The Judas Goat
Encyclopedia
The Judas Goat is the fifth Spenser
novel by Robert B. Parker
, first published in 1978.
to find the members of a terrorist group that bombed a London
restaurant where he and his family were dining, resulting in the deaths of his two daughters, his wife and leaving him a paraplegic. He is promised USD
$2500 a head for the apprehension of each of the nine terrorists responsible, dead or alive. Spenser heads to England to start his investigation. Running an ad for information in a large London newspaper, results in at least two assassination attempts on Spenser. Spenser detects them before they are successful, resulting in the death of two gunmen and the capture of another.
Spenser enlists the help of Hawk, a powerful henchman. This novel marks the first paid cooperative effort of Hawk, who goes on to become one of Spenser's greatest allies and friends in the long-running series. Spenser tracks one of the members of the terrorist group, Liberty, and uses her as a Judas goat
to lead him to other members.
"Katherine," as Spenser calls her, knowing that it is probably just an alias, flees to Copenhagen, where Hawk and Spenser follow her. Spenser allows himself to be captured by Katherine's allies, just to be rescued by Hawk before they plan to kill him (for the third time). The rescue leads to the deaths of three more members of the group, but the escape of Kathie and the leader of the group, Paul.
The group turns out to be a white-supremacist group trying to keep control of Africa
n countries away from the native Africans and in the hands of white countries and leaders. The bombing of the restaurant Dixon and his wife were in was more or less a random act of violence against England because of the backing of an African country.
Tired of running from Spenser and Hawk, Paul leaves the last two members responsible for the bombing shot dead in Spenser and Hawk's hotel room. The last member, Kathie, is tied up on a bed. A note from Paul says these are the last members of the bombing, which was executed without his involvement. He couldn't kill Kathie because he had been intimate with her for some time. He says to stop chasing them now. Hawk and Spenser untie Kathie and interrogate her, but she doesn't know where Paul has fled. Upon further reflection, she recalls he may be at the Olympics in Montreal
, Canada
. That night Kathie, with her pulchritude, tries to seduce Spenser, but he resists.
His obligations to Dixon completed, the three of them fly to Montreal and rent a duplex
near the games. Spenser flies to Boston
to tell Dixon what he is planning on doing, and to tell him he doesn't expect him to pay for it. Dixon insists on paying for it anyhow, as he has great wealth but, since his family died, nothing worthwhile to spend it on. He also arranges to get Spenser tickets to the Stadium games. Spenser spends the night with his lover, Susan Silverman, and flies back to Canada the next day.
With little to go on, Hawk, Spenser and Kathie attend the games at the Stadium looking for Paul and a henchman who Kathie warns may be with him, Zachary. Spenser spots him within a few days and observes him setting up a snipers nest
. The next day he observes him, accompanied by Zach, assembling a sniper's rifle. Hawk and Spenser decide to make their move.
All four men are armed, but Hawk quickly knocks out Paul. Zachary, a huge bodybuilder standing six foot seven, attempts to shoot Spenser, but loses his gun in a scuffle. Trying to take down Zachary, the three remaining men all lose their weapons. Zachary flees the stadium, pursued by Hawk and Spenser. He is eventually beaten into unconsciousness by them after a difficult brawl a short distance from the stadium. The police arrive and take Spenser and Hawk to a hospital. Both have numerous scrapes and cuts, but Spenser also has a broken left arm and nose. They learn Kathie shot Paul "as he attempted to flee," but both suspect she shot him first chance she got for turning her over to them at the hotel.
Dixon arrives in his wheelchair at the hospital and pays Spenser twice his promised fee, $50,000. Spenser offers half to Hawk, but he declines, just billing Spenser for his original fee. Spenser lies to Dixon, saying Kathie is not part of the original nine responsible for the bombing and gets Dixon to have her released from jail, where she is being held. The book concludes with Spenser and Susan vacationing together in London.
Spenser (fictional detective)
Spenser is a fictional character in a series of detective novels initially by the American mystery writer Robert B. Parker and later by Ace Atkins...
novel by Robert B. Parker
Robert B. Parker
Robert Brown Parker was an American crime writer. His most famous works were the novels about the private detective Spenser. ABC television network developed the television series Spenser: For Hire based on the character in the late 1980s; a series of TV movies based on the character were also...
, first published in 1978.
Plot summary
A somewhat recluse millionaire, Hugh Dixon, hires SpenserSpenser (fictional detective)
Spenser is a fictional character in a series of detective novels initially by the American mystery writer Robert B. Parker and later by Ace Atkins...
to find the members of a terrorist group that bombed a London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
restaurant where he and his family were dining, resulting in the deaths of his two daughters, his wife and leaving him a paraplegic. He is promised USD
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
$2500 a head for the apprehension of each of the nine terrorists responsible, dead or alive. Spenser heads to England to start his investigation. Running an ad for information in a large London newspaper, results in at least two assassination attempts on Spenser. Spenser detects them before they are successful, resulting in the death of two gunmen and the capture of another.
Spenser enlists the help of Hawk, a powerful henchman. This novel marks the first paid cooperative effort of Hawk, who goes on to become one of Spenser's greatest allies and friends in the long-running series. Spenser tracks one of the members of the terrorist group, Liberty, and uses her as a Judas goat
Judas goat
A Judas goat is a trained goat used at a slaughterhouse and in general animal herding. The Judas goat is trained to associate with sheep or cattle, leading them to a specific destination. In stockyards, a Judas goat will lead sheep to slaughter, while its own life is spared. Judas goats are also...
to lead him to other members.
"Katherine," as Spenser calls her, knowing that it is probably just an alias, flees to Copenhagen, where Hawk and Spenser follow her. Spenser allows himself to be captured by Katherine's allies, just to be rescued by Hawk before they plan to kill him (for the third time). The rescue leads to the deaths of three more members of the group, but the escape of Kathie and the leader of the group, Paul.
The group turns out to be a white-supremacist group trying to keep control of Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
n countries away from the native Africans and in the hands of white countries and leaders. The bombing of the restaurant Dixon and his wife were in was more or less a random act of violence against England because of the backing of an African country.
Tired of running from Spenser and Hawk, Paul leaves the last two members responsible for the bombing shot dead in Spenser and Hawk's hotel room. The last member, Kathie, is tied up on a bed. A note from Paul says these are the last members of the bombing, which was executed without his involvement. He couldn't kill Kathie because he had been intimate with her for some time. He says to stop chasing them now. Hawk and Spenser untie Kathie and interrogate her, but she doesn't know where Paul has fled. Upon further reflection, she recalls he may be at the Olympics in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. That night Kathie, with her pulchritude, tries to seduce Spenser, but he resists.
His obligations to Dixon completed, the three of them fly to Montreal and rent a duplex
Duplex (building)
The term duplex can be used to describe several different dwelling unit configurations:A duplex house is defined as a dwelling having apartments with separate entrances for two families. This includes two-story houses having a complete apartment on each floor and also side-by-side apartments on a...
near the games. Spenser flies to Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
to tell Dixon what he is planning on doing, and to tell him he doesn't expect him to pay for it. Dixon insists on paying for it anyhow, as he has great wealth but, since his family died, nothing worthwhile to spend it on. He also arranges to get Spenser tickets to the Stadium games. Spenser spends the night with his lover, Susan Silverman, and flies back to Canada the next day.
With little to go on, Hawk, Spenser and Kathie attend the games at the Stadium looking for Paul and a henchman who Kathie warns may be with him, Zachary. Spenser spots him within a few days and observes him setting up a snipers nest
Sniper
A sniper is a marksman who shoots targets from concealed positions or distances exceeding the capabilities of regular personnel. Snipers typically have specialized training and distinct high-precision rifles....
. The next day he observes him, accompanied by Zach, assembling a sniper's rifle. Hawk and Spenser decide to make their move.
All four men are armed, but Hawk quickly knocks out Paul. Zachary, a huge bodybuilder standing six foot seven, attempts to shoot Spenser, but loses his gun in a scuffle. Trying to take down Zachary, the three remaining men all lose their weapons. Zachary flees the stadium, pursued by Hawk and Spenser. He is eventually beaten into unconsciousness by them after a difficult brawl a short distance from the stadium. The police arrive and take Spenser and Hawk to a hospital. Both have numerous scrapes and cuts, but Spenser also has a broken left arm and nose. They learn Kathie shot Paul "as he attempted to flee," but both suspect she shot him first chance she got for turning her over to them at the hotel.
Dixon arrives in his wheelchair at the hospital and pays Spenser twice his promised fee, $50,000. Spenser offers half to Hawk, but he declines, just billing Spenser for his original fee. Spenser lies to Dixon, saying Kathie is not part of the original nine responsible for the bombing and gets Dixon to have her released from jail, where she is being held. The book concludes with Spenser and Susan vacationing together in London.
Characters
- SpenserSpenser (fictional detective)Spenser is a fictional character in a series of detective novels initially by the American mystery writer Robert B. Parker and later by Ace Atkins...
: Boston private investigator - Hawk
- Hugh Dixon
- "Katherine" (we never learn her real name)
- Susan Silverman
- Various generic white supremacist terrorists