Rating: 
Summary: A surprise or two for Spenser fans
Review: There's more than one interesting twist in this installment of the Spenser series, evidence that Parker's working hard to stay out of a rut. First, this is a bit more serious than usual in that the unknown killer is a psychopathic serial killer. Our hero isn't quite up to his usual quota of wisecracks. Secondly, some of the narrative is from the killer's viewpoint, a first for a Spenser novel. Thirdly, there is a hint at the Harry Bosch type conflict between solving a case and playing police politics & protecting the police image. (This was written 4 years before the first of the Connolly series) And fourth, there's a real testing of Spenser's relationship with Susan as there's a serious conflict between his need to protect her and her need for autonomy & adherence to her profession's practice of condifentiality between doctor & patient. The reader might have a bit of trouble suspending disbelief over the points of Spenser's openly working with the Boston police and of the extreme coincidental factor, but it is an entertaining read up to the average Spenser.
Rating:
Summary: A surprise or two for Spenser fans
Review: There's more than one interesting twist in this installment of the Spenser series, evidence that Parker's working hard to stay out of a rut. First, this is a bit more serious than usual in that the unknown killer is a psychopathic serial killer. Our hero isn't quite up to his usual quota of wisecracks. Secondly, some of the narrative is from the killer's viewpoint, a first for a Spenser novel. Thirdly, there is a hint at the Harry Bosch type conflict between solving a case and playing police politics & protecting the police image. (This was written 4 years before the first of the Connolly series) And fourth, there's a real testing of Spenser's relationship with Susan as there's a serious conflict between his need to protect her and her need for autonomy & adherence to her profession's practice of condifentiality between doctor & patient. The reader might have a bit of trouble suspending disbelief over the points of Spenser's openly working with the Boston police and of the extreme coincidental factor, but it is an entertaining read up to the average Spenser.
Rating: 
Summary: Pretty Exciting
Review: This addition to the Spenser series as a little hard to get into. The story was rather farfetched - Boston has a serial killer, so the Boston police ask Spenser to find the killer?
And of course he is a nut-case, so of course you can guess who his counselor is, so of course we have another somewhat boring Susan is in distress story. She's just his girlfriend, she shouldn't take up so much of Spenser's time.
Come on Parker, you can do better than this.
Rating: 
Summary: Typical Spenser fare, for Better or for Worse
Review: This book is a typical Spenser for Hire book, for better or for worse. You know the routine by now: capable of a read in a single sitting; the witty repartee; the sassy and cocksure internal narrative by Spenser; the sparring with Hawk to mask the mutual feelings of respect; the surprisingly clever descriptions of characters; the Boston settings depicted with pride. Parker is to be commended on his choice of words, because although his stories are so brief, they say a lot and don't waste much time. In fact, I describe the Spenser stories as compact more than short. They are powerful in that Parker never lets you forget he is a wordsmith, and capable of great bursts of creativity and humor. Crimson Joy is not as action packed as other Spenser books, and is more cerebral. Susan plays more of a role in this one, too, and thus it has a lot of psychological overtones. This makes the book interesting from a clinical sense, but some readers might miss the fighting and machismo. This book is kind of sexy, too, in terms of its exploration of Spenser and Susan's relationship, though it never stoops to being crude or raunchy. [I keep forgetting these are just racy enough to prevent their becoming family books, since I find myself wanting to recommend them to folks of all ages.]
Rating:
Summary: Good Story
Review: This is a departure for Parker, as some of the story is told from the point of view of the villain. It's a very suspenseful read, and I liked how how strong Susan was; you may not always enjoy her, but in this one she seems to be a person apart from Spenser, which gives her some reality. Not just a pretty face who finds it "irresistable to be loved so completely." My biggest problem is Parker's simplistic Freudian psychology. Guess why the serial killer kills? Surprise - it's his mother's fault. Parker does tend to take the easy and obvious route with the motivations of his characters, and that isn't always a bad thing, but it gets wearying when you read the whole series. Spenser, the ultimate autonomous man, would never say his father (or anyone else) is responsible for his actions. So why should anybody else's parents take the blame? Gimme a break.
Rating: 
Summary: Top notch!
Review: What a relief! After reading A Catskill Eagle I started to worry that Parker was losing me with his "Spencer as Rambo" style. But Crimson Joy gets back to what made Parker a superb mystery novelist: Spencer solving a mystery and tracking down the criminal. There is a lot of police involvement in this one as Spencer agrees to help out our favorite detective, Martin Quirk. Hawk helps out, which is always a plus, and there is the added suspense of Susan being put in the path of danger as she becomes involved in her role as psychotherapist. A Crimson Joy is a top notch Spenser novel and I highly recommend it for all fans of the crime novel. I can't wait to read the next in the Spenser saga!
Rating:
Summary: Top notch!
Review: What a relief! After reading A Catskill Eagle I started to worry that Parker was losing me with his "Spencer as Rambo" style. But Crimson Joy gets back to what made Parker a superb mystery novelist: Spencer solving a mystery and tracking down the criminal. There is a lot of police involvement in this one as Spencer agrees to help out our favorite detective, Martin Quirk. Hawk helps out, which is always a plus, and there is the added suspense of Susan being put in the path of danger as she becomes involved in her role as psychotherapist. A Crimson Joy is a top notch Spenser novel and I highly recommend it for all fans of the crime novel. I can't wait to read the next in the Spenser saga!
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