Small Vices

Rating:
Summary: Robert B. Parker's Best Spenser Novel Yet
Review: I've read all of the Spenser novels and avidly await the next one. This novel, as far as I'm concerned, is the best one yet. It shows how vulnerable Spenser and Susan are, but how they triumph together. With the help of Hawk, of course. This novel makes the reader want Spenser to exact revenge and yet, allows us to understand the course he takes. I'm glad the "alleged" perpetrator of the crime doesn't do a swift turnaround at the end and become a somewhat tarnished good guy. A great read and one I couldn't put down (although I must admit, all of the Spenser novels are like that with me)

Rating:
Summary: BEST IN YEARS
Review: I've read every Parker novel, most multiable times. This is the most powerful of all the Spenser novels. Less funny, more serious without giving in to being dark.
Everyone is here, Spenser, Susan, Hawk, Pearl.But someting feels, larger in this one. Most Spenser novels feel like a TV program. This installment feels more like a movie.

Rating:
Summary: Small Vices brings Susan, Spenser and Hawk closer than ever.
Review: I've read over a dozen of the Spenser series and I've enjoyed the interplay among Susan, Spenser and Hawk as much as I have any story line. Small Vices gives a feeling of being drawn into and becoming the part of their group. I also appreciate the unexpected laughs. Thank you R.B. Parker.

Rating:
Summary: In My Own Opinions
Review: Overall, I enjoyed the book. It kept my attention all the way to the end. Even though the beginning of the story started out slow, events began to develop to get me hooked into the plot. The way the gray man, who was hired to kill off the detective, kept popping out of no where, kept me on my toes. I never knew if he was going to get the detective or not. When the main event finally unfolded, it was interesting to see how the author made things develop to keep things going. The book, SMALL VICES, was well written and easy to follow. I would recommend it to others.

Rating:
Summary: One of Parker's Best!
Review: Parker once again shines on this Spenser gem. Parker breaks his own formula when our hero is gunned down and must fight the biggest fight of his life. Spenser battles racial profiling, paralysis, and the Gray man in this excellent addition to the Spenser series.

Rating:
Summary: One of Parker's Best!
Review: Parker once again shines on this Spenser gem. Parker breaks his own formula when our hero is gunned down and must fight the biggest fight of his life. Spenser battles racial profiling, paralysis, and the Gray man in this excellent addition to the Spenser series.

Rating:
Summary: Nice 'Comeback' by Parker
Review: Robert B. Parker returns to form in is this engaging mystery. Spenser has to test himself against age and doubt and his own mortality. The dialogue is sharp and funny showing once again that no one is as good as Parker in delivering the punchline. The story moves at a brisk pace and even though it's predictable i still found myself looking forward to reading it.

Rating:
Summary: Parker comes through again! Spenser vs. the Gray Man
Review: Robert Parker doesn't let his fans down with this new Spenser novel. Parker fans will recognize many characters from previous novels who come to the aid of our hero when he needs them most. "Cops and Robbers" unite to support Spenser in his greatest challenge, the Gray Man. Must reading for the Spenser diehards and new fans alike. This work is not as good as the Catskill Eagle, but it's close. Mark Felderma

Rating:
Summary: An Enjoyable Experience
Review: Robert Parker is so dependable. I can't remember ever being disappointed in one of his Spenser novels. This was an especially good one. It's all here. The humor, clever dialog, and the characters that seem more like old friends with each book. Makes reading an enjoyable experience.

Rating:
Summary: Clark Kent Returns
Review: Robert Parker's Spenser novels are becoming increasingly cartoonish in nature. The depth of his first several Spenser novels has been replaced by bigger type, thicker pages, and situations so unbelievable they only need four colors and a couple of BAMS and ZOWEEEs to enter the realm of DC comics. Still, Spenser and Hawk remain an engaging duo. The problems here are many. The first is a case that has a clear resolution almost from the beginning. It's pretty clear whodunit and even who is trying to cover it up. The characters are cardboard cutouts, the Gray Man villain lives up to his name, a bland faceless adversary who manages to clip Spenser. (Why his always razor sharp sense of danger is not working at the time he is shot never enters into the story.) The moment that supposedly makes Spenser question life the universe and everything is treated with as much seriousness as an ingrown toenail. Although he is supposedly near death, we never doubt for a minute that he'll recover. One last thing. Enough of Susan. The psycobabble talks are less and less engaging, as are the constant "She's the only woman for me asides." Kill her off in the next book. Maybe Pearl the Wonder Dog can attack her. I'm only hoping that Parker can reduce his book a year clip and start putting meat back into his story.