, "I would respect you like crazy". It can be seen on the video or their work between 1957-1962 in "Take 2". Shown on PBS 1996 Pledge drive.
"This feels like a true Spenserism, where he takes two expressions and creates his own. 'The light of day' plus 'out in the midday sun,' from the Noel Coward song about Mad Dogs and Englishmen."
See Lyrics
Correction. I typed in the wrong movie name above. Sam Farris was kind enough to send me the following:
"He was actually in Rio Lobo (1970), an inferior remake that still starred John Wayne directed by Howard Hawks (his last film). I believe it was the third time the two made essentially the same picture, the second time was El Dorado (1967) with Wayne, Robert Mitchum, and James Caan. Rio Bravo (with Dean Martin, Walter Brennan, Angie Dickinson and Ricky Nelson) was made in 1959 -- I have seen it maybe 12 times and it's a classic. I wouldn't grouse about it except Rio Bravo is one of my all-time favorites and I hate to see it misrepresented. Spenser would love it."
"<this> rang a bell, and sure enough, my book of quotes refers us to Walter De La Mare, in the poem 'Never more, sailor' where he writes of the 'wind-ridden restless sea.'"
"It just smacks to me of Darth Vader! The original Star Wars series was released between 1977 and 1983 or so; Crimson Joy was published in 1988."
BTW: the above quotation is from Runyon's 1937 book "More Than Somewhat." In my internet research I found it attributed to Grantland Rice, Mark Twain, Ring Lardner, Robert A. Heinlein, Rudyard Kipling, and even odds-maker Nick the Greek. Always remember: trust but verify ;)
"It's been fourteen years and there are people out there who may not get the reference to the Red Sox's clumsiness. Is it worth mentioning the 1986 World Series, when the Sox were one strike away from the championship, they'd already named Bruce Hurst the Series MVP, and then Mookie Wilson jumped and then Bill Buckner muffed?"
It's painful, but here goes: Game 6, bottom of the tenth, the Sox are up by one run, the Mets have two outs and Mookie Wilson at bat has two strikes. Runners on second and third. The curse that has been on the Boston team since 1918 is about to end. Then Wilson jumps away from a pitch, blocking the catcher's view and the ball dribbles away to the backstop. Kevin Mitchell scores from third on the wild pitch, tie game. Another pitch, and Wilson hits a little grounder along the first base line. Which goes right between the legs of Bill Buckner, a man whose name is now as famous as Dr. Samuel Mudd, Capt. Charles Boycott, and Col. Charles Lynch. That's the short version; a full account would take several more pages.
"Quirk nodded. I smiled at him. Just a big friendly puppy. Quirk looked at me without saying anything. Belson's cigar smelled like someone was cooking a rat."
"'I may use Hawk,' I said.
Quirk nearly smiled for a moment. 'Think he can keep from blabbing to the press?' he said.
'As long as Barbara Walters doesn't show up,' I said. 'Hawk gets light-headed whenever he sees her.'
'I guess we'll have to chance it,' Quirk said."
"'How do you afford caviar?' Susan said.
'Low overhead,' I said. 'I weave my own blackjacks.'"
"On Wednesday morning there was a profile of me in the Globe. PRIVATE EYE ON RED ROSE CASE, it said. It mentioned that I'd been involved in a number of cases, that I'd had a longtime relationship with Susan Silverman, a Cambridge psychologist, and that I had once been a boxer. It neglected to mention that when I smiled, my cheeks dimpled sweetly. The press never gets it right.
Wayne Cosgrove called to see if there was anything I knew that I hadn't told the beat man at the news conference. I said no. He said would I lie to him. I said yes. And we hung up."
"'She have any thoughts about what it would be?' Quirk said.
'I asked her that,' I said. 'She gave me the shrink look and said "Zee muzzer, vee often look to zee muzzer."'
'Her too,' Quirk said. 'So we should be looking for a cop had trouble with his mom.'
'Maybe,' I said.
'On a force that's eighty percent Irish,' Quirk said.
'Okay,' I said, 'Let's take another approach.'"
"The woman said, 'I don't want to do all of these machines today.'
Janie said, 'It'll be fun once you get started, you'll see.' She glanced at Henry. There was no kindness in her glance. I was on the lat machine, and as Henry and Janie exchanged their glances I turned around and did a handstand on the seat of the lat pull down machine, so that I was effectively on it upside down.
'Excuse me, Mr. Cimoli,' I said. 'Am I doing this right?'
Henry turned and stared at me for a moment with no change of expression.
'Why, yes, sir,' Henry said, and smiled kindly. 'You're doing just fine.' He stepped nearer to me and said more softly, but just as kindly, 'Now, why don't you pull the weight down with your dick,' and moved off toward the front desk."
"Tuttle looked at me. 'I will be reporting this meeting to Commissioner Pat Wilson,' he said. 'Might I know who you are?'
'Orutund Vowel,' I said. 'I'm the lieutenant's elocution teacher.'
Tuttle stared at me. He knew he was being kidded but he didn't know what to say. Finally he turned and led them out.
'Orutund Vowel?' Quirk said.
I shrugged.
'You're a strange bastard,' he said."
"Susan's phone rang. It was separate from the office phone. I picked it up and said, 'Hello.'
Hawk's voice said, 'Susan?'
I said, 'Nobody likes a minority smart-ass.'
'True,' Hawk said. 'What do you need?'
I told him about the rose intruder.
Hawk said, 'And he punched you in the head and you chased him and he got away? Was he a brother?'
'I don't think so,' I said.
'You let a white guy get away from you?'
'What do you want from me,' I said. 'I'm a white guy too.'
'Yeah, you so funky sometimes I forget. I'll come over in case we have to chase him again.'"
"She picked up the gun, held it carefully in both hands, stood as I'd taught her to, cocked the gun with her right thumb, fired carefully, six shots, single action, and put all six inside the 7 circle. Then she put the thirty-eight back down on the shooter's table and waited while Costa went down to the target.
- 'You forgot to yell "Freeze, dirt bag"', I said.
'Couldn't I say something else, like "It's all right, I'm a doctor"?' she said.
- I shook my head in disgust. 'Don't you watch television?'"
"Belson glanced around the apartment with its careful clutter of objets d'art, lace, silk, crystal, and velvet. There was a huge crimson fan spread on one wall of the den.
'It's you,' Belson said to me.
'Yeah,' I said. 'I'm looking to buy a paisley gun.'"
"Quirk nodded. 'I can't use any of my people.'
'Unofficially?' I said. 'Sort of a favor?'
Quirk shook his head. 'It would cost them. I'm excommunicated, until I agree with the official version.'
'You and Galileo,' I said.
'Didn't he throw his balls off the leaning tower?' Quirk said.
'That too,' I said."
"I've yet to find a cabbie that responds when you say 'Follow that cab.' The last guy I tried slammed on the brakes and slapped down his meter and told me to take a walk. 'I look like fucking James Bond to you?' he said."
"People coming home from work, students going to the library, or the barroom, or the movies, a scattering of tourists coming to see the famous Harvard Square and looking vaguely puzzled when they found it."
"'No, in fact I wish to disturb one. I wish to thwart and frustrate whoever poisoned the fish. It will force him to rechannel whatever he's trying to express, and perhaps he'll rechannel it my way.'
'You shrinks are a devious bunch,' I said. 'What if he rechannels it violently?'
Susan smiled sweetly.
'Why, then you or Hawkie-poo will intervene,' she said. 'Why else are you hanging around?'
I had nothing to say to that. Neither did Hawkie-poo."
"'The hurdler has an ex-wife,' I said. Maybe I'll go talk with her.'
'Take my picture along,' Hawk said. 'Tell her she can meet me if she cooperate.'
'And if she doesn't,' I said, 'she meets you twice.'"
"Hawk smiled benignly, like a proud grandparent.
'Knew you two could work it out,' he said.
'Oh, fuck you,' Susan said.
'Good point,' Hawk said."
"'You were right you know,' Susan said.
- 'Probably,' I said. "About what?'"
"'And,' Susan said, 'in fact, of course, love frequently flourishes most successfully when ying meets yang.'
'Ying meets yang?'
'Never mind,' Susan said. 'And just keep your ying to yourself.'"
"I felt like a beer commercial. Chasing a murderous psychopath along the verge of the restless sea. It doesn't get any better than this, Gordie. Maybe when I caught him we could exchange high fives and look at beer without drinking it."
"'Without endorsing the us,' I said, 'let me suggest a suitable reward for being so integrated.'
'I do not want to go to Fenway Park and watch the Red Sox do anything,' Susan said.
'I had in mind exotic sexual congress,' I said.
'With the Red Sox?'
'After last year, I think they're too clumsy,' I said. 'I was thinking that you deserve me, Foots Spenser.'
'Yes,' Susan said, 'God help me, I'm afraid that's just what I deserve.'
'So,' I said, 'shall we finish dinner, go back to your place, and make love?'
'Certainly,' Susan said.
'With or without sweater?' I said.
There was a long, silent moment while Susan looked at me, straight on. Her great dark eyes wide, her face wearing an odd expression that might have been a smile. Then she did something I've never seen her do, Something, perhaps, that no one had ever seen her do.
She blushed.'"
The scientist who first identified the red-blood-cell antibodies back in the early 20th Century named the types A, B, and C. Blood type C was later renamed to blood type O. I haven't delved deeply enough to determine when this happened, but referring to type O as type C is not something I had ever encountered in my life, and I find it interesting to see it in a book published in the late '80s. And one other related niggle is that neither Belson nor Quirk specify whether that Type-C trace was Rh-Positive or -Negative. Sloppier than we've come to expect from them, or from OFG.
It was Dr. Karl
Landsteiner who discovered the human blood groups he called A, B, and C in
1900, and for being so clever he won the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1930.
I wasn't able to track it down either but type C was changed to O one heck
of a long time ago. Even though Dr. Parker was savvy enough to throw
in testing for the PGM (phosphoglucomutase) enzyme, we must remember that
his Doctorate is in English Literature.
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