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Hugger Mugger : A Spenser Novel

Hugger Mugger : A Spenser Novel

List Price: $34.99
Your Price: $23.79
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Spenser the way we like him
Review: Yes, some of the Spenser mysteries have sagged, but this isn't one of the weak entries. In fact, this adventure (largely) removes him from girlfriend Susan and excludes frequent partner Hawk altogether. Parker's dialogue and social observations are at their most clever and Spenser's derring-do is at top dead center. This is a best seller for good reason - a slick mystery/thriller. Don't miss!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: This really needed work
Review: I have read all the Spenser Novels and this has to be the worst one I have read. There was no plot and it was BORING. I finished the book but I was very dissappointed.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: An improvement from recent Parker novels
Review: Robert B Parker has been one of those authors whose books I look forward to reading on a wet afternoon. I was generally pleased with Hugger Mugger but Parker is getting into a rut. His characters are getting to be all the same: Hawk is replaced by a Southern sherrif like Spenser was made into a female in Family Honor, but the characters are identical. There is a tough homosexual character in both the last 2 novels, entirely interchangeable. The plotting of Hugger Mugger is better than most of his recent books, and I am looking forward to his next book, a Jesse Stone novel. Hopefully we will see some originality.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Never Again Without Reading the Review First!
Review: First of all I have read every Spenser book to date, I hung in there when they stunk, knowing Parker would eventually get his act together. He did, and I kept reading. Just finished Hugger Mugger it should be titled Mug a Reader! What a waste of time I almost didn't finish it! I read to the end with the hope it would get better. The only enjoyment I had was reading about Spenser's feelings for Susan, their relationship is one I envy.

Total waste of paper and my money. I will never read another Spenser without checking the NY Times Book review first.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Nice change of pace....
Review: Hugger Mugger gets Spenser into new territory, adding a fresh interesting insights,... is Spenser just good with Pearl the Wonder Dog, Susan & Hawk by his side? Do I miss the "side kicks" Yes, but not nearly as much as I expected. This is classic Spenser, hailing back before the side-kicks were such a main stay. Very entertaining, well written with the usual humor & pithy dialogue that we have come to expect. Spenser's code of honor is very real and strong through out this series and is in full force here with a good dose of "This is Right". So what is the question?

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Not the best of Spenser, BUT not the worst ....
Review: Having read all the past Parker novels, I have a little experience with Spenser. This mystery was a good one. Not overwhlmed with too many perimeter characters( although, as always, a lot of Susan Silverman) Hawk is away playing and Quirk only appears in what could be called a brief cameo. The southern characters were nicely created and I liked the case. As always Spenser hardley met any resistance during the case but that is how it always goes for our hero. I liked the fact that after hitting a bad guy Spenser had to soak his swollen hand (Sign of age maybe?) the next morning. I enjoyed taking Spenser out of Boston a great trick Parker should try more often. I must admit that with Family Honor and this novel Parker's use of the "Gay Tough Guy" is getting a little old but overall an enjoyable read. As a final note I would like to reccommend Parker's Jesse Stone novels to any readers out there that haven't tried them yet. Stone is a great flawed character, not quite as super human as Spenser, even though I still love the Boston tough guy. I hope A&E produces more Spenser movies , anyone out there have any info please give me an E-Mail.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: "Hugger Mugger, Nanny Nagger"
Review: I am a big Parker fan, having bought and read virtually all his published novels, but this one piqued my curiosity more than my reading interest. Missing here is the near mandatory last chapter in which Spenser and Susan tie up loose ends of plot and make light sexual banter in order to leave readers both dramatically satisfied and laughing. Also strange is a four-chapter unrelated story right in the middle of the Hugger Mugger plot. Perhaps the last chapter got lost in cyberspace when Parker submitted his text electronically; perhaps the publisher complained about the short manuscript and Parker responded by sending in a fragmented short story as Chapters 22-26 (which I'm titling "Nanny Nagger" and recommending it be submitted for inclusion in a short story anthology).

If you're a Parker fan as I am, you'll want to read this one--but it is not one of his best; you should introduce new readers to Parker by recommending the early novels.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A Classic Spenser Novel
Review: If you enjoy the automomous Spenser, you will enjoy this novel. He is wise and strong. The repartee between Spenser and Susan Silverman (the woman he loves) is a lot of fun. Hawk does not figure in this novel but if he had a role in every Spenser novel, Spenser would not be the independent soul so many people have come to enjoy.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: SPENSER FANS DESERVE BETTER
Review: I've anticipated every Spenser novel for many years and am disappointed with the latest effort. The book ends abruptly and without the kind of result an early Spenser would have achieved. There are about 25 pages mid-book that are a completely different story than the main plot. On p. 273, Parker refers to "Walter Clive" as "Walter Klein" in an obvious editorial mistake/oversight. And in the age of jet travel, Spenser drives from Atlanta to Saratoga? The characters are getting to act and sound less and less realistic, a pity because Spenser is a great character. Maybe Parker is spending too much time dividing himself between Jesse Stone, Sunny Randall, and Spenser, all in a year's time. Spenser devotees will see this book as a letdown.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: One of Parker's worst efforts
Review: Being a somewhat rabid fan of Robert B. Parker, I had been eagerly awaiting his latest effort. After finally receiving it, and finishing it a few short hours later, I felt cheated, like a kid at Christmas who thinks he is getting the best present ever, only to find packages of socks and underwear. This book may be 320 pages, but they're the kind of pages you write when you have a 20 page essay due, and only 10 pages worth of information to put into it. Wide margins, double spacing, and I wouldn't be surprised if the point size was bigger than normal. As for the content - on any other day, I'd say that Parker's worst effort was still engaging reading, but now I'm not so sure. This book has no interesting characters, not one interesting twist, and seems to end abruptly, as though Parker is simply acknowledging that he has nowhere left to go. Having read each of his other books at least twice, it is truly appalling how much of the old material is recycled. This is fine if you're new to the series, and sometimes is a nice way to keep the Spenser universe real, but now I just find myself moaning at how much Parker overdoes it. Other than the notable exception of Small Vices, the entire series has been slipping in quality in the last few years. My advice to Mr. Parker would be to take some time, and think of an interesting story before putting pen to paper for your next attempt. Spenser fans will be more than willing to wait. Clunkers like these only cheapen the wonderful universe that you've built up over the last quarter century.


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