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Boston Private Investigator Spenser returns in the 38th book in Robert B. Parker's long running series. Spenser finds himself being asked to assist four beautiful women who all have something in common. They have each been unfaithful to their wealthy husbands and are all being blackmailed by the same man, the superficially charming object of their equally superficial attentions. Spenser takes the case and is able to track down the man involved, who is naturally unwilling to give up both his pleasures and his crimes, and Spenser is equally unwilling to offer a permanent solution to the women's problems. The stakes in the game are soon raised when one of the cuckolded husbands is murdered and Spenser tries to stop the body count from mounting. The plot unfolds through Parker's usual medium of sparse, rapid-fire dialogue, with little in the way of extraneous description, however, by now he seems to be taking this literary device to extremes and the book can best be described as skeletal. If he reduces his word count per page any further, the books will be in danger of vanishing into themselves. In addition, Parker's passion for the use of the word 'said' as the only speech tag in dialogue is only equaled by his passion for Spenser's long-time girlfriend, Susan Silverman, who here plays her usual role of allowing Spenser to talk through the plot for the benefit of the audience. The book proceeds at a reasonable pace, but the lack of any surrounding description also contributes to a feeling that the plot is lacking in depth. The characters, however, remain as engaging as they ever were. We meet the usual array old friends, including stalwarts Hawk and Vinnie Morris, co-opted, as ever, to help with the shadier and more dangerous side of Spenser's activities. His often-reluctant ally, homicide detective Frank Belson, appears in the company of a bag of assorted donuts, as usual. Crime boss, Tony Marcus, also plays a part. The new characters Parker introduces, in the shape of two bodyguards, Zel and Boo, are well-drawn, as is serial adulterer, Gary Eisenhower. The denouement, when it comes, will probably not surprise many people, but its moral ambiguity is in keeping with the general tone of the series. For devotees of the series, the book is a reasonable read, but Parker's style is in danger of becoming a caricature of itself.
Reviewed by Linda Wilson, November 2009
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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