2 January, 2002: The Judas Goat
The Judas Goat was the last of the great early Spenser books that I read in my marathon of Spenser reading a few months ago. And a few months ago, I thought that the plot, in which Spenser is hired to hunt down a group of European terrorists who killed a millionaire's family in a bombing, hadn't aged well. Things change, and the depths of anger exhibited by a man with nothing left to live for ring a little more true. Other than that, this book is most notable for being the book where Hawk -- a truly great character; not for nothing did people suggest chucking Robert Urich off the television series and leaving Susan and Hawk to entertain viewers -- really comes into his own. After a supporting role as Spenser's opponent's hired muscle in the earlier Promised Land, Hawk and Spenser work together in this one. He's a show-stealer; there's lots of fun back and forth between the two that sugarcoats what's actually a rather dull, bloody plot.