Chance

The thing about Spencer novels is the presentation of the main characters; Susan, Hawk, and especially Spencer are cool. Because the books are written from a first person perspective, there is a special opportunity for audio books. Burt Reynolds takes advantage of that opportunity. His character portrayals are excellent. Reynolds delivery is outstanding. He doesn't try too hard. His timing is great. Sometimes it's almost like he is talking specifically to me, not to a room of people - like he is responding to my feedback or something! He portrays the characters as I imagined them before I ever listened to a Spencer audiobook. (I didn't watch the TV series more than a couple times.) Even without Reynolds, "Chance" is an interesting story, with a good balance between action & dialog, plot & character development. With Reynolds, it is six stars!

Usually I read Spenser for the great writing style and Boston area environment. This book has in addition great descriptions of Vegas, that City of Sin, and some behind the scenes gangster family situations. It's all handled quite well, and the characters truly get you involved in the action.It's not just a lost-girl-Spenser-finds-girl situation. There are a lot of plot twists, a lot of tracking and figuring out who double-crossed who, and why, and what he should do. Spenser figures out pretty quickly the basics of what's going on. However, it takes him longer to figure out the morally correct thing to do about it, and it's this side of the story which is so fascinating.It's also a great reunion book for people who have followed the story along. There are your criminal favorites, plus Chollo, Fast Eddie Lee, Gino, Vinnie, Tony, etc. Definitely, if you haven't read the previous books, go through them to truly enjoy this one.The story is very well written, with fun descriptions of Vegas and the whole twisted inter-relationships. Spenser's more thoughtful, willing to listen, thinking about how he does things. Maturity and age? Who knows. Susan is very tolerable, becoming more of a "Jewish American Princess". Strangely, the past two stories had doorknob troubles never heard of before. There are a number of small touches that make the story shine. Bob the Waiter was great, from Bahston. My favorite moment is when Spenser's thinking about the Russians (also moving in to the mob scene) and answers the phone with "Da?" :)

In Chance, you will meet the least trustworthy group of double-dealers you can ever imagine. They won't tell Spenser what's really going on, and switch allegiances at the drop of a hat. Just when you think you know what will happen next, the plot switches off into an unexpected direction. Anthony Meeker, the biggest rat of them all, will keep you fascinated by raising the age-old question of what some women see in the men they marry. Compared to most Spenser stories, this one has twice the plot. It's also filled with the usual entertaining by-play among Spenser, Hawk and Susan. If you're like me, you won't be able to put this entertaining story down after starting it. Take a Chance! You'll find it irresistible!

I am reading Chance right now and I have throughly enjoyed every single page. I was given this book by a friend who read it and the only time I could put it down is right now when I'm writing this review. Robert B. Parker is one of the few authors whose books Ive read that can make his characters seem so real. I feel like a really know Spenser, Hawk, and Susan.

Being new to Robert B. Parker, I listened to this tape because Burt Reynolds as a narrator seemed a good fit for the synopsis. It turns out that he does more than just read the book - he becomes almost all of the characters. By the end of the story he has become 7 or 8 different people, and kept all of the voices straight -- even the women. If you like his style and you like mysteries, you'll be sitting in your driveway when you get home from work, waiting for the right moment before turning off the engine and going inside