Boston

I'm a nut for reading series in order, so when I decided to tackle Robert B. Parker's Spenser novels, I started here. Now, I am definitely planning to continue making my way through the series, but if it weren't for Parker's sterling reputation, I don't know that I would have been inspired to pick up Book 2 after reading "The Godwulf Manuscript." For anyone who's read a lot of private eye novels, this is a fairly standard tale of a two-fisted gumshoe who's always drinking, fighting, irresistible to women, etc. Plus it's set against an early '70s backdrop of student rebellion which seems almost quaint now. Nevertheless, I like Spenser's sassy first-person voice, and I've already started "God Save the Child." Onward and upward!

I've read about a half-dozen Spenser novels, not in order, and finally decided to go through them chronolgically. This is the first, and it marks the birth of the original wiseass, Spenser.

Reading these books, one realizes that the plot itself doesn't count as much as the character of Spenser. Wiseass, smart-aleck, and sometimes efficient detective, he is fun and it's always a pleasure to read these novels.

But this one doesn't deserve 5 stars, if only because the nascent character hasn't yet ripened. Read on for more stories about Spenser, as Parker develops him and creates a real character.

I love reading mysteries. I've torn through John Sanford, Michael Connelly, Jeffrey Deaver, Elmore Leonard, Ross MacDonald, and the like...and so, it's with a little shame that I admit I hadn't read a Spenser novel before now. My mother told me that the authors I was reading now, while good, were basically following the formula that Robert B. Parker had been perfecting for the last 25 years. So rather than picking up "Potshot", his newest book, I went to the used bookstore and found myself the first book in the series. Although a little out of my element with references to people and styles that were popular when I was three years old (the book was first published in 1973), the story crackles like any on the shelves today. I was reminded of the gritty violent world that Dennis Lehane portrays in his Boston mysteries starring Kenzie and Gennaro, and the wise-cracking wit of Robert Crais' Elvis Cole. Of course, now I realize that these PI's owe a great deal of their success to Spenser. The plot of the mystery in "The Godwulf Manuscript" was fair and interesting, but ultimately it is secondary to the captivating character of Spenser and the people surrounding him. I cared less about the unfolding of the mystery of where the Godwulf Manuscript went and who took it, than I did learning about the people who were involved in the deadly circumstances surrounding it. An excellent first book of a series. I'm thrilled to know that 27 more Spenser books are in my future!

I really enjoyed his writing. This was the first McCauley's book that I read. It, along with the movie, compelled me to read another book of his, "The Object of My Affection."

I bought my copy of True Enough at a book signing. In person, the author is disarmingly modest. "Am I reading too long?" he asked more than once. But in print Stephen McCauley writes with a caustic cursor, sprinkling his narrative with epigrams worthy of Oscar Wilde. He observes, closely and sharply, the social milieu he is most familiar with -- picture Jane Austen reincarnated as a gay man in 21st Century Manhattan.

Not that True Enough will only appeal to a gay audience. The two main characters, Jane Cody and Desmond Sullivan, become confidants not only because they join forces on the same public TV project, but because they are struggling with similar issues. Both fear their careers are going nowhere fast; both feel smothered by their significant others. Jane's second husband would never run around on her, like her hunk of an ex did, but does his lovemaking have to remind her of a folk singer who sings the same few songs at every concert? No wonder she is fantasizing about that sexy ex, even though she knows that, "An important part of putting the past in the past is believing that people really can change and that ex-husbands really can't."

Desmond, meanwhile, is looking forward to four months away from his partner, Russell, while he teaches "Creative Nonfiction" at a small Boston college. Not only does he hope the break will mean an end to his writer's block, but "he assumed the promise of monogamy would begin to grow fuzzy, like a radio signal, outside a hundred-mile radius of the broadcasting tower."

The characters in this book seem a bit more fully rounded and believable than in McCauley's earlier works -- though I've never met a six-year-old like Jane's son Gerald. Possibly that's because as a married woman, I could identify with Jane. But I imagine nearly everyone in a committed relationship -- married or otherwise -- has felt the relationship blow hot and cold, as Jane does.

In order to adapt Desmond's unfinished biography of a deservedly forgotten pop singer for the pilot of a TV series on American mediocrities, Desmond and Jane have to discover the hidden truth of the singer's life. In the process, the two must cope with professional jealousies and office politics, Desmond's suspicious lover and Jane's embarrassment as the other occupants of a crowded hotel elevator give her cold stares while eavesdropping on a cell phone conversation in which she assures her husband she is in her car, only blocks away from picking up their son from his piano lesson.

Can Jane and Desmond make a new, truthful start on their own lives? Or, as Jane wonders, "not a whole new life, a concept that was too exhausting to even consider at this stage, but the starting point of a life that was a little better, a little more truthful." Read this delightful novel and find out.

I truly enjoyed all of Stephen McCauley other books, and certainly wasn't disappointed with this new one, "True Enough." I enjoyed this story from the very beginning to its surprise ending. Stephen's books are always hard to put down, his likable characters are easy to become emotionally involved with, especially the ones in this story.

Desmond & Russell have been together five years now in a happy monogamous relationship living the good life in NYC. Desmond has been working on his second book, a biography of a 60's pop singer named Pauline Anderson, and after 3 years of writing it, he is almost finished. Desmond decides to take a temporary position at Danforth College in Boston, and be away from Russell for a while to see if he can find his own individuality again & perhaps find time to discover the missing ingredient to finish his biography. Will the separation deepen their relationship or cause problems they never expected to happen by being separated? Desmond meets Jane, a producer of a Boston PBS station while away, and they decide to collaborate on a documentary about forgotten pop singer Pauline Anderson. This could boast Jane's career at the station & perhaps help Desmond finally finish his book. Together Jane & Desmond help each other and eventually find the answers to each of their own personal problems. It's what they endure and discover at this point that makes this such a satisfying read.

No doubt about it, I love this author's writing. He knows how to grab your attention, keep it there, and bring it all to a satisfying conclusion. A very pleasant read. I eagerly await his next selection!

Its a haunting book, one that drags you into the depths and darkness of the world Vivian Schilling creates in such an unobvious moment, that I found myself wondering at times if I was depressed....But after a while I eventually found out that it was just my subconscience thinking about it constantly, being hooked on it....TAKING IT PERSONAL. It was a great book, at times the repetative choice of words made me sigh, but its amazing to see the story unfold and develop farther away than ever imagined at the beginning. Certainly not a book for happy beach days for me though!

I really enjoyed this book, the premise and characters and did not want it to end. QUIETUS is truly enlightening with its explanation of ancient religious imagery which explains many of the customs "practioners" take-for-granted. Yet these facts and backstory merely serve to reinforce the stunning plot that Schilling has crafted around this "near-death" premise. According to the author's note at the end of the book, QUIETUS was inspired by her own real-life, near-death experience (a horrific automobile accident, instead of the plane crash from the book). This explains the author's in-depth grasp and appreciation for mortality, spiritualism and life-after-death. QUIETUS has some of the scariest scenes ever written, balanced with immensely likable characters and superb prose. I highly recommend this to all readers!

THIS BOOK IS NOT WHAT I WAS EXPECTING AFTER READING VIVIAN SCHILLING'S OTHER WORK. IT WAS MUCH MUCH BETTER!!!

I read maybe 3 or 4 chapters of this book before I had to just admit defeat. The author had a very interesting idea but a very poor way of presenting it. He throws in words like 'unit', that are supposed to mean something but he fails to illustrate what that is. Also I think the '?' key on his computer/typewriter was stuck, for they seem to just be thrown in there for the hell of it. Nothing can be achieved by reading this book except wasted time and a decrease in intelligence.

Imagine instant-messaging your friends in your mind. Imagine all those obnoxious computer pop-up ads happening right in your brain. Imagine retailers knowing precisely what you've ever bought, your favorite color, your shoe size. Imagine liking it. This is the scary, weird world described in M.T. Anderson's "Feed". Titus and his friends are average middle-class American teenagers of the future. They take for granted the weird convergence of technology, corporate intervention, and mind-control they live with known as a feed. Enter Violet; a girl Titus meets on spring break, a girl who wants to 'fight the feed'.

There are important and compelling issues raised in this novel about advertising, privacy, conformity, individualism and technology. It's a book that demands discussion, explanation and consideration. Unfortunately, I think that much of it may be over the heads of its teenaged target audience. Readers who need things spelled out may be challenged by this book because significant aspects of the setting (and what a grim future it is) are implied, or only mentioned in passing. I think few teenagers will be satisfied with the ending. And fewer still will probably spend much time thinking about the issues in the story after they've put it down. It's too bad that the profanity and few mild references to sexual situations will keep this book out of most classrooms, because it's really a story that deserves to be discussed, especially by young adults.

I do recommend this book for advanced and thoughtful teen readers. Sci-fi fans in particular will enjoy it. Other readers should appreciate the accurate portrayal of teen dating, cliques, jealousies, insecurities and friendships. I hope the larger, more important themes of the book will be grasped as well.

I'd heard good things about this book, so I was willing to give it a try even though I was less than impressed with the same author's vampire novel, Thirsty.

Feed, however, deserved all its buzz, plus more. This book is a piece of brilliance. In this dystopian novel, you'll hear echoes of Holden Caulfield, as well as bits of Minority Report and language worthy of writers like Douglas Coupland and Francesca Lia Block, but M.T. Anderson still creates a world that is at once unique and frighteningly familiar.

The invented slang and the culture from which it has sprung are pitch-perfect, and the tone of the writing rides a fine line between absurdly funny and darkly horrifying. The futuristic world described in the book is exhausting, sickening, ridiculous, seductive and brokenly beautiful. The fact that it is, more or less, the world we live in today, makes this the most terrifying book I've read since Margaret Atwood's "The Handmaid's Tale."

This book is for people who like to think and who are willing to examine their lives. Such people -- no matter how young they are -- will be able to handle the occasional curse word that pops up in the book.

I couldn't put this book down. It's a fast read, and worth rereading. I felt the ending was a little "light" and disappointing, but the ride that gets you there is unique and unforgettable.

"Must Love Dogs" is fun and light -- perfect to toss in your tote for a quiet read on the beach. The main character, Sarah Hurlihy, is a forty-something pre-school teacher who decides to drag herself out of her post-divorce depression and "get back out there." What Sarah finds "out there" is enough comic relief to fuel her through one disasterous encounter after another. With her large and colorful family trooping in and out of her life at inopportune times with troubles and demands of their own Sarah's challenges are huge and her privacy non-existant. Every failed encounter, foible and mis-step is grist for the family rumor mill. I thought the main character's sadness over the end of her marriage was very sensitively woven into the story and gave a nice counterpoint to the spirit and determination she showed to rediscover herself and find a new life and a new love. Nice and light -- an average reader could read this book start to finish in an afternoon or two.

Claire Cook has created a novel with an accurate, humorous portrayal of a woman searching for the perfect man. This book had a very catchy opening and continued its humor untill the very end. There are actual times in the book where the reader will laugh out loud. It is so candid and sincere and very relatable. The only negative I would comment about is the ending. I felt there was not enough information about the status of Sarah's relationship with John Anderson. It was very random and open-ended. Overall though, a great read.

If you need a fun book that will truly make you laugh out loud, then go pick up a copy of "Must Love Dogs" by Claire Cook. Despite the title, this book wasn't all about dogs. The dogs that show up in this novel are just cute, sweet, lovable characters, much like the people who seem very real. If you're a woman, you'll most likely find yourself in Sarah, the main character. Her crazy family, her hilarious dating escapades, and her job will have you tossing your head back to laugh. You'll quite possibly be saying to your husband/boyfriend, "Hey, listen to this," and even they will cackle. Besides the humor, there are even a few parts that will tug at your heart and make you remember a time when it was once broken.

This sums it all up. A coach explaining to Don Zimmer that he will love going to Cincinnati to play ball and describing what the city is like, etc....I believe Zim was born in the Queen City and was well aware of what the town was like. It was all a little too much to take at times. However, also enjoyable!

"The Long Ball" is a wonder among baseball books in the unique way it puts people first. We really get to know the players and their lives, what they're thinking when they're at bat and the many things they feel during a game. Some reviews have said that it reads like a novel. It does... and yet it's all true!!!!

One of the things I especially dug about this book was its humanity, its big heart. We all know that the Red Sox organization, as well as S. Boston (during the busing crisis), said and did some real stupid, racially insensitive things (Howard Bryant documents these very well in "Shut Out.") Mr. Adelman candidly acknowledges these, then looks at many of the issues that surround and cause racial hurt in our country, and the ways in which baseball can serve to heal these wounds. :)

To give you an idea of the scope of this classy book, we not only read about all the great major-leaguers of 1975 but also follow the stories of various past and future greats, among them gifted African-American youngsters like Rickey Henderson, Dwight Gooden, Ken griffey Jr., and Barry Bonds. Mr. Adelman writes about the white playground directors who taught under-privileged kids like Frank Robinson and Dave WInfield to love the game. He writes about George Foster of the Reds helping a little blond child in his neighborhood appreciate baseball. And on and on and on, heartwarming stories of compassion and character.

Oh yeah, and then there's this really fun World Series in it, too.

This is a wildly entertaining book with a strong moral compass.

Nearly 30 years later, the 1975 World Series remains perhaps the greatest ever played. Consequently, several books have been written about the Series, mostly focusing on Fisk, what happened to the Sox in the aftermath, etc. But Adelman takes a different approach, choosing to look at the entire season in the context of the history of baseball -- and the massive change just around the corner. With the DH, Astroturf and free agency all either in place or looming, Adelman hints of things to come and the events that lead to these overhauls of the game. He also gets into the players' lives, and what's going on off the field (Bench and his marital troubles, Tiant's longing for home and his parents finally seeing him pitch). Perhaps the best part about the book is that it's not driven by statistics -- these are stories, interwoven from all parts of baseball, including the death of Casey Stengel and subsequent passing of an era, to the tight-fisted Charlie O. and the harbinger of things to come. Written in the present tense, this book puts the reader within the time frame -- a time frame that signaled perhaps the end of the last pure unsullied season in baseball history. If you are really concerned about how much time a batter has to swing at a fastball (which is, in fact, closer to a half second -- because batters routinely take the first steps of their swing before the pitcher even releases the ball, just watch the next time Unit or Schilling pitch. No one can decide to swing, swing, and make contact with a ball in .15 seconds, but I digress), read Robert Adair's "The Physics of Baseball." But if you want an enjoyable read of a great season and even greater characters, pick this book up right away.

My book club selected this book because we wanted something funny to read. With the turn of every page I wondered if this is where the laughs would begin. They never came. Alice is a depressed character, and perhaps it's a tribute to Lipman's writing that she manages to depress the reader. There is delight to be found in the cast of supporting characters, even though more of them are despicable than likable.

On a technical note about the writing style, I found it very difficult to read the conversations when only about half of the spoken dialogue is in quotes. Backing up and rereading whole paragraphs was required to discern actions from thoughts from speech.

Despite the drawbacks, "The Pursuit of Alice Thrift" is actually a good story that draws you in. A fast read that keeps you turning pages to find out what happens next and in the end. Overall I give it three stars: I'd recommend it in paperback for beach reading this summer.

This was my first Elinor Lipman book. It was cute and lighthearted. The central character, Alice Thrift, has a dry humor that I enjoyed. Yet it doesn't pull you in. I felt like an observer. The characters aren't 3-dimensional enough to bond with. However, that shouldn't stop you from reading it. It's entertaining and was an enjoyable read.

I love the way Elinor Lipman uses the academic setting of Boston in her novels. In this particular novel, we meet Dr. Alice Thrift, a serious and smart intern who needs some help in the social department. She is wooed by a fudge salesman named Ray Russo, who doesn't quite sweet her off of her feet. But...she marries him anyway. Her tale is witty and engaging, and the other characters in the novel all do their best to help Alice become a "normal" woman. Her roommate Leo and neighbor Sylvie make for some clever subplots, as well. This is the best Elinor Lipman book I've read since Isabel's Bed. It's entertaining, interesting, and a delightfully compelling read.

I picked up _God Is a Bullet_, and I enjoyed the first paragraph, which is sparely and unusually constructed, if not above criticism. The second paragraph is bad, the fifth is an utter disaster, and I threw the book aside early in the eighth. Here's why.

In paragraph two, we read:

"They drive without sirens through Barstow, passing the ghost mining town of Calico, all clapboard and tin just north of the freeway."

"Passing" should have been "and pass"; as it stands, the text implies that Calico is inside or right next to Barstow. But it isn't -- it's maybe eight or ten miles from town and a good two miles from the freeway. (And "ghost mining town" -- hmmm.) Sloppiness of language and error of fact is a bad omen this early in a book that seems (already) to pride itself on language and detail.

Here's paragraph five, complete:

"The wind grows worse, blowing its poisonous alkali chlorides and carbonates down from Inyo County and China Lake. Moving up through the Mojave Desert they pass the Calico Early Man Site, where scattered on the shores of ancient, dry Coyote Lake are the oldest known remains of our ancestors in North America. Here a solitary core of studied diggers found rudimentary tools of stone and arrows, fossilized fletchings, and puzzle parts of clay jugs. The crude trappings of commerce, the crude trappings of war."

The first sentence is all right, I guess. But then, who are the "they" who move up through the desert and pass the Early Man Site? The most recent candidates for an antecedent are "chlorides and carbonates", but one suspects, without really knowing, that "they" refers to the sheriff's deputies. Putting aside a passing doubt as to whether the human remains at Calico are actually "scattered on the shores" of Coyote Lake (which would seem to imply careless stewardship by the managers of the Early Man Site), and another doubt as to whether Teran really meant "remains" (as opposed to, say, "artifacts"), one pauses puzzled on "our ancestors". (Is Teran, are his readers, descended from the Early Men who lived at Calico? Should he maybe have written "predecessors", or simply "the oldest known human remains in North America"?) And about this "solitary core of studied diggers" -- where to begin? Why did it take diggers to find things "scattered on the shores"? And a "core" of diggers -- what's that? (Did Teran mean "corps", maybe?) If there were several diggers, they're not really solitary, are they? (Or is it their core that's solitary? What's a solitary core?) And "studied"? Surely it's the Early Men who are studied, and the diggers perhaps "learned", or "studious". "Rudimentary tools of stone and arrows" needs some editing, or thought. And what could "fossilized fletchings" possibly be? Fletching is the act of feathering an arrow, not anything that could be fossilized. Alliteration should embellish sense, not replace it.

In paragraph six, we find:

"Their vehicles rock and heave over the sifting climb of slow dunes."

While this sentence is kind of cool, the adjectives are spooky; and by this time I'm inclined to think Teran just likes the sounds of all these words, regardless of their meanings.

Paragraph seven. The boy's

"legs arch onto the seat in an almost fetal position."

I'll bet Teran doesn't mean "arch" -- your legs aren't "arched" when you're in a fetal position, they're bent or flexed --, and surely it's the boy whose position is "almost fetal", not his legs'.

The eighth paragraph begins:

"The blowing sand is like cut glass against their skin."

Like so much else on these pages, this sounds all right until you think about it for a moment. But in what way is blowing sand like cut glass? If this means anything, it has to mean that the blowing sand against their skin feels like cut glass; but that's absurd. (Find some cut glass -- a decanter or something. Brush it or press it against your skin. Does that feel *anything* like blown sand? No.) My guess is that the writer began with a thought something like "The blowing sand cut their skin", considered that glass cuts skin, inverted the words into "cut glass", and voila`, a meaningless but wordy metaphor.

At this point, I was halfway down the second page of the book, it was looking like a really long evening, and I hadn't read any Chandler for weeks. So I chucked Teran like pre-stressed besoms of glittering concrete.

I admit I was a bit skeptical when I read the reviews of this book, what with the various claims of "horrendous" descriptions of the initial crime and the visceral portrayal of same. In fact, I wondered from the reviews if I should even read the book. While I enjoy thrillers which are oftentimes based on violent crimes, I don't require a slash by slash description. To the contrary, much great writing is done by setting a scene much more subtley. With this book, the reviews seemed to intimate that the in-your-face horror of the initial crime scenes set the pace for an incredible intensity and therefore was a necessary evil, if you will, to maintain the author's vision. What I ultimately found, however, was a murderous rampage mainly shared with the reader through flashbacks and crime scene reports. Yes, the crime itself was brutal, but for the most part left undescribed. One can find much more visceral, horrendous descriptions in a John Sandford novel. That being said, I headed into the remainder of the read with my expectations somewhat let down. I expected to be held breathless, unwilling to put the book down. While ultimately readable, it didn't engender much in the way of caring for or empathy with the characters, nor an "unputdownable" pace.

I wish there were more than five stars, for I would surely give this book the highest possible rating. It is at once horrifying, disturbing and likely to offend many readers. However, for those readers, of which I am one, who can take themselves out of their comfortable, mundane existences and allow themselves to accept that true evil exists in this world, and that heroes are not always pure and righteous, but often damaged, as are the protagonists in this story, then this book will enthrall and captivate. This book has graphic violence, and acts so evil that the reader is left gasping. And yet there is utlimately a sense of redemption at the end. The effects of this book will not soon leave you. There is nothing pretty here, but the raw courage of both Case and Hightower, and their ability, in spite of their own intense demons, left me to admire them more than the usual "good guy" protagonists of many other thrillers. It has been several weeks since I read this book, and the experience is still with me. Boston Teran is a tremendous talent, and I will eagerly await any new books he may write.

Although I was loath to put this book down until the final page, it still was not as gripping as her last two books. Still if you like medical thrillers you can't go wrong with Ms. Gerritsen.

Without giving too much of the plot away the opening takes us to India and a massacred village. Then we are back in Boston at a brutal murder of a young novice and the injury of an older nun. The violence is unbelievable and there seems to be no indication of motive. But when the investigation moves forward ties between the murder of the young novice and the murder of an unidentified women in an abandon building are linked by bizzare circumstances. Detective Jane Rizzoli and Dr. Maura Isle work together to bring a killer to justice.

I enjoyed reading about Jane and I actually liked that Ms. Gerritsen was willing to portray this strong woman with normal human feelings of not thinking that she can do it all. I don't feel that romance was a huge part of the book. I'm a huge romance genre fan and the romance between Jane and Agent Gaberial Dean was way far back on the back burner and since I have been reading all the books involving Jane I was happy to see this relationship was continued and developed. As for the romance issue with Dr. Isle I feel that it played a part in the storyline and again this was not a priority in the plot. Yes, this book is not as griping as her last two...but then it is dealing with a different type of killer.

This book is worth picking up just keep and open mind and don't expect it to be like her others. Suspense is at a premium and favorite characters from previous book are included. If you have not read the last few books by Ms. Gerritsen don't worry, this book is still a stand alone story and by no means relys on previous titles. This is a fast paced read and a good way to spend a weekend.

Medical Examiner Maura Isles is called to a cloistered convent where one novitiate lies bludgeoned to death by a hammer and an older nun lies near death. The autopsy of the young nun reveals a shocking surprise, she had recently given birth. Dr. Isles and Detective Jane Rizzoli investigate for the answers to the many questions this case raises. Why would two nuns with no contact with the outside world be attacked? Before too long a gruesome third killing is tied to the nuns attack and the FBI become involved. In addition to the investigation, Isles and Rizzoli must confront unresolved issues from their pasts that interweave with a crime that goes far beyond the murder of nuns and an unidentified woman.

Jane Rizzoli has appeared in THE SURGEON and THE APPRENTICE. It is not necessary to read the former stories to enjoy THE SINNER, but it helps with character development. Also, both earlier books are excellent. This is not a book for the faint-hearted. The crime scenes and autopsies are very graphic. The book is well plotted with some really good twists, and it really keeps you reading. I liked the characters, but both women seem to be a little more intelligent in their careers than in their private lives. The ending was a bit to pat and was a little bit of a letdown after the promise of the strong beginning and middle of the book. Overall, it was not quite as good as the previous Rizzoli books, but still far superior to most medical/forensic thrillers.

After the nonstop focused excitement of Gerritsen's two previous books I wasn't quite as taken with this one. In other words it would have been pretty good from anyone else but just a bit of a let down from her.

The law enforcement types were mostly familiar from her last couple of books. She advanced some of their personal lives and maybe that was the problem. The personal matters seemed to be of equal importance to the suspense plot and this seemed to drag things down a bit.

The plot is suitably complicated though and Gerritsen does a great job of connecting the dots to bring it all together.

This was the first Parker book I ever read. I picked it up in an airport out of desperation when I had nothing left to read.

While I liked it enough to read it through, and the story moved along, I found myself increasingly annoyed by the dialog. Every other line of banter spoken by the characters is a clever little quip. It's like they're all trying to be funny--all the time. It gets old quickly and has the effect of making each character sound exactly the same. They're all witty and full of one-liners.

Many of the reviews I've read about Robert B. Parker's latest Spenser novel, Back Story, suggest that it is unlikely to win any new Spenser fans. This may be true, but Parker's 30th Spenser offering seems to be designed not with new fans in mind, but for old Spenser junkies like myself who have grown older along with the gumshoe, Susan, Hawk, Lt. Quirk, and the rest of the series characters. After several novels, a series become less story-driven and more character-driven. Back Story is a classic example.

Hired by surrogate son Paul Giacomin for a box of six Krispy Kreme donuts, Spenser sets out to solve the murder of a woman who died in a 1974 bank robbery. Following a trail that's nearly thirty years old, he soon discovers that several people don't want the murder solved -- and that some people are willing to kill to keep it under wraps.

Character-wise, Parker pulls out all the stops. In addition to Hawk, Paul, Quirk and Belson, we are re-united with some of Parker's more colorful characters: former Joe Broz gunman Vinnie Morris; Junior and Ty-Bop, two enforcers for black crime kingpin Tony Marcus; and Ives, the mysterious Company man (too bad Parker didn't find a way to weave Rachel Wallace into the story). There is very little suspense in the book, but that's never been Parker's strong suit anyway. Action-wise, the series peaked with A Catskill Eagle, but there are just enough punches and bullets here to keep the story rolling, culminating with a shootout in Harvard Stadium. And of course, there's the fabulous verbal interplay between Spenser, Hawk, Susan, Quirk, Frank Belson, and just about everyone else. Susan, whom I've often found superfluous to the series, shows her value here, as she helps Spenser through a brief bout of self-doubt. Hawk is -- well, he's Hawk: unfailingly loyal to Spenser and Susan, deadly to just about anyone else. And Spenser never lets us down, working a dangerous case for no money, finding out things his client (a co-worker of Paul's) would rather not know, determined to see the case through to the end. Not many people can understand the complex moral code he lives by, but Susan does, Hawk does --and maybe that's enough.

If you're a fan of detective fiction and you've never read a Spenser novel, I would recommend that you begin from the beginning and pick up The Godwulf Manuscript, the inaugural novel of the series (I would also wonder what planet you are from, but that's neither here nor there). The Spenser novels truly are one of the great treasures of contemporary American fiction. Back Story is a satisfying read, but it is nothing special -- unless you spend a little time with the characters first.

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.