School Days

Why? It takes a tough guy to get the answer to a tough question like that, especially when no one else wants to know. Spenser's the tough guy who's looking for answers in a school shooting case in this latest novel. Narrating as the Boston gumshoe, Joe Mantegna adds a light touch to Spenser's toughness, drawing laughs with his reading of wry, erudite lines. As the investigation gets more serious, Mantegna's narration turns more dramatic. Always, he highlights Parker's carefully drawn sense of place and eye for detail, sounding as naturally observant as a private eye. More than a puzzle, this novel shines light on the human factor in tragedy. J.A.S. (c) AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine

August 8, 2005
Any new installment in Parker's long-running series starring tough, wisecracking Boston PI Spenser is a pleasure, and this time out high-maintenance girlfriend Susan Silverman is out of town, giving readers unfettered Spenser face time. The wealthy Lily Ellsworth hires Spenser to prove the innocence of her grandson, Jared Clark, accused of a Columbine High School–style shooting that has left five students and two teachers dead. Jared has confessed to the crime, and Spenser faces major opposition from local law enforcement officials, school authorities, dysfunctional parents, opposing lawyers and deadly gang-bangers. As always, Spenser solves the case in a surprising manner, shoots some bad guys and has several attractive women offer him sex, all of which he handles in his proficient, wisenheimer way. Susan's German shorthaired pointer Pearl gets a lot of attentive babysitting, but longtime sidekick Hawk is nowhere in evidence. Those who have stuck with Spenser as Parker invented (and set loose) other case-crackers will be rewarded once again with another solid installment in this fine, enduring series.

April 15, 2006
Spenser agrees to investigate a teenage killer who, with another boy, entered his posh New England high school with serious weapons and randomly started firing, killing students and faculty. The boy has confessed, yet his grandmother believes that he's innocent. His parents want him imprisoned so they can forget they ever had such an unsatisfactory child. Spenser doesn't know what to think, but he knows there's a lot more to the story than anyone's telling; perhaps the sexy school psychologist is the key. Most of Parker's books include Spenser's colorful friends, but this mystery, set in suburban Boston, is full of colorless suburbanites. So while Joe Mantegna does his usual fine reading, he does not have the opportunity to demonstrate his facility with accents and voices. Spenser fans will find this work less amusing than some of his other tales but still will want to listen. Recommended for most mystery collections." -Juleigh Muirhead Clark, John D. Rockefeller Jr. Lib., Colonial Williamsburg Fdn., VA"

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