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stevem0214's review
4.0
Great as usual, but not my favorite Spenser novel. He has a little problem in this one (I won't mention what the problem is). No Hawk or Susan, so not the usual funny dialogue in this one. Still a great read though!
sandin954's review
2.0
Audio narrated by Michael Prichard. My least favorite Spencer so far. Spencer goes to Hollywood to work as a bodyguard for a TV newswoman who is a know it all pain.
bookhawk's review
4.0
The Spenser series consistently delivers good action and perspective. The only regret is not discovering Parker and this series sooner.
vhzest's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
boleary30's review
2.0
Hollywood payoff, kind of boring from beginning to end, kept waiting for something cool to happen, never came about.
scott_a_miller's review
3.0
Just average, especially for Parker. Spenser is always great but his clients have to be worth rooting for. If they aren’t, the book just doesn’t live up to expectations. I really didn’t like this client. Only because of the way Spenser resolved things did it avoid be 2 stars.
brianlokker's review against another edition
3.0
Not one of my favorite Spenser novels. I liked the first half or so of the book, but I thought it sags somewhat after Spenser is removed from the TV station's payroll and begins protecting Candy Sloan on his own time. I found the revelation of the connections among the bad guys at the end to be quite convoluted and not all that believable. I don't think it's set up particularly well.
Spenser's wisecracking is generally up to Spenserian par, although I missed his repartee with Sergeant Belson and Lieutenant Quirk, who are absent from the story because of the Los Angeles setting. Spenser's philosophical musings, which to me were a highlight of the previous book, Early Autumn, are less profound and certainly less enlightened in this one. His justifications for sleeping with / not sleeping with his client are particularly absurd, and I don't think that's just because of the passage of time.
Unfortunately, from my point of view, Hawk doesn't appear in this story. (It's hard for me to give a five-star rating to a Spenser book without Hawk.) But on the plus side, the often annoying Susan Silverman is also absent (except for Spenser's thoughts about her and his conversations about her, which are often even more annoying than Susan herself).
Overall I still enjoyed the book, and I'll keep coming back for more Spenser. But after Early Autumn, I was a bit disappointed.
Spenser's wisecracking is generally up to Spenserian par, although I missed his repartee with Sergeant Belson and Lieutenant Quirk, who are absent from the story because of the Los Angeles setting. Spenser's philosophical musings, which to me were a highlight of the previous book, Early Autumn, are less profound and certainly less enlightened in this one. His justifications for sleeping with / not sleeping with his client are particularly absurd, and I don't think that's just because of the passage of time.
Unfortunately, from my point of view, Hawk doesn't appear in this story. (It's hard for me to give a five-star rating to a Spenser book without Hawk.) But on the plus side, the often annoying Susan Silverman is also absent (except for Spenser's thoughts about her and his conversations about her, which are often even more annoying than Susan herself).
Overall I still enjoyed the book, and I'll keep coming back for more Spenser. But after Early Autumn, I was a bit disappointed.
cmcahill's review
3.0
Spenser is out in California where he is body-guard to Candy Sloan trying to get the big story.