- See our latest mystery/suspense and thriller reviews
- See more BooksForABuck.com reviews of private detective mysteries
- Go to Mystery Review Central at BooksForABuck.com
- If you enjoy Religious-themed thrillers, be sure to check out Veil of the Goddess.
- Enjoy great mysteries? Check out the BooksForABuck.com e-book mysteries--full-length eNovels at highly affordable prices
- Return to Home
Review of NOW AND THEN by Robert B. Parker (see his website)
A SPENSER NOVEL
Putnam, October, 2007
Spenser's client says he's sure his wife can't be having an affair, but people don't come to private detective Spenser unless they're pretty sure. And from Doherty's story, Spenser is pretty sure the woman is definitely straying. Which makes it tough on Spenser because the time when Susan Silverman strayed from him still leaves scars. Still, a private detective takes the jobs he's offered, and Spenser tracks down the errant woman--who, sure enough, is meeting another man. What Spenser doesn't expect, though, is that the woman's lover is asking questions--that he has the woman spying on her FBI agent husband.
Spenser gives Doherty proof he can't argue with, but within a day, both Doherty and his wife are dead. It could be a murder/suicide, but that doesn't feel right to Spenser--especially as the wife was plugged by an assassin. Spenser's pretty sure the woman's lover is behind the murders, but he doesn't have proof. One thing for sure, he's not going to give up on this case--even though he no longer has a living client--until he's made sure someone pays.
Author Robert B. Parker (see more BooksForABuck.com reviews of novels by Parker) continues his Spenser series with an adventure that brings Hawk, along with a couple of other tough gunmen back to help Spenser create a kind of rough justice according to his own macho code. Parker's trademark dialogue had me smiling, even chuckling to myself. Spenser doesn't rely on his boxing skills the way he did in the early books in the series (maybe because he's not as young as he once was), but he manages to get at least one good punch in.
Memories of Susan Silverman's affair, now many years in the past, color this entire novel, motivating Spenser to insist on creating his own form of justice, even after he had enough information to bring in the police. I find the Spenser/Silverman relationship to be a bit sacarine and precious--and stories, like this one, where that relationship plays a major part, suffer as a result.
From a mystery perspective, I was happy to see Spenser actually detecting, tracking down witnesses, placing bugs, and interviewing the local police. The solution to the mystery, though, seemed a bit straightforward. I found myself waiting for the real twist, the time when I could say ah-ha, and was a bit disappointed that no such moment arrived.
NOW AND THEN is a quick read. With big type and plenty of short-sentence dialogue, it's an easy book to read in a single sitting.
Two Stars
Reviewed 1/29/08
Ready to buy it now? Click the buy now button.
Visit Amazon.com to read more reviews or to purchase
NOW AND THEN from Amazon.com
Rather buy it from Barnes and Noble?
Buy the eBook version from Fictionwise.com or the Kindle version from Amazon.com.
What do you think? Too generous? Too stingy? Or did I miss the entire point? Send your comments to publisher@booksforabuck.com. Give me the okay to use your name and I'll publish all the comments that fit (and don't use unprintable language).
Check out the Alexa toolbar. It blocks pop-ups (you get to choose), it's free, and it tells you about what websites are popular and who owns them.
Buy NOW AND THEN
from BN.com
