Rough Weather

Parker's Boston-based PI, Spenser, is hired as a bodyguard for a socialite who is hosting her daughter's wedding on her private island. When the groom is murdered and the bride is kidnapped, Spenser is determined to get to the bottom of the suspicious circumstances--especially the appearance of the Gray Man. Joe Mantegna's characterization of Spenser is as rock-steady as Spenser's integrity. Mantegna IS Spenser: determined and erudite, equally capable of killing a foe and cooking a gourmet meal. The dialogue, sometimes lacking the concise perfection that is Parker's hallmark, is rescued by Mantegna's portrayals of the characters, Spenser himself, Susan (elegantly cultured but remarkably tolerant of Spenser's life-and-death world), and Hawk (ever stalwart and loyal). Thanks to Mantegna's skill, this audiobook is better than the print publication. N.M.C. (c) AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine

August 25, 2008
Spenser, the redoubtable Boston PI, struts his stuff in this 36th entry in the series, but may leave some readers wondering if his ethics will bear even casual examination. When Heidi Bradshaw hires Spenser to “support” her at her daughter's wedding on Tashtego Island in Buzzards Bay, Mass., an old nemesis of Spenser's, the Gray Man, who almost killed Spenser in Small Vices
(1977), also shows up on the island. Spenser is unable to prevent the kidnapping of the bride or the deaths that attend it. Assisted by a cadre of familiar players, Spenser persists in trying to find the missing bride in spite of warnings from the Gray Man. The trademark banter and snappy dialogue may seem more forced than natural. Spenser displays his machismo in dealing with a muscle builder and his detective skills in figuring out the Gray Man's connections to the case. A troubling conclusion produces one resolution and the promise of further consequences in the next installment.