"Sometimes you have to wonder how Robert B. Parker keeps his mojo working…There is a trick to keeping the faith with an old hero. In an age of shifty heroes with shaky values, he has created a hero who can still stand up for himself-and us." —The New York Times Book Review
The indefatigable, poetry-dishing Spenser finds himself in the middle of yet another whopper of a case. A seemingly-dim blonde with a supermodel-class body is accused of murdering her blue-blooded, Mayflower-descended banker of a husband. Her alibi: she was watching "Survivor" in another room. Mary Fiore, Spenser's seductive lawyer-friend, a former prosecutor, realizes that her client needs some help, and commissions Spenser to dig up the truth. This is easier said than done, but a few gunsels, thugs, and murders later, Spenser makes the connection between the dead banker and a real-estate scam gone sour. There's a resolution to the case, but the fun is in seeing the greed and sexual intrigue play out.
In real years, Spenser would now be pushing 70; however, he remains frozen in time--cool, tough, fit, articulate, irresistible to the ladies. Joe Mantegna plays him this way in his latest adventure, involving a mega-dumbie who may or may not have killed her mega-rich husband. The presence of the detective's usual sidekicks, also age-resistant, allows Mantegna to simulate voices for Hawk, the lippy African-American bodyguard, and Susan, the longtime love, as well as a variety of unsavory folk who complicate the plot. The language is as rough as the action as more bodies turn up. Parker's repartee includes many "he said"s; these stand out in audio. This isn't one of Spenser's best outings, but fans of the series will probably like it anyway. J.B.G. (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine
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