Those of you who read BookMarks regularly will know that I read one of Robert B. Parker’s 40 Spenser novels nearly every month.  They are a light break from some of the heavier reading and an enjoyable distraction from the state of the world.  Parker’s blend of fine description (I love his details about Hawk’s attire and Susan Silverman’s beauty.), hard-driving action, clever plots, fascinating relationships between Spenser and the Boston police detectives Quirk and Belson and between Spenser and crime kingpins, and the action which highlights some of my favorite parts of the Boston area.  As an example, this book, the 11th in the Spenser series,  begins in Harvard Yard with a commencement ceremony for Susan’s PhD—Spenser in the audience voices his thoughts: “All about me the subdued and confident honk of affluent Yankee voices, male and female, murmured a steady counterpoint to the Latin dissertation being delivered from the commencement platform. It had been the excitement of the Latin address that had initially gotten me up and walking around and eyeing the barrels of free beer hooked to the taps, ready to be broached when the graduates were official.”  Not his best, but not bad either.

This book, however, not so much.  The plot was a stretch; the action was more violent (I think I counted 8 dead bodies.); the dialogue was slim and forced; and the whole story revolved around Susan Silverman’s need to go to California to find herself.  Not a great plot element with Spenser sulking around and cultivating a death wish in his grief.

Forty years have passed since this book was published, so I have to cut it some slack. I still love Parker and will be reading and re-reading his books in the coming months, but if you’re looking for one of his books to start with, skip this one.