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Spenser #24
Small Vices
While the rest of us grow older, Spenser seems suspended in perpetual early middle age. Oh, he talks about getting older, but his body is still firm, his muscles toned and his reflexes are still hair-trigger fine. Even so, it is Spenser's body that betrays him when he is almost killed by an assassin's bullet two-thirds of the way through Robert B. Parker's latest Spenser adventure, Small Vices. Hired to discover the truth behind a four-year-old murder, Spenser soon runs afoul of "the Gray Man", who eventually shoots and partially paralyzes him. Spenser, his stalwart girlfriend Susan, and his almost mythical friend Hawk then hole up in Santa Barbara until the detective can get back on his feet again.
There's never any doubt that Spenser will get back on his feet, or that he will eventually track down the man who shot him and solve the mystery that started the whole ball rolling in the first place. What makes the Spenser mysteries interesting is Spenser himself, the thinking person's private eye, a man of honour and of conscience who understands that every action has consequences.
Hardcover
First published January 1, 1997
670 people are currently reading
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About the author
Robert B. Parker
492 books2,304 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database named Robert B. Parker.
Robert Brown Parker was an American writer, primarily of fiction within the mystery/detective genre. His most famous works were the 40 novels written about the fictional private detective Spenser. ABC television network developed the television series Spenser: For Hire based on the character in the mid-1980s; a series of TV movies was also produced based on the character. His works incorporate encyclopedic knowledge of the Boston metropolitan area. The Spenser novels have been cited as reviving and changing the detective genre by critics and bestselling authors including Robert Crais, Harlan Coben, and Dennis Lehane.
Parker also wrote nine novels featuring the fictional character Jesse Stone, a Los Angeles police officer who moves to a small New England town; six novels with the fictional character Sunny Randall, a female private investigator; and four Westerns starring the duo Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch. The first was Appaloosa, made into a film starring Ed Harris and Viggo Mortensen.
Robert Brown Parker was an American writer, primarily of fiction within the mystery/detective genre. His most famous works were the 40 novels written about the fictional private detective Spenser. ABC television network developed the television series Spenser: For Hire based on the character in the mid-1980s; a series of TV movies was also produced based on the character. His works incorporate encyclopedic knowledge of the Boston metropolitan area. The Spenser novels have been cited as reviving and changing the detective genre by critics and bestselling authors including Robert Crais, Harlan Coben, and Dennis Lehane.
Parker also wrote nine novels featuring the fictional character Jesse Stone, a Los Angeles police officer who moves to a small New England town; six novels with the fictional character Sunny Randall, a female private investigator; and four Westerns starring the duo Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch. The first was Appaloosa, made into a film starring Ed Harris and Viggo Mortensen.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 336 reviews
April 1, 2012
This is one of those books that gives me a dilemma when it comes to reviewing it because the major event in this one doesn’t occur until well into the story so it seems like some kind of spoiler warning is in order. However, that event is described in the book jacket and even in the plot summary on Goodreads so I’m not exactly giving away the ending of The Sixth Sense. Hell, I guess since no one else worried about it, I won’t either. You have been warned.
Spenser gets hired by attorney and old friend Rita Fiore to look into Ellis Alves. Rita was the prosecutor when Alves, a black man, was charged with killing a white college girl, and Rita got him sent to prison without breaking a sweat. Now working for a high priced law firm, Rita has become worried that Alves might have been innocent, and that his race and an inexperienced defense attorney may have allowed her to wrongly convict him.
Spenser begins investigating and quickly decides that Alves was framed, and the trail leads to the college tennis star who has a wealthy family. A formidable hitman who dresses all in gray suddenly appears and warns Spenser off. The Gray Man (as Spenser dubs him) seems like such a threat that he calls in almost every tough guy he knows to guard Susan, but Spenser continues working the case. So the Gray Man kills him.
Yep, poor old Spenser gets shot full of holes, falls off a bridge into an icy river, and his heart stops. After being saved by modern medical science, zombie Spenser faces a long and painful rehab with the help of Hawk and Susan while almost everyone else thinks he's dead. Can Spenser recover, find the Gray Man and get Alves freed from prison? Come on, it’s Spenser! Anybody really have any doubt how this is gonna play out?
This could have been a major book in the series and possibly injected some fresh life into it’s later years. There’s a lot of potential for intriguing drama with the idea of a macho tough guy like Spenser being badly injured, and the rehab stuff does make for a nice break from the routine with the usually ultra-confident and physically fit Spenser struggling to walk up a hill and having to spend countless hours learning how to punch and shoot all over again.
But once he’d brought his hero low, Parker couldn’t wait to build him back up again. I’m not saying that he should have put Spenser in a wheelchair for the remainder of the series, but the entire shooting, rehab, resolving the case and dealing with the Gray Man occurs in the second half of the book. Maybe stretching the storyline through a couple of books would have given it more weight and allowed some deeper exploration of what being that badly hurt would do to someone like Spenser. Instead, Parker mostly bypasses that idea in his rush to get Spenser back to his old self as soon as possible.
Oh, and as usual Susan is being annoying. This time she’s nagging Spenser to adopt and raise a child with her. Yawn.
This is still a good Spenser story, but it’s always seemed like a lot of potential was wasted here. This could have been a watershed event that shaped and defined Spenser for the remainder of the series, but instead it becomes just another obstacle for him to overcome with no real lasting effects.
Next up: Spenser meets Susan’s ex-husband in Sudden Mischief. Yeah, it’s a book heavy on the Susan. *sigh*
Spenser gets hired by attorney and old friend Rita Fiore to look into Ellis Alves. Rita was the prosecutor when Alves, a black man, was charged with killing a white college girl, and Rita got him sent to prison without breaking a sweat. Now working for a high priced law firm, Rita has become worried that Alves might have been innocent, and that his race and an inexperienced defense attorney may have allowed her to wrongly convict him.
Spenser begins investigating and quickly decides that Alves was framed, and the trail leads to the college tennis star who has a wealthy family. A formidable hitman who dresses all in gray suddenly appears and warns Spenser off. The Gray Man (as Spenser dubs him) seems like such a threat that he calls in almost every tough guy he knows to guard Susan, but Spenser continues working the case. So the Gray Man kills him.
Yep, poor old Spenser gets shot full of holes, falls off a bridge into an icy river, and his heart stops. After being saved by modern medical science, zombie Spenser faces a long and painful rehab with the help of Hawk and Susan while almost everyone else thinks he's dead. Can Spenser recover, find the Gray Man and get Alves freed from prison? Come on, it’s Spenser! Anybody really have any doubt how this is gonna play out?
This could have been a major book in the series and possibly injected some fresh life into it’s later years. There’s a lot of potential for intriguing drama with the idea of a macho tough guy like Spenser being badly injured, and the rehab stuff does make for a nice break from the routine with the usually ultra-confident and physically fit Spenser struggling to walk up a hill and having to spend countless hours learning how to punch and shoot all over again.
But once he’d brought his hero low, Parker couldn’t wait to build him back up again. I’m not saying that he should have put Spenser in a wheelchair for the remainder of the series, but the entire shooting, rehab, resolving the case and dealing with the Gray Man occurs in the second half of the book. Maybe stretching the storyline through a couple of books would have given it more weight and allowed some deeper exploration of what being that badly hurt would do to someone like Spenser. Instead, Parker mostly bypasses that idea in his rush to get Spenser back to his old self as soon as possible.
Oh, and as usual Susan is being annoying. This time she’s nagging Spenser to adopt and raise a child with her. Yawn.
This is still a good Spenser story, but it’s always seemed like a lot of potential was wasted here. This could have been a watershed event that shaped and defined Spenser for the remainder of the series, but instead it becomes just another obstacle for him to overcome with no real lasting effects.
Next up: Spenser meets Susan’s ex-husband in Sudden Mischief. Yeah, it’s a book heavy on the Susan. *sigh*
December 13, 2019
Having read this over a decade ago, it wouldn't normally make the re-read list. However, the dad enjoyed the last Parker book I gave him, so I thought I'd try another, and like any helicopter parent, I had to read it first.
This is the one where Spenser's hot red-headed friend Rita--who is also an incredibly good lawyer--asks him to find out the truth for a case she and another new lawyer are feeling a bit guilty about, though they both did their jobs. A low-life black man was arrested for the murder of a white female college student, but nothing about the case seems right.
It's notable for its casual insight into racial and economic issues--only scratching the surface, but still notable for the genre. Also notable for going waaaaay off the rails after someone hires the Grey Man resulting in a number of chapters that literally have nothing to do with the murder. Also notable for Susan's temporary journey into insanity when she decides she wants to adopt a child (I love how these two are in their late 30s/early 40s forever).
Still, it's not Parker's worst. I'll pass it on to dad, but I'm guessing it will not be as enjoyable as the last book. Two and a half stars.
This is the one where Spenser's hot red-headed friend Rita--who is also an incredibly good lawyer--asks him to find out the truth for a case she and another new lawyer are feeling a bit guilty about, though they both did their jobs. A low-life black man was arrested for the murder of a white female college student, but nothing about the case seems right.
It's notable for its casual insight into racial and economic issues--only scratching the surface, but still notable for the genre. Also notable for going waaaaay off the rails after someone hires the Grey Man resulting in a number of chapters that literally have nothing to do with the murder. Also notable for Susan's temporary journey into insanity when she decides she wants to adopt a child (I love how these two are in their late 30s/early 40s forever).
Still, it's not Parker's worst. I'll pass it on to dad, but I'm guessing it will not be as enjoyable as the last book. Two and a half stars.
December 9, 2019
Former assistant DA Rita Fiore—the one with the great legs and “first rate hips”—has moved on to private practice, and she wants Spenser to look into an old murder case she once prosecuted—and won. Rita has begin to suspect that the defendant Ellis Alves was framed, and wants Spenser to learn if there is any real basis for her suspicions.
Spenser sets down to work, ruffles feathers, turns over rocks, and before long has made somebody extremely mad, mad enough to want him dead. Even worse, this person—whoever they may be—has money to hire the best, and soon Spenser is being stalked by The Gray Man, the greatest challenge of his career.
This is one of the best of the later Spensers. There are some nice cameos from some of my favorite Spenser characters—Patricia Utley, Paul Giacomin, Gino Fish—and Spenser/Susan is less irritating than usual, for, instead of engaging in the usual ritual of fantastic sex and mutual affirmation, they have something substantial to decide: whether or not to have a child.
But that wouldn’t be enough by itself to draw me in. It is The Gray Man, a cold-blooded hitman both similar to Spenser yet unlike him, a man thoroughly his equal, that brings a special excitement to the tale and a new vulnerability to our beloved hero. That’s what drew me in.
February 4, 2022
4.5 Stars for Small Vices: Spencer Series, Book 24 (audiobook) by Robert B. Parker. Read by Burt Reynolds.
This is my first book by the author. I like detective stories but what really drew me in was that Burt Reynolds did the narration. This was such a treat for me. He definitely had the perfect voice for this story.
This is my first book by the author. I like detective stories but what really drew me in was that Burt Reynolds did the narration. This was such a treat for me. He definitely had the perfect voice for this story.
May 23, 2017
(The word "maroon" appears 7 times in this novel)
This Spenser was pretty good, a bit more complex that usual, with a powerful opponent appearing later one.
I pretty much guessed the solution to the murder in the first few pages, mostly. The setup was far more complex, but mostly could be sorted within the first 1/4 of the book. Still, the action and unfolding of the story was good. There were some pacing issues, but not too bad.
FYI- "Maroon" appears 7 times in this book alone. Parker has a real addiction to the word....
Many years ago, when I was a young man, my father advised me to always comment on a woman's outfit as, "You make those clothes look wonderful." I have never forgotten it.
And Parker agrees:
The dress was black and simple with a short skirt. She did look stunning in it, but it wasn’t the dress. She still harbored the illusion that what she wore made a large difference in how she looked. I had years ago given up explaining to her that whatever she wore she was beautiful, and clothes generally benefited from being on her.
--
And there are several passages in the book where through Spenser and Susan, Parker explore his true nature of his brutal hero... It's a return to earlier books, and is almost Boschian in depth.
For example, Susan and Spenser are talking about his nature, who he is inside:
“You matter to me,” I said, “more than what I do, or who I am. If you need me to quit, I’ll quit.”
She shook her head again while she carefully chewed her pizza. When she had swallowed and sipped some wine and blotted her mouth with her napkin, she said, “Yes. You would. But you should not. You are an odd combination of violence and concern. You contain the violence very well, but it’s there, and I would be a fool, and you would be a fool, to think it was less a part of you than the concern.”
“You’re right,” I said. “Sometimes I wish you weren’t.”
“No need to wish I weren’t,” Susan said. “You know yourself. You understand your violence as well as you understand your capacity for kindness, maybe better.”
“Maybe it needs more understanding,” I said.
“Yes, it does,” Susan said. “Kindness is not dangerous. You have found a way to work and live which allows you to integrate the violence and the compassion. If you had no impulse to violence, your compassion wouldn’t be so admirable. If you had no compassion, your violence would be intolerable.
“You are able to apply the impulse to violence in the service of compassion. Your profession allows you actually to exist at the point where vocation and avocation meet. Few people achieve that,” she said. “I would not have you change.”
This Spenser was pretty good, a bit more complex that usual, with a powerful opponent appearing later one.
I pretty much guessed the solution to the murder in the first few pages, mostly. The setup was far more complex, but mostly could be sorted within the first 1/4 of the book. Still, the action and unfolding of the story was good. There were some pacing issues, but not too bad.
FYI- "Maroon" appears 7 times in this book alone. Parker has a real addiction to the word....
Many years ago, when I was a young man, my father advised me to always comment on a woman's outfit as, "You make those clothes look wonderful." I have never forgotten it.
And Parker agrees:
The dress was black and simple with a short skirt. She did look stunning in it, but it wasn’t the dress. She still harbored the illusion that what she wore made a large difference in how she looked. I had years ago given up explaining to her that whatever she wore she was beautiful, and clothes generally benefited from being on her.
--
And there are several passages in the book where through Spenser and Susan, Parker explore his true nature of his brutal hero... It's a return to earlier books, and is almost Boschian in depth.
For example, Susan and Spenser are talking about his nature, who he is inside:
“You matter to me,” I said, “more than what I do, or who I am. If you need me to quit, I’ll quit.”
She shook her head again while she carefully chewed her pizza. When she had swallowed and sipped some wine and blotted her mouth with her napkin, she said, “Yes. You would. But you should not. You are an odd combination of violence and concern. You contain the violence very well, but it’s there, and I would be a fool, and you would be a fool, to think it was less a part of you than the concern.”
“You’re right,” I said. “Sometimes I wish you weren’t.”
“No need to wish I weren’t,” Susan said. “You know yourself. You understand your violence as well as you understand your capacity for kindness, maybe better.”
“Maybe it needs more understanding,” I said.
“Yes, it does,” Susan said. “Kindness is not dangerous. You have found a way to work and live which allows you to integrate the violence and the compassion. If you had no impulse to violence, your compassion wouldn’t be so admirable. If you had no compassion, your violence would be intolerable.
“You are able to apply the impulse to violence in the service of compassion. Your profession allows you actually to exist at the point where vocation and avocation meet. Few people achieve that,” she said. “I would not have you change.”
May 10, 2017
Spenser is hired by a former public defender who believes her minority client was found guilty - and he's not. On one side, the disenfranchised trouble-maker, who probably deserves some jail time - just not this time. On the other, it's the spoiled, moneyed folks who don't live in reality.
Spenser comes up against one of the few foes who may have a leg up on him in relation to his skill set and abilities, even with Hawk on his wing. Good action yarn.
Spenser comes up against one of the few foes who may have a leg up on him in relation to his skill set and abilities, even with Hawk on his wing. Good action yarn.
December 28, 2025
Good story. Bonus 5 star rating for Burt Reynolds. An excellent reader. Pulls you right into the story.
June 16, 2013
This book reminded me of why I love Robert B. Parker's writing and especially Spenser and Hawk.
Susan, I guess she's dug herself out of the hole I've had her in for the past few books. Maybe.
This fine read delves even deeper into the relationship Spenser and Hawk are so fortunate to have. It's a mutual trust and dare I say love? Well, I think they probably would agree. How about a serious bromance? Does that include love?
A worthy read and has reminded me of why I enjoy reading the Spenser series. Many a mile to go until I'm finished.
Just glancing at other reviews, I'm not alone in my opinion.
Susan, I guess she's dug herself out of the hole I've had her in for the past few books. Maybe.
This fine read delves even deeper into the relationship Spenser and Hawk are so fortunate to have. It's a mutual trust and dare I say love? Well, I think they probably would agree. How about a serious bromance? Does that include love?
A worthy read and has reminded me of why I enjoy reading the Spenser series. Many a mile to go until I'm finished.
Just glancing at other reviews, I'm not alone in my opinion.
November 9, 2020
Most of the regular characters make an appearance in this 24th Spenser novel by Robert B. Parker. Spenser of course, Hawk, Susan, Belson who is now Captain Belson, Quirk, Paul, Henry and others. Spenser is hired to investigate the murder conviction of a man who may not have done it. Lots of adventures and I won't spoil the joy by saying more. I will be sad when I come to the end of Parker's series.
March 15, 2019
Parker’s Spenser stories are almost always great to read, like coming home in the world of contemporary detective novels.
April 24, 2020
In Small Vices, Spenser takes on the job of re-investigating the murder of Melissa Henderson, a student at Pemberton College. The police arrested a career criminal named Ellis Alves for the murder, but now that he’s been convicted and is serving time, his young defense attorney worries that she didn’t do a good enough job of defending him and thinks that, despite his long rap sheet, he was not guilty of this particular crime.
Spenser’s investigation soon leads him to suspect that Alves was framed. The witnesses stonewall him. The state police officer who arrested Alves threatens him. Finally, a man tries to kill him and almost succeeds. Spenser has no doubt that the man is a professional killer.
Spenser’s recovery takes him away from the case for months. Once he’s back, he goes after the attempted assassin, who he believes holds the key to unlocking the truth about how and why Alves was framed.
Spenser’s brush with death doesn’t diminish his tough-guy ethos or his wise-cracking persona, but it does seem to make him even more thoughtful, philosophical, and even caring than usual. He’s always known that he can count on Hawk, but when Hawk stays by his side to motivate him and help him with his lengthy rehab, he gets a new opportunity to appreciate the depth of their bond.
The book contains the usual helping of mutual congratulations by Spenser and Susan on their exceptional qualities and the extraordinary nature of their relationship. But these conversations are somehow more fitting and (mostly) less annoying in Small Vices, for two reasons: First, there is a subplot about Susan wanting to adopt a baby, which Spenser resists, so they have a substantial issue that they need to resolve. And second, Spenser’s near-death experience brings home for both of them the danger of his work and Susan’s fear that the next time he may not survive.
Ultimately, Small Vices becomes a meditation about equality before the law and about what constitutes justice. Spenser is fully aware that by trying to establish Ellis Alves’s innocence, he is working to free a man who is a blight on society. But even so, he can’t bring himself to allow the particular injustice of this case to stand, especially when it means that rich and powerful people will not be held accountable. In Spenser’s world, that isn’t justice.
Spenser’s investigation soon leads him to suspect that Alves was framed. The witnesses stonewall him. The state police officer who arrested Alves threatens him. Finally, a man tries to kill him and almost succeeds. Spenser has no doubt that the man is a professional killer.
Spenser’s recovery takes him away from the case for months. Once he’s back, he goes after the attempted assassin, who he believes holds the key to unlocking the truth about how and why Alves was framed.
Spenser’s brush with death doesn’t diminish his tough-guy ethos or his wise-cracking persona, but it does seem to make him even more thoughtful, philosophical, and even caring than usual. He’s always known that he can count on Hawk, but when Hawk stays by his side to motivate him and help him with his lengthy rehab, he gets a new opportunity to appreciate the depth of their bond.
The book contains the usual helping of mutual congratulations by Spenser and Susan on their exceptional qualities and the extraordinary nature of their relationship. But these conversations are somehow more fitting and (mostly) less annoying in Small Vices, for two reasons: First, there is a subplot about Susan wanting to adopt a baby, which Spenser resists, so they have a substantial issue that they need to resolve. And second, Spenser’s near-death experience brings home for both of them the danger of his work and Susan’s fear that the next time he may not survive.
Ultimately, Small Vices becomes a meditation about equality before the law and about what constitutes justice. Spenser is fully aware that by trying to establish Ellis Alves’s innocence, he is working to free a man who is a blight on society. But even so, he can’t bring himself to allow the particular injustice of this case to stand, especially when it means that rich and powerful people will not be held accountable. In Spenser’s world, that isn’t justice.
April 14, 2023
I haven't read a Robert B. Parker book for a while. I do enjoy them, though they are a bit formulaic. This one involves Spenser looking into the death of a coed after the perpetrator has been sent to jail. He is now supposed to find out if the man in jail has really committed the crime. This gives a new perspective on solving a case. I had forgotten how much of a violent tough guy Spenser is. I now won't have to read another one for a while.
January 26, 2025
One of the very best of the Spenser novels.
May 31, 2013
In spite of being the second (I think of two) Spenser novels narrated by Burt Reynolds, this was absolutely wonderful. It had all of the normal good stuff... a solid mystery, excitement, a look into interesting minds of the antagonists and plenty of action. It also stands out because Spenser comes up against an adversary arguably stronger than himself. Fairly early on, this antagonist nearly kills Spenser.
This brush with death gives Parker a chance to delve deeper than before in several directions. We've always known Spenser is strong in all sorts of ways, and tough both in the sense of being a favorite in most fights and the sense of mental toughness. In Small Vices, his recovery shows just how deep the toughness runs. We get to explore just what it is, deep inside, that makes Spenser what he is.
Parker finds numerous opportunities to tell us about various aspects of love, including the special relationships he has with people like Hawk. This takes it much further. Hawk constantly at his side might just make the recovery possible, and the characters even admit to each other that Spenser might not have made it through that year otherwise. We see the love from Susan broaden as she seems to reach a new level of really accepting, and loving, what Spenser is. We even learn a lot about Spenser watching his resolution with his antagonist. Parker is fond of describing Spenser, Hawk, Vinny and a few others as men who will "do what they say they'll do," and fans of the series will understand this means much more than the surface interpretation.
"Doing what he says" presents much greater challenges in this book than in any other. He's seeing to the conviction of a promising, young college boy who is guilty, but mostly made a stupid mistake and his father, who broke the law to save his son -- which Spenser admits he might have done himself. In exchange, he gets to free a rapist thug from prison after proving he hadn't committed the specific crime of which he had been convicted. He also frees a man who deeply frightens him, who nearly killed him and who threatened Susan, knowing that he may even tangle with the man again and that he's good enough to get Spenser. It's all utterly consistent with who and what Spenser is, and he couldn't act otherwise. Through this, we get get to know him even more deeply.
If you are coming to the Spenser series out of order, this one would be fine, but not particularly special. For long-reading fans of the series, I suspect this one will often be a favorite.
This brush with death gives Parker a chance to delve deeper than before in several directions. We've always known Spenser is strong in all sorts of ways, and tough both in the sense of being a favorite in most fights and the sense of mental toughness. In Small Vices, his recovery shows just how deep the toughness runs. We get to explore just what it is, deep inside, that makes Spenser what he is.
Parker finds numerous opportunities to tell us about various aspects of love, including the special relationships he has with people like Hawk. This takes it much further. Hawk constantly at his side might just make the recovery possible, and the characters even admit to each other that Spenser might not have made it through that year otherwise. We see the love from Susan broaden as she seems to reach a new level of really accepting, and loving, what Spenser is. We even learn a lot about Spenser watching his resolution with his antagonist. Parker is fond of describing Spenser, Hawk, Vinny and a few others as men who will "do what they say they'll do," and fans of the series will understand this means much more than the surface interpretation.
"Doing what he says" presents much greater challenges in this book than in any other. He's seeing to the conviction of a promising, young college boy who is guilty, but mostly made a stupid mistake and his father, who broke the law to save his son -- which Spenser admits he might have done himself. In exchange, he gets to free a rapist thug from prison after proving he hadn't committed the specific crime of which he had been convicted. He also frees a man who deeply frightens him, who nearly killed him and who threatened Susan, knowing that he may even tangle with the man again and that he's good enough to get Spenser. It's all utterly consistent with who and what Spenser is, and he couldn't act otherwise. Through this, we get get to know him even more deeply.
If you are coming to the Spenser series out of order, this one would be fine, but not particularly special. For long-reading fans of the series, I suspect this one will often be a favorite.
November 28, 2016
In this Spenser adventure he faces two very difficult things: the first is Susan's desire to adopt a baby together and the second is his near death and gut wrenching rehabilitation after being shot and nearly killed by the Gray Man. I am not sure which was tougher for Spenser. Yes, physically there is no doubt the shooting and the rehabilitation he faces as a result took all he had. Yet when Susan expressed a desire to adopt a baby along with Spenser at their age (guessing mid-40s) when Spenser doesn't want to do it may have involved more emotional strength to keep his life baby free yet maintain his relationship with Susan.
All of this started when Spenser was hired by a law firm to investigate the killing of a young prep school girl at an exclusive girl's college. A black man was arrested and convicted of the murder a couple of years ago but the lawyer who defended him is convinced that he was innocent, though he was a bad guy who deserved to be in prison for a lot of other things.
Spenser does his thing by looking into the girl's past and asking a lot of questions. His investigation gets attention of those who want him to stop asking questions. This also results in the Gray Man showing up to attempt to kill Spenser.
Fun quick read.
All of this started when Spenser was hired by a law firm to investigate the killing of a young prep school girl at an exclusive girl's college. A black man was arrested and convicted of the murder a couple of years ago but the lawyer who defended him is convinced that he was innocent, though he was a bad guy who deserved to be in prison for a lot of other things.
Spenser does his thing by looking into the girl's past and asking a lot of questions. His investigation gets attention of those who want him to stop asking questions. This also results in the Gray Man showing up to attempt to kill Spenser.
Fun quick read.
March 15, 2013
I'm back to Spenser after a long layoff. Eventually, I may even finish the series.
This one's good. The story is interesting because the case isn't really a sympathetic cause. Once he's committed to it, though, Spenser won't give it up. The gang's all here for this one, too. It's not just Hawk, Susan, and Pearl. We have also: Healy, Quirk (who's been promoted to Captain), Belsen, Farrell, Vinnie, Gino Fish, Paul Giacomin, Henry Cimoli, Patricia Utley, and her butler Steven. Parker was apparently feeling good about it, too, 'cause there are lots of quotes from Eliot. He even invented a word. I know, because I tried to look it up to find what it means. It's not in any of the online dictionaries I use. I found it by tracking fan commentary on the book. The word: contumescent. Go!
With Parker, it's always the character interactions and dialogue that make the books work. The interactions between Hawk and Spenser are worth the price of admission. Best line of the book goes to Henry Cimoli, though. I'll leave you to find it.
If you like Parker, this is a good read.
This one's good. The story is interesting because the case isn't really a sympathetic cause. Once he's committed to it, though, Spenser won't give it up. The gang's all here for this one, too. It's not just Hawk, Susan, and Pearl. We have also: Healy, Quirk (who's been promoted to Captain), Belsen, Farrell, Vinnie, Gino Fish, Paul Giacomin, Henry Cimoli, Patricia Utley, and her butler Steven. Parker was apparently feeling good about it, too, 'cause there are lots of quotes from Eliot. He even invented a word. I know, because I tried to look it up to find what it means. It's not in any of the online dictionaries I use. I found it by tracking fan commentary on the book. The word: contumescent. Go!
With Parker, it's always the character interactions and dialogue that make the books work. The interactions between Hawk and Spenser are worth the price of admission. Best line of the book goes to Henry Cimoli, though. I'll leave you to find it.
If you like Parker, this is a good read.
April 2, 2015
Another good and intriguing book, of course, but also another round of me wanting to scream and throw things with what bothers me about these books. Susan is still annoying, but I've accepted this as never going to change even as I want to smack her across the head. There is one big thing about this book that drove me bonkers. This book is more than 50 chapters long and it takes most of it for what's in the blurb about Spenser being near-fatally injured to actually happen. If it's in the blurb, I expect it to occur fairly early in the book. Especially when it's not a long book to begin with. It builds suspense, yes. But there's a difference between building suspense and making your reader want to throw things, including the book. This one nearly got to that point for me. As I said, I enjoyed the book despite the problems. I want to continue with the series. I love Spenser and his interactions with his world and the characters within it too much to give it up.
April 12, 2015
This was a rather violent Spenser. His enemy is an unknown Gray Man who stalks him while Spenser is trying to find the truth behind the killing of a college girl, and free the innocent black man who has been imprisoned. Spenser is shot up, left for dead--which he nearly is, and he, Susan, Hawk, and Pearl drive to California where he recovers for about a year, leaving an obituary, so it is thought that he really is dead.
May 15, 2019
A really good Spenser novel with Hawk and Susan. Spenser is shot and almost dead and it takes a year for him to fully recover. They spend the year in California. Spenser is hired to investigate the murder of a college student and prove that the murderer is not the man that has been arrested. The gray man is after him but he succeeds in outwitting him and finding the killer.
September 13, 2025
Great as always. This was my first Spenser book, many many years ago. This is one that Spenser gets shot in and part of the book is his recuperation with Hawk. Just a great novel!
February 26, 2018
The crusading knight in the form of the private detective Spenser takes a most unusual case from the hottest lady lawyer in town, Rita Fiore. One-and-a-half years earlier, a black man with a long record named Ellis Alves was convicted of the murder of a white female college student named Melissa Henderson. Her father is the owner of eight banks and the case was a simple one where Rita simply overpowered the young public defender opposing her.
However, over time the case against Alves has begun to take on an odor to Rita, so her firm is hiring Spenser to investigate the case to affirm/refute his guilt. While it is hard for anyone to work up any sympathy for Alves, the point is to do what they can to make sure that justice is done.
As he generally does, Spenser starts asking around, annoying people, but not really learning anything. Hawk is involved from the beginning, providing opportunity for amusing dialog. When four toughs come to Spenser’s office in an attempt to dissuade him from the case, it is fortunate that Hawk happened to be there. Even though the opposition had four to their two, the opposing thugs understood that it would not be a fair fight.
The situation grows dire when a man called the “Gray Man” informs Spenser and Susan that he has been hired to make sure the case ends. He is a man that is more than Spenser’s equal in a fight, when asked, Gino Fish tells Spenser that he would not send even Vinnie Morris to take him on because he thought that Vinnie could not handle him alone.
The Gray Man also makes a threat against Susan and it is here where Spenser’s friends come forward. Vinnie, Hawk, Belson, Quirk and others all take turns guarding Susan while Spenser continues his hunt for the solution.
This story, like so many involving an action hero, is made by the strength and power of the villain. For the first time, Spenser’s opponent is better than him in taking down his adversary, forcing Spenser to use guile. Yet, the victory is not easy, it is literally one won by mere inches.
However, over time the case against Alves has begun to take on an odor to Rita, so her firm is hiring Spenser to investigate the case to affirm/refute his guilt. While it is hard for anyone to work up any sympathy for Alves, the point is to do what they can to make sure that justice is done.
As he generally does, Spenser starts asking around, annoying people, but not really learning anything. Hawk is involved from the beginning, providing opportunity for amusing dialog. When four toughs come to Spenser’s office in an attempt to dissuade him from the case, it is fortunate that Hawk happened to be there. Even though the opposition had four to their two, the opposing thugs understood that it would not be a fair fight.
The situation grows dire when a man called the “Gray Man” informs Spenser and Susan that he has been hired to make sure the case ends. He is a man that is more than Spenser’s equal in a fight, when asked, Gino Fish tells Spenser that he would not send even Vinnie Morris to take him on because he thought that Vinnie could not handle him alone.
The Gray Man also makes a threat against Susan and it is here where Spenser’s friends come forward. Vinnie, Hawk, Belson, Quirk and others all take turns guarding Susan while Spenser continues his hunt for the solution.
This story, like so many involving an action hero, is made by the strength and power of the villain. For the first time, Spenser’s opponent is better than him in taking down his adversary, forcing Spenser to use guile. Yet, the victory is not easy, it is literally one won by mere inches.
March 31, 2022
I've always had this in my head as the Last of the Great Spenser Novels, and I've never read any of the books beyond this more than once, so it'll be interesting (to me, at least) to see how they compare on a second read. There's no doubting this is quality from start to finish though, and I think there's an argument to be made that Parker should have ended the series with this one. Part of Spenser's charm in the earlier books was that, tough as he was, he sometimes took a real beating... and he'd just dust himself off and come back for more, until he got what he was looking for. By the 90s he'd become almost invulnerable, so I remember it coming as a real shock to me that things go so badly for him here. There's a lot to be said for how Parker handles Spenser's recovery - had this happened in the mid 80s it'd have played like a Rocky Training montage, but this is much more nuanced, and feels all the more genuine for it, which, in turn, makes the pay-off more satisfying. There's a too-obvious side-story about Susan wanting to adopt a child (which comes out of nowhere), we could have done without, but on the plus side, all the usual suspects (Hawk, Quirk, Belson, Vinnie, Henry) are here, with cameos from Paul Giacomin, Gino Fish, Lee Farrell, and, pleasingly, the shady government spook Ives, last seen way back in A Catskill Eagle, which, coincidentally, might rival Small Vices for highest-stakes Spenser novel. Plus, The Gray Man is a GREAT villain. This one never gets old.
Next time round, Spenser gets to hang out with Susan's ex, who is a real prince.
Next time round, Spenser gets to hang out with Susan's ex, who is a real prince.
September 2, 2024
This was a hard book to read at times.
First Susan wanting a baby way past her middle age is an odd choice. Her work seems the most important thing to her and I can’t see her dedication to a baby. She’s much too narcissistic. Second Spenser and his dogged pursuit of the truth almost ended in his death. That was a brutal scene. His 9 lives are almost up. Hawk is a true friend and that part in Santa Barbara is why this book is getting 3 ⭐️s. I was at zero before that 🫠🫠🫠
This book was very gray morally so it makes sense we’d have a manifestation of that with The Gray Man.
Ultimately, this ends on a conflicted note.
Taking a break from Spenser AND Stone Barrington and reading the new Crichton and Patterson book as a palette cleanser 😬😬😬
First Susan wanting a baby way past her middle age is an odd choice. Her work seems the most important thing to her and I can’t see her dedication to a baby. She’s much too narcissistic. Second Spenser and his dogged pursuit of the truth almost ended in his death. That was a brutal scene. His 9 lives are almost up. Hawk is a true friend and that part in Santa Barbara is why this book is getting 3 ⭐️s. I was at zero before that 🫠🫠🫠
This book was very gray morally so it makes sense we’d have a manifestation of that with The Gray Man.
Ultimately, this ends on a conflicted note.
Taking a break from Spenser AND Stone Barrington and reading the new Crichton and Patterson book as a palette cleanser 😬😬😬
June 10, 2021
Other people have written the Cliff Notes so I’ll skip that.
This is one of the better Spenser stories in a while. I enjoyed meeting old friends. And the training interlude built my tension like else nothing he could have done.
As ever, the answer is clear very early. But Parker makes the trip to the end a stomach churning ride.
Susan humanizes the story… and watching her discovery of Spenser give the story a dimension that takes it up a level.
And I hope We see Ruger again.
This is one of the better Spenser stories in a while. I enjoyed meeting old friends. And the training interlude built my tension like else nothing he could have done.
As ever, the answer is clear very early. But Parker makes the trip to the end a stomach churning ride.
Susan humanizes the story… and watching her discovery of Spenser give the story a dimension that takes it up a level.
And I hope We see Ruger again.
May 4, 2024
I took a break from non fiction to read this book (guns at last light). It was nice to not fall asleep within 2-3 minutes of reading every night. Spenser never knows what is going on until towards end seems to be a recurring theme. Also I would like to know how he couldn’t move his right arm and left leg, but didn’t have a spinal cord injury! Also Hawke apparently is a PT! Running him up hills to facilitate normal gait is interesting approach.
April 11, 2020
I always enjoy the Parker books with Spencer and his other characters, love the Jesse Stone movies with Tom Selleck too. Kind of like comfort food for the head. Alas, no more Parker books but I haven't read them all yet !
November 10, 2022
This turned out to be a really great addition to the Spenser story. We get to see a side to Spencer that we have never seen before. I have to say I was kinda worried there for a while.
Spencer is hired to look in to the of a man who was convicted of murder and it does not take long for people to start to get annoyed with him.
I don't want to give away any spoilers, so all I will say is that you are in for a wild ride with this book.
I thoroughly enjoyed it.
As per normal you need to remember when these books were written and published if you decided to read them.
Spencer is hired to look in to the of a man who was convicted of murder and it does not take long for people to start to get annoyed with him.
I don't want to give away any spoilers, so all I will say is that you are in for a wild ride with this book.
I thoroughly enjoyed it.
As per normal you need to remember when these books were written and published if you decided to read them.
August 10, 2018
A bit boring so skipped some pages, story develops very slowly moreover I'm not a big fan of Super man.
March 9, 2020
This is my favorite Spenser book yet. Well-written, lots of character development, and an intriguing plot line that doesn't get confusing. Will read it again for sure.
June 4, 2021
Solid Spenser always the man who finishes what he starts.
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