Hundred-Dollar Baby

Spenser. Hard-boiled, deep-thinking, gentle as a lamb in a china shop when he isn't intimidating you with his tough guy act. I short, Spenser is a thoroughly modern descendant of the noir detectives of the 1940s. Long ago, Spenser helped April Kyle, a promiscuous young woman, dominated by a bad man. A few decades later, April is an accomplished, high-class prostitute, running what Spenser indelicately refers to as a "whorehouse" in Boston. April seeks out Spenser for help: once again, bad men are threatening her. Soon the tale deepens as Spenser realizes that he is dealing with a web of lies that takes him from Boston to New York and back to Boston, all the time seeking the advice of his therapist soulmate Susan. There is no real depth here: just a lot of snappy descriptive dialog and some surprisingly well-drawn characters. Spenser, Susan, Spenser's friend Hawk, the compassionate New York bordello owner. In short, a light, enjoyable read. It won't keep you awake at night, but it will help you fall asleep. Jerry

RBP is the best P.I./crime fiction author in the history of the genre. This latest installment in the Spenser series goes another step in proving that point. I really enjoy how the author takes characters from previous books and further developes them in later work. Here he does it with April Kyle, the frustrating call girl from "Ceremony" and "Taming A Sea Horse". Spenser`s heartfelt, fatherly affection for this lost soul brings him back into the world where sex is for sale. This novel has more twists and turns than a mountain road and has a startling ending. If you like RBP`s work you have to own this book.

Once again Mr Parker is the essence of perfect!!! His words just dance off the page entertaining one endlessly. Lots of chuckles, drama and who done it's??? Love this guy!!!!

O.k. - starting off with this one in the Spenser series might leave you a bit helpless at the beginning. April Kyle returns, a prostitute once "saved" by Spenser. Hawk, Susan of course, and Pearl the wonder-dog. Also several of the more shady characters Parker created make a welcome come-back. Things start off quite easily, with the greatest dialogue keeping you both on the edge of your seat and laughing your head off. That's where Parker is best. It's also why he doesn't need much space for descriptions. The characters jump into your face by what he makes them say. As the story unfolds, things get darker, not just because of Hawk. I won't go much into the story-line. As always it's fast-paced. Just a few words so you get the feeling. April is now a Madam, more or less managing her own house. The more-or-less is where the trouble starts. Others want a part of her success. But since there are quite a few bastards on her trail, she asks Spenser for help. Of course he solves the case in the end, just not the way April expected him to. So, when you know Spenser, get this one, it's one of the best. If you don't, get it too - and the other ones, starting with "Ceremony" and "Taming A Sea-Horse", the two other books with April Kyle.