Spenser Series No. 36Audio read by Joe Mantegna
Random House audio, 2008
5 cd's, 5.5 hours
304 pgs.
Rating: 3
I used to really enjoy Spenser novels. Not only did they take place in familiar locales (the "Smithfield," Massachusetts, where Spenser used to frequent, is actually based on Lynnfield - where I lived until I was in junior high, where my grandparents always lived, and where my brother now lives), but the descriptions of the area were so familiar with reminders of my childhood. The mysteries were pretty darn good, too. I've read many, many of the series - and I truly cannot believe that there are now 36. Wow.
I enjoyed the way the story unfolded, I enjoyed the reparte between Spenser and his sidekick, Hawk. I'm getting really tired of Susan Silverman. Parker uses mostly dialogue to tell the story - and this is where my biggest complaint comes in. "Come in," he said. "Won't stay long," she said. The book is riddled with "saids." It's really apparent when read aloud. And it's really started to irritate me.
This time Spenser is hired by Heidi Bradshaw, a rich Boston socialite, to be available at her daughter's wedding on Tashtego Island, off the coast of Massachusetts somewhere. During a hurricane the bride is kidnapped and the new groom is gunned down. A previous nemesis, Rugar, aka The Gray Man, seems to be the culprit, and Spenser and Hawk begin their journey of philosophical sleuthing. It seems a bit unresolved in the end - so I'm guessing that Parker has saved wiggle room for another story.
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