Book Description
When a simple case turns into a treacherous and politically charged investigation, Spenser faces his most difficult challenge yet-keeping his cool while his beloved Susan Silverman is in danger.

Spenser knows something's amiss the moment Dennis Doherty walks into his office. The guy's aggressive yet wary, in the way men frightened for their marriages always are. So when Doherty asks Spenser to investigate his wife Jordan's abnormal behavior, Spenser agrees. A job's a job, after all.

Not surprisingly, Spenser catches Jordan with another man, tells Dennis what he's found out, and considers the case closed. But a couple of days later, all hell breaks loose, and three people are dead. This isn't just a marital affair gone bad. Spenser is in the middle of hornet's nest of trouble, and he's got to get out of it without getting stung. With Hawk watching his back, and gun-for-hire Vinnie Morris providing extra cover, Spenser delves into a complicated and far-reaching operation: Jordan's former lover, Perry Alderson, is the leader of a group that helps sponsor terrorists. But Perry doesn't like Spenser poking around his business, so he decides to get to Spenser through Susan. The Boston P.I. will use all his connections both above and below the law to uncover the truth behind Perry's antigovernment organization. But what Alderson doesn't realize is that Spenser will stop at absolutely nothing to keep Susan out of harm's way; nothing will keep him from the woman he loves. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (53)

Sorely lacking......
Long time fan...own all the Spenser novels....this one just wasn't there...the last one, Hundred-Dollar Baby, was fast, elegant and paid off in the end, per usual, big time.

This one, Now & Then, was fast, and told the story, as efficiently as all the rest, but it FELT mailed in, and insincere....I'm mailing my copy to my sister, which is the lowest rating that I can give a Spenser novel.

Fun Spenser Novel
A great author. This is part of the P.I. Spenser series. I really liked the book. Fast to read and so entertaining. The humor is exceptionally witty - the kind that makes you smile rather than laugh out loud. You really should be familiar with the series before you read this one - you'll get more out of it that way. Recommended reading.

The Usual Spenser (with no review spoilers to ruin your read)

Much like Stuart Woods has most of his novels in the Stone Barrington series open at a certain New York restaurant, Robert B. Parker has his open in the classic and some would argue clichéd way of beginning at Spenser's office in Boston with a client walking in the door. While both series written by their respective authors feature a lack of character development for the most part as well as limited description of the surroundings in favor of a quick read, the books are very different with Robert B. Parker being the master in packing information for the reader in the form of dialogue.

From the second Dennis Doherty walks into his office, Spenser knows something is off and not just the fact that they aren't remotely getting along. Flippant as he always is regardless of whether or not it is a cop, thug, damsel in distress or in this case Dennis Doherty it quickly becomes clear that they won't be friends and Dennis is hiding something.What is obvious is that he is hoping against hope that his wife isn't cheating on him and wants Spenser to investigate.

Jordan Richmond, the woman Dennis Doherty loves deep into his soul, is the wife and it doesn't take long for Spenser to confirm she is cheating and hadn't chosen the best person to risk her marriage. She is into something Spenser isn't sure how to handle. Before long, he has to go full bore with Hawk and several others as backup in a dangerous cat and mouse game that could result in Susan being killed. As he investigates, not only is he working a case with national security angles and Susan in direct danger because of his actions, he is forced to confront their not too distant past and how they ultimately reconciled.

With occasionally slightly more introspection than normal in the series, Spenser does not spend lots of time thinking about the past. What is done is done and they are fine now so everything worked out for the best seems to be his motto. Instead, his focus is on a killer, one known to all including readers from early on in the book and how best to finally stop him. The result is a fast paced read that Spenser fans will love from start to finish.

Kevin R. Tipple (copyright) 2008

Weak
This Spenser starts out well.

It takes an abrupt turn, does a couple of unexpected things, and is intriguingly puzzling.

But.

But then it goes off the shallow end.It becomes just another pointless revenge drama--revenge at second hand.

Worse still, it dredges up the absolute worst of Spenser: the time when Spenser and Hawk went to rescue the improbably kidnapped Susan Silverman in the 80s.

There are many Spenser novels, some good, some bad.In fact there are SO many that there are now subcategories of bad.

There are the simply Dull Dad--Double Deuce, Cold Service.

And then there are the Aggressively Bad: anything with more than a little Silverman, and especially the ridiculous ones about Spenser's and Susan's infidelities.

One would have to have a heart of stone to read these and not laugh--or puke.

And this one, Now and Then, keeps referring back to those horrid abominations, as though they were milestones of literature or life.

They're not.They are simply undigested chunks of Spenser's (or Parker's????) neuroses.

Susan is simply a ghastly creation.Arrogant, self-centered, shallow, not very smart, selfish, trivial, and worst of all, dull.

There has never been any evidence for why anyone should like her, and abundant evidence why no one can.

She should have been killed off years ago.After all, she's not a real person, not even a real character, merely a cardboard projection.

Whenever she's not around, Spenser, and the novels, instantly perk up.

Alas, that doesn't happen here.She's on horrid view all too much.

Reliable Fare
This is the good reliable fare of Spenser novels.Plenty of Spenser, Susan and Hawk with Vinnie and Chollo thrown in for added muscle.The plot is decent, but not memorable.

There is very little deviation from the Spenser formula - after all, why should there be when it has been entertaining for all these years?The main deviation in this one is that Spenser only gets into one very minor brawl, and that is neither challenging nor significant.That does not mean there is no danger, though.There is danger aplenty, especially for Susan.As always - at least in recent incarnages - the relationship of Susan and Spenser is high-lighted.

The best part of these books is the dialogue.The plot sails along on the sea of words.The dialogue is crisp and to the point; yet has some depth, especially between Spenser and Susan and Spenser and Hawk.Wry humor abounds.

There is some sleuthing and Spenser actually leaves the greater Boston area (Cleveland) to get it done.

The book is entertaining, although a bit boilerplate.If you like the Spenser plate, you will enjoy this one, but there is nothing to distinguish this iteration or make it rise above the others in this large body of work.Recommended for Spenser fans.If you have not read a Spenser novel before, do not start with this one.It is fairly shallow.Start with earlier ones.

... Read more

Book Description
April Kyle, a prostitute from Spenser's past, comes back into his life-with deadly complications. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (73)

One of the Weaker Spensers
I've read nearly all the Spenser novels, and this is definitely one of the weaker ones.

HUNDRED-DOLLAR BABY re-introduces April Kyle, the high-class prostitute last seen in TAMING A SEA HORSE.Kyle has never been a particularly likable character, although Spenser does see her as something of a daughter figure due to her very difficult past.Anyway, Kyle is in trouble again, and Spenser investigates on her behalf, only to find out that her motives may be less than pure.

The plot of HUNDRED DOLLAR BABY is sluggish, and I didn't find it very suspenseful or involving.This is one of those stories where it's hard to find someone to root for.It's not hard to figure out how the story will end, although I do give Parker credit for an unsentimental finish.This is definitely not the best Spenser book to start with, since it features a multitude of characters that were first introduced in earlier books.

This book was okay, but I doubt most casual readers would like it.My advice is to skip this novel unless you're a hard core Spenser fan.

The usual Parker
Spenser, Hawk and Susan.Ought to have everything.But the plot is a little slow and a rehash of prior books.

A good read, for a sequal.

Spenser is starting to suffer from "character rot"
Once again, Spenser is the principled good guy, risking his life, this time for April Kyle. Years before, Spenser had "rescued" her from a life of prostitution on the streets, but the best he could do was to set her up in a high-class bordello in New York City. April has branched out to having her own business, but she is being shaken down. Therefore, she turns once again to Spenser, in the hopes that he will solve the problem.
However, even with the help of Susan, Hawk, Belsen and Tedy Sapp, Spenser has trouble with this case. Most of the problems are a consequence of April lying about everything. There are two murders, some rough stuff easily handled and at the end, it all comes together. The "solution" is not one that Spenser enjoys, but given all that has happened, it probably was for the best.
Over time, fictional characters fall victim to "character rot." Authors start to run out of new ideas; the books about those characters seem to keep coming out with regularity but without the sparks of originality. Spenser and his supporting characters are still within the same mold, to change them significantly would be to truly destroy their charm. However, there is a growing sameness to the stories and in this one, there is a lack of the humorous banter that was a powerful force in the previous books. Spenser is beginning to show his age.

Like an old pair of jeans that feel comfy
Spenser has by now gotten so easy to read that you almost don't have to concentrate. You wonder if the author knows this: at one point in Hundred-dollar Baby Spenser says something about not having to look at the stuff in his apartment. Things are similar in Spenser's books: the stories are so simple, the characters so well-known, that you don't really have to read so much as absorb, and just let the book take you along for the ride Spenser is on.

The current entry has Spenser receiving a visit from April Kyle, the girl her rescued twice before in different books back in the 80s. In the current book she's now a madam. Her brothel is being harassed by local thugs, and she doesn't know why. Spenser, of course, is resourceful, and very tough, so he takes care of the thugs, and then things get a little curious and he can't seem to decide what's going on. Him figuring out who's killing off people is the rest of the book.

I have liked pretty much every Spenser novel. This one is one of the better of the later set of books, and I would recommend it.

Great introduction
This is my first read by this author.Just randomly picked a book and I lucked up on a good one.The writing was engaging to the point that I did not want to put the book down, but wanted to keep turning the pages even when I was sleepy.And I thought it was clever how he wrote about what would be considered an undesirable quality in a person and made it seem non-judgemental. I somehow developed empathy for April.It takes a great writer to be able to do that. This will not be my last read by this author. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (26)

Pure Parker, as always
Pure Spencer, crisp and witty in dialogue, exciting in plot, delightful to read. And, as always, full of action, suspense, and excellent plot. It's always hard to put down a Robert Parker book. This one is another of his masterpieces. Don't miss it.

All the world is a stage . . .
Susan has become a board member for a theatre in Port City, a shabby district on the water front that contains a Chinese ghetto filled with many illegal immigrants, including the Death Dragons, a gang that is run by the dai low for the Kwan Chang tong.The dai low in this case is Ronnie Lu, whose wife Rikki is on the board with Susan.Susan brings Spenser to a board meeting one day because the Artistic Director of the board - Demetrius Christopoulous - believes he is being stalked and wishes Spenser's protection.

When one of the actors is murdered during a production later that night, Spenser's priorities shift to finding the murderer; however, no one knows much about the murder victim - Craig Sampson - and certainly no one can come up with a reason for his demise.However, as soon as Spenser begins nosing around in the area, Ronnie Lu shows up with a couple of young Death Dragons to ask Spenser to butt out or face the consequences.This, of course, just makes Spenser decide to call in Hawk and Vinnie Morris for back up.

The addition of Ming Lei to the team for her linguistic skills is something I hope will be permanent.She adds good chemistry.A side plot with a new house Spenser and Susan buy that they are fixing up makes a nice change of pace once and a while during the book.A third thread withanother actor - Jocelyn Colby - claiming first to be stalked and then disappearing altogether with a videotape soon showing up at Spenser's office showing her bound to a chair, adds a note of intrigue.

All in all a nice, well-written book.Strong recommend from me.

Good Spenser novel
Robert Parker books are always a good read.Quick, snappy and entertaining, I enjoy them immensely andWalking Shadowis no exception.The book opens with Spenser and Susan, his girlfriend, attending a play in a nearby small coastal town where Susan is on the board of directors. During the performance an actor is shot and killed on stage. Hawk and Vinnie are enlisted to help Spenser find the killer.During their investigation, they discover the small town is not as placid as it seems and the rest of the story is vintage Robert Parker with a few unexpected twists and turns.

I love Spenser novels for their humor and integrity;Spenser and Hawk always win, good triumphs over evil,Spenser is always faithful to Susan andPearl the dog is always the darling.

Average Spenser
I very much enjoy the work of Robert B. Parker, and even his lesser books are quite entertaining.WALKING SHADOW is a decent Spenser mystery, set in the world of theater and Chinatown.This novel has all the strengths of Parker's books: snappy dialogue, lean writing, and politically incorrect humor.

The major downside of Parker's later novels is repetition.If you've read a lot of them, you notice that Parker often reuses certain types of characters and situations.As a result, very little happens in this novel that hasn't happened in past Spenser books.Parker does focus on the Chinese immigrant community in Massachusetts, but most of the Chinese characters are portrayed as caricatures, rather than three-dimensional human beings.In the end, I just didn't find this aspect of the story that interesting.

If you already like Parker's style of writing, you should enjoy this one.Otherwise, my advice is to skip WALKING SHADOW, and go for the early Spenser novels or the books in Parker's Jesse Stone series.

Who's Rudnicki?
I love the Spenser series, I've just started reading/listening to them.The best audio book so far is "Small Vices" read by Burt Reynolds. I've decided that the successs of the Spenser audio books depends on who's recording them, because the guy who reads this latest one ("Walking Shadow") in a word - STINKS!!!!His last name's Rudnicki and he sounds like a 12 year old, not at all like the tough but lovable detective we all know, not believable at all!Thank God I already love these stories, which is the only reason I gave it 2 stars - otherwise it would've been 1 star.Don't waste your money, read the book instead.











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Customer Reviews (18)

Dissapointing and hopefully not a trend
I have been a life long reader of Parkers work, and find "Stranger in Paradise" to be very disappointing, and hope this is not a trend.Back in the mid 90's Parker's books (referred by a Mystery Bookstore owner as "Dick and Jane books") tended to have short, snappy, funny dialogue and a very trim plot.In recent years, thankfully Parker found his writer's voice again and the books have been good to great.

Yet, I find with this book and the recent Spenser novel: "Now and Then" that the author is taking a turn.I am not sure of the cause of this, but Stranger in Paradise is one of Parker's worse (though a "bad" book by him, still earns 3 stars, in my humble opinion).

In short there are sooo many unexplained, plot/character points that make this book a nothing.We do not get a clear sense of a young runaway's problems, we see characters come in and out; some die, others mysteriously disappear and so much happens, to new, and ongoing characters that are explained in the book via "a person's got to do what a person's got to do."

LIGHT SPOILERS THIS PARAGRAPH ONLY:A woman voluntarily sleeps with a man who was part of a nightmarish situation years ago; another woman, happily married with children, sleeps with a criminal...just once; a man whose wife and child left him years ago suddenly wants one back and one killed; the reason behind these and more plot points and character moves?"A person has to do what a person has to do?"

Through this the author lazily escapes from having to come with reasons for actions, back-story and a fuller plot.Finally, my disappointment goes to the fact that like Jesse is a darker version of Spenser, I was interested to read about Crow who was a darker side of Hawk (from the Spenser books), but nothing panned out.

My advise to Mr. Parker, is finish the deal about delivering so many books by so many dates...take a year off and put the pen down, and do not write until you have a story to tell.I would rather have no more books from this author than a treasure trove of bad ones.

Same old, same old
Are you familiar with the copious works of Robert B. Parker?If so, you have already read this novel, perhaps more than once, with slightly different characters uttering precisely the same terse, snappy dialog and with a nearly identical plot.

Spenser is now Jesse Stone, formerly a minor league baseball player rather than a second string boxer, who loves Scotch whiskey the way Spenser loved donuts, and who is now a small town police chief instead of a private eye.But he thinks, acts, and talks just like the same old Spenser we have known so well for so very long.

Hawk is no longer a black man.He is now an Apache Indian (named Crow as a not-too-subtle hint) who thinks, acts and talks just like the same familiar Hawk.Susan's transformation is a bit more complex, as Parker has split her persona into two characters:the insightful Dr Dix, a male shrink, and the glamorous TV journalist, Jenn.They never meet, of course, but together they offer up the same impeccable foil for Jesse Stone as Susan did for Spenser.

Drop these familiar characters into the venerable Spenser plot machine, hire a contract editor to turn the crank, and out pops Stranger in Paradise.All 72 brief chapters in less than 300 pages, double spaced, much of it blank white paper, and thus custom tailored for network television.Were it published in the NY Times Sunday Magazine, this entire book would run to about thirty pages.With ads.If you pack it along on a flight from Boston to LA, therefore, be warned that it will only sustain you until somewhere over Cleveland.Toss in Christine Falls by Benjamin Black (pseud) and then, while crossing the Great Plains and Rockies, relish the contrast.

Why, then, do I give it two stars?Because this book is a masterpiece of fluff, so utterly perfect in form that you would not want to change a single word, and it kept me reading right through to the end.Yes, the plot is somewhat less believable than X-men.Sure, the characters are thin vertical lines when viewed from the side. Truly the spare, laconic style could never be mistaken for anyone except Robert B. Parker.That the whole exceeds the paltry sum of these parts is why they call him The Master.

I think I've read this one before...
I am a gigantic fan of Robert B. Parker. I've read all of the Spenser books, the Stone books and the Randall books. And I'm slowly "re-reading" the Spenser books as audiobooks.

It is not lightly that I give this book two stars.

The Stone novels were always different than the Spenser / Sunny Randall novels. Spenser and Sunny always have that buddy network to fall back on (especially Hawk and Spike, respectively) Jesse has always been alone, except for his on-again off-again ex-wife, who actually makes his sense of being alone even stronger.

That whole formula is thrown out. Instead, we have a combination of a re-make of Spenser's April Kyle and Paul Giacomin stories told under Jesse Stone this time around. This time around we now have Amber.

Rather than Spenser's Hawk (a mysterious, unstoppable African-American who operates on the wrong side of the law that the ladies find irresistible and shares witty racial banter with Spenser) we now have Stone's Crow (a mysterious, unstoppable Native American who operates on the wrong side of the law that the ladies find irresistible and shares witty racial banter with Stone). Hawk. Crow. C'mon!

Parker often recycles previous plots (how can he not - he's written so many books!) but this was just too much for me. The story is easy to read, interesting and enjoyable, but it has too many recycled features for my taste.

Keeps getting stronger
Can it be that a decade has passed since Robert B. Parker, the dean of American mystery authors, introduced a new series starring Jesse Stone, the police chief of a small town located on the coast of Massachusetts?

Indeed it has. And STRANGER IN PARADISE is the seventh strong entry in this series. Back in 1997 when the first Stone book, NIGHT PASSAGE, appeared, critics wondered if Parker --- who had created one of America's greatest fictional detectives of all time (Spenser) a quarter century before --- could produce a successful new series and if this would be the end of Spenser. There was much concern and gnashing of teeth among longtime Parker fans.

Well, there was no need for worry or the dental expense. Spenser is still going strong and appears in a novel each year. The Stone books and another stand-alone series Parker created featuring female private eye Sunny Randall prove again and again that he is one of the greatest mystery writers in American literature. Each title is a joy to read, including his latest.

STRANGER IN PARADISE begins with Stone receiving a visit from one of the alleged criminals who appeared in NIGHT PASSAGE, a self-proclaimed full-blooded Apache warrior named Wilson Cromartie, or Crow for short. Crow, who also labors as a hit man, is in town on a job, despite having last been seen escaping from Paradise on a boat with $20 million in ransom after a hostage scheme went bad.

Crow has been hired by a Florida mobster to find his runaway 14-year-old daughter who disappeared with her drunken mother. Crow visits Jesse to convince him to stay out of his way. As with any Parker book, the writing is lean, tight and brilliant.

"They looked at each other some more. The room felt charged, Jesse thought, as if a thunderstorm were near. Then Crow rose gracefully to his feet.

`I guess we know where we stand,' Crow said.

`Stop by anytime,' Jesse said."

This is beautiful, understated writing.

Jesse investigates to see if he can hold Crow for the earlier crime, but finds that none of the women who Crow took hostage have any interest in testifying against him. And at least one looks forward to seeing him again!

It turns out that Crow likes women --- really likes women. This complicates his current assignment as he quickly locates the runaway girl and her mother living in squalor, with the girl involved with the leader of a nearby Latino gang. The Florida mobster orders Crow to kill the mother and bring him the girl.

Crow refuses and turns to Jesse for help in protecting the girl. "`And warriors don't go to war against women and girls,' Jesse said." Crow agrees with that statement. Here we have a hit man with scruples.

But Jesse, as usual, has personal problems of his own. And this is what differentiates him from Spenser. Spenser is the detective as superhero who has it all together. He might not always have the answer, but at least he knows the question.

In STRANGER IN PARADISE, Jesse is drinking again and regularly seeing a psychologist. It was his drinking that cost him his job as an LA homicide detective and made him head east a decade before. And the cause of it is still the same: his on-again, off-again relationship with his ex-wife Jenn.

"He knew he loved her. He knew she loved him. He knew they couldn't find a way to make it work.

`Yet,' he said and drank some more."

In this story, their relationship is friendly, if not intimate. Jenn works as a weather girl turned investigative TV reporter, which somehow makes perfect sense given the current state of media. A story brings her in close contact with Jesse, much to his anguish. Again, Parker crams a book full of human emotions into just three sentences.

"Jenn came in, dressed to the nines, and gave Jesse a pleasant but passing kiss on the mouth. The thrill of excitement tightened into a knot of desire and sadness. The kiss was passionless."

Ouch! But Jesse has other things to worry about when the runaway's mother ends up murdered, and both the Latino gang and the Florida mobster decide to come to Paradise to wage war on Crow. Bodies start appearing in public places.

Crow is a killer and thief, but like Chief Stone, he is calm and self contained. Crow might be for Jesse what Hawk is for Spenser: a scary yet perfect sidekick. It will be interesting to see if Crow finds his way back to Paradise in future installments --- although it might be hard to imagine him in a deputy's uniform.

STRANGER IN PARADISE is Robert B. Parker at the height of his powers as a writer. He has accomplished with this series exactly what he did so well with the Spenser novels decades ago. We know when we pick up a new book about Jesse Stone that we are going to be entertained and spend time with characters we care about. Few writers can boast of doing that with one mystery series. Parker has done it with three --- an amazing achievement --- and he keeps getting stronger with age.

--- Reviewed by Tom Callahan

Unusual Jesse Stone Novel
This is definitely one of the oddest Jesse Stone novels that Robert Parker has written.In Stranger In Paradise, Stone is confronted by William "Crow" Cromartie who has come to town to bring the daughter of Miami gangster back to her father.The catch is, Crow has been instructed to kill the girl's mother and he doesn't kill women.Instead he solicits Stone to stay out of his way while he protects the girl and takes care of the other bad guys.Catch number two is, last time Crow was seen in Paradise he was speeding off with 10 million dollars leaving behind a string of bodies.Needless to say Jesse gets caught up in the matter and he and Crow become uneasy allies.Jen, Jesse's ex-wife is very much in this novel, are Molly Crane and Suitcase Simpson.And they all act oddly.

This novel was certainly entertaining and the situation rather messy.It wasn't one of my favorites though.
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Customer Reviews (26)

Chance would be a fine thing . . .
In this VERY amusing (although bloody) chapter in the Spenser library, Spenser and Hawk travel to Las Vegas to find Anthony Meeker, the husband of Shirley Meeker, the daughter of crime boss Julius Ventura.No one admits to knowing why he ran - according to Shirley he worshiped the ground she walked on - and Ventura is not keen to have Spenser digging around trying to find out why Anthony ran, he just wants Spenser to find Anthony.When Spenser says that to find Anthony he might have to discover why he ran, Ventura backs down with ill grace and warns that anything learned better not be blabbed.

The trouble with Anthony, as it turns out, is that he gambles a lot and loses consistently.Badly.All the time.And Vegas is no exception.

This was a very entertaining chapter in the Spenser series - kept my mind off the fact I been stuck in the hospital, anyway!Don't miss it!

Spenser series flagging

I first became aware of the Spenser (detective) character from the TV show Spenser for Hire (1985-1988.)

The series was adapted from Robert Parker's, Spenser novels. It was the Hawk character - brilliantly brought to life by Avery Brooks that I liked best.

I soon started reading the novels - and have read most of them.

To sum up the Spenser character - He is a middle aged, Boston,detective with good street credit. The cops and the hoodlums respect him.He is not trying to save the world - just make a small difference.

Parker has been prospering from the Spenser series for more than 20 years - a nice meal ticket.

Lately I have noticed the dialogue becoming predictable - dare I say boring. The plot lines are less imaginative and the final chapters try to sum up a story where clues have been sparse.

Chance is an exercise in trying to ring the Spenser series register just a few more times.

In this adventure our heroes travel to Las Vegas to investigate the disappearanceof a mob figure (Julius Ventura)'s son in law (Anthony Meeker.)

The supportive cast includes a brutal mob enforcer - Marty Anaheim and his battered wife Bibi, Julius Ventura's emotionally challenged daughter, a double dealing Las Vegas gumshoe and a host of unpleasant underworld figures.

Only Bibi is marginally fleshed but comes off as a lack luster stereotype.

When the mystery is finally resolved - you will find yourself caring - not at all.

The best Spenser novels rely on fast action and witty dialogue.

Chance's action is not fast andthe dialogue is labored and time worn.

The characters that we have to come to love so well (Spenser, Hawk and Susan Silverman) have not evolved.They have no hobbies, they ignore advances in electronic technology, have no problems with their plumbing, and never comment on current Boston's politics.

If you are new to the Spenser series - spend your money and time on the earlier novels - you won't be disappointed.

Robert Parker is an elegant, witty writer who is exploring new territory.

As the Spenser series has declined - Parker introduced two new leading characters that now have their own series; Jesse Stone and Sunny Randall.

Both of the those new series are a lot of fun.

Is it possible that the next Spenser novel will be a phoenix? - I think the chances are unlikely.

"Hey, Robert Parker!" Prove me wrong!


Caslo

Spencer Takes On Organized Crime
Spencer and Hawk agree to take on a job for the daughter of a local Mafia kingpin.She wants them to find her husband who has gone missing.Seems simple enough, but things soon become complicated as they are wont to do in a Spencer novel.Hawk and Susan each have a significant role in this one and the snappy dialog, for which Parker is so well known, is here in abundance.The plot moves along at a good pace and then changes course about half way through the book and begins to wander quite a bit.Loose ends are tied up and questions finally answered at the conclusion.A fairly good read, but the second half was a bit of a struggle.

Casting Diamonds to Devils: Shattering A Child's Crystalline Dreams.
The prologue of CHANCE was a haunting literary coup.Opening with the ethereal elegance of crystal goblets and white linen dreams, it descended quickly into the darkened schemes of beating bands and backed up screams:

>> It was all to come.The cocktails, the crystal, the starched white napkins, and the soft Sunday mornings with orange juice and floral print coverlets.Apple trees in spring blossom.... dense racket of the band and the crowd... booze and the sweet pungent marijuana smoke. <<

The scene appeared to be set-in-retro a few decades from the ongoing plot time, to a feel of the 70's:

Blackjack chewing gum, be-ribboned pony tails, dark loafers worn with no sox.

The effect reminded me of Sue Grafton's first chapter of "S is for Silence" with Violet portrayed in the 50's era, decades earlier than the 80's plot setting. (See my review on S, which I cut to 1/4 its original length to halt a blitzkrieg of No.Please ignore the bullet holes.Swiss Cheese is good.)

Later in the plot, Spenser made a few touching gestures, after the reader identified the red-haired woman in the 70's-retro, Cinderella prologue (with the antique-lace headed to the blinking-neon-light) and realized what befell the girlish schemes of a hopeful rescue from a brutal father.

During a lunch scene with the prologue gal (who easily received my sympathy), Spenser narrated:

I was quiet.She sat thinking back, looking past me at the lush artifice of the Las Vegas restaurant and probably not seeing it....
"You can't stop him.He'll find me and do what he's going to do and no one will stop him.Nobody can."
"I might stop him," I said.

A dialogue between Spenser and Hawk:

"She hasn't hired us.But I sort of told her I wouldn't let ... get her."
"Sure you did," Hawk said."She's probably good looking and sad and you do four or five back flips and say we gonna eat Marty's lunch for him, he comes near her."
"I didn't do that many back flips."

Later, a few clips here and there from a scene in an MGM Grand motel room:

While I waited I patted her knee.My father used to do that, give me a pat once in a while, without comment....
"You all right in this?"
"No," she said."All I can do is sit here and wait for the men to do whatever they'll do.How all right is that?"....
"I patted (her) knee again and headed for the door."

In a sense, this novel seemed to be dealing with vulnerability, sensitivity, and the idealized life brutalized, as much as with gambling and the death of romantic compulsions.

>> I walked with Susan through the brief wedge of dry heat into the air-conditioned terminal.... Watching her I felt the little knot in my stomach that I always felt when I left her.... I still stood for a moment, looking at the last place I had seen her, being careful not to be routine, while I became the other guy again, the one I was without her.It took a couple of minutes.And then I was him.He wasn't a bad guy; in fact sometimes I thought he had strengths that the other guy didn't have.Certainly he wasn't worse.But he was no one I wanted to be all the time.I turned back and headed for Lester and the Lincoln. <<

Parker painted the ambiance artifice of Vegas, the varied moods of its sunlight's unrelenting lack of relief:

>> ... live pirate show where one ship sinks another in the Treasure Island Lagoon, while the mist machines on the perimeter cooled us down.The rest of the hotels on our part of the strip looked like big, ugly hotels, a fifth-grader's dream of luxury, and nighttime excess, shopworn in the unblinking Nevada sunlight. <<

Describing a dead woman:

>> ... her white body dimpled and pudgy in the comfortless sunlight ... It was late morning and the dry heat lay and flat over everything. <<

The above type of Vegas detail is contrasted cleanly to Boston's climate, "Hawk and I went out, adequately armed, at least by our standards, and walked along the waterfront through a raw wind blowing off the harbor."

I'm beginning to notice some of what the addictive appeal is for me with the Spenser series, in addition to the above type of poetic prose in which the First Person Narrator sketches setting into life.The appeal is that I've been nicely set up to look for Spenser's unique brand of quips, quotes, and answers which slip to the reader those "keys" (or clues) on "How to Win the Boxing Matches of Life" (without feeling you've slimed your soul).

I don't know if Spenser's style is a melancholy-blues song, or poetry gone crisp with edges of truth.Maybe Parker's voice is the synergy of both, surged to the level of An Icon within The Cultural Conversation.When I read any Spenser novel now, I expect diamonds to glisten among the garbage of the "way we were" the way we are, the ...

"What I am to be I am now becoming."

I don't recall who said that.I just remember that it was quoted by a Girl Scout leader from my long gone youth.

While I enjoy Hawk's references of Spenser being an Eagle Scout, I was never fond of what I learned in Girl Scout camp (other than the above quote), what with the rats keeping me awake chewing on my shoes beside my cot, the wake up calls in the frigid frost of dawn, the choice of either shivering or sweating my terror of mountain lions and bears.The horrifying, bone-marrow-tapping Cold of the Nights in the mountains and woods were the worst, with the campfire always glowing too hard, too late, too small, too far away from my nightmares.

Working the summer as an assistant cook at a Girl's Scout camp designed (horribly poorly; what a horrendous choice that was!) my transition from home to college, at the end of my high school reign, during which I was class president and Co-Valedictorian.

All for what?

What a maze we go through to get from youth to adult, a maze which never seems to truly end with the Brass Ring called Actualization, a maize in which spirit bruises reign and rain.

Who doesn't at times feel like a losing gambler in life.

Returning to the Life of Spenser and the dry-heat, Nevada ambiance in this plot...

I noticed a pause in the middle of the book, in which questions like the above moved mood to melancholy, as Spenser wallowed within an absolute lack of success of his mission; an inability to take satisfaction in his pay (which he gave away) at the end of The Day.When I realized the book was only half finished at that seemingly moot point, I wondered how Parker would heat the rhythm enough to make the second half feel more than an extended tack-on.I was surprised that while Spenser, Hawk, and Susan were moaning the emptiness of dead ends in the case at hand, I didn't feel those dreaded spaces of reader boredom which sometimes overwhelm (underwhelm?) me if characters endure depressing lulls of dissatisfaction.

What kept me away from ennui at that half-way plot point of "Is this all there is?"

Possibly what kept me involved in the story was that I knew Parker would leave clues I could use for "me"; I wanted those more than I wanted completion to Parker's clients' questions and needs.They were there.Both.All.But, they weren't etched in glowing script on Silver Plates.Diamonds buried in mud, they were.I had to dig.I did.

See my tiara?Not a princess in a fairytale, I'm The Queen of my Dreams.Wherever they are, my dreams are mine.Who can steal something I keep in my mind while dining on time?

Maybe the secret is to know what might be attainable with sweat and finesse, and what is likely pie in the sky to save for sleep.

Onward.To more culinary cozies carefully contrasted by Parker, Rand, Woods, McGarrity, Grafton, Myers, Workinger, O'Loughlin ... The list goes on.

Diamonds before devils, and angels have wings.These are a few of my favorite things.

Speaking somewhat of choirs of dashing devils and soprano angels, I enjoy seeing voices of reviewers develop on Amazon, the only venue I've discovered which allows, in a way encourages this development, with its relatively open gift of space for individual songs to strike a rhythm and tone.If you want to identify more clearly what they mean by a writer's voice this is a good place to study that.Click on any "See all my reviews" and read a few from the beginning of the list, a few from current posts.Maybe you'll hear a song growing, which is more than a style.

Amazon has its very own music of the spheres.(For clear-voice reviews on opera and mystery, see the list of my Amazon Friend, L.E. Cantrell.)

Parker's dedication to his wife, Joan: "Every town is Paris; every month is May."

Linda G. Shelnutt

Spenser and Hawk get involved in potential crime turf battles
This story is one of the most convoluted Spenser novels. One of the major figures of organized crime in the Boston area hires Spenser to locate the husband of his only daughter, but only after Hawk turned him down. While Spenser agrees to take the job, it is clear that he is not hearing the entire story. The missing man is Anthony Meeker, and once Spenser starts his probe, he learns that Anthony, "is as dumb as a rake handle." People who have encountered Anthony refer to him as "phony Tony", and it doesn't take long for Spenser to realize that Anthony was a bag man who carried out money transfers between crime groups. It is also obvious that Tony skimmed some of the money, as he announced that he had a system to beat Las Vegas and when he got back he would be worth a fortune.
Spenser and Hawk then depart for Vegas and learn that there is a lot of genetic material being exchanged between various wives and husbands. They also learn that there is a budding turf war about to erupt among the various leaders of the organized crime groups in the Boston area. Joe Broz, an old adversary of Spenser's and the major crime boss, is retiring and he has no worthy heir. Therefore, many of the players are running duplicitous ploys against each other, jockeying for position. Spenser even has a frank discussion with Joe Broz about what is going on.
Of course, Spenser and Hawk finally determine what is actually going on and Spenser finds a way to make sure the guilty parties are punished. The story is a little bit difficult to follow at times, simply because there are so many persons and groups of interest. The dialog is not as crisp or humorous as it is in the best Spenser novels, but it is quite good. This is also the book that introduces Bernard J. Fortunato, a Vegas private investigator who reappears as a Spenser ally in a later story.
... Read more

Book Description
Boston P.I. Sunny Randall joins forces with the most important man in her life-her father-to crack a thirty-year-old case.

Hi Phil,
You miss me? I got bored, so I thought I'd reestablish our relationship. Give us both something to do in our later years. Stay tuned.
Spare Change

When a serial murderer dubbed "The Spare Change Killer" by the Boston press surfaces after three decades in hiding, the police immediately seek out the cop, now retired, who headed the original task force: Phil Randall. As a sharp-eyed investigator and a doting parent ("You're smart. You're tough. You, too, are a paradigm of law enforcement perfection, and you're my kid"), Phil calls on his daughter, Sunny, to help catch the criminal who eluded him so many years before.

Sunny is certain that she's found her man after interviewing just a handful of suspects. Though she has no evidence against Bob Johnson, she trusts her intuition. And she knows the power she has over him-she can feel the skittishness and sexual tension that he radiates when he's around her-but persuading her father and the rest of the task force is a different story.

When the killer strikes a second and third time, the murders take a macabre turn, as the victims each eerily resemble Sunny. While her father pressures her to drop the case, Sunny's need to create a trap to nab her killer grows.

In a compelling game of cat-and-mouse, Sunny uses all her skills to draw out her prey, realizing too late that she's setting herself up to become the next victim. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (40)

What's happened to Parker's writing ability?
He used to be able to write - good plots, tight dialog, believable characterizations, good reads. In this and others of his recent books - inane dialog, stupid plots, cardboard cutout characters, really boring, predictable reads. Lucky thing I borrowed this - if I had paid for it I'd really have been annoyed. It's a waste of time.

Sunny's search for Self intersects with Spare Change serial killer's Search for Meaning
"Spare Change" is in the Sunny Randall setting; however, it can not be read exclusive of the Robert Parker universe; you have to read all the Sunny Randall books, and it would help if you have read some of the more recent Jesse Stone novels and were familiar with the Spencer world; all these worlds intersect here as Sunny begins to finally understand her motivations and needs while working with her father, Phil, on a cold serial killer case that has been re-opened, when the murders begin again.

20 years ago, the Spare Change killer froze the Boston area with terror.Victims were random, found in relatively public places, but always out of sight, and always found with three coins by their bodies.The killer wrote letters to Phil, somewhere between yearning and taunting.Suddenly, the killings stopped - and stayed stopped for 20 years.No clue to the killer was ever found.Then they started again.Phil is brought back in to assist, and he brings in Sunny as well.Along with our old friends from the Spencer novels - Quirk, Felton and Healy - a frantic race is begun to catch the killer before he kills again.

When a killing at the Public Gardens enables the police to question everybody in the area, one man seems to Sunny's intuition to be overly interested in the killings - Bob Johnson.As she learns more about him, she becomes convinced he is the killer.Then she receives a letter.Can she discover what she needs to put him away - before he kills her next?

The Sunny Randall books are a mixture of thriller and self-help/discovery as Sunny tries to understand her desire to both love her former husband, Richie, while at the same time not allow him to control her life.She cannot live with or be married to him, but she cannot let him go either, and as it turns out, even though he has remarried, he apparently cannot let her go either.They begin a very cautious courtship in this book, as he and his new wife separate.

As part of the series - and as part of the world that Parker has created - this is a good, solid book.Standing by itself, it would be very confusing to most people, so I would not recommend it to someone who is not familiar with the three series of books mentioned before.

Spare Change
I love and have read all of Robert B. Parker's books.I especially like the interaction between Spencer and Hawk.Easy to read and always interesting.

I love Robert B. Parker!
As I enjoy all Robert B. Parker's books I was tickled to get this one promptly and am ready for the next!

Good Read
I say "read". Actually I listened to this on CD. It is athouroughly enjoyable story filled with wry and wit. It even has a good ending. This is a keeper. ... Read more

Book Description
Sunny Randall, "Boston's leading lady gumshoe" (New York Daily News), returns as hired bodyguard for the spoiled, and possibly dangerous, prize female client of a sleazy producer. This time, she gets a little help from Parker's popular character Jesse Stone, making a guest appearance here ... Read more

Customer Reviews (62)

parker
Turns out I had already read this book.I read it cover to cover anyway.
As my former boss (Ted Ahlgren) always told me, "Cremin, you really only need three books."That is, if you have a memory like Ted and me.

One Plus One is Better Than Two.
I have long been a huge Spenser fan.I always thought that Jesse Stone and Sunny Randall were far lesser lights in Parker's galaxy.In Blue Screen they team up, professionally and personally.The combination is far better than any of their solo excursions.

Both characters are extremely likeable and working through their relationships with exes (which prompts the brief appearances of Dr. Susan Silverman) when the P.I. and the Chief of Police meet over a corpse.

The corpse is that of the sister to a talentless, yet athletic, actress who Sunny was hired to protect.She then hires Sunny to find the killer of her sister.The actress is also planning to be the first female major league baseball player, playing on the team owned by a very deliciously smarmy producer.The batting practice scenes are near hilarious.

The sisters have a past, of course, and that leads Sunny and Jesse to the west coast and back to solve the crime.Along they way they stagger into their new relationship.The plot wends and weaves and the actress is often a suspect.The ending caps a good mystery.

Like all of Parker's best, the plot is a good one with interesting characters all along the way.Also, Parker's trademark of humor and warmth between his main characters is sprinkled liberally throughout.

This is highly recommended for a good fun light read, especially for those who thought these two characters often fell short of Spenser and Hawk.It is hoped that the next iterations of these two will keep them together.

A note on the audio book.Kate Burton does a great job.Many female readers have difficulty doing men's voices it seems, but she did the several males seamlessly.

Blue Screen
The "blue screen" of the title is a reference to a movie-making technique of filming the actors in front of a blue screen.Later the background action is added, making it look like the actors and the background are all one authentic seamless scene. Erin Flint has created her own blue screen and now some one is dead.

Blue Screen
Robert Parker, in my opinion, is the best writer around.I enjoy all his books.

Another enjoyable Sunny Randall Book
I enjoy the easy reading of Robert Parker and I especially like the Spencer and Randall series.
I am a little disappointed that Parker is starting to tie his series together with this one.The Stone series is ok, but not my favorite.Obviously others feel the same way or Parker would not try to bring the story lines together. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (22)

Spenser and Hawk Tackle Gang Violence
DOUBLE DEUCE is an okay Spenser novel.In this book, Spenser and Hawk deal with a gang killing of a fourteen year old girl and her baby daughter.As they do so, they are forced to deal with the stark day-to-day realities of the black underclass in Boston, and how many of its children are alienated and disenfranchised from society.

I respect what Parker tried to do here -- DOUBLE DEUCE is a gritty read, designed to provokes thought about racial and class division in America.It is not, however, that great of a story.The plotline is way too short and stale, and largely boils down to a lot of macho posturing between Hawk and the main gang leader.The resolution of the plot is also quite predictable.

That being said, DOUBLE DEUCE is highly readable, and I enjoyed it enough to finish.There are much better Spenser novels out there, but if you enjoy Robert Parker's writing style, you should find this one entertaining enough to spend a few hours on.

When 2 worlds collide, no one is the winner
When 14-year-old Devona Jefferson and her three-month-old baby Crystal are shot down near the projects at 22 Hobart St (thus called Double Deuce), a committee of the residents comprised of women, old men and the reverend Orestes Tillis contact Hawk and ask him to help weed out the gangs who have taken over the neighborhood.Hawk agrees to help and brings in Spenser.Understandably suspicious of Spenser, many of the residents outright state that they do not want him there - the most outspoken being Tillis, who calls Spenser the White Satan and says that he will not support Spenser being there.Hawk says that Spenser is there with him and if anyone has a problem with that, then both he and Spenser will be on their way.

Spenser and Hawk spend a lot of time around the Double Deuce, trying to work out who runs the Hobarts (the local gang) as well as who spiked (shot) Devona and her baby.As they investigate, connections to their old "friend" Tony Marcus pops up - it seems that Marcus has been using the Hobarts to run drugs through the area.

In many ways, this was a very difficult book to read - not to say I did not enjoy it, but it was full of uncomfortable truths about the disenfranchised who surround us every day.It paints a very bleak picture of life in the projects.I would recommend this book to just about anyone - read it and think about it.

Double Poo
I just read this book 2 days ago,so I still remember it clearly.This must be a kids book like Nancy Drew or something to merit anything over 2 stars.Firstly, the whole story is entirely cliche.We have two tough guy detectives who dont talk much cause they dont need to "we dont think, it justhappens" or something stupid like that which they actually say in the book.The whole young gangster and power hungry minister(oh wow thats creative) are the basic characters as well.The very first chapter is the closest this book gets to exiting, they pretty much drag the story with a bunch of nonsense filler.Just like the reporter lady "doesnt know anything about the streets" neither does the author who pretty much uses basic sterotypes, and situations.I for one was very dissapointed, i will not read any more of his generic garbage.One thing I did get out of this book is the confidence for writing my own novels since I know that at worst my book would still be better than this one and some people are giving it pretty good ratings (WTF???)I would've like to have had the option of a negative 5.Thanks for your time whoever you are do not make the same mistake I did!

Casting Pearls Before Swine to find a Pearl in the Oyster.Reverse Right.Leave Left.
As a calculated contrast to life in the gang-infested DOUBLE DEUCE housing complex, scenes of daily doings in Susan's home provided prime parlay between Spenser and his lady, resulting in poignant posing in the DD bailiwick broken up by hearty humor in the SS Titanic.What a cartoon-funny difference (no black-tongued-grins from "THE WAR OF THE ROSES" there) Parker painted between Susan's fronted femaleness and Spenser's gangling guy-ness.As Parker obviously planned, the light-hearted clashes in SS roommate rambles became an "Accidental Family" foil to the heartbreaking reality-overwhelm of the gang members' no-relief lifestyle boring holes of terror into their "straight" neighbors.

In DOUBLE DEUCE Parker created another classic "pair" of new female characters, providing them with reverse personalities and reverse first letters in their names:

"E. M." was for Erin Macklin who drank her whiskey easy as she held the glass with both hands (contemplate why Parker repeated more than thrice how Macklin held her amber-filled glass, with the caring gesture of duel palms).

"M. E." was for Marge Eagen, who pumped and primped her preen until Spenser crimped her lack of style.(For an opposite styled Marge character, a genuine, real-life article of bull dog class, see Coal & Coca-Cola)

As a Parker fan would anticipate, the scenes in which these two women seared the social brine with Spenser were intriguing, engrossing, and effortlessly entertaining.

Hawk was featured in his best ebony sheen in DOUBLE DEUCE, as his image, which had preceded him into gangland territory, was developed through interactions with the gang members, all of which were fascinating, and felt to be on target with the tang and sizzle of those subcultures.Another side of Hawk's image was uncovered here, through his intimate study of black-lady Jackie, and her jigsaw-ed break-down of Hawk's heart hung low to capture her song.

The continuation of Pearl-the-wonder-dog's character (she was introduced with pizzazz in PASTIME, # 18 Spenser) provided a welcome warm spot in this plot.I couldn't help but wonder if Parker might use the heart-healing-dog to get through to the gangs, as he used the 3 mongrels rescued in STARDUST (used them to help coax Jill's soul to return for another round of participation in life).

In the first part of Chapter 37 an exquisite scene of an easy-dance-step, multi-manoeuver training seminar set itself up around mangy machinations (no hair lost on the dog) of Susan, Spenser, pancakes, and Pearl:

>> I (Spenser) left my pancakes and went to the bedroom and put on a shirt (training from Susan).When I came back Pearl was still sitting gazing at my plate, but the plate was empty and clean.I looked at her.She looked back clear eyed and guilt free, alert for another opportunity.

>> "Ah yes," I said, "a hunting dog." <<

Contemplate that in reference to Hawk's name, which clarified in DOUBLE DEUCE's chapter 37, especially in reference to Jackie's complaints that she couldn't "get to him."

Having endured decades mired within a nurtured angst of ethical determinations, as humans trod toward the core of the Apple from "The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil" ... might they sometimes long for a temporary release from the moral gauntlet; might they long for a cease of constantly pushed cerebral convolutions defining every dot quantum on the eternal line between Right and Wrong ... might they wish for a few moments to experience the easy, non-complex mind, set into the nature of a hunting dog, or a Hawk ... might they sometimes long to be:

"Clear eyed and guilt free"?

In addition to primal concepts, prime setting descriptions were applied here, as only Parker could accomplish, in bringing to pose on paper the essence of ghetto life.

Get a dog's life?

The concluding scene in DOUBLE DEUCE catered a surprising twist to Susan and Spenser's attempts at traditional homemaking.The close was as refreshing to the double S as a storm-brought rainbow.The choice carried in DD's final chapter surfaced in silent style into the thematic structure of PAPER DOLL, # 20 in the Spenser series.

A prolific author successfully carries a ranging style through time and time and time, until the heart says, "Take to the sky on the wings of a hawk."

Linda Shelnutt

Spenser and Hawk "clean" a section of the ghetto of gangs
Spenser and Hawk are both noble, honorable men of the highest caliber. They are the best of friends, willing to join the other in the deadliest of fights, all the other has to do is ask. In this story, some people in a ghetto neighborhood are desperate to rid their neighborhood of the scourge of gangs and drugs. They turn to Hawk to help them, but are unable to offer him anything in return. Hawk agrees and then asks Spenser to assist him at the same rate of pay.
While we learn a great deal about Spenser's past in the Spenser series of books, Hawk is an enigma. In this book, we learn a little bit about him, but he remains circumspect about his past. All we learn is that he probably grew up in a very dangerous environment and through unusual circumstances managed to survive to adulthood. Hawk uses those skills to probe the neighborhood and deal with the members of a violent youth gang. A teen mother and her new baby have been ruthlessly gunned down and the prime suspect is a gang led by a very tough kid named Major Johnson. They proclaim their innocence, although they are coy about it, as they enjoy the attention from Hawk, someone they respect.
There is a subplot as well. Spenser and Susan agree to live together, so Spenser moves in with Susan. Although they "get along", there is a great deal of underlying tension. Susan eats healthy and Spenser eats hearty. Finally, they agree that they love each other and will stay together, but they dissolve their cohabitation union. Hawk also has a love interest, a beautiful black woman who tries to get inside him but fails. When Hawk shoots past her to wound a man threatening to kill her, she decides that her interest in Hawk is not that strong.
As always, the dialog in this Spenser novel is entertaining and would uplift even the weakest plot, which this one is not. There are strong supporting minor characters, including an ex-nun who works with gang members. She drinks whiskey with Spenser and he even takes note of her in a non-professional way.This is one of the better Spenser novels.
... Read more

Book Description
Stone investigates a shocking double murder-that of a controversial radio talk-show host and his pregnant mistress. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (61)

Juvenile & Boring
This is my first and last Robert Parker novel. I found the writing very juvenile, the storyline dull and unfocused and the character development very thin. There are much better authors to spend your time and money on. Avoid this stinker of a book!

Top of the line Parker
Always like Jesse Stone (I can see Tom Selleck while reading the books.)This is a good one, with Sunny thrown in at no charge.

who's better than Parker ?
I couldn't even wait to have my husband put this Jesse Stone book in my stocking !I snuck read it before Christmas !Loved it !

A short, but tedious read
This is my third Robert B Parker novel and my first Jesse Stone.Based on this effort, it's unlikely that I will read another.

It's not that High Profile is that terrible, it just isn't worth the time and trouble to read.The central plot (the murder of a radio talk show star and his girlfriend) is nothing special.As is always the case in novels like this, the killer confesses when confronted withevidence so flimsy it's ridiculous.A sub plot involving Jesse's estranged wife who informs him she is being stalked by a man who raped her is an odd diversion and requires everyone involved to act in ways that no human being would ever behave.A good 50% of this novel deals with Jesse's complicated (and yet, not especially interesting) love life.

The bottom line; a novel like this needs to be fun.I think if Parker wants to keep writing this sort of thing, he needs to lose the hackneyed relationship drama and have a little more fun with the murder mystery.A Parker novel shouldn't take itself too seriously.Readers don't expect these novels to be gritty or realistic, but they shouldn't be tedious either.

Disappointed
I have to agree with several other reviewers.This is the last of Jesse Stone books I'll read.I am sick of his obsession with his ex-wife and failure to move on from his drinking issues and the inability to select a better woman from the plethora of beautiful, intelligent, loving women he comes across.Also, it really detracts from listening to the audio book when every time someone speaks it's: he said, she said, Jesse said, Suit said... even when someone is asking a question.Where's the editing????This series could be so much better if he would just dump Jenn once and for all and start using proper grammar (or whatever it's called). ... Read more

Book Description
Spenser knows something&#8217;s amiss the moment Dennis Doherty walks into his office. The guy&#8217;s aggressive yet wary, in the way men frightened for their marriages always are. So when Doherty asks Spenser to investigate his wife Jordan&#8217;s abnormal behavior, Spenser agrees. A job&#8217;s a job, after all.

Not surprisingly, Spenser catches Jordan with another man, tells Dennis what he&#8217;s found out, and considers the case closed. But a couple of days later, all hell breaks loose, and three people are dead. This isn&#8217;t just a marital affair gone bad. Spenser is in the middle of hornet&#8217;s nest of trouble, and he has to get out of it without getting stung.

With Hawk watching his back and gun-for-hire Vinnie Morris providing extra cover, Spenser delves into a complicated and far-reaching operation: Jordan&#8217;s former lover Perry Alderson is the leader of a group that helps sponsor terrorists. The Boston P.I. will use all his connections&#8211;both above and below the law&#8211;to uncover the truth behind Alderson&#8217;s antigovernment organization. Alderson doesn&#8217;t like Spenser poking around his business, so he decides to get to him through Susan. But what Alderson doesn&#8217;t realize is that Spenser will do anything to keep Susan out of harm&#8217;s way; nothing will keep him from the woman he loves. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Read one-you read them all
Same stuff.Nothing new here.Hey Bob, how about making things more interesting, knock off Spencer's main squeeze Susan!!!BORING CHARACTER!!

parker at his best
loved this audio book. joe montagne is a great reader of parker's books. i think robert parker's spenser series is one of the most entertaining and "can't put it down" series i have ever read. add hawk, susan, cholo and vinney and you have a hit! great dialogue and laugh out loud moments too what more could you ask for!!!! parker delivers again!!! lc

Spencer Rides Again
Any Spencer fan will recognise thet this is a continuation of the long running and sucessful Spencer series. Where is Robert Urich when you need him? ... Read more

Book Description
From the New York Times-bestselling author of the Spenser mysteries.

There is something evil in the air. Fourteen-year-old Bobby senses it. Who is that man he saw arguing with his pretty, new English teacher? And what was the real reason she missed school for days afterward? Bobby knows he should mind his own business, but times are confusing. World War II has just ended and the world is changing. Bobby's world, especially. There's his relationship with Joanie, for one-why does being her friend feel awkward all of a sudden? And then there are his buddies, the junior varsity Edenville Owls-a group of basketball players in need of a leader. Can they help each other off the court as well as they can on it? They will need to. Something evil is in the air ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Not Just for Young Readers
I started to read this book not realizing it was suggested for young readers.I am in my 80's.
Since I remember well the 1940's, and was just a year or two older than the main characters, I was fascinated to read about the familiar old radio shows, music, and entertainers of that time.
We also had a different sense of morality and integrity then, at least in our crowd. We were so much like these kids.
I think it was one of the most enjoyable books I have read in a long time.
Thank you Mr. Parker for writing this book.

Well, I've read them all so why not Parker's foray into teen lit?
If you are an avid Robert B. Parker fan you'll be pleased to know that this one is basically a Junior Spenser novel - It is toned-down but includes all of the trademark characteristics of a Parker novel: smart comments, a girl, thoughts on what it takes to be a man, have honor and be brave, a bad guy and a good guy that solves the problem with a little help from his friends. It is not a bad read for fans of Parker's more adult-oriented series.

Parker includes a lot of biographical elements in his books. It is interesting that the lead boy is named Bobbie and his girlfriend is named Joanie, especially considering Robert B. Parker is married to a woman named Joan.

A Good story for Young Adults.
Over the past two months my 13 year old son has been on a reading streak. He finished Carl Hiassen's, Hoot and Flush. For some reason he is not a big Harry Potter fan. Anyway, again, with an outstretched hand he asked me to read Mr. Parker's novel and according to my son he did enjoyed the book.

His overall disappointment was that in the novel "Edenville Owls", he didn't feel the characters were realistic and the author should have spent more time developing the main character, Bobby Murphy, to act like a 14 year old instead of a twenty year old. (Struck me as a valid point.) I smiled and then read the book over the next 3 days.

I've read several of Mr. Parker's novels. I have always enjoyed his earlier novels but I have been disappointed in several of his novels that he has released over the past year. So, I'm hoping that I won't be disappointed in this read, although I'm excited that Mr. Parker is forging his writing skills into the young adult book arena.

First, the title relates to the main character, 14-year-old, Bobby Murphy JV basketball team the Edenville Owls during the mid 1940's. Murphy is a self-confident young man and ends up the leader of the basketball team. But Bobby is also trying to understand the changes in his personality and desires. He feels like he is going down a twisted path of constant changes. Once, he gave no thought to the appearance of Joanie's body and her pretty face. Once, he gave no thought to whether she paid any attention to him. Now he felt he wanted her acceptance. If she rejected him it would drive him crazy. The story moves Bobby into his friendship with Joanie, unfortunately for Bobby that friendship drives a wedge between himself and his best friend, Nick.UMMM. Reminds me of a familiar situation.

The story moves into another theme that involves Miss Delaney, a young teacher with hidden secrets.At school Bobby stumbles on a man in a heated argument with Miss Delaney. Also, in that moment the man is slapped by Miss Delaney. He searches for answers from Miss Delaney, but she rejects his pleas. His curiosity is not satisfied and he decides to unravel this mystery of the man and the motivation and connection between the man and Miss Delaney.

In summary, the author proved that his writing skills are fertile enough to create an impressive novel, and certainly a novel worthy of the attention of young adults. The one fault I had was the telling of three separate stories; none of them seemed to get the attention they deserve in a novel that is otherwise a decent read.

I am certainly excited that known authors are getting involved in the young adult book market. Mother's like me can only benefit from their exceptional writing, and storytelling experience.

Some polished Parker prose for the youth market
I enjoyed the novel "Edenville Owls", Robert Parker's first official novel for younger readers.The book actually reads like a regular Robert Parker thriller, only the sex, violence and profanity is turned down, and the characters are mainly all kids.One thing I did find strange is that Mr. Parker seemed to be a bit reluctant to have younger readers see his characters placed in truly dangerous situations (being subjected to a few nasty verbal threats was about the worst the kids had to endure), yet there's quite a bit of ugly language on the part of the racist minister who runs a white supremicist youth group.I don't think there was anything wrong with that- younger readers can probably handle (and benefit from) a glimpse at the seamier aspects of life- but kids probably would have found the story a little more gripping if there was more actual danger on display.Still, the book was a good, fun, fast read, and I'll likely pick up the next adventure featuring Bobby, Joanie, and the rest of the "Owls" gang.But not until I read another one of Mr. Parker's reliably snappy regular offerings.

Not Bad
I'm looking forward to future novels about the young detective. This wasn't so bad. I thought it was too technical especially when it refer to history about sports greats. I would like more mystery in his future novels and less history. But the ending was great. ... Read more

Book Description
THREE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING SPENSER NOVELS TOGETHER IN ONE TRADE OMNIBUS.

A first-ever, triple-shot omnibus of the classic New York Times bestsellers featuring "THE WORLD'S MOST PERFECT PRIVATE EYE."-Los Angeles Times Book Review

In Pastime, the Boston PI revisits a crime from his past, and a young victim who wants answers. In Double Deuce, when Spenser is drawn into a war against a Boston street gang. And in Paper Doll, a perfect suburban wife and mother is found murdered. A random act? Spenser's isn't convinced. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

A Triple-shot of Great books!
In Pastime, Paul Giacomin comes to Spenser asking for help in tracking down his mother, who has gone missing. Never the best of mothers - having often abandoned Paul to his own devices when he was younger, causing Paul to develop as a very neurotic youngster before Spenser took him under his wing in Early Autumn (as Paul says at one point "she used to literally hide under the bed . . . but I would find her") - Patty Giacomin had nonetheless kept in at least loose contact with her son through the years. However, when he had recently left several messages on her machine and then stopped by her house to find no one there, he became concerned. Spenser also suspects that Paul is seeking some resolution of the issues from his childhood, as he is now engaged to his significant other Paige and planning on marrying in the next year or so.

When Spenser begins investigating, he becomes concerned that he will learn something about which Paul would rather not know. Paul nonetheless insists on being involved every step of the way. Because of the nature of the investigation and the strain it puts on Paul, Spenser finds that talking about his own background and history to Paul helps distract the boy. (Up until now, much of this information has been a mystery to not only the characters, but also the reader.) Susan manages to get even more out of him. This makes for fascinating reading.

When Spenser's investigations lead to evidence that Patty's new boyfriend may have been involved with Gerry Broz, things begin to turn ugly.

This is a very revealing book, in many ways. We learn a great deal about Spenser; we learn a few things about Hawk. We see that Paul, despite all his hard work over the years, is inside still very much the insecure young boy yearning for his mother's affection and attention. We see some great interactions with Joe Broz and his son, Gerry - there are several very interesting parallels and contrasts which can be drawn between Joe Broz and Gerry's relationship vs. that of Patty Giacomin and Paul. Although Patty is not around by the end of the book, because of her dysfunctional approach to relationships (and as predicted by both Spenser and Paul in the book), I suspect this is not the last we will be seeing of her.

I have to say that my heart almost literally broke for Vinnie Morris, for the decision he had to make toward the end of the book. Vinnie may be a crook, but he is a crook with honor and I felt bad for him being put into the position he was in. I hope we'll see him again in the future, in a better situation.

In Double Deuce, when 14-year-old Devona Jefferson and her three-month-old baby Crystal are shot down near the projects at 22 Hobart St (thus called Double Deuce), a committee of the residents comprised of women, old men and the Reverend Orestes Tillis contact Hawk and ask him to help weed out the gangs who have taken over the neighborhood. Hawk agrees to help and brings in Spenser. Understandably suspicious of Spenser, many of the residents outright state that they do not want him there - the most outspoken being Tillis, who calls Spenser the White Satan and says that he will not support Spenser being there. Hawk says that Spenser is there with him and if anyone has a problem with that, then both he and Spenser will be on their way.

Spenser and Hawk spend a lot of time around the Double Deuce, trying to work out who runs the Hobarts (the local gang) as well as who spiked (shot) Devona and her baby. As they investigate, connections to their old "friend" Tony Marcus pops up - it seems that Marcus has been using the Hobarts to run drugs through the area.

In many ways, this was a very diff