Rating: 
Summary: More of the same, but it's all good!
Review: Another good one! The story line is pretty much the same as always, but with only a little of Susan, and alot of Hawk, it was highly enjoyable!! Keep it coming, Parker!
Rating:
Summary: Read for characters, not plot
Review: Another Spenser story. Again, the plot is fun, though simple; Spenser and Hawk, to a degree, carried by events rather than determining them. The case, this time, involves the disappeared gambling son-in-law of a mob ruler in Boston, whom Spenser is hired to find. Gradually we are drawn into the underlife of Boston, there is a power struggle going on there, and this son-in-law is, remotely, involved in it. Again, though, plot is of less importance than the interplay between Spenser, Hawk, and Susan, and Spenser and Hawk and the assorted bad guys they take on, including their client, and their contacts, to whom they go for information.
Rating:
Summary: Read for characters, not plot
Review: Another Spenser story. Again, the plot is fun, though simple; Spenser and Hawk, to a degree, carried by events rather than determining them. The case, this time, involves the disappeared gambling son-in-law of a mob ruler in Boston, whom Spenser is hired to find. Gradually we are drawn into the underlife of Boston, there is a power struggle going on there, and this son-in-law is, remotely, involved in it. Again, though, plot is of less importance than the interplay between Spenser, Hawk, and Susan, and Spenser and Hawk and the assorted bad guys they take on, including their client, and their contacts, to whom they go for information.
Rating:
Summary: Spenser in Las Vegas with a case in search of a client
Review: As "Chance" begins our hero is "in the bucks," which means that when mobster Julius Ventura shows up to hire Spenser to find his missing son-in-law, our hero has nothing better to do. Of course Ventura and his daughter Shirley are not telling the entire truth about Anthony Meeker. Then things get interesting. Marty Anaheim, the right-hand man of Gino Fish, Ventura's main opponent, has Spenser tailed. Vinnie Morris is working with Fish, who has no idea what Marty is up to. But when it turns out that Phony Tony's big dream is to break the bank at Las Vegas, our hero heads off with Susan Silverman and Hawk. This novel has volcanoes erupting outside of hotel windows, and Susan wearing boots. Ultimately, "Chances" is one of the most convoluted cases Spenser has ever worked, which is what is to be expected when you have mobsters in love and a power struggle in Beantown. Consequently, there are cameo appearances by several notable supporting characters from recent novels. Anyhow, every revelation regarding Meeker and his tangled web only complicates matters further and, of course the point comes in the case where Spenser's interests diverge from that of the man who hires him, and for most of the novel Spenser and Hawk are trying to figure out what is going on, what they want to do about it, and, most importantly, who they are doing it for. All of these issues will be resolved, but pretty much at the last minutes. "Chance" has all of the essential elements of a Spenser mystery and is an enjoyable read, an above-average novel in the series. Oh, and by the way--despite the nice image of the wounded dice, the game of choice in this novel is blackjack, although watching Susan play is quite painful.
Rating: 
Summary: Burt Reynolds is a "tough guy", sight unseen
Review: Being new to Robert B. Parker, I listened to this tape because Burt Reynolds as a narrator seemed a good fit for the synopsis. It turns out that he does more than just read the book - he becomes almost all of the characters. By the end of the story he has become 7 or 8 different people, and kept all of the voices straight -- even the women. If you like his style and you like mysteries, you'll be sitting in your driveway when you get home from work, waiting for the right moment before turning off the engine and going inside
Rating:
Summary: Robert B. Parker is a genius. He makes everything seem real
Review: I am reading Chance right now and I have throughly enjoyed every single page. I was given this book by a friend who read it and the only time I could put it down is right now when I'm writing this review. Robert B. Parker is one of the few authors whose books Ive read that can make his characters seem so real. I feel like a really know Spenser, Hawk, and Susan.
Rating: 
Summary: Dull characters, sharp observations
Review: I had a good enough time with this book -- partly because I always enjoy Spenser and partly because I recently travelled to Vegas for the first time in a decade. Parker's observations on the Strip and its denizens are very accurate, and very funny. And all the essentials that give the Spenser saga its charm are all here: banter between Spenser and Hawk, Susan's idiosyncracies, even Pearl eating Chinese food. It's the mystery, such as it is, and the characters that are lacking. Shallow, dumb thugs and their pathetic womenfolk get themselves all tangled up, and Hawk and Spenser unravel it. Yawn.
Rating:
Summary: Spenser chances Vegas
Review: I have been a fan of Spenser since the early 1980s. I occasionally indulge myself with his world. "Chance", however, is not one of Parker's better works. Can I suggest to American readers that they try to get hold of books by Peter Corris and his character Cliff Hardy who is a Sydney based Private Investigator and a little less slick than Spenser. The style of writing is similar but Cliff seems to dwell more in the real world than Spenser. Regardless, I will continue to delve back into Spenser although "Chance" is not one of Parker's best.
Rating:
Summary: Spenser chances Vegas
Review: I have been a fan of Spenser since the early 1980s. I occasionally indulge myself with his world. "Chance", however, is not one of Parker's better works. Can I suggest to American readers that they try to get hold of books by Peter Corris and his character Cliff Hardy who is a Sydney based Private Investigator and a little less slick than Spenser. The style of writing is similar but Cliff seems to dwell more in the real world than Spenser. Regardless, I will continue to delve back into Spenser although "Chance" is not one of Parker's best.
Rating:
Summary: Typical and familiar Parker.
Review: I love how Parker creates those underworld characters. Slime, sleeze and corruption always get what they deserve, even if Spencer is running low on ammo.
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