Rating: 
Summary: Hey, I liked this one...
Review: I think "Back Story" is a cut above its predecessor, and definitely worth reading if you are already a fan. If you are new to Parker, go find the older Spenser titles first, so you can grow along with the characters. This one is a quick read, of course, with the 95 percent dialogue style Parker is famous for.
The twist here is that another of his series characters, police chief Jesse Stone, makes a cameo appearance. Now there are 30 books in the Spenser series, and I do expect an end soon, perhaps by retirement. Still, Hawk and Susan and the dogs and Vinnie are annual companions for me of long-standing and much affection, and I felt this entry was a worthy one.
Rating:
Summary: Intriguing, funny.................never predictable!!!
Review: Robert Parker has yet another great Spenser novel to add to his success list. In Back Story, Spenser agrees to investigate a 28 year old unsolved murder. As he begins to investigate the murder, many unexpected facets appear. The FBI, an aging but very dangerous mobster, a hitman, college radicals and several ex-cons appear and disappear, putting Spenser and the love of his life in extreme danger. Hawk, his friend and most reliable co-conspirator, steps in to act as a bodyguard and to help him unravel the threads of this case. The characters are all there from previous books, even one from another series by Parker and as always they all mesh perfectly to create a novel that is both intriguing and funny. The lines of dialogue are great, the reactions so honest and dealing with unexpected answers only heightens the tension of this novel. Robert Parker is a reliable author, but he is never predictable!
Rating:
Summary: A Reunion With Old Friends
Review: For those of you who are already fans of Parker's witty, aging detective, Spenser, this is another classic tale. Spenser's assignment, the murder of a woman twenty-eight years ago, lacks freshness. But, the chance to meet up again with some of the classic characters - Spenser, Susan, Hawk, Quirk, Vinnie - is well worth the read. They are as charming and multi-faceted as ever. Their faults are human and their loyalties unshakeable. For those who are new to the Spenser series, this novel may appear lacking. It requires at least some familiarity with the characters to really understand what's going on. Otherwise, things like Spenser's agreeing to take on a dangerous case and risk his own life for six Krispy Kreme donuts may seem implausible. However, Spenser and his contacts are worth getting to know. I would recommend to anyone new to the series go back and read some of the old Spenser novels. They are still fun reads today - fast paced, introspective, witty and delightful.
Rating: 
Summary: What a disappointment!
Review: Pure Parker...but so much less of it! Talk about churning out a novel for money!
Rating:
Summary: Parker goes retro-with great success!
Review: Back Story, the latest in Parker's Spenser series, is a retro turn reminiscent of a previous Spenser novel, Pastime. In Pastime Spenser's quasi son, Paul Giacomin, approached Spenser when he discovers that his (Paul's) mother has disappeared and asks Spenser to find her, bringing up all sorts of unwanted info in the investigations wake. (Read Parker's Early Autumn if you are interested in how Paul becomes Spenser's quasi son.) In back Story Paul approaches Spenser on behalf of a friend of his. Her mother was killed in a bank robbery in Boston nearly 30 years ago when she was just a child and she wants Spenser to determine what really happened and who did the deed. As is always the case, a lot of unwanted baggage is dredged up and Spenser has to persevere though the client gets cold feet and there are some very bad guys who are not pleased by the turn of events. The Spenser series has become a sort of hit or miss thing lately. The most recent book previous to this, Widow's Walk, was pretty lame. The edition before that, Pot Shot, very strong. I don't know if his other series are distracting Parker too much or what. One of the real pleasures of this series earlier years was the genuinely good story telling that marked each new entry. That's not the case anymore. However, Parker can still hit the occasional home run in this series and back Story is a home run. The story is marked by an intensity reminiscent of the early Spenser novels. The characters are vibrant. The violence convincing. This one is a winner. If only they could all be this good.
Rating:
Summary: Better than average Spenser story
Review: When a friend of his foster son Paul offers him half a dozen donuts to find out who killed her mother 28 years previously, Private Detective Spenser takes the job. It's just the kind of funky job that interests him. But when the police report turns up missing the critical FBI report, Senser suspects that there is more to the case than a simple bank robbery. When both mob and FBI enforcers warn him to back off the job, he knows that something is rotten, but he still can't get to the bottom of the case. Along with muscle from side-kick Hawk and wise philosophical advice and frequent sex from main-squeeze Susan Silverman, Spenser sets off on a case that won't bring in any money, can't result in a happy ending for anyone, and just might end up getting him, or Susan, killed. Author Robert B. Parker uses witty dialogue, occasional literary illusion, and male-bonding between Spenser and Hawk to propell the story forward. Fortunately for the reader, Susan is allowed to play a minor (if annoying) role in this story providing emotional support to Spenser and validating the killing that this job requires him to make. After two decades of Spenser stories, Spenser seems little older and is still a tough guy that remembers and uses his boxing skills. Parker's characterization, dialogue, and story-telling are all firing in BACK STORY. Although I found the end to be a bit anticlimactic, BACK STORY is one of the better recent Spenser novels.
Rating: 
Summary: Mother Hunt
Review: When an author has been writing a series through 29 volumes, there is always the possibility of the stories taking on a 'cookie cutter' similarity. To some degree, this is unavoidable, since a series requires a certain predictability in its characters and type of plot. Robert Parker's Spenser novels are no exception to this rule, but Parker is one of those writers who can usually find a new twist, even in an old pattern. 'Back Story' is a grand example of Parker's story telling skills, still fresh after all these years. The daughter of the victim, Daryl Gordon, draws Spenser into a thirty-year-old murder, a friend of Spenser's 'nearly' adopted son, Paul Giacomin. The killing occurred in the middle of a bank robbery, committed by the Dread Scott Brigade, a 70's revolutionary group. There were no witnesses, and no one was ever caught. For Paul's sake, Spenser reopens the case and discovers a web of subterfuge surrounding the investigation. FBI reports have been squelched, all the characters seem to have unexpected links to each other, and finally, Spenser's own life is threatened. Into this chaos steps Hawk, Spencer's long time friend and co-perpetrator. These two are on of mysteries original black/white partnerships, and one of the hallmarks of Parker's style is the politically incorrect, whiplash banter that takes place between the two. The make fun of their own stereotypes (and ours) while scaring there suspects witless. Spencer's other partner is his very significant other, Susan, who does not participate in the investigations but is often all that keeps Spenser on this side of sanity. She adds wit, insight and an unselfconscious sexuality to what otherwise might be a grim story of tawdry revenge. The story, while not particularly complex, takes some surprising twists. There is a high violence content, not unusual for Spencer and Hawk, but Parker always manages to use violence without making it into an end in itself. What is unusual this time is Spencer's own introspection at the brutal aspect of his nature. Feeling his own maturity, he begins to wonder what he is really looking for. Susan, the psychologist, has answers, and the pair seem to grow before the reader's eyes. Thoroughly modern, 'Back Story' reads like vintage Parker - a swiftly moving plot, snappy dialogue, and respectable characters. Even if you have skipped the last few, I think you will find this one worth reading. Newcomers need have no fear. The relationship between the characters becomes clear quickly, and the story does not depend on any of the 29 previous novels.
Rating:
Summary: 70? So what?
Review: First off, you don't want this to be your first Spenser book. If you don't know the character, go back to the first book, THE GODWULF MANUSCRIPT, and follow the series from there. Some readers figure Spenser to be around 70 & think he should retire, but when he just gets paid in doughnuts like with this case, how can he afford to retire? OK, we do envision Spenser as being in his 40's, but even if he's older, he voices his opinion of retiring in this book and you can tell he wouldn't know what to do with himself. The story here is good, dealing with a few left over hippies. A lady friend of Paul's wants to know who killed her mother back in the 60's, and so Spenser collecting his fee consisting of six Krispy Kreme doughnuts digs into the past and comes up with more than his client wants to know. In the meantime, he manages to disturb one of the ganglords who just happens to live in Paradise, and so he meets the police chief, Jesse Stone. The two Parker characters working together, even briefly, envigorate the story. Recent Spenser books have been a bit disappointing, but this one is back on track.
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.
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