Rating: 
Summary: Parker and Spenser are in ultimate top form in this novel.
Review: Small Vices is absolutely excellent, carefully
plotted and beautifully written, Parker's best Spenser novel to date. Parker's fine balance between mystery and comedy keeps the reader turning pages as he follows Spenser's sharp detecting and sharper quipping in this fast paced, tightly plotted novel. The tempo, the tension, the toughness of the characters make Small Vices hard to put down.
Rating:
Summary: Very realistic, perhaps Parker's best.
Review: Small Vices just an excellent novel. It displays Spenser very well, both with his funny observations on life and his moral rigidity. I think that had Atticus Finch become a P.I., he would be quite a lot like Spenser. Seeing Spenser in a vulnerable position for the first real time was very interesting, though I wish they wouldn't have put it on all the summaries of the book. It would have been much better as a surprise. Also, I believe that the Gray Man is the best villian Parker has created, and one of the better I've encountered in fiction. He goes right up there with Koontz's Egler Vess, King's Randall Flagg, and Martin Fletcher from The Last Family. Finally, I highly recommend this novel. It's perfect for all Spenser fans, and it will be sure to snag some new ones.
Rating:
Summary: Solid Spenser
Review: Spenser is always a contender, but this time around, Parker delivers a solid KO. A fresh entry in a fine series.
Rating: 
Summary: Spenser Rides Again!
Review: The Spenser novels are really about Don Quixote, dressed up as a modern detective. Spenser is better at what he does than Don Quixote was, but has the same appeal. Fortunately for Spenser fans, the other characters are drawn as finely and uniquely, and bring much appeal to any story. It's like visiting your somewhat funny, dysfunctional family for a reunion. I appreciate it when Robert Parker breaks up the stories with new plot complications. Spenser's injury makes this book all the more rewarding by providing new perspectives on one of fiction's most appealing detectives. If you are a Spenser fan, don't miss it. If yo are not yet a Spenser fan, this is a worthy book to start with.
Rating:
Summary: Classis spenser, one of the best Parker novels.
Review: This book is one of the best Parker's ever written, fast, funny, and shows an insight into the sometimes seedy culture of WASP america.
Rating:
Summary: One of the Best Spensers
Review: This is a great read! I've been away from the Spenser series for a while, and I've read that the novels had lost some of their spark recently. Not if this excellent outing is any indication. The plot is strong, (though a bit basic), but the interplay between Spenser, Hawk, Susan and the various characters is as sharp as ever. Parker has an excellent ear for dialogue, and it's a joy to read him. And Parker gives us an excellent villain who might (?) be a match for Spenser. Check this one out - highly recommended, and perfect summer reading.
Rating:
Summary: Spenser falls . . .and gets up!
Review: This is one of my favorite Spenser tales. And we love him because . . . . I guess it's kind of that John Wayne feeling, you like to have a big guy around who can always be relied upon to take care of business. Here, he almost fails, and that's the magnetism of Small Vices. Spenser is hired by the now successful, leggy Rita Fiore. There is the usual overt flirting ". . . too bad you didn't . . ." and "Boy, if you only had . . ." and "you had your chance . . " that we've come to chuckle at and with the honorable sleuth. Here he's asked to track down 'the real murderer' which will free a man wrongfully doing life in the hard place. It's hard to pity the imprisoned man Spenser is asked to free. It seems most feel he doesn't really deserve to be freed . . . even the loyal friend Hawk feels that Alves belongs in jail, "either for this crime or one he got away with." But Spenser, who again tells someone his first name but not us, gets too close and takes three slugs to the shoulder, leg and chest. It takes Susan, Hawk, Quirk, Belson, Lee Farrel and Vinnie nearly a year to rehab Spenser, who loses 40 pounds in the process, has a hard time making his limbs do what he wants them to, and basically can't walk. But they do and honor and heroism prevail, villains are suitably thrashed, and Susan and Spenser hook up. Again. And again. There's a lot of vulnerability in Spenser this time. Like Joe Pike in The Last Detective, his body has betrayed him and he is lost. Sadness, even tears. The pages describing Spenser trying to get up the hill in Santa Barbara after again learning how to walk again are riveting. Good stuff. If I had a disappointment, it was Spenser's laissez faire attitude towards Hawk who took a year off to mentor/train/help him. But maybe that's part of the mystique, he knew how he felt and so did Hawk. Great stuff. Rachel Wallace is still #1 for me but Small Vices is a close second.
Rating:
Summary: Spenser falls . . .and gets up!
Review: This is one of my favorite Spenser tales. And we love him because . . . . I guess it's kind of that John Wayne feeling, you like to have a big guy around who can always be relied upon to take care of business. Here, he almost fails, and that's the magnetism of Small Vices. Spenser is hired by the now successful, leggy Rita Fiore. There is the usual overt flirting ". . . too bad you didn't . . ." and "Boy, if you only had . . ." and "you had your chance . . " that we've come to chuckle at and with the honorable sleuth. Here he's asked to track down 'the real murderer' which will free a man wrongfully doing life in the hard place. It's hard to pity the imprisoned man Spenser is asked to free. It seems most feel he doesn't really deserve to be freed . . . even the loyal friend Hawk feels that Alves belongs in jail, "either for this crime or one he got away with." But Spenser, who again tells someone his first name but not us, gets too close and takes three slugs to the shoulder, leg and chest. It takes Susan, Hawk, Quirk, Belson, Lee Farrel and Vinnie nearly a year to rehab Spenser, who loses 40 pounds in the process, has a hard time making his limbs do what he wants them to, and basically can't walk. But they do and honor and heroism prevail, villains are suitably thrashed, and Susan and Spenser hook up. Again. And again. There's a lot of vulnerability in Spenser this time. Like Joe Pike in The Last Detective, his body has betrayed him and he is lost. Sadness, even tears. The pages describing Spenser trying to get up the hill in Santa Barbara after again learning how to walk again are riveting. Good stuff. If I had a disappointment, it was Spenser's laissez faire attitude towards Hawk who took a year off to mentor/train/help him. But maybe that's part of the mystique, he knew how he felt and so did Hawk. Great stuff. Rachel Wallace is still #1 for me but Small Vices is a close second.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent and Original
Review: This is one of Parker's best. The mystery is new and fresh - Spenser is hired by a law firm to learn the truth about an old murder. The enigmatic Gray Man is powerful and very creepy; it's about time Spenser met an enemy worthy of him. Susan almost redeems herself for all the stupid things she's done in the past, and Hawk is as much fun as ever. After some pretty weak novels, like 'Thin Air' and 'Walking Shadow,' and the abominable 'Hugger Mugger,' not to mention the Jesse Stone/Sunny Randall mess, this one proves that Parker hasn't lost it. Thank heaven.
Rating:
Summary: My first Spenser, and I loved it!
Review: This was my introduction to a series that I'm sure will become one of my favorites. Spenser is a delight -- as are Hawk, Susan and especially Pearl. I like a mystery where the characters have more on their minds than just the plot. Spenser's relationship with "the gray man," Susan's desire for children, issues of police corruption and racism all made the story richer for me. The only thing I didn't like was Burt Reynolds' performance. He sounded too old for part. Worse, at times his delivery made it sound like he was reading the book for the first time. Perhaps next time around I'll READ Spenser.
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