He said, she said, I said... It was really getting monotonous listening to this audio but I enjoyed the story itself. Parker should be a little more imaginative but I guess he is well liked. All in all an enjoyable listen.

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Spenser is a PI with many contacts, a psychiatrist girlfriend (Susan), and the tenacity to get the job done. I enjoyed the twists and turns of this book, but not Spenser and Susan. I found them both to be egotistical and uppity. Susan is a definite snob and not a likeable character at all. In addition, the author, Robert B. Parker, seems to have a prejudice against larger people, as throughout the book, definite derogatory comments were made that didnt need to be and didnt add to the book or description of the characters. Better descriptive words are available to describe a larger person. It was offensive. If you are going to be insulting to one set of people, be consistent and do it for all of them (tall, skinny, short, fat, rich, poor, white, black, whatever). On the plus side, Spenser has an unusual friend and contact that helped him out quite a bit on this caseHawk. He is a muscular black man who is extremely funny and I thoroughly enjoyed him. I found myself wishing the book used Hawk as the main hero. Oh well. I wont bother with another Robert B. Parker novel again as I was seriously offended by all of his fat comments, but if that doesnt bother you, then go for it.

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So Good! Laughed out loud at Hawk; loved all the usual characters. Joe Montegna is absolutely the best reader I've ever heard. Terrific book. Hope I can find more on CD.

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This is one of Parkers best. His humor is fantastic. The story line is typical Parker. He can put more twists in a plot than most authors. Joe Mantegna does a great job. It is impossible to listen to this book without laughing out loud!!

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by Robert Parker, Read by Joe Mantegna (star of the "made-for-cable" series Spenser for Hire) 5 CDs - 6 hours

This is the first Parker audio that I have listened to, and as I understand it, this is number 31 in the series! Loks like I only have 30 to go to catch up!

After talking to others who are familiar with this series, it has been said that this is a classic Robert Parker novel! If this one is indicative of his other works, I would categorize them as "Cotton Candy for the Brain".

The main storyline follows Spenser being hired by a doubting wife to keep tabs on her husband to see if he is cheating on her, and at the same time, Spenser runs into another detective hired by the husband to keep tabs on the wife to see if she is cheating on him. Throw in another detective who is keeping an eye on the husband's girlfriend, and it starts to get a little confusing. Toss in a couple of murders, and some Corporate book cooking, and things get heated up.

You'll find nothing groundbreaking in this audio - there are no inovative detective techniques, not any high-tech equipment. What you will find is an entertaining listen! Apparently, all the regular characters are present, and the dialog between them snaps with wit, wisdom and humor. The constant banter and the quips shooting back and forth are great!

The mystery aspect of the book is fine, only if a little transparent, but you probably don't listen to books of this genre for intricate plots.

I enjoyed it! I will probably request more of PArker's audios if I see any of them show up in the postings.

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