 | The topic of this article may not meet Wikipedia's notability guideline for books .(May 2014) |
 First edition | |
| Author | Robert B. Parker |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | Sunny Randall |
| Genre | Crime novel |
| Publisher | Berkley Books |
Publication date | 2007 |
| Pages | 304 |
| ISBN | 978-0-399-15425-6 |
| Preceded by | Blue Screen |
Spare Change is a crime novel by Robert B. Parker, the sixth and final novel in his Sunny Randall series published before his death.
The novel begins with the notorious Spare Change serial killer resurfacing after 20 years. Sunny's father, Phil Randall, worked this case years ago, and enlists Sunny's help investigating the new string of murders. The killer's MO is to shoot the person in the head, and leave three coins at the scene of the crime, hence the name Spare Change. Spare Change sent numerous letters to Phil during the original crime spree, but then the killings abruptly stopped, until now. The reemergence of the killer after such a long time causes the Randall's to suspect a copy-cat killer.
After the first killing, Phil Randall decides to detain everyone at the scene of the next killing. They take down all of their information, and later bring them to the station and question them one by one; their hope being that the killer would have hung around the crime scene to watch. The interviews are tedious, but when Bob Johnson walks into the room he immediately becomes a suspect. Everything cries out that he is the killer, from the way he speaks, to the way he calls Sunny's father Phil, just like in the killer's correspondence. It doesn't take long before Sunny is convinced he is the killer.
Sunny begins seeing Bob Johnson in hopes of discovering some sort of evidence to allow them to arrest him. Meanwhile, the investigation continues. From a photo of his she tracks down his old college girlfriend. She informs Sunny that she dated Bob in college, had sex with him once, he was bad at it, and then she broke up with him and married someone else. While investigating at Bob's alma mater, she also discovers that his father was a professor there and had a fatal heart attack in his office. However, despite the official cause of death, the former secretary insists she saw blood when she discovered the body. Sunny follows up by interviewing the police officer at the scene who reluctantly confirms that it was in fact a suicide. The college president had insisted on reporting it as a heart attack to prevent a scandal the school couldn't afford.
Later Sunny breaks into Bob's apartment and while searching his address book, finds the name Chico Zarilla. This name leads them to an apartment and the first thing they see in the apartment is a life-size picture of Robert Johnson Sr. and a young Bob Johnson. They also find a .38 revolver and bullets that match the killer's gun. Sunny insists on having one final meeting with Bob so she can confront him with what they know and try to get a confession out of him. She fears he will just play with them after he is arrested and they will never get any answers. The police agree to this and she arranges the meeting at Spike's restaurant. The restaurant is packed with undercover police when she confronts him with what she knows. She asks him about his father, but he refuses to speak about it. He then draws his gun, puts it to Sunny's head, and begins calling for Phil.
After finding pictures of herself in Bob's scrap books and feeling the sexual tension between them, Sunny thought Bob was obsessed with her, but it turns out he was obsessed with her father all along. During the stand-off, Bob is so intent on Phil that he doesn't notice Sunny draw her weapon. She shoots him in the wrist and pulls away. The other police officers then shoot and kill him. The next day Sunny receives a package from Bob containing a videotape. The video is of Bob explaining everything. He explains that when he was fourteen he walked in on his father dressed as a Mexican gunfighter. Robert Sr. then confides in his son that most of the time he is Professor Robert Johnson, but that sometimes he is Chico Zarilla, and Chico is a killer. He confesses to his son that Chico is the Spare Change killer. Later when his mother discovers this, his father commits suicide. When Bob reaches the age that his father was when he died he decides to take up his mantle. His parents are dead; the only woman he ever loved is with another man, so he feels that Chico Zarilla is all he has left. And like before, Chico wants to kill. [1]
A subplot involves Sunny's friend Julie. Julie is an unscrupulous counselor who begins an affair with one of her patient's husband. Sunny agrees to a double date with his friend Jimmy. Julie and the men become intoxicated during the date and the men suggest group sex. The women of course refuse and the men insist, and just when it looks like they may be raped Sunny knees Julie's boyfriend in the crotch and draws her weapon. She then tells them to get out. Later she pays a visit to the boyfriend with Spike and threatens to have Spike beat him to a pulp if he ever bothers Julie again. Despite this the other man, Jimmy, posts nude photos of Julie on the Internet. Julie asks for Sunny's help, but she refuses, advising instead that she get a lawyer, and more importantly, psychiatric help. Another subplot involves Sunny's sister's engagement to a snobby, know-it-all college professor. [1]
In this novel, Sunny's ex, Richie, leaves his wife. This happens after Richie refuses to remove a photo of Sunny from his office. He confesses that he still loves Sunny and they begin seeing each other again. She realizes that she doesn't want to remarry, or live with Richie, but she does love and want to be with him. She realizes she was never over him, which is why it didn't work out with Jesse Stone. [1]
Terror Tract is a 2000 American dark comedy/horror anthology film directed by Lance W. Dreesen and Clint Hutchison.
Edmund Emil Kemper III is an American serial killer convicted of murdering seven women and one girl, between May 1972 to April 1973. Years earlier, at the age of 15, Kemper had murdered his paternal grandparents. Kemper was nicknamed the Co-ed Killer, as most of his non-familial victims were female college students hitchhiking in the vicinity of Santa Cruz County, California. Most of his murders included necrophilia, decapitation, and dismemberment.
Alfie Moon is a fictional character from the BBC drama EastEnders, played by Shane Richie. He made his first appearance on 21 November 2002, and left on 25 December 2005. He returned on 21 September 2010, following the return of his on-screen wife, Kat Slater, two episodes previously, and they continued to feature until 22 May 2015. Alfie appeared in a guest stint between 26 December 2015 and 25 January 2016, before starring in the six-part drama spin-off series Kat & Alfie: Redwater in 2017. Richie returned for two short stints in 2018, concluding with his exit on 22 January 2019. Richie then made a virtual cameo appearance on 12 July 2022, followed by a permanent return from 12 September 2022.
Phil Mitchell is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Steve McFadden. He was introduced to the soap opera on 20 February 1990 and was followed by his brother Grant, sister Sam and mother Peggy. Phil was one of the major characters introduced by executive producer Michael Ferguson, who wanted to bring in some macho male leads. Phil and his brother Grant became popularly known as the Mitchell brothers in the British media, with Phil initially portrayed as the more level-headed of the two thugs. Storylines featuring the Mitchell family dominated the soap opera throughout the 1990s, with Phil serving as one of the show's central characters and protagonists since the 1990s. McFadden temporarily left the series in late 2003, then returned in April 2005 for a brief appearance before making a permanent return in October 2005, and has now overtaken Dot Cotton as the second-longest-serving character in EastEnders, surpassed only by original character Ian Beale. A teenage version of Phil, played by Daniel Delaney, appeared in a flashback episode broadcast on 5 September 2022, which focuses on the Mitchell family in the 1970s.
Ghostface is a fictional identity that is adopted by the primary antagonists of the Scream franchise. The figure was originally created by Kevin Williamson, and is primarily mute in person but voiced over the phone by Roger L. Jackson, regardless of who is behind the mask. The disguise has been adopted by various characters in the movies and in the third season of the television series.
Debra Charlotte Morgan is a fictional character created by Jeff Lindsay for his Dexter book series. She also appears in the television series, based on Lindsay's books, portrayed by Jennifer Carpenter. In Lindsay's novels, she first appeared in Darkly Dreaming Dexter and was featured in every novel in the series. Debra is the sister of the series' antihero protagonist Dexter Morgan.
Dexter Morgan is a fictional character introduced as the antihero protagonist of the Dexter book series written by Jeff Lindsay, as well as the television series of the same name. In the television series, Dexter is portrayed by Michael C. Hall.
I Cover the Waterfront is a 1933 American pre-Code romantic drama film directed by James Cruze and starring Ben Lyon, Claudette Colbert, Ernest Torrence, and Hobart Cavanaugh.
Mr. Monk and the Two Assistants is the fourth novel based on the television series Monk by Lee Goldberg. It is the first Monk novel to be published in hardcover, on July 3, 2007. The paperback edition was released on January 2, 2008.
I, the Jury is a 1953 American film noir crime film based on the 1947 novel I, the Jury by Mickey Spillane. It was directed by Harry Essex, produced by Victor Saville's company, Parklane Pictures and released through United Artists.
The Killer Inside Me is a 1952 novel by American writer Jim Thompson published by Fawcett Publications.
High Profile is a crime novel by Robert B. Parker, the sixth in his Jesse Stone series.
Faster is a 2010 American action thriller film directed by George Tillman Jr. The film stars Dwayne Johnson, Billy Bob Thornton, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Carla Gugino, Maggie Grace, Moon Bloodgood, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, and Tom Berenger. Faster was released on November 24, 2010. The film received mixed reviews from critics and grossed $35 million against a production budget of $24 million.
Night and Day is a crime novel by Robert B. Parker, the eighth in his Jesse Stone series. It was the last in the series to be published before his death in 2010.
Split Image is a crime novel by Robert B. Parker, the ninth and final novel in his Jesse Stone series. It was published a month after his death.
Hannah McKay is a fictional character portrayed by Yvonne Strahovski, in the seventh and eighth seasons of the Showtime television series Dexter.
 |