Rating: 
Summary: No thrill in Georgia
Review: This reviewer is a die-hard mystery fan and the "Spenser For Hire" novels by Robert B. Parker are among my favorites. This latest book however did not live up to my expectations. The three main reasons for my lackluster rating is: no Hawke (his sidekick), no cooking and very few knockouts. The story and the crime involved were so tame compared to other plots that the character "Hawke" was really not needed to solve the problem. The storyline was slow-moving and one would have to be a racehorse fan to really appreciate the setting in Georgia on a racehorse breeding farm. Hawke is a shady character and his outlook and dry wit is pure entertainment. Spenser is an accomplished gourmet cook and often cooks for himself and Susan his fiance. Much of their problem-solving evolves around the kitchen. In this story Mr. Spenser simply eats out because he is out of town and living in a motel. Also lacking from this story was the usual fist-a-cuffs and gun-play that picks up the action in a Spenser novel. One just expects a former cop turned private-eye who is also an ex-boxer to mix it up with the bad guys several times per novel. Not in this one. It almost seemed as though Mr. Parker was setting Spenser up for early retirement. But please note that all was not lost! Spenser and friends are wonderful characters and worth every book published. However, if you do not collect series or having a hardcover is not a priority, you may wish to wait for the paperback edition. This reviewer truly hates hanging this book out to dry but I just wanted real Spenser fans to know it just wasn't up to par.
Rating: 
Summary: Crackling character and wit sustains lazy plot.
Review: Robert Parker has created one of the best detective characters in fiction history. In this book, he lets the main character, Spenser, run on autopilot in a half smart, half lazy plot. We are in the South, where Spenser is investigating a murder that starts with some horse shootings. This allows the author to explore new territory. Hawk, Spenser's side kick, is not in this book, but Spenser is witty and explores the South with panache. The beginning of the story is well designed, and the reader gets excited, thinking that this might be one of the really good Spenser novels. But the story peters out, the murder investigation stalls, Spenser becomes sort of a group therapist to some wacked out minor characters, and the book ends with an incoherent resolution. Without giving anything away, is it really likely that Spenser can just walk into a room and make people break down and spill their guts? I love the Spenser series, but this one reads like the author grew bored and did not bother finishing the plot. Like Double Deuce, this book relies on an ending that is artificial and unlikely. Along the way we get too much of the usual Susan mooning, which is boring. Read this book only if you never miss any in this series. Otherwise, hope that the next one reads more like Walking Shadow than like this half right effort.
Rating:
Summary: Is Parker in the stretch?
Review: It seems to take longer to pick up a Parker novel than it used to. No one has a leaner writing style. Parker can say more with less words than anyone, he is a master. But often I wonder if good guys might be more verbose. The good guys always talk like Spenser. This chapter has less inventiveness than one would like and ends with a scene not unlike the old movies drawing-room conclusions. Just once,maybe more would be better.
Rating:
Summary: falls way short
Review: This latest book along with Hush Money are far from Parker'S BEST. I have read all his Spenser novels and these last 2 are not close to the fun of his previous work. Spenser without Hawk is a waste of time. Next time leave Susan behind and find Hawk in a hurry so some real sleuthing and action can take place!
Rating: 
Summary: Almost as good as the Sunny Randall debut.......
Review: Family Honor, the book introducing Sunny Randall, was the first Parker novel I've read. I enjoyed it so much that I decided to pick up one of his famous Spenser novels so I chose Hugger Mugger. Since this is the first Spenser novel I've read I can't compare it to the others in the series...but I can comment on the character. I really like Spenser. I like his self-depricating sense of humor, I like the way he relates to other characters, I like his fairness. Quite often I found myself looking at the photo of Parker on the backcover and imagined that this is what Spenser looked like to me. Maybe that's what Parker hopes for. Unlike most books I read which are rich on description and narration, this book is made up almost entirely of dialogue. This makes for a quick read, it also gives us the sense of being with Spenser at all times, not so much in his mind as like a side-kick. I will definetly read more Parker novels...although I'm really hoping he brings back Sunny Randall on his next outing.
Rating: 
Summary: Hugger Mugger
Review: This was the first Parker book I have read. I absolutely adored Spenser and his foibles; I cannot wait to order all the rest of his novels. Just when I think I have run out of delightful mystery authors I get lucky!
Rating:
Summary: Spenser in the South
Review: Some series tend to overstay their welcome long before they end. This is true of TV, movies, and books as well. One series, however, which has maintained its integrity and relevance is the Spenser series. For 27 years, Spenser has become the icon for all fictional detectives. His wisecracks and anecdotes never grow old even when the backdrop changes from Boston to the deep South. Hawk is absent from this book, and although he is missed, Parker shows that Spenser does not need his sidekick in order to complete his assignment. This book moves as smoothly as any of Parker's other works, and is a welcome addition to the greatest series in American fiction.
Rating:
Summary: Hugger Mugger
Review: The story moves right along, but the author needs some synonyms for "said". The overuse of this word is very annoying on the recorded version.
Rating: 
Summary: when you can't do it well, do it again
Review: Someone must say it. Spenser is cold toast. And it should not be a great surprise. It's nearly impossible (even Doyle's pen nodded) to sustain a series character beyond 10 -12 books, and Parker began to rehash plots that long ago. This book is notable only for the aspects recently become common: large type, small pages; interludes of romance with dear Susan; sub-plots with no relation to the main plot (here, the nanny and the wicked mother/lawyer); Spenser's smart-aleck dialogue, even with friends; and a thin, thin plot,whose resolution brings not a single surprise. Parker's other recent books without Spenser have had, despite the poverty of plot, at least the freshness of new character. Here, even Pearl the WonderDog gets scant attention--though maybe that's a good thing after all. The book is enough of a dog as it is
Rating:
Summary: Good,not great
Review: I am a big fan of Robert Parker,but this was not among his better efforts.Oh,it's readable enough,just nothing really special.I felt that Penny's sisters were rather underwritten characters.However,I did feel that it was a complete story.I don't understand all these reviewers who claim that the book seems "incomplete" or that a chapter seems to be missing.It all wrapped up at the end,it seemed to me!This may not have been amongst Parker's better efforts,but even low grade Parker is better than most writers out there!
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