Hundred-Dollar Baby (Spenser)
by Robert B. Parker
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Book Summary Information
Author: Robert B. ParkerEdition: Mass Market Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2007-09-04
ISBN: 0425217558
Number of pages: 320
Publisher: Berkley
Book Reviews of Hundred-Dollar Baby (Spenser)
Book Review: Best Spenser in quite some time. Try it if you've been disappointed in recent years
Summary: 4 Stars
I've been reading Robert B. Parker's Spenser novels since they were first published in 1975, and I've never missed one since. So I'm speaking as a longtime fan.
Yes, the series has had its ups and downs. Yes, lately the author is being self-referential, bringing back characters from previous books in guest appearances, for better or worse. (Certain passing references will make more sense if you know the series as a whole.) Yes, Spenser's interludes with Susan are getting increasingly predictable: the action stops in its tracks while Susan defines what just happened in psychological terms, and then it's back to the story. "Potshot" looked like a winner, with Spenser's gang revving up to do battle in a Western town, until the unforgivable end (no battle, no climax, and no finish). "School Days" also just stopped, without a satisfying conclusion. The author's once-gripping, blow-by-blow descriptions of fight scenes (epitomized in the masterful "The Judas Goat") had become non-events that cheated the reader. So I was frankly expecting "another good read but no payoff" when I read "Hundred-Dollar Baby."
The joke was on me: Spenser is back to form. All the familiar hallmarks of vintage Spenser are here, with wisecracking dialogue up to par, characters as colorful as ever (although law enforcer Martin Quirk suddenly appears without introduction -- new Spenser readers won't know who he is), and a good, flavorful plot. Best of all for Spenser's admirers, there's a surprising revelation of the culprit's identity at the end, and Parker then tops it with an even bigger surprise (escaping from the culprit's point-blank showdown).
Spenser has been on the scene for three decades, and like other venerable characters he's garnered a loyal following. And we've grown a bit older with him. These days, reading the latest Spenser adventure is like watching late Cagney or Bogart -- older and mellower, not as much zip as in days of yore, but still comfortable and enjoyable, and well worth your time.
Some of the reviews on this page are greeting "Hundred-Dollar Baby" as a valedictory. I hope not. There's plenty of life in this series, and I'm looking forward to the further adventures of Robert B. Parker's greatest character.
Summary of Hundred-Dollar Baby (Spenser)
April Kyle, a prostitute from Spenser's past, comes back into his life-with deadly complications.
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