Rating: 
Summary: strong Spenser story
Review: Boston private investigator Spenser isn't an easy touch, but Paul Giacomin is like a son to him so he is willing to go the extra mile to do the man a favor. Paul, a playwright, wants Spenser to help his friend actress Daryl Silver who is starring in his play, to find out who killed her mother Emily in a Boston bank robbery in 1974. Daryl wants closure and Paul pays Spenser's fee, a box of Krispy Crème donuts.The Dread Scott Brigade took credit for the killing and the robbery but nobody was ever caught even thought the bank cameras caught their picture. Spenser gets the police file from the Boston Police Department and notices right away that the FBI intelligence report is missing. A little deeper into the investigation Spenser is warned of the case by government agents and is on the hit list of a crime kingpin. Even though it has become very dangerous, Spenser is determined to find out who killed Daryl's mother, if only to satisfy his curiosity. It has been thirty years since the first Spenser book THE GODWULF MANUSCRIPT was published and the series is still fresh, innovative and very entertaining. The hero might be a little older but he still has the same quirky sense of humor and the ability not to flinch when bullets are coming in his direction. BACK STORY is a fascinating who-done-it that is both believable and somewhat nostalgic. Robert B. Parker shows why his hero has become an American icon. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: Spenser Rides Again!
Review: Die-hard Spenser fans will immediately begin to cry their eyes out on the first page when it is discovered that a long time character has passed on.
But, you'll quickly get over it when you realize that you're finally holding the next spenser novel! Paul Giacomin is finally back with Spenser, helping him investigate an old bank robbery related to his current girlfriend. If you're a fan, then pick it up, and if you're not but it anyway - you'll love it!
Rating: 
Summary: 70? So what?
Review: First off, you don't want this to be your first Spenser book. If you don't know the character, go back to the first book, THE GODWULF MANUSCRIPT, and follow the series from there. Some readers figure Spenser to be around 70 & think he should retire, but when he just gets paid in doughnuts like with this case, how can he afford to retire? OK, we do envision Spenser as being in his 40's, but even if he's older, he voices his opinion of retiring in this book and you can tell he wouldn't know what to do with himself. The story here is good, dealing with a few left over hippies. A lady friend of Paul's wants to know who killed her mother back in the 60's, and so Spenser collecting his fee consisting of six Krispy Kreme doughnuts digs into the past and comes up with more than his client wants to know. In the meantime, he manages to disturb one of the ganglords who just happens to live in Paradise, and so he meets the police chief, Jesse Stone. The two Parker characters working together, even briefly, envigorate the story. Recent Spenser books have been a bit disappointing, but this one is back on track.
Rating:
Summary: A Reunion With Old Friends
Review: For those of you who are already fans of Parker's witty, aging detective, Spenser, this is another classic tale. Spenser's assignment, the murder of a woman twenty-eight years ago, lacks freshness. But, the chance to meet up again with some of the classic characters - Spenser, Susan, Hawk, Quirk, Vinnie - is well worth the read. They are as charming and multi-faceted as ever. Their faults are human and their loyalties unshakeable. For those who are new to the Spenser series, this novel may appear lacking. It requires at least some familiarity with the characters to really understand what's going on. Otherwise, things like Spenser's agreeing to take on a dangerous case and risk his own life for six Krispy Kreme donuts may seem implausible. However, Spenser and his contacts are worth getting to know. I would recommend to anyone new to the series go back and read some of the old Spenser novels. They are still fun reads today - fast paced, introspective, witty and delightful.
Rating: 
Summary: Better than expected
Review: Half way through, I was ready to cream this 30th Spenser offering, but by the time I finished (i.e., about an hour later), I softened. It's definitely a step above the recent written-by-rote stuff Parker's been dishing out. He didn't dig in much deeper, but it's a shade better. On the other hand, I found the dialogue between Spenser and Hawk and Susan so repetitive and, well, barfy, that it almost ruined it for me. I'll keep buying and reading the Spenser books and Parker will keep writing them and making money hand over fist (so who's the fool here?), but I wish he'd do something original, for a change - kill someone off, maybe. But I'm not holding my breath - like a previous reviewer said - he couldn't even kill off the dog without resurrecting him.
Rating:
Summary: Parker's Back
Review: I don't know what compels me to keep reading Robert B. Parker's "Spenser" series. The plotting has become almost nonexistent, the dialog is recycled from book to book, the books are getting shorter and shorter and Parker mainly seems to amuse himself by seeing how many characters from previous books he can pack into the current one, so it obviously isn't for the fresh, original take on the private eye genre. But it's still fun, dammit. Somehow, Parker always manages to engage my attention. The interaction between Hawk and Spenser still amuses, Spenser's twisted honor code still thrills and Susan's soppy shrinkiness still annoys. In this outing, we are on the hunt for the perpetrator of a killing 30 years in the past. The actual plot is incidental, as Parker seems to be making things up as he goes. The characters are, as usualy, thinly written and heavily dependent on stereotypes. But Spenser gamely travels from Boston to New Hampshire to California and back, giving us all our two hour's worth of lively description and jaunty heroism. If you are already a fan of the series, you've already bought this one and don't need my review. But if you are not already a fan, don't start here. Go back to the fabulous days of Ceremony, A Catskill Eagle, The Judas Goat and you will become a fan, ready to read and grouse over each new entry in the Parker oeuvre.
Rating:
Summary: Got Two Hours to Kill?
Review: I don't know what compels me to keep reading Robert B. Parker's "Spenser" series. The plotting has become almost nonexistent, the dialog is recycled from book to book, the books are getting shorter and shorter and Parker mainly seems to amuse himself by seeing how many characters from previous books he can pack into the current one, so it obviously isn't for the fresh, original take on the private eye genre. But it's still fun, dammit. Somehow, Parker always manages to engage my attention. The interaction between Hawk and Spenser still amuses, Spenser's twisted honor code still thrills and Susan's soppy shrinkiness still annoys. In this outing, we are on the hunt for the perpetrator of a killing 30 years in the past. The actual plot is incidental, as Parker seems to be making things up as he goes. The characters are, as usualy, thinly written and heavily dependent on stereotypes. But Spenser gamely travels from Boston to New Hampshire to California and back, giving us all our two hour's worth of lively description and jaunty heroism. If you are already a fan of the series, you've already bought this one and don't need my review. But if you are not already a fan, don't start here. Go back to the fabulous days of Ceremony, A Catskill Eagle, The Judas Goat and you will become a fan, ready to read and grouse over each new entry in the Parker oeuvre.
Rating:
Summary: The first Spenser novel that rates a "Fair" revue.
Review: I have read or listened to every Spenser novel and this is the first one I would rate less than "Good" or "Very Good".
The usual banter is there between Spenser and Hawk but the ending leaves much to be desired. At the end you wonder just what, if anything, has been accomplished. There are some moments of suspense and, with all the white spaces between mini-chapters, the 291 page novel is a fast read.
Rating:
Summary: A formula, though a good one
Review: I have read three or four of Robert Parker's Spenser novels, mostly the audio book versions. There is something about the writing style that lends itself especially well to the audio format; I suppose it's the terse dialogue and fast pace. In any event, Back Story is the first Spenser novel I've read in print, and I must say I enjoyed it less than the others. If I counted right, Back Story is the thirtieth Spenser novel. With such a prolific series, a certain amount of repetition and predictability is inevitable, but this book seemed a little bit too by-the numbers, so much like previous entries with only the specifics updated for the new story. Still, Spenser is an entertaining character. He is able to make witty observations in even the most hazardous of circumstances. The usual supporting characters are in this novel as well -the sinister Hawk, Spenser's girlfriend Susan and expert marksman Vinnie. Back Story has all the elements readers have come to expect from a Parker novel, so maybe that should be enough. The basic mood is always light, no matter how much violence is going on. In this novel, Spenser is persuaded by his stepson Paul and Paul's friend Daryl to investigate the thirty year old murder of Daryl's mother. She was apparently killed by a revolutionary group calling itself the Dread Scott Brigade. Spenser soon finds that both local gangsters and law enforcement officials are trying to prevent him from looking into this killing. Some of Parker's cultural biases come out in this novel. He seems to categorize anyone affiliated with the 1960s counterculture as a violent revolutionary or a pot-smoking vegetable. The latter is a bit amusing when you consider that Spenser's diet seems to consist mainly of doughnuts, coffee and hard liquor. The bad guys of Back Story are of the basic suspense novel/B-movie variety -mafioso and their dumb but menacing bodyguards; wisecracking drug dealers and the mandatory psychopath whose mission is to kill Spenser. Robert Parker is a talented enough novelist that he can, at this point, get away with coasting on a winning formula and that is what he's done in Back Story. It's a fast-paced, often humorous, sometimes suspenseful but unmemorable entry in this time-honored series.
Rating:
Summary: Hey, I liked this one...
Review: I think "Back Story" is a cut above its predecessor, and definitely worth reading if you are already a fan. If you are new to Parker, go find the older Spenser titles first, so you can grow along with the characters. This one is a quick read, of course, with the 95 percent dialogue style Parker is famous for.
The twist here is that another of his series characters, police chief Jesse Stone, makes a cameo appearance. Now there are 30 books in the Spenser series, and I do expect an end soon, perhaps by retirement. Still, Hawk and Susan and the dogs and Vinnie are annual companions for me of long-standing and much affection, and I felt this entry was a worthy one.
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