Das Mädchen im roten Mantel

Mortal Stakes, the third in the Spenser series, is wonderful on many levels. It is more than just about baseball and blackmail and a lone wolf PI taking on underworld thugs. It is also about relationships: between couples, between business partners, between a sports idol and his fans and also his teammates. Parker handles all of these relationships well, with the plot twisting down to a somewhat surprising end: the hero... Read Full Review

This is the second Spenser book I've read, and it's definitely a home run. Spenser's hired to find out if the Boston Red Sox' leading pitcher is on the take or not, gets involved with a few nice folks and quite a few who aren't as nice. The characters and their interplay with Spenser help make this a superior P. I. story. The pitcher and his wife, the madame of a New York bordello, a flashy pimp, a flamboyant sports announcer... Read Full Review

This early Spenser is essential if one is to understand the series hero. The value system that makes him different from those he pursues, and often even the cops, is spelled out here in both word and deed. It also helps us understand what draws him to and keeps him with the sometimes-exasperating Susan Silverman.Even if you aren't a big fan of the series and are just looking for a read to get through a winter's day, this is... Read Full Review

Of the three early Spenser novels I've read recently, I found I liked this one over God Save The Child and The Godwulf Manuscript. I think mainly because Spenser is realizing just how right Susan is for him and how much she understands him and what he does. The other aspect I enjoyed was that he felt so sick about luring in and killing those two men. It just makes him so human. I like that in my detectives. Sensitivity combined... Read Full Review

This is the 3d in the Spenser series.Next to Sandy Kofax, Marty Rabb is the best pitcher Spenser has ever seen. Rabb is with the Red Sox, and someone in the organization hires Spenser to find out if there is any truth in the hint of a whisper that he is throwing games or allowing hits.There are lots of laughs in this story, especially in the first half. Spenser is also quite introspective. He sleeps with Brenda Loring... Read Full Review