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alidottie's review against another edition
1.0
1 and a half. Sorry to all the Spenser fans who may read this, but BLAAAAAH! Not to my taste at all! Too cocky and smart-alecky for me! It also was dated in a way that didn't bring on nostalgia.
aelwood's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this classic mystery/thriller recommended by my dad. This book in particular (and series in general) has been a fun way to connect to a time period before technology, where the protagonist has to stop in markets to look up addresses in the phone book, and rely on answering services to receive messages from people. I enjoyed the story, especially how it unfolded. It is definitely dated (mid-1970’s), so be prepared for misogyny, sexism, racist and homophobic remarks; but if you can get past all of that, it was a fun book to read.
hobbs1's review against another edition
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
rollforlibrarian's review against another edition
3.0
I read this after Jim Butcher recommend the author in a Q&A session. The influence is clear and was really interesting to discover. I might try a more recent book as I found many of the cultural and fashion discussions difficult to understand without stopping to read up on them from time to time.
benschwind's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
marksbookreviews's review against another edition
5.0
I have finished all the Jesse Stone and Sunny Randall books by Robert Parker and a few other authors after he passed. Now, I am tackling Spenser, another private investigator like Sunny. The cool thing is, all three are in the same realm so there are returning characters from the Jesse and Sunny series. I was like, oh awesome, I know that person already. But, the Stone and Sunny books take place afterwards as they are much newer.
This is the first book and it’s from 1973, and there are 50 more, plus television adaptations! I am not planning on reviewing every single book in the series.
For this one, Spenser is hired by a university to locate a missing manuscript. A lot of things happen during the course, even murders!
Spenser is a very good private investigator, he likes to cook, he takes care of himself, he dresses sharp, and he likes to drink. He is kind of a smart-ass with words. And, he likes the ladies.
Parker’s descriptions of food, places, and people, are very detailed and I can easily picture it in my mind.
moniquemaggiore's review against another edition
4.0
Someone told me I should read this Spenser Series, as it is something I might like. I did like it as it was based on crime fiction and the main setting with Boston! I really liked the characters - especially the main character Spenser who Parker has as funny and I loved the wit! This book was a good detective story with a good plot. A nice enjoyable read for the summer!
ayaktruk's review against another edition
5.0
Third or fourth (maybe even fifth) read of RBP's first Spenser novel.
Published in '74 and never gets old.
Published in '74 and never gets old.
stevem0214's review against another edition
5.0
It's been years since I read this book. I like the beginning of Spenser, but I like the way he progressed even better. I want to work my way through the series again.