Synopses & Reviews
A cheating husband and a wayward wife provide Spenser with an unconventional and dangerous surveillance job.
When Marlene Cowley hires Spenser to see if her husband, Trent, is cheating on her, he encounters more than he bargained for: Not only does he find a two-timing husband, but a second investigator as well, hired by the husband to look after his wife. As a result of their joint efforts, Spenser soon finds himself investigating both individual depravity and corporate corruption.
It seems the folks in the Cowleys' circle have become enamored of radio talk-show host Darrin O'Mara, whose views on Courtly Love are clouding some already fuzzy minds with the notion of cross-connubial relationships. O'Mara's brand of sex therapy is unconventional at best, unlawful and deadly at worst. Then a murder at Kinergy, where Trent Cowley is CFO, sends Spenser in yet another direction. Apparently, the unfettered pursuit of profit has a price.
With razor-sharp characterizations and finely honed prose, this is Parker writing at the height of his powers.
Review
"There's less violence than usual in this Spenser novel but more detecting....Parker is treading water here, albeit with some flair and a good deal of humor." Publishers Weekly
Review
"Parker thickens the plot with a master's patience, producing some satisfyingly unexpected twists, even though, in accord with his recent manner, he's a lot less careful about wrapping it all up." Kirkus Reviews
Review
"[A]nother combination of wry satire and sly action....Spenser swaggers a bit too much, and the dialogue can get one-two punch formulaic, but even so, Parker still runs at the front of the private-eye pack." Connie Fletcher, Booklist
Synopsis
One of the great series in the history of the American detective story gets even better when Spenser is hired by a jilted bride to follow a cheating husband, only to cross paths with a detective hired to tail the two-timing wife. They aren't the most trusting couple in town, but as it turns out, they are the most dangerous.
About the Author
Robert B. Parker has long been acknowledged as the dean of American crime fiction. His novels featuring the wise-cracking, street-smart Boston private-eye Spenser have earned him a devoted following and reams of critical acclaim, typified by R.W.B. Lewis' comment, "We are witnessing one of the great series in the history of the American detective story" (The New York Times Book Review). Robert Parker's most recent bestsellers include his Spenser novel, Widow's Walk, and Death in Paradise, his third Jesse Stone novel. His first western, Gunman's Rhapsody, was published in 2001. Born and raised in Massachusetts, Parker attended Colby College in Maine, serves with the Army in Korea, and then completed a Ph.D. in English at Boston University. He married his wife Joan in 1956; they raised two sons, David and Daniel. He and Joan now live in the Boston area. Parker has recently been named Grand Master of the 2002 Edgar awards by the Mystery Writers of America, an honor shared with earlier masters such as Alfred Hitchcock and Ellery Queen.