Rating: 
Summary: One of the worst in the Spenser series
Review: Echoing what the previous reviewer wrote, I, too, pick up the latest Spenser novel on the day it debuts. However, let me also warn you that this novel is SLOW. This is a shame because Parker built the series on action, wit, and interesting plots. By the end of "Widow's Walk," I was ready to walk off a cliff from boredom. Not only couldn't I keep all of the characters straight, I didn't care about them and actually was glad when they were killed.You can read plot summaries in other reviews, so for my part I'll let you in on another weakness of the novel: too much dialogue. Maybe it's just me, but Mr. Parker's description is getting extremely thin, and his obsession with detailing the clothing of characters is tiresome. If you're looking for a good Spenser read, try one of the following: "Looking for Rachel Wallace," "A Catskill Eagle," or "Small Vices." These three are excellent. I will still arrive at the bookstore early next March, but I can only hope that his next installment will be better.
Rating: 
Summary: Parker does it again!!
Review: Spenser is back in this gripping tale of a woman accused of murdering her husband. The usual characters return, a curious blend of cops and robbers blended together with Bob Parker's lucid writing style, and laugh-out-loud wit. A must for an Spenser fan, but if you're just starting out with Spenser, start earlier...
Rating: 
Summary: "Walk," don't run, to get this new Spenser mystery.
Review: The wealthy husband of a extremely stupid woman dies mysteriously and she's the only obvious suspect -- but is she smart enough to have done it? Spenser is hired to find out the truth and uncovers a scheme involving blackmail, fraud, and deceit. Spenser has gotten older over the years, a fairly uncommon thing for a series star. (Most of them, it seems, age about as fast as a giant redwood.) It hasn't really slowed him down any; he's still pretty fast with his fists for a guy who must be close to seventy. His near-senior status is reflected, though, is his calm, even dull relationship with his long-time flame Susan. There used to be real spark between those two, but that fire burned out long ago. Better, as always, is Spenser's relationship with his trusty outlaw partner Hawk. Hawk was the original psychotic sidekick with a heart of gold, and he remains one of the best of the lot. He doesn't have much to do this time out, other than follow Spenser around and make sure nobody kills him, but it's still nice to see what he's up to. "Widow's Walk" doesn't match up to the best books of the series,... but it provides a pleasant diversion. Reviewed by David Montgomery...
Rating:
Summary: Spenser Returns!!!
Review: Robert B. Parker brings back his lovable hero Spenser for the 29th time in this latest book, a great private eye caper concerning a lascivious wife accused of murdering her husband. Spenser's gang of cops and robbers make their usual appearances, adding funny, sharp dialog to a lightning fast plot. Fans of Spenser will appreciate the return of lucid descriptions, and laugh out loud humor, while newer fans will discover another reason to check out the past storyline. All in all, a great read!
Rating:
Summary: The Boston Red Sox of Private Cops
Review: Decades ago with his GODWULF MANUSCRIPT, Robert B. Parker largely reinvented the mystery sub-genre of the tough-guy private eye novel. He showed us all how to update this traditional American prototypical character for today's sensibilities, and Parker's Spenser has earned a place among the most popular of our age's PIs. As does his beloved Red Sox, Parker sends a fresh Spenser mystery onto the field of play every year. Each spring, Spenser seems like a championship creation. Every novel is consistently thrilling, witty, unpredictable, and, in the end, a bit heartbreaking. This series is obviously written by a Red Sox fan. One knows when they begin that in the end all will not be idyllic. WIDOW'S WALK fits this Spenser mold perfectly. Parker is amazingly consistent. In this novel, Spenser is hired by Rita Fiore (an series semi-regular)to help build her defense for her client Mary Smith. Mary's husband, Nathan, of Mayflower lineage, is murdered. Mary, his much younger and terribly unfaithful, widow is everyone's, including Rita's, favorite suspect. Spenser springs into action. Pearl the Wonder Dog is on hand. Susan is here, and, of course, so is Hawk. WIDOW'S WALK has all we have grown to expect from Parker's series. The witty dialog snaps rapidly throughout. Parker's social observations are astute. The true origin of the crime rests with a real estate scam. As one reads WIDOW'S WALK, one has to hope that this year the Red Sox will actually find a way to win the World Series in October. The last time Parker's team won it, the Series was played in September. WIDOW'S WALK is an excellent novel.
Rating:
Summary: Nobody Cares
Review: In a scene in Robert Parker's "Widow's Walk," Spenser is explaining his newest case to Susan Silverman while she makes egg salad. When I found myself thinking about why Susan would decide to use Miracle Whip instead of mayonaise, and paying no attention to whether Spenser's ditsy blonde client killed her husband, I realized that something had gone seriously wrong here. Even Parker is more interested in the egg salad than he should be. He doesn't seem to care about the people he created, nor about what happens to them. I can understand it, poor guy. Imagine trying to keep caring when you're writing the twenty-ninth book of a series. But, although it is easy to understand, it is not at all easy to keep ploughing through the result. "Widow's Walk" is a badly written book, and even Spenser himself -- who's greatest appeal for me is his rock-solid resolve to help wherever he can -- can't help on this one. He says, more than half-way through the book, that he has no idea what is going on with his case. And neither do we. The novels we never forget share one thing in common. They make us care a very great deal about what happens to their characters. Pick up "The Count of Monte Cristo" and you'll see that Dumas accomplished it in what may be a record, in the first paragraphs of the first page. Dickins does it. Tolstoy does it. Flaubert does it. And Parker does it. Paul Giacomin as he grew into himself, under Spenser's inimitable guidance, is a beautifully wrought and memorable character. Spenser lends his strength, his wit, his savvy and his great heart to his clients because he cares what happens to them. And so do we. But not in "Widow's Walk." Forget this one happened, Parker, and please do it for us again.
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