Rating: 
Summary: The Honorable Detective Is Tested
Review: Back Story involves Spenser almost casually in an abandoned trail to a 1974 killing of actress Daryl Silver's (nee Gordon) mother, Emily. When she was 6, Daryl's mother was killed while cashing some traveler's checks in the old Shawmut Bank branch in Audubon Circle. A revolutionary group, the Dread Scott Brigade, was responsible. For openers to the case, Spenser quickly is puzzled by a reference to an FBI intelligence report in the case file . . . a report that has gone missing. Soon, he has visitors who firmly ask him to "desist" from asking questions about Emily Gordon because "it is in the best interest of the United States." Spenser learns that "a tax audit is not impossible." Next, a less polite visitor arrives with a gun and shoots a hole in a lamp shade. "Boss wanted you to see me shoot." As Spenser begins to sort out the crime, his "client" tells him she doesn't want to know any more. Spenser continues relentlessly, despite being "paid" only six Krispy Kreme doughnuts flown in thoughtfully from out of town by Paul Giacomin, Spenser's almost surrogate son. Spenser's sense of duty is even stronger than he thought. He's stirred up a hornet's nest and the hornets had better look out!One of the great appeals of this story is the extensive involvement of lots of Mr. Parker's best characters. That makes the story development a lot of fun. You'll find out about Paul's career as a theatrical director, spend lots of time with an armed and dangerous Hawk, Vinnie Morris is brought in for protection, Quirk is advising from the sidelines, and Susan is adjusting to a new "Pearl" whom Spenser brings back from Toronto. During the book's resolution, Spenser teams with Jesse Stone (of Death in Paradise, Trouble in Paradise and Night Passage) in a memorable collaboration of the two strong men. The context for the story was also very appealing to me from a nostalgia point of view. The bank robbery described mimics a similar crime in Boston which brought me back to my younger days. There are hippies from the free love times. Spenser finds himself in the middle of a gunfight at Harvard Stadium following a jog nearby in an earlier chapter. Government cover-ups were prevalent in 1974, so hearing about another one brings back those memories. The story's resolution also chimes in well with recent developments among the crime lords in Massachusetts, giving the book an up-to-date feel. As usual, the dialogue is crisp, witty and original. I don't remember better. Then why did I rate the book at four stars rather than five? Unfortunately, the mystery itself is something of a clunker . . . being way too obvious and coming into the open way too soon. If Mr. Parker had kept the mystery hidden better and longer, this would have been one of his very best books. As it is, the book is extremely interesting, entertaining and amusing. The development of Spenser's moral obligation to solve the case is very fine. All Spenser fans should immediately read Back Story! After you finish, think about what ethical challenges you would respond to . . . even after it became in your personal best interest to stop.
Rating:
Summary: SUPER SPENSER NOVEL
Review: This is going to be a quick short review. This is one of the best Spenser novels so don't miss this one if you're a Spenser fan. Paul Giacomin brings Spenser an unsolved murder case, 30 years ago. Spenser starts to pull the string and the mystery slowly, but eventually, unravels. We get all the usual twists and turns in the case, along with Spenser's wit. People try to kill Spenser, but you know that's not a good idea, especially with Hawk around. We even get a cameo appearance by Jesse Stone, a character in another Parker series. All in all a very satisfying addition to the series.
Rating:
Summary: So delightfully Parker!
Review: One reads the Spenser series not for the convoluted plot but for the characters we've grown to love. The witty repartee that takes place among Spenser, Hawk, Susan, Quirk and Belson is worth the price of admission. I guess I don't care how old Spenser and Hawk are nor do I feel the need to be judgemental about their unique code of honor or set of rules that govern their behavior. I simply enjoy the Spenser series or what it has been and continues to be for me - a fun read!
Rating:
Summary: Sometimes I sat in my car and just listened
Review: A hardened private investigator is asked by a surrogate son to investigate the murder of the mother of his girlfriend that took place nearly thirty years ago. It appeared to be a random shooting, as it occurred when a bank was robbed by a seventies revolutionary group called the Dread Scott Brigade. The victim, a woman named Emily Gordon, was a visitor from out of town who was in the bank cashing travelers checks. At first, it appears hopeless, but as the detective starts chasing down the particulars of the case, he suddenly finds that the FBI has stonewalled the investigation. Shortly after that revelation, he is the target of some mob soldiers bent on assassination.
The story takes several different turns and involves many characters of dubious backgrounds and integrity. However, the main plot line is strong enough to overcome the tangents and we come to learn all of the facts in the case. I listened to the story in my car and there were some points that held my attention so well that I sat in my car and listened until a local cliffhanger was resolved. It is a very good story, one of the best detective yarns that I have ever read and certainly the best I have encountered on tape.
Rating: 
Summary: One for the Grandmaster -
Review: The Dean is back, school is in session. Spenser and Hawk are in good form, though their quibbling is anything but reminiscint of the earlier novels when Hawk kept his distance. Now they are old friends with all the familiarity of such. Susan's back and still a gerbile despite finally accepting the perils of being a target. Pearl 2 takes the scene in this book. Not much else happens.
Rating: 
Summary: He's An Old Man
Review: Lots of white space around every page as usual. I think I would have enjoyed the book more if I hadn't done the math. Spenser and Hawk are over 60, probably pushing 70. Spenser fought in Korea in the 1950s and was at least in his mid-thirties in the first novel in 1974.
Parker still writes fight scenes as if Spenser and Hawk are 40 and can stand up against younger, stronger, faster bad guys.
I think Spenser has passed his "willing suspension of disbelief" date.
It's time for Spenser to retire.
Rating:
Summary: Comfortable Like an Old Shoe, But Not Much Bite
Review: Another Spenser novel, much like the last few. Some good dialogue, some drama, but the same old formula with Hawk as bodyguard, and others assigned to protect Susan while Spenser rubs some bad guys the wrong way. Yada yada yada.
Rating: 
Summary: Tight, Tense, Brilliant.....
Review: What is the going rate to investigate a twenty-eight year old murder? If you're Spenser, and the request comes from surrogate son, Paul Giacomin, the price is a hefty six Krispy Kreme doughnuts, paid up front. Paul's friend, Daryl Gordon, is looking for answers. Back in 1974, her mother, Emily, was shot and killed during a bank robbery right here in Boston. A hippie revolutionary group, The Dread Scott Brigade, claimed responsibility, and then, along with the stolen money, disappeared. There seemed to be few clues and leads to this robbery/murder, and the unsolved case has been cold and pretty much forgotten, all these years, until Spenser decides to take a look and stir things up. Now as two unlikely partners, the mob and the FBI, threaten Spenser to lay off and let this old crime remain unsolved, it's just the push he needs to dig deeper and see the case to its bitter end..... After a couple of rather disappointing, lackluster Spenser novels, Robert Parker is back in rare form, and Spenser's thirtieth outing is as intriguing and entertaining as his first. Mr Parker's well-paced story line is tense and compelling, filled with non-stop action, vivid, riveting scenes and brilliant characterizations. But as always, it's his spare, crisp prose and droll, witty dialogue that is the strength of this novel, and no one does it better than the P.I. Grand Master of them all. For those new to Robert Parker and Spenser, start with some of his earlier mysteries to get a real feel for the series and its characters. For those who are already fans, kick back, visit with old friends, and enjoy. Back Story is a strong addition no mystery lover should miss.
Rating:
Summary: The first Spenser novel that rates a "Fair" revue.
Review: I have read or listened to every Spenser novel and this is the first one I would rate less than "Good" or "Very Good".
The usual banter is there between Spenser and Hawk but the ending leaves much to be desired. At the end you wonder just what, if anything, has been accomplished. There are some moments of suspense and, with all the white spaces between mini-chapters, the 291 page novel is a fast read.
Rating:
Summary: Dead Men on Campus
Review: It's always a pleasure to hear Joe Mantegna read what Robert B. Parker writes. His flat delivery of the "I said, he said" dialogue along with distinctive accents and inflections for Spenser's supporting cast produce an almost melodic presentation. Spenser and friends continue to age gracefully, projecting the wisdom and perspective of those not too far from cashing their first Social Security checks. True, their libidos are at least a decade younger than they are, and when it comes to dealing with the bad guys, of course Spenser and Hawk are still in their prime. There's no neo political correctness either. Ethnic stereotypes are fair game when describing any character, and Parker has a gift for crafting observations that are irreverent, but fair and in no way offensive. The story unfolds with great dialogue and pace as we become reacquainted with Martin Quirk and Vinnie Morris and meet Nathan Epstein, the savvy Special Agent in Charge of the Boston FBI office. Pearl the wonderdog who was showing sighns of age in "Widow's Walk" is gone. No rehash of how, just a side trip to Toronto to pick up the new Pearl. Hanging around with Parker's core characters is so much fun that it's actually disruptive when he sends Spenser off to solve a twenty eight-year-old murder. Daryl Silver the stunning actress friend of Paul Giacomin who starts Spenser on this quest is little more than a mannequin. I wish Parker would give his damsels in distress a little more substance a la Elmore Leonard. Mob boss Sonny Karnofsky is now pushing eighty. He has lived in the same North Shore mansion for more than forty years, so it's a bit of a stretch that nobody knows he has a daughter in her 50s who lives a couple of towns away, the wife of his ex-bodyguard Ziggy. But that plot line does create an opportunity for Spenser and Hawk to meet Jesse Stone. The two leading men from different Parker stories turn out to be surprisingly compatible. Don't even try to figure out why Parker chooses "Taft" University and Harvard Stadium for the book's two shootouts. As to how a bunch of pot smoking college drop outs from the sixties, a couple of ex-cons and the FBI all fit together in the cover up of and old murder - well let's just say the ending is the weakest part of the story. But I think you'll enjoy the pictures Parker paints of Spenser's Boston, dialogue that seldom contains a superfluous word and an old action hero who really is getting better with age.
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