Bad Business

Author: Robert B. Parker
List Price: $24.95
Our Price: Click to see the latest and low price
ISBN: 0399151451
Publisher: Penguin USA (08 March, 2004)
Sales Rank: 98
Average Customer Rating: 4.1 out of 5

Customer Reviews

Rating: 4 out of 5
Parker on the upswig--this is a much better Spenser novel
This is Parker's 31st Spenser novel. As you'd expect in a series this long, there have been high points and low points. 2 to 3 books back things had flattened out and Spenser was getting too predictable. That has changed.

In Bad Business Spenser is involved in tailing an executive at Kinergy--a company that might as well have just been called Enron and been done with it--after being hired by the executive's wife. it soon transpires lots of people are tailing lots of people at Kinergy. When the executive in Spenser's sights is killed, things get even more complicated.

After 31 novels Parker has a pretty full corral of stock characters to draw from. He's fairly sparing in this one. The focus here is more on the story.

The story's pretty good. It's more complex and suspenseful than has been the norm lately--more intricate and less predictable.

But the good news here is that Spenser himself is in very good form. Back is the wry, wisecracking, violent intellectual that has built this series into what it is. The re-energizing of Spenser is a welcome development.

Parker is also branching out a nit--from the purely noir conceptualization to a bit of homage of other great mystery writers. The ending is a group-room scene reminiscent of-and worthy of--a Nero Wolfe novel by Rex Stout.

All in all a very nice diversion and a very pleasant read.

Rating: 4 out of 5
Parker always delivers
I've always liked Parker's books, especially the Spenser and Jesse Stone novels. This was no exception. I love the witty banter and the strong loyal friendship between Spenser and Hawk. Parker never fails to turn out a good story full of strong characters, snappy dialogue, and his narrative is always vivid, even though he's not as wordy as some writers. The only thing about this book I didn't like is, I would have liked to have seen more of Hawk. I understand that such a character is more effective when used sparingly but a little more Hawk would have been an improvement I think. Still, it's a good tale and if you like Parker's novels, I can definitely recommend "Bad Business".
Parker is one of the best!

Rating: 5 out of 5
Spenser is Back
Three private eyes nearly fall all over each other following supposedly unfaithful spouces. After the CFO of an Enron-like energy trader is found dead, Spenser is drawn into deadly intramural corporate games.

Parker's ageless sleuth has shown he is the new Travis McGee already, but this solid and exciting work demonstrates why Parker is so popular. Topical intrigue and ingenious plots make for great crime fiction. Five stars aren't enough.



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